Zi You deliberately pretended to look sad and caring. She shook her head and said, “If people find out about this, they not only would scold father for being vicious, but they will scold him for being fickle and heartless too. He can’t even tolerate a crazy concubine who lost her son. How would a woman dare to treat father sincerely from now on?
“If the imperial censors find out, they might impeach father. Didn’t you think about father before you did anything?”
Wang Yiping never thought that Zi You would provoke her as soon as she came back. She placed this huge charge on her head and didn’t give her the chance to explain.
Wang Yiping’s chest felt stuffy from anger. She glared at Zi You with sword-like eyes. She couldn’t wait to stab a sword through Zi You’s heart.
However, more than two years had passed and she had learned to tolerate, so she was calmer now. She pondered for less than five minutes and coldly ordered, “Someone, come. These two cheap maidservants slandered me. Take them out and flog them to death.”
“Mother!” Zi You instantly saw through her scheme and exclaimed, “If you flog them to death, who will dare to listen to you and be loyal to you?”
Huh! Zi You sneered to herself. What a good plan. You want to kill the two maidservants and spread the news that I returned and forced you to kill them. I’m not that stupid. If you’re not going to get angry, I’m going to force you to show your true nature then.
Sure enough, the anger in Wang Yiping’s chest couldn’t be suppressed anymore. She shouted, “Why are you so sure that I ordered them? If you don’t flog to death wicked servants like these who slander their masters, are you going to leave them alive to climb above their status and frame others?”
“If you didn’t order them, then you definitely can’t kill them!” Zi You looked like she was thinking on her behalf. She said righteously and justly, “If you really didn’t give them orders, then you should carefully interrogate them. First, they abused a yiniang and then they frame a main wife. I think that for the sake of yours and father’s reputations, we should send them to the yamen for investigation.
“We need to find out who is so vicious to pour dirty water on you and father. We can’t let them off!”
Mu YingRui heard this and strode into Yiping Ju. He saw that the situation was indeed as Zi You had said. He didn’t look at himself, but he pushed all the responsibility onto Wang Yiping instead.
Zi You was right. If Shui Yiniang’s matter was spread out, what would others think of him? There wouldn’t be many people scolding Wang Yiping. After all, which fu didn’t have wives and concubines fight and even to death sometimes?
But he would drown by the saliva! People would certainly scold him for being ruthless and fickle. His concubine just lost her son and became crazy. But he let people abuse her and try to kill her?
No woman would be willing to be with him anymore. What woman would entrust her life to a fickle and heartless person?
Wang Yiping was really poisonous! In order not to have another woman like him, she tried to get rid of Shui Yiniang even at the destruction of his reputation.
Haiyun saw Mu YingRui run into Yiping Ju and ran after him. She whispered, “Laoye, don’t beat the grass and startle the snake. Otherwise, you won’t be able to find out the truth.”
That’s right. He had to be calm. He couldn’t immediately shed all pretence of cordiality with Wang Yiping. He wanted to see how much this cheap wench had hidden from him.
After Mu YingRui left, Wang Yiping’s patience was finally gone. She shouted, “Take them out. Don’t you know that family shames cannot be spread outside? Someone, come. Drag these two wicked servants out and flog them to death!”
“Ah!” Zi You pretended to look like she couldn’t bear it. She wanted to stop Wang Yiping, but she didn’t dare to. Then she looked meaningfully at the servants and sighed.
Many of these servants were bought only a short period of time ago. They had always blindly followed Wang Yiping. Now that they saw this scene, what else did they not understand?
So it was all fake when Furen said, “As long as you are loyal to me, you’ll receive plenty of benefits.”
So the “benefits” she referred to was flogging to death two maidservants to protect her own reputation.
Instantly, most of the servants were disheartened. Only a small amount of the servants were more determined to cling onto Wang Yiping. After all, even Zi You didn’t dare to be disobedient to her stepmother.
However, at this time, greetings sounded outside. “Nubi (Nucai) pays respects to Lao TaiYe!”
Old General Mu (Shangguan LingRan) was in a wheelchair and pushed in by Mu YingYi.
Wang Yiping was shocked and secretly thought, ‘This is bad! Why is the old fool here?’
She quickly went over to curtsy. “Daughter-in-law pays respects to father. Wishing father good fortune!”
Old General Mu (Shangguan LingRan) didn’t tell her to get up. He looked at several women pulling on two little maidservants. He looked displeased and asked, “What is going on? Why don’t you know how to stop? I just came back. What are you doing now?”
“Daughter-in-law is wronged!” Wang Yiping looked ptitiful and said, “It’s You’er. She said……”
“It’s You’er’s fault again.” Old General Mu (Shangguan LingRan) sneered. “You always blame You’er and never admit how vicious you are. I thought that if I let you off, you will repent. I didn’t think that you still……”
“Grandfather.” Zi You looked sad as she went over to Old General Mu (Shangguan LingRan). She said aggrieved, “Forget it. It’s not the first time that mother doesn’t appreciate my kindness. I don’t care anymore. But these two maidservants really don’t deserve to die. They were just forced by someone to abuse Shui Yiniang.
“Grandfather, can you spare them? Just hit them twenty times with the boards so they will remember not to listen to other people’s instigation and do wicked deeds. Also, send a few loyal servants to serve Shui Yiniang. She’s so pitiful!”
“Hit these two maidservants twenty times with boards,” “Old General Mu” immediately ordered. He then held Zi You’s hand and said, “Let’s go. I’ll go with you to see Shui Yiniang. It’s a pity. Hui’er was this old man’s grandson too.”
The servants saw this and had a new understanding of Wang Yiping. Their impression of Old General Mu and Zi You greatly improved too.
It seemed that they couldn’t believe in what Wang Yiping had said. In the future, they needed to carefully consider whatever she told them to do.
After Old General Mu left, Wang Yiping almost collapsed. She had thought that he was going to punish her again. She never thought that he would let her off.
However, she thought of how Old General Mu didn’t listen to her defense and only listened to Zi You. She was instantly transported back to what happened two years ago. She angrily and fiercely threw the crutch in her hand away.
Yu Lanxuan saw everything that happened, but she remembered the lesson that Zi You had just taught her. So, she helped Wang Yiping into the room and whispered in her ear.
Wang Yiping nodded and looked resentful and vicious. “I want her to die too, but I can’t do anything in the house. I can only scheme against her in the Palace. Go tell the Empress to find a way to kill her when she’s in the Palace tonight. This way……”
