Outside the courtyard, two people suddenly appeared. Dou could never think of it in her life, that Qin Zhi and the old princess of Prince Ning’s Mansion would show up together, and it was still in her….
Dou Qing’e took a look at Qin Yunuan, who was crushed under her body. She was relieved, but what would happen next?
She turned her head tremblingly and looked at the two people at the entrance of the courtyard. Qin Zhi’s anger and the regret of the old princess were portrayed on their faces.
Because the Dou Family once helped the deceased Prince Ning, so that the old princess would repeatedly take care of Dou according to her husband’s will. She did not only bring Dou back from Guo’an Temple but also spent her dowry to return her to the Qin Family. Now hearing that she was crazy, the old princess went to visit in person and sent medicinal supplements. The so-called visit was a warning to Qin Zhi not to push it too far. After all, Dou was Madam of the Qin Family, and it was Qin Yunuan, that daughter of a concubine, who provoked things first without being reasonable.
But now, she saw everything in her eyes.
Dou was viciously clutching Qin Yunuan on the collar. Qin Yunuan’s clothes had been cut rotten in several places. The oppressing one and the oppressed one were immediately revealed.
“Ma… master,” Dou Qing’e’s mind went blank. She murmured toward Qin Zhi, “Not me, it was this little b*tch. She somehow numbed my body, and it was painful all over. Master, believe me. I was just anxious, so… so that….”
Qin Zhi kicked away Dou Qing’e, who was grabbing his ankle tightly, and he snorted coldly, “I only saw you thrashing and hitting Yunuan. A young child was being bullied on the ground. You really are a good mistress to our family.”
Qin Yunuan was lifted by Tong and Ting Xue. She leaned to one side and her head lowered, even seemed to be sobbing in grief. Her reaction fitted the scene. To cooperate with Qin Zhi’s words, her shoulders started shaking. Even strangers would feel distressed for her.
“Father, don’t be fooled by the acting of this daughter of a concubine,” Qin Yunzhuang hurriedly spoke for Dou Qing’e, “Everyone had seen it. Qin Yunuan bullied my mother first.”
Qin Zhi glanced at Qin Yunzhuang. Though Qin Yunzhuang was engaged with Prince Ray, this marriage started from a shameful reason after all. It would always be a lump inside Qin Zhi’s heart. Therefore, he became even more unhappy seeing Qin Yunzhuang speaking for Dou Qing.
“Your mother is crazy. I can’t see more clearly who was bullying,” Qin Zhi said coldly. Thinking that the old princess was still there, he restrained himself and didn’t continue. Moving slightly, he saluted to the old princess and said, “It’s a shame that you see the mess inside our house.”
Right, Dou Qing’e remembered that she still had the old princess to support her. She got up at once. She knelt towards the old princess and said, “The old princess, you must save me. I was wronged by the little b*tch. The servant girls saw it.”
Qin Zhi glanced at the surrounding servant girls. He randomly pointed at an honest looking one and asked, “You say, what happened?”
The little servant girl knelt on the ground quickly and said obediently, “Master, Madam was clamoring for trouble with Third Miss, but her legs were unhandy when she walked down the stairs at the gate. She fell to the ground, but she still cursed Third Miss in her mouth. Then as Master just saw. Madam rode on Third Miss, she beat and scolded her.”
“What else do you have to say?” Qin Zhi waved his sleeve. The simple wave was enough to douse Dou Qing’e’s heart. She knew Qin Zhi best. Whenever he did this action, he already had his planning. Dou was afraid that Qin Zhi had arranged a place for her in his heart, a place that couldn’t be more terrible.
Before Dou Qing’e could speak, Qin Yunzhuang took the lead and cried out, “Father, you can’t blame my mother. My mother is insane, and you know that. Father, spare my mother this time, for she is a patient.”
“Yunzhuang, stop.” Dou Qing’e wanted to cover Qin Yunzhuang’s mouth at once, but Qin Yunzhuang had already poured out. She thought this could impress Qin Zhi. However, Qin Zhi was waiting for this moment.
Qin Zhi touched the jade wrench on his thumb and said, “Since she was a patient, she should go to the place where patients go. And that place should be the Psycho Tower. As you have said, I would send your mother to the Psycho Tower in the suburbs of the Royal City. As for Yunuan….”
Qin Yunuan raised her head slowly when hearing her name. A few tears lingered on her face very timely. It was like she was wronged and was crying sorrowfully for injustice.
Seeing Qin Yunuan like this, Qin Zhi’s heart also softened. He knew that he had neglected the daughter and son of this concubine, but didn’t expect Dou to be so arrogant.
“The news came from inside the palace and they chose you to go to the Royal Xiangguo Temple to pray for Queen Mother. Although Xiangguo Temple is not far away, you won’t return in forty-nine days. Yunuan, you don’t have many servant girls, and also not too much surplus in the salary. So later, Butler Xie will allocate a few more servant girls to come over, and then add 20 tael silver every month to give Yunuan.” Qin Zhi was gentle like evaluating his subordinates at work.
Qin Yunuan bent slightly and thanked Qin Zhi with a grateful appearance. There must be rewards as well as punishments. One’s ascending must lead to the other’s descending. This is the style of the officialdom. When simply applied to the struggle inside the house, this would only cause more turbulence.
“No, father. You can’t send my mother to that place. She will be forced into a lunatic even if she was not in that haunting place.” Qin Yunzhuang was still begging. She couldn’t imagine the days without her mother around. What should she do if Qin Yunuan started again, and now what should she do when the marriage was approaching. Her elder brother Qin Linfeng was often not at home. She could only rely on Dou Qing’e.
Then she thought of the Dou Family who was still lingering on in a steadily worsening condition. Qin Yunzhuang tried to use the Dou Family as a bargaining chip and said, “Father, you forgot the letter from my uncle a while ago, saying that emperor gave a third-grade office to my cousin, Dou Xianghuai. My cousin would go in the Royal City as soon as possible, and he would be arriving in two days. He must settle at the Qin Family by then. If he discovered that my mother had gone, how could you explain that?”
Qin Yunuan chuckled in her heart. Qin Yunzhuang was raised in the deep boudoir without knowing the basic situation outside. Now the Dou Family was like trapped beasts. It was likely that the emperor gave a fake opportunity for Dou Xianghuai to enter Royal City and took the chance to control the old Master Dou in Hangzhou. Qin Yunzhuang said it out with so much confidence. How could she be so unafraid of being joked?
Sure enough, Qin Zhi didn’t even blink his eyes. He only said, “If he really came and wanted to visit Dou, just take Dou Xianghuai to the Psycho Tower. Is there any problem?”
Qin Yunzhuang was a little surprised. Dou Qing’e couldn’t even believe her ears. She knew that if she went to the Psycho Tower. Even if Qin Yunuan were not going to send someone to torture her, she would be tortured to death by those madmen and who pretended to be mad. She heard that because those people in the Psycho Tower were crazy, and the responsible nannies were not willing to take care of them. The food was in short and hunger once caused cannibal events.
She didn’t want to go there! She could never go there! Dou Qing’e shouted in her heart.
The old princess had already found a reason to leave in a hurry. She would not only stop helping Dou Qing’e in the future, but she may also regret how she helped an incorrigible sludge.
Qin Zhi was about to turn around when Dou Qing’e put her last effort on holding Qin Zhi’s leg. She tried to say something, but then she saw a blink in Qin Yunuan’s eyes, and her action was frozen. She opened her mouth and found that she could not speak any words, or even make any sound, just like she was paralyzed for some reason.
“What’s the matter, my mother? Get up and talk,” Qin Yunuan said while letting Ting Xue by her side support Dou Qing’e.
Unexpectedly, Dou Qing’e throw away Ting Xue. She was clasping her throat hard, trying to say something but she couldn’t make an exact voice.
Seeing Dou Qing’e’s distraught look, Qin Zhi couldn’t be more disappointed, “Okay, crazy. Xiu Gu, take Madam back to the yard for some rest. If she comes out again and loses her face, I will blame you for that.”
Dou Qing’e was dragged out by Xiu Gu and another tall and sturdy nanny, but she was very unwilling in her heart. She stared straight at Qin Yunuan, knowing that she had done everything. Qin Yunzhuang had been investigating, and she knew that Qin Yunuan had masters around her. But she didn’t expect that their skills were above the Dou Family’s assassins.
The three elites she sent to investigate Qin Yunuan had been secretly killed by those around Qin Yunuan. Everything remained quiet. It wasn’t until the second group of assassins discovered the secret signal left by the first before they realized that they had failed.
Qin Yunuan. Dou Qing’e gritted her teeth. Things wouldn’t end that easily. Even though she was going to be sent away to the hell-like Psycho Tower, the Dou Family was still powerful. Even if the Dou family had lost its power, the Dou people would still be around. Dou Xianghuai, her good nephew, would definitely avenge her.
Everyone was gone, and the courtyard quieted down immediately. Qin Yunuan looked at the mess on the ground that Dou Qing’e made, and suddenly a faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips. Mother, I finally revenged for you.
On the second day, Dou Qing’e was picked up by a wagon covered with iron. Qin Yunzhuang had been crying behind the wagon. Qin Linfeng, who had not returned home for a long time, finally appeared. He looked at the wagon with some delusion in his eyes. Holding and comforting Qin Yunzhuang, he would occasionally cast a very vicious look at Qin Yunuan.
Qin Yunuan was indifferent. She stood on the steps holding her veil.
“Many acts of unrighteousness must lead to one’s end.” Qin Linfeng walked up the stairs and said abruptly to Qin Yunuan, “I heard that you are going to pray at Xiangguo Temple. Huh, you have to be careful enough or you can’t return safely.”
