Chapter 229: Chapter 229: One Incident After Another
The doctor had already examined Qu Fulan and naturally knew the cause, immediately saying, "This is an illness caused by cold invading the body. If treated promptly, it could have been fine in two or three days. But from the looks of it, this young lady’s illness has been neglected and untreated, becoming a serious condition. If it weren’t discovered in time, I’m afraid she wouldn’t have made it through today..."
Marquis Pei and his wife did not yet know Qu Fulan, so they naturally didn’t understand what was happening.
Mrs. Pei had a past relationship of master and servant with Qu Fulan, and she had a very favorable impression of Fulan. Seeing her become like this naturally shocked her, "How could this happen? Why wasn’t she treated in time for her illness? Besides, I remember that Miss Qiu herself was skilled in medicine. How did it come to this?"
Heir Pei did not answer but instead looked at the people kneeling on the ground nearby, "You all speak."
Having learned from previous "lessons," these people’s tongues turned nimble, and they all hurriedly confessed the matters entrusted by Cheng Ru.
"Miss Cheng said something was lost and used the pretext of catching a thief to have us surround this place, not allowing anyone inside to exit, not even to buy vegetables, rice, or medicine. She said not even a fly should be let out."
"She also withheld firewood, not allowing others to sell to them. Previously, an old woman who had a good relationship with Mrs. Chen couldn’t bear it, secretly gave a bag of charcoal, and when Miss Cheng found out, she immediately sold that woman off. No one else dared to disobey her orders afterward."
"The people inside were ill and wanted to come out to see a doctor. Miss Cheng wouldn’t allow it, saying even if the doctor came in, she wouldn’t allow it, claiming that a mere lowly maid was not worth the fuss if she died. We all work in the mansion, and now that Miss Cheng manages it, a word from her can decide our staying or leaving. We dare not disobey."
After the men finished speaking, it was then the women’s turn.
"Everyone saw how well the Young Master treated Miss Qu. Back when she was a maid in the mansion, he often rewarded her. This made Miss Cheng extremely jealous. She wanted to teach Miss Qu a lesson before the Young Master returned, never expecting he would come back early..."
"It wasn’t just Miss Qu. Even Miss Fang Yuan left disheartened by Miss Cheng, fearing Miss Fang Yuan would want to compete for the position of Young Lady."
"There were also the shops Miss Qu managed; Miss Cheng wanted to seize them all back, not allowing Miss Qu to have any involvement, claiming she had no qualification. Even this house, knowing full well the Young Master rented it specifically for Miss Qu to live in, she wanted to drive Miss Qu out, hoping she’d end up on the street to feel better."
...
The saying "everyone pushes a falling wall" was evident; Heir Pei was clearly going to deal with Cheng Ru. Compared to him, who was more intimidating was obvious without thought.
Heir Pei would not marry someone he didn’t like as Young Lady, so they had no reason to offend him for the sake of an outsider—nor could they afford to.
Moreover, Cheng Ru, having been managing for some time, started off well but changed completely after being "appointed" as Young Lady. She even began withholding silver coins from the servants.
Privately, many had grievances against her, but with her impending status as Young Lady, no one could afford to offend her, so they silently endured.
Now there was an opportunity to vent, sanctioned by Heir Pei, no less, so no one held back, even embellishing their tales.
The previous person who tried to remain neutral had already gone to the Western Heaven, and they didn’t want to gamble their lives away.
After these people finished speaking, Pei Ji’an slightly curled his lips and slowly spoke, "Has the old lady forgotten? Fulan only recently returned home after being taken to the border to save lives for over a year. Her medical kit was taken with her long ago, and she fell ill before she had a chance to restock medications. From the Pei Mansion, we have never engaged in such abuse of power; indeed, it’s the first time such a thing has happened."
After Pei Ji’an spoke mockingly, Cheng Ru found herself free to move. After having her deeds exposed, she was able to move and speak, and amidst everyone’s peculiar gaze, she felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown onto the street, unbearably humiliated.
Instinctively wanting to escape, she found no opportunity to do so, so she threw herself, kneeling in front of Mrs. Pei, clutching at her skirt and crying, "Old lady, I’m innocent, I didn’t do any of this, I’ve been wronged! Maybe I was too strict in managing the household, and they harbored resentment against me..."
Mrs. Pei expressionlessly pried her hand away, "After living more than half my life, almost ready for the grave, I still made such a grave mistake by letting you participate in household management—that was my worst decision ever."
She then urgently had someone check on Qu Fulan’s condition.
"This child grew up under my eyes, clever and capable, never competing with others, only to almost be killed in the end. While a woman like you, using nothing but underhanded schemes, almost became my granddaughter-in-law. Am I too old to see clearly, or are you equally useless? Taking anyone’s nonsense as truth!"
These words shamed Marquis Pei so much he didn’t dare reply.
All evidence and testimony were laid bare, and the person was tormented to near death; even Marquis Pei, a man who had experienced warfare, found it excessively cruel.
The border was cruel due to unavoidable war, but in the Capital City, where peace reigned, how could someone not see a doctor when ill?
Marquis Pei had been too preoccupied with battles to pay much heed to the inner courtyard, and this was his first encounter with such malicious tactics.
It was truly wrong for him to convict someone based solely on one-sided words.
Seeing no one would believe her, Cheng Ru, unable to stop her tears, instinctively continued pleading, "Old lady..."
A voice came from outside, "Old lady—"
It was Ren Hua’s maidservant, kneeling before the old lady, "After Young Lady became pregnant, as the doctor advised that the fetus was unstable during the first three months, we took utmost care to tend to her. Yet after enduring past these three months, she still lost it. This is the evidence we’ve gathered—Miss Cheng poisoned Young Lady’s tea with a conflicting drug. We’ve corroborated with the doctor; it can cause miscarriage. But even after the miscarriage, Young Lady kept us from revealing it to prevent affecting future sister-in-law relations. But we couldn’t just stand by, so we beg the old lady to seek justice for our Young Lady!"
This time, not only the old lady, but even the second lady felt shaky, speaking in disbelief, "Are you speaking the truth?"
In large families, they naturally value many children, and ever since Ren Hua joined, she conducted herself well. The second lady was fond of her, and knowing she was pregnant brought her joy.
Yet her grandson was poisoned to death before he could be born, and it was done by her own family!