Zhao Jingyi: "Grandmother, that's impossible. If there was something wrong with the wood, we would have been poisoned long ago. I saw that Second Sister was fine, the only one in the whole family who was unaffected."
The Old Madam found her reasoning to be sound and stared suspiciously at Jun Jiuli.
"Second girl, tell the truth. Did you bring some poison from outside?"
"Grandmother wrongly accuses me. What benefit would poisoning you bring me? My only reliance in the future is our Marquisate."
"Who knows what you, with your blackened heart, are thinking. What if you just can't stand to see our Marquisate do well?"
The First Madam immediately tried to stop her, but she insisted on speaking.
"Ever since you came to our home, nothing good has happened. You must be naturally born to bring us misfortune. No wonder your parents died early; you're the one who jinxed them."
Upon hearing this, the Old Madam directly blamed her son's fate on Jun Jiuli, glaring at her fiercely.
Jun Jiuli couldn't stand it. How could this girl's mouth be so venomous?
"Fourth Sister, how can you be so excessive? Father, Mother, I miss you so much."
After saying this, she ran out crying. Although the servants pitied Jun Jiuli, they felt she couldn't see the situation clearly.
Fourth Miss was indeed too much, deliberately hitting where it hurt. Second Miss was pitiable, with no one in the mansion on her side.
But at this time, one should lower their head and explain to gain the Old Madam's sympathy, not run away. Such a foolish young lady, they looked down on her even more.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the roof, and tiles and beams came crashing down.
Once they realized what was happening, everyone rushed outside. The short beams that fell were painful when they hit, but being hit meant they could escape.
Zhao Jingyi, however, was pinned down by a larger beam, her leg trapped. No matter how the Marchioness tried to help, she couldn't lift it. She could only use her body to block the tiles that were about to hit Zhao Jingyi.
The walls were all intact. After the collapse ended, the supporting servants also rushed over and immediately carried out the eldest young master.
A group of people helped move the beam. "Mother, Mother, my leg hurts so much. Is it broken? Sob, Mother, I'm so scared."
"Ahhh... Ahhh..."
"Stop crying, the doctor will be here soon. I don't see any bleeding, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
When the doctor arrived, he said her right leg was broken, and the hope of her standing up again was slim.
The Marchioness wished she could kneel before the doctor. After the doctor treated her, he could only tell her to rest in bed, not daring to give any guarantees.
After tending to her, an imperial physician from the palace also arrived. He examined the three young masters of the mansion and shook his head with a sigh. He was then called to see Zhao Jingyi.
Marquis: "Imperial Physicians, how is my daughter's condition? Will she be able to stand up in the future?"
"Alas, your daughter's lower leg is broken internally. I cannot reattach it for her. However, with proper care, her life is not in danger, and she will be able to walk on her other foot."
The Marquis was in a daze after hearing this. After the imperial physician left the prescription, he finally came to his senses.
His four children! They were all fine before, with bright futures. Now, three were bedridden, and one had a broken leg.
"What have I done to deserve this? Why must it all be taken out on the younger generation? They are just little children, how can this happen? Heaven, you are unjust! Waaaa~"
"Father, Father, is my leg really beyond repair?"
"Yi'er, Yi'er, don't be afraid. With Father here, no one will dare to look down on you. Father will find you a good husband."
Zhao Jingyi cried hysterically, "With my condition, what other choice do I have but to marry someone of lower status?"
The Old Madam, having been frightened, was now sitting on a chair. The earlier conversation had sobered her up.
"Yun'er, your younger brother has returned. He must resent me, his mother, for being unfair to him, and has sent his daughter back to seek revenge on our family. That beam just collapsed as it did. I... I almost wouldn't have seen you again."
She started sobbing as she spoke. The Marquis, who had not believed in gods or ghosts before, now believed a little.
Indeed, all the strange occurrences in the household had happened after his niece's return.
"Father, Grandmother is right. Yi'er suffered this misfortune just because she said a few words to Second Sister. It must be that Second Uncle is displeased with Yi'er's attitude just now. What should we do, Father? Yi'er is so scared."
"That won't happen. Everyone is overthinking. It's just some minor childhood matters; Second Brother wouldn't hold a grudge for so long. Mother, it's getting late; you should go back and rest."
"Father, you must believe me..."
She wanted to say more, but the Marquis interrupted her.
"You should rest now. Father will handle it."
That night, everyone in the Marquisate slept restlessly. Meanwhile, the news of the Zhongyong Marquisate being robbed and the Marchioness's rude attitude and slander of her niece spread rapidly through the capital.
"Did you hear?"
"Heard it, heard it."
"How could a young girl who just returned to the capital have such great abilities? Living under someone else's roof and at their mercy must be truly difficult."
"Who's to say it isn't? The Marchioness is so old; how could she not figure out such a small matter?"
"Such a large sum of property; it's normal for her to be envious."
"Where did you hear this? You're speaking as if you saw it with your own eyes."
"Hey, you wouldn't believe me. My brother-in-law is a constable at the yamen. He went with Lord Tang that day and heard everything clearly from outside."
"Yes, yes, yes. I personally saw Lord Tang come out of the Zhongyong Marquisate. This matter is definitely not wrong."
"The Marquis is also truly heartless. That is his brother's only bloodline! Tsk tsk tsk, indeed, wealth moves people more than kinship."
"His brother was much more outstanding than him. If that title had gone to his brother back then, the Marquisate wouldn't have reached its current state. The more mediocre someone is, the more unwilling they are to accept things; he must truly resent his brother."
"That makes sense."
Song Residence.
"Madam, I feel uneasy. Tomorrow, you should deliver another calling card. Such a grown person; surely the Zhongyong Marquis uncle can't hide her forever."
"I was going to anyway. Tomorrow, no matter what, I must see Shu'er. I don't care about any formalities anymore. What's the big deal about bullying a young girl?"
"They are all Shu'er's direct family. Whatever we say will not compare to their family. Tomorrow, you must not be rash. Don't give them any excuse to grasp at you."
"How am I not close? Shu'er is my future daughter-in-law; she will spend the rest of her life with me."
"But she's not of age yet. Remember, you are going to support her. If you worsen their relationship, Shu'er's life for the next few years will be even more difficult."
"I know, I know."