“Madam, something terrible has happened!”
The servant rushed into Shuanghong Courtyard, shouting loudly toward the main house.
Inside the main house at that moment.
Qin Yurong was holding a pair of floral shears, trimming left and right as she shaped a potted dwarf pine tree before her.
Suddenly hearing the commotion outside, a cold expression flashed across Qin Yurong’s well-maintained, noble face. “What’s all that noise outside?”
“Madam, it seems to be the informant we planted in Cuiyue Courtyard coming to report,” replied Wang Momo, who was serving beside her, bowing her head respectfully.
Hearing this, Qin Yurong’s eyes flickered slightly as she said unhurriedly, “It’s just a report. What’s with all this panic? How utterly improper.”
“Could that mother and her two children in Cuiyue Courtyard possibly turn the world upside down?” Qin Yurong’s words were filled with contemptuous confidence.
Wang Momo quickly nodded in agreement, saying, “Madam’s strategies are masterful, securing victory from a thousand miles away. Even if Concubine Liu and her two children are currently favored by the master, it’s merely a fleeting glory.”
“No matter how much the master dotes on those three, they ultimately can’t escape their short-lived fate.” When mentioning “short-lived,” Wang Momo’s aged eyes toward her mistress were filled with fawning flattery.
Hearing this, Qin Yurong paused her pruning of the dwarf pine.
She set the golden shears aside and turned slightly to look at Wang Momo, deliberately changing the subject. “Enough. Have the person outside come in and report.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Wang Momo obeyed, immediately bringing in Yanzhi, the informant planted in Cuiyue Courtyard.
As soon as Yanzhi entered the room, she excitedly exclaimed to Qin Yurong, who sat dignifiedly at the head of the room, “Madam, something major has happened at Cuiyue Courtyard!”
Wang Momo promptly scolded Yanzhi, “Cuiyue Courtyard only houses Concubine Liu and her family of three. What major event could there be? Report properly to Madam, or watch your hide!”
Yanzhi was startled by Wang Momo’s warning.
Only then did she snap out of the shock from witnessing the second young miss using a rolling pin to brutally break Concubine Su’s right arm.
Yanzhi quickly took several deep breaths, organized what she needed to say, and began reporting in detail to Qin Yurong, who sat imposingly at the head of the room.
“Madam, Concubine Su went to Cuiyue Courtyard in a rage to cause trouble for Concubine Liu and slapped her hard across the face…”
As soon as Yanzhi started speaking, she mentioned Concubine Su slapping Liu Rumei.
Hearing this, a faint trace of smugness appeared in Qin Yurong’s graceful, benevolent eyes.
However, on the surface, Qin Yurong maintained her dignified, generous manner as the lady of the house, pretending to chastise as she interrupted, “Concubine Su is too impulsive. She and Concubine Liu are both concubines of equal status. How could she resort to violence?”
Then, putting on airs, Qin Yurong praised the kneeling Yanzhi, “Concubine Su slapping Concubine Liu is indeed a serious matter.”
“You’ve done well to report to me so promptly. You shall be rewarded.”
Yanzhi looked panicked. “Madam, this servant hasn’t finished speaking yet!”
Qin Yurong had little interest in the subsequent events, which would inevitably involve Su Lihua unleashing her full fury and venting all the resentment accumulated over the past few days onto that lowly village woman, Liu Rumei.
Thus, Qin Yurong lazily waved her hand, signaling Wang Momo to take Yanzhi away.
Seeing this, Wang Momo took Yanzhi’s hand and prepared to leave.
Yanzhi grew anxious. She had only spoken half of what she intended to say, and the most critical part—about the Second Young Lady brutally breaking Concubine Su’s right arm—had not yet been mentioned.
“Madam, Concubine Su slapping Concubine Liu is not the main issue,” she insisted. “The most alarming matter is that the Second Young Lady forcibly shattered Concubine Su’s right arm!”
“What?!” Qin Yurong, who had been sitting composedly in her high seat, felt a crack in her confident, dignified expression. The words escaped her lips involuntarily.
“Madam, the Second Young Lady used a rolling pin and, in front of all the servants in Cuiyue Courtyard, struck Concubine Su repeatedly, breaking her right arm as if she were beating a dog!” Yanzhi continued vividly. “Moreover, the Second Young Lady warned Concubine Su in front of everyone that if she dared lay a hand on Concubine Liu again, she would break whichever hand she used…”
Yanzhi painted a vivid picture of Ji Yunsu’s violent assault on Su Lihua.
By the end, Qin Yurong’s well-maintained, plump face—which others often perceived as kind—had noticeably darkened.
Unconsciously, her hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, clenched into fists.
“Madam, the Second Young Lady’s actions are not simple,” Wang Momo remarked cautiously after sending Yanzhi back to Cuiyue Courtyard with instructions to report any further developments. Noticing her mistress’s grim expression, she mustered the courage to voice her thoughts. “On her very first day in the manor, she broke Concubine Su’s arm in front of so many people. On the surface, she was warning Concubine Su, but in reality, she was making an example of her to intimidate you, Madam.”
Qin Yurong’s face, which others often likened to a benevolent bodhisattva, twisted into a sinister expression. At that moment, she revealed her true nature, letting out a cold, menacing snort.
“That lowly-born Ji Yunsu is audacious,” she hissed. “But her audacity is misplaced. She’s merely a mere concubine-born daughter, with no power or influence in the capital. To act so recklessly is like an egg striking a rock—she’s courting death!”
Wang Momo’s eyes shifted shrewdly, and she quickly chimed in, flattering her mistress: “You are absolutely right, Madam. Concubine Liu and her two children are already unknowingly poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. Now, on their very first day here, they’re making enemies left and right. If they’re rushing headlong to their doom, who can they blame?”
Then, shifting the topic, Wang Momo tentatively asked, “Madam, now that Concubine Liu has fallen unconscious, how should we handle this?”
“A dying woman seeking medical treatment is a waste,” Qin Yurong replied coldly, emphasizing the word “waste” with a tone that starkly contrasted her outwardly benevolent appearance. “Still, we must maintain appearances. We can’t let the Master think I’m mistreating his ‘beloved first wife’.”
Wang Momo raised her thumb in admiration. “How brilliant, Madam. This way, we kill two birds with one stone. If Concubine Liu dies later, the Master will only blame Concubine Su for it.”
“Without lifting a finger, the madam has also dealt with Concubine Su.”
At this point, Wang Momo seemed to suddenly remember something and hastily added: “By the way, Second Young Lady, how do you plan to handle the madam?”