Liu Shi took a deep breath, her eyes red, and kowtowed to Xie Wan Ning, “Thank you for your guidance, Young Madam. I will never forget your kindness.”
“Go!”
Xie Wan Ning slightly raised her chin, and Chun Huan went over to help her up before walking out.
Hong Ye watched them leave and asked suspiciously, “Young Madam, the spies that Madam arranged have gone back to report. Aren’t you going with Concubine Liu?”
Xie Wan Ning sneered, “This matter is too big; I dare not interfere.”
Liu Shi knew what to say and what not to say when she got to Madam’s place.
Concubine Yue was the Marquis’s concubine; if she were present regarding her in-laws’ affairs, Madam Xiao would only vent her anger on her.
Before lunch, Chun Huan returned, but her complexion was not good.
Xie Wanning took her hand and asked softly, “Xiao Huan, what’s wrong?”
Chun Huan shook her head, indicating that she was fine, then said, “Miss, Madam said that you shouldn’t interfere in Aunt Liu’s matter; she has her own plans.”
Xie Wanning nodded to indicate that she understood, and then asked her, “Did Madam upset you?”
“She scolded you,”
Chun Huan said, her eyes red. “Even when you were at home, even when Master was angry, she never scolded you like this. Madam scolded you one after another, and that dog of a servant, Granny Qi, joined in the scolding.” ”
Useless as mud
, that’s too kind of language.” She called her a spineless coward, spineless, and a whole host of other insults.
She even said that Miss’s methods were inferior to Xie Wanrou’s, which angered Chun Huan the most.
Xie Wanrou was ruthless and shameless; what use would Miss have for her methods?
Xie Wanning knew Chunhuan was truly enraged this time, so she comforted her, saying, “Xiaohuan, don’t be angry. I’ll get revenge for you tonight.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Hongye, who was standing nearby, also said, “Young Madam, I’ll go.”
Xie Wanning nodded, saying expressionlessly, “Alright, go and deal with that old shrew, give her a good beating.”
Chunhuan was startled and quickly said, “Young Madam, Granny Qi is someone close to Madam. If you beat her up and it gets discovered, it’ll cause trouble.”
Xie Wanning was unconcerned and sneered, “What’s there to be afraid of? Not only will you beat her, you’ll beat her badly.”
“Miss!”
Chunhuan cried out anxiously, “Didn’t you say you were going to lie low? What if someone gets hold of something against us?”
Xie Wanning held Chunhuan’s hand, smiling, and said, “Good girl, we’re lying low, not suffering. If we can’t even vent our anger, what’s the point of lying low?”
“Granny Qi is Madam Xiao’s confidante, and her husband is also a capable assistant to Madam. These two wield considerable power and certainly won’t just live off their master’s meager wages.”
Hongye instantly understood Xie Wanning’s meaning. “Young Madam, do you mean these two are dishonest?”
Xie Wanning nodded and then said, “Xiaohuan, send a message out and tell Manager Tu to investigate them.” Chunhuan
immediately did as she was told. Xie Wanning turned to Hongye, “Tonight, give her a couple of whacks to vent Xiaohuan’s anger.”
Hongye said in a deep voice, “Don’t worry, Young Madam, I guarantee no one will know.”
Madam Xiao is untouchable for the time being, but dealing with a cunning servant is still possible.
After listening to Chunhuan’s words, Xie Wanning decided to go to Xiao Chengyan’s place again that night, so she didn’t go out in the afternoon and took a nap in her room.
When she woke up, it was almost dusk. Just as she was about to get up, she suddenly noticed something was wrong with the room. Turning her head, she found Xiao Chengli sitting on the couch in the room.
Startled, she suppressed her doubts and quickly got up, feigning surprise.
“Husband, you’re back! Why didn’t you let anyone wake me?”
Xiao Chengli, who had been reading, calmly put down his book and said, “I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you.”
“Thank you for your concern
, husband,” Xie Wanning said with a smile, then took an outer robe and put it on. Looking at the light and shadows on the window, she said in surprise, “Oh, it’s already this late. Husband must be hungry. I’ll have Xiao Huan prepare dinner.”
“No rush,”
Xiao Chengli coughed lightly and then said, “Sit down, I have something to tell you.”
Xie Wanning agreed and sat down next to him, across the small square table. “Husband, what do you want to say to me?”
She leaned against the small square table, deliberately leaning forward, her eyes slightly brightening as she looked at him, her face soft and beautiful, seemingly completely captivated by him.
Xiao Chengli was momentarily stunned. At this moment, it was as if he was only now truly seeing Xie Wanning’s face.
It turned out that she was no less beautiful than Xie Wanrou, and her gaze was even gentler, her temperament softer, and she wasn’t violent
at all. Such a beautiful wife, if she hadn’t been arranged by his mother to keep him in check, wouldn’t be bad at all.
Xiao Chengli’s heart fluttered for a moment, but he quickly remembered the purpose of his visit, composed himself, and said in a deep voice, “I’ve thought about what happened yesterday, and it was Rou’er’s fault. She’s pregnant, and she was probably afraid I’d neglect her, so she misunderstood. But she’s under house arrest now. You’re sisters, so don’t fuss over such a small matter.”
“Husband, but I didn’t intend to do anything wrong from beginning to end. I was only doing it for Rou’er’s own good,”
Xie Wanning softly defended herself, her eyes reddening instantly.
Seeing this, Xiao Chengli softened his voice, “I know you mean well, but she’s been punished, so let’s just let it go.”
Xie Wanning lowered her head, her voice weak, “Whatever my husband says, I’ll do as he says.”
These words pleased Xiao Chengli, and he took her hand, smiling as he said, “I never knew you were so gentle and generous. I know I wronged you on our wedding night, but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you in the future.”
Even though Xie Wanning felt disgusted by his words, she still put on a tender appearance and called out affectionately, “Husband.”
What should have been a sweet and loving scene suddenly changed when Xiao Chengli changed his tone, his expression shifting, and said, “Wanning, there’s something I might need your help with.”
Xie Wanning’s smile froze on her face, and she slowly pulled her hand away from his. “What do you want me to do, husband?”
Her mood was low, and she didn’t look up at him, which made Xiao Chengli feel a little guilty.
But Xie Wanrou’s words made him take it seriously.
“My lady, it’s nothing serious. Just send someone to deliver three hundred taels of silver to the address in this letter. By the way, don’t tell anyone about this; it’s useful to me.”
Xiao Chengli said, taking a folded letter from his sleeve and placing it in front of her.
This scene was not unfamiliar to Xie Wanning; on the contrary, she had expected it.
Because in her previous life, something similar had happened. It was said to be a one-time delivery, but it turned into monthly deliveries, with the amount increasing every month, until she had sent several thousand taels of silver in total.
Xiao Chengli merely gave an order, without contributing a single penny; the money was all from her dowry.
In her past life, she had asked him why, but Xiao Chengli claimed that giving the money away would be useful for his career. However, he didn’t even have an official title, so how could he have a career?
Clearly, he had listened to Xie Wanrou, o rchestrated a scheme to swindle her dowry money, and then squandered it on buying shops for Xie Wanrou.
Xie Wanrou was a concubine with a small dowry, yet she instigated Xiao Chengli to extract money from her.
It was utterly shameless, but this time, she wouldn’t give him a single cent.