Boom! It was as if an explosion went off in Madam Zou’s head—her whole body went numb, her ears ringing. “You’re talking nonsense, Yunge has always—”
“Silence!” The Old Madam suddenly slammed the table hard, glaring at Madam Zou with fierce eyes.
Madam Zou’s eyes were red, her voice trembling.
“Old Madam, I am Xueci’s mother. Am I not allowed to have a say in her future?” Her words were clearly spoken in anger.
Second Madam seized the opening, arching her brow and saying, “It’s true that the Eldest Madam is the young lady’s mother. But is the Old Madam not also her grandmother? Even as her mother, you cannot override the Old Madam’s authority. And besides, this matter must depend on the young lady’s own wishes, must it not?”
Madam Zou’s fingertips dug into her palms with hatred, yet she understood the crux of the matter.
How could Xueci be so heartless? Yunge had shielded her from a blade, risking his very life, and yet she showed not the slightest emotion! Such cold-blooded, merciless little wretch!
“Xueci!” Madam Zou drew a deep breath, steadied herself, and said again, “Your cousin is gravely injured. Since childhood, he has treated you with nothing but kindness. If he wakes and hears your words, will it not break his heart? Do you truly mean this?”
Dou Xueci feigned confusion. “Mother, what do you mean? I don’t understand. Have I not treated Cousin well? We are brother and sister—if he suffers, I would never abandon him. To honor him as a parent and care for him until the end, is that wrong?”
Zhuang Wanqing twisted her handkerchief, glancing at the trembling Madam Zou, and muttered softly, “But Cousin has always been deeply in love with Elder Sister. How could she not know…”
The Old Madam’s face changed instantly, and even the members of the second and third branches turned grim.
Everyone had skirted around the truth, none daring to pierce the veil.
But with that one sentence, Zhuang Wanqing not only tore the veil apart, she also branded Dou Xueci with the stigma of improper intimacy.
“Madam Zou!” The Old Madam’s voice rang out sharply, not even addressing her as Eldest Madam—proof of her fury.
Second Madam wore a look of relish, as though watching a play.
“This is your foster daughter, so I cannot discipline her. But for her to speak such words—if she is not punished, then not only Xueci, but all the maids beneath her will be ruined!”
Second Madam was struck as if by lightning, suddenly realizing how grave Zhuang Wanqing’s words were. She understood well the principle: one’s honor is shared, and one’s disgrace drags all down.
“A young girl not yet married, yet her mouth is full of filth. Truly, she is nothing but a country bumpkin, unfit for the stage. Our Duke’s daughters are raised like precious jewels—never have they heard of such things, let alone spoken them! But Zhuang Wanqing, such a small person, yet with such a bold heart. To say such things—did she perhaps do them herself? Speak, so that your mother may defend you!”
Zhuang Wanqing saw the knives in everyone’s eyes and grew ever more ashamed. Second Madam’s merciless words nearly made her collapse in faint.
Madam Zou quickly supported her, glaring back at Second Madam. “She is but a child, speaking nonsense, not knowing the meaning of her words. Second Madam, you are far too harsh!”
Suddenly, Dou Xueci burst into tears, her eyes brimming as she looked at Madam Zou.
“Mother, do you not see? By speaking such words, she seeks to drive me to death! Today, you first scolded me without cause, and now you protect the one who would destroy me. In your heart, am I worth less than Cousin? Less even than Zhuang Wanqing…”
The girl kneeling on the floor was utterly desolate, her heart torn open with pain. Her long, thick lashes were damp with tears, trembling weakly.
Madam Zou was struck speechless by her daughter’s words.
Nanny Zhou, standing at her side, quickly stepped forward to help Dou Xueci up.
“Eldest Miss, how can you think this way? In Madam’s heart, you are the most important. During those three years you were away, Madam worried constantly. At night, she could not sleep soundly, waking in fright and calling your name again and again.”
Dou Xueci pulled her hand free, still fixing her gaze on Madam Zou. “If you worried so much, why did Mother never come to Yongzhou to see me?”
She seemed to be suppressing her emotions, her thin shoulders trembling like those of a helpless, abandoned little creature.
The Old Madam, watching from the head seat, felt her heart twist painfully. She came down, lifted Dou Xueci up, and drew her into her arms.
“Madam Zou, if you still know your place, then send this troublemaker out of the household. Our Duke’s daughters should never have to suffer such humiliation!”
Zhuang Wanqing panicked instantly, clutching Madam Zou’s sleeve in terror, shaking her head as tears spilled uncontrollably. She had spoken rashly in her anxiety, and now the Old Madam refused to let it go. How could Madam Zou not feel hatred in her heart? Yet outwardly, she dared not show it.
Madam Zou knelt to plead guilty. “Old Madam, Wanqing is young and spoke wrongly. I will punish her when we return. I was the one who brought her to the capital—if we cast her out now, outsiders will say our Duke’s household is ungrateful. She is just a young girl with no kin or friends. Would that not be sending her to her death?”
Second Madam sneered coldly. “She lived well enough before. Why must she cling to our household now?”
Madam Zou’s face grew darker, swallowing her anger, and kowtowed again to the Old Madam.
“Old Madam, she once saved my life, and I have raised her for three years. How could I bear to abandon her? But today she did commit a grave mistake. Xueci is the flesh of my heart—I will never let her suffer. So let Wanqing be punished with ten slaps, as a lesson!”
Zhuang Wanqing bit her lip hard, refusing to cry aloud. At Madam Zou’s words, she trembled slightly, not daring to lift her head. She had only spoken the truth—how had it become so serious?
It was only because of her lowly birth that they thought they could trample her at will. Zhuang Wanqing felt ever more wronged, her tears falling endlessly.
The Old Madam was so furious she nearly laughed—Madam Zou’s bias truly knew no bounds. “Thirty slaps. Strike her here and now!”
Madam Zou was shocked and wanted to plead again. If Wanqing were beaten publicly, how could she ever show her face again?
Nanny Zhou, terrified, rushed forward to kneel beside Madam Zou, clutching her tightly.
“Madam, today our young lady has suffered great injustice. Zhuang Wanqing indeed deserves punishment. Better she be beaten now than let her run her mouth outside and bring disaster later.” Nanny Zhou secretly shook her head at Madam Zou, begging her not to act rashly.
Madam Zou panicked, but she was not a fool. She collapsed into Nanny Zhou’s arms, sobbing. “Strike her, strike her—I will pretend I did not see. What a sin, what a sin!”
Zhuang Wanqing had already lost all spirit. Two matrons forced her to kneel, holding her down. The one to act was Zhi Ying, the Old Madam’s personal maid. Her wrist lifted, the air whistled, and the blow fell.
*Smack!*
Zhuang Wanqing’s head snapped to the side, her hair falling loose to cover the humiliation and resentment in her eyes.
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
The slaps fell one after another, crisp yet heavy, echoing painfully in the ears.
A metallic tang of blood spread in her mouth, her cheeks burned, and her ears rang. Though she could not see the faces around her, she still felt their gazes stabbing into her like needles.
Zhuang Wanqing told herself she was a kind person. Though Dou Xueci had stolen the motherly love that should have been hers, she had never harmed her for it. But Dou Xueci—again and again, she targeted her. How could she be so cruel?