They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 411 Crazy Woman
Madam Dou was so angry she nearly fell backward, "You—"

She never expected Xu Zhichun to say that in public.

Granny Qin Qing glared angrily at the old woman beside her, "This old woman is kind-hearted, but it's too coincidental that you pushed that madwoman when you fell, almost killing my lady."

The old woman, Dou, showed no remorse whatsoever, even managing a smile: "I genuinely wanted to help Madam Xu, but what a coincidence! Madam Xu won't blame me, will she?"

Madam Dou sneered, "Madam Xu is very kind-hearted. How could she blame you for your good intentions? Besides, isn't Madam Xu perfectly fine?"

Xu Zhichun, with his thick eyebrows, looked at Madam Fan and asked, "Madam Fan, what's wrong with that madwoman?"

Madam Fan's face remained grim as she forced a smile and said, "Two years ago, her daughter met the wrong person and was murdered. Since then, she has been insane. I pitied her and had nowhere to go, so I had her placed in this villa. I never expected her to run away and go crazy today, almost injuring Madam Xu. I am truly sorry."

"So that's it."

The doctor arrived quickly and prescribed medicine.

Granny Qin Qing helped Xu Zhichun clean her wounds, apply medicine and bandages, and changed her into clean clothes.

After such a commotion, the flower-viewing banquet naturally couldn't continue, and everyone quickly took their leave.

Madam Fan offered to send a carriage to take Xu Zhichun back to the inn, but Xu Zhichun politely declined.

Madam Fan was annoyed by her lack of respect and couldn't help but feel angry. Her face darkened and she remained silent.

After the guests left, Madam Fan, unable to bear it any longer, slapped Madam Dou across the face.

Madam Dou covered her face and wept, her body going limp as she knelt down. “I know my sister will blame me, but the thought of my son being so wronged and pitiful breaks my heart. I can’t swallow this. That dagger is only half-cut; it won’t kill anyone in a short time. At most, it will only cause serious injury or disfigurement. If she really wants to make a fuss, I can just hand over her crazy woman and let her do whatever she wants with her.”

"I didn't expect her to only suffer such a minor injury; I'm still not convinced."

"you--"

Madam Fan's anger subsided considerably after the slap, and further subsided after hearing Madam Dou's words. She said unhappily, "Why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand?"

Madam Dou breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Isn't it better if my sister doesn't know anything? Let her take it out on me."

Mrs. Fan waved her hand, somewhat annoyed: "Forget it! Be careful, that Xu family may not let it go so easily."

Madam Dou sneered: "Let her take revenge on that crazy woman if she wants. What does it have to do with me? If she dares to cause trouble for me, that's perfect, I'd love for that."

Xu Zhichun and Qin Qing returned to the inn, their faces still pale.

Liang Minglang's eyes were incredibly sharp; even though the wound was bandaged inside his clothes, he still noticed it. "You're injured? What happened?"

Xu Zhichun was in a lot of pain, and she became vulnerable when she saw him, her eyes reddening. Unexpectedly, before she could even complain, he asked first, "I ran into a madman. He's injured on his shoulder. Don't touch him."

There was also a cut on my arm, but compared to that, it could only be considered a superficial injury.

Liang Minglang's gaze turned slightly cold as he helped her sit down. "Let me see."

He gently lifted her clothes, and the scent of medicine filled the air, revealing the snow-white cotton gauze bandages. Liang Minglang felt a shiver run through his heart. He gently stroked the bandages with his fingertips, feeling tenderness. "Does it hurt a lot? Shall I untie it to check the wound?"

Xu Zhichun nodded gently.

Liang Minglang carefully unwrapped the gauze. The wound on his shoulder was nearly half a finger long, with a dark purple center that was at least half an inch deep. Any deeper and it would have reached the bone.

The gruesome wounds, covered in ointment, stood out starkly against the surrounding snow-white skin, a truly shocking sight.

He dared not imagine how much pain she must have felt when the blade pierced her.

He couldn't bear to hurt his wife in the slightest, yet he allowed her to suffer such pain. "This ointment is alright, let's use it for now. Don't worry, the pain will subside soon."

Xu Zhichun glanced at the wound and then looked away. She hadn't expected it to become so gruesome. She smiled and said, "I wonder if it will leave a scar."

"will not!"

He will find her a better medicine.

"But what if it's left behind?"

Xu Zhichun looked up at him.

Liang Minglang gently stroked her face, "If you want to keep it, then keep it. It doesn't matter what."

Xu Zhichun smiled, feeling a little better.

Liang Minglang carefully wrapped her wound loosely with a thin layer of gauze, tidied her clothes, and asked what had happened.

Crazy woman?
Even if the madwoman was delirious and barged in, where did she get the dagger?

Even if Madam Fan had a grudge against the Qi family, and even if she didn't have any good intentions or wanted to scheme against them at this flower-viewing banquet, she wouldn't have acted so blatantly.

So it must have been Madam Dou's idea?
The two women were relatives, and it was not impossible for Madam Dou to secretly arrange something in that villa if she wanted to.

After instructing Granny Qin to take good care of Xu Zhichun, Liang Minglang left the inn, found a bookstore, filled out a visiting card, affixed his personal seal, and delivered it to Prefect Yang's gatehouse.

"Make sure to hand it over to the prefect. If anything goes wrong, you will be responsible for the consequences."

The little devil is hard to deal with. You have to say some tough words, but you also have to give him something in return, along with a reward of about one tael of silver. The gatekeeper, with a smile on his face, respectfully accepted the visiting card with both hands and turned to get busy.

Prefect Yang's visiting cards usually reached his secretary first. The secretary would casually check and screen them as a routine matter, but when he opened one and saw the official seal, he was startled and quickly closed the card to go find Prefect Yang.

Prefect Yang, who was feeling somewhat drowsy, instantly woke up upon seeing the invitation. "Quickly, invite them in!"

General Xie, the Marquis of Yongwei, was a trusted lieutenant general. Although he was of equal rank, he was still far superior to him. If Xie were to casually say a few words to the Marquis of Yongwei, he could forget about ever advancing any further in his career.

Liang Minglang already regretted it. If he had known that Xu Zhichun would suffer this injustice, he should have gone to Magistrate Yang earlier.

Upon meeting Prefect Yang, he didn't ask for anything, only saying that he had some private matters to discuss with Assistant Magistrate Fan, and that there might be a conflict, so Prefect Yang could handle it impartially.

Also, please keep his presence here a secret.

Prefect Yang was immediately relieved and readily agreed.

What's so hard about this?
It turns out that Magistrate Fan had offended this man, and he was eager for Magistrate Fan to be taught a lesson.

Madam Dou's family lived in Qingyang County. She was heartbroken and resentful because of her son Dou Zhongli's situation. She went to Madam Qi to cry and complain, and the two of them went to Madam Fan to ask for help by playing the victim.

Madam Fan was already unhappy because Xu Zhichun had previously disrespected her, and hearing the two of them stirring things up only fueled her anger.

Dou Zhongli was such a bright student, a rare rising star. The family's fortunes were intertwined, and it was a rare opportunity to have such an outstanding descendant. Madam Fan greatly admired him.

Unexpectedly, the promising young talent and future of the family were ruined by the Liang family.

Once a stain is formed, it's very difficult to wash it off in this lifetime.

He has to put in many times more effort than before to get what he could have obtained quite easily.

If someone is jealous, this past event might be brought up and used against them.