Union

Chapter 83 Seeking support from one's maternal family?
Ruizhu was also her head maid before, but Lin Shuqing sent her to serve the Second Master.

After that, for reasons unknown, Lin Shuqing didn't mention any other maids. Thus, Lin Shuqing now only had these three head maids in charge.

Of the three head maids, Ruixue was the most eloquent and clever, and she used to have the most face in front of Lin Shuqing.

Lin Shuqing let Ruizhu go lightly, but Ruixue immediately felt something was wrong. At the time, she subtly reminded her young lady that if the matter reached the ears of the Duke and Duchess, it might be detrimental to her.

Lin Shuqing, however, seemed to have been misled by Ruizhu, or perhaps she had other considerations, completely ignoring her words. She even told her to do her duty, that Ruizhu had already been sent away and would not come back to serve her or share their favor—she took Ruixue's well-intentioned reminder as jealousy and intolerance towards Ruizhu.

Thus, while Ruixue found it amusing, she naturally didn't want to offer much advice.

However, Ruixue remained silent, her heart still filled with unease. She worried that the young lady's decision to only give Ruizhu a slight punishment and then send her to the estate to avoid attention was self-deception, and that the matter would be discovered by the Duchess again.

As expected, the Duchess did find out.

That's why he praised Yunying and slapped the girl in the face.

But this is not only a slap in the face, but also a warning and a reminder.
If the young lady punishes Ruizhu and then goes to the Duchess to say that she was bewitched by Ruizhu and that she deeply regrets it, she might be able to gain the Duchess's forgiveness and regain the Duke's trust.

But how did the girl handle it?
She smashed things up inside the house and uttered many resentful words. That wasn't all; she also planned to return to her maternal family's residence in Chang'an to seek their help.

Ruixue shuddered as she recalled the methods of the Lady of Chang'an.

Before the girl got married, the lady repeatedly reminded them that the girl was impetuous and still had a childlike heart, and asked them to give her more guidance so that she wouldn't go astray.

They did offer some advice, but the girl wouldn't listen at all.

Thinking about what would happen to them if the lady of Chang'an Marquis found out what the young lady had done, Ruixue, Ruizhi, and Ruijin's expressions immediately changed.

The three of them rushed over and tried to persuade Lin Shuqing not to go back to her parents' home now.

Ruixue said, "This is ultimately a matter within the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. If it gets back to the Chang'an Marquis's Mansion, it will make things difficult for the young lady in the Duke's Mansion."

"The Duke's mansion is very powerful. Even if the madam finds out, she will probably have some reservations and won't stand up for the young lady."

"Don't be so hasty, young lady. It's just a matter of praising a maid. You have her indenture in your hands. If you're not happy about it, we can sell her off by the feet. Why make a fuss over a maid?"

The maids tried their best to reason with her, but the more they said, the angrier Lin Shuqing became.

In her view, wasn't this a sign that even the maids didn't respect her and were trying to boss her around?
If she can't even control the maidservants around her, how will she face others in the future?
In a fit of rage, Lin Shuqing took a small, thin porcelain jar with a pinkish glow from the Babao Pavilion and smashed it against Ruixue.

Ruixue was caught off guard by this trouble and froze for a moment. It was in that moment of hesitation that she was hit squarely.

Crimson blood flowed directly from Ruixue's forehead like a river bursting its banks, instantly covering her face and turning her into a blood-soaked figure.

Ruizhi cried out in alarm, "Ah, blood, so much blood!"

Ruizhi and Ruijin were both terrified. They were busy trying to find a doctor, either grabbing a handkerchief to cover Ruixue's forehead wound or screaming and running outside to find one.

The other maids and servants in Lin Shuqing's courtyard were also alerted, and they all rushed into the house.

But they were all after Ruixue, who had fainted on the ground, while avoiding Lin Shuqing, who was furious and had injured people, like the plague.

Seeing this, Lin Shuqing sneered a few times, then turned and walked out of the courtyard without lingering.

Ruizhi had already invited the doctor from the manor. From a distance, she saw that the person walking towards the manor's exit looked like her young mistress. After asking the maids along the way, she learned that it was indeed her young mistress.

Ruizhi felt a chill run down her spine. She immediately disregarded everything else and rushed forward, narrowly catching up with Lin Shuqing just as she boarded the carriage, and followed her all the way into the Chang'an Marquis's residence.

Inside the Chang'an Marquis's residence, the Chang'an Marquis's wife was talking to Lin Shuyu.

Lin Shuyu was the eldest daughter of the Lady of Chang'an Marquis, and also the elder sister of Lin Shuqing.

She married into a prestigious family of equal social standing, and her husband's family was also in the capital, very close to the Chang'an Marquis's residence. Therefore, Lin Shuyu would return to her parents' home three to five times a month, just to visit them.

The mother and daughter were chatting when an old woman ran in from outside the door, looking panicked.

Lady Chang'an was strict in managing her household and could not tolerate servants breaking the rules. She immediately turned cold and said, "Insolence!"

However, before she could say anything more, the old woman suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud. "Madam, something terrible has happened! The Third Young Lady has run back from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion crying!" What? Shuqing ran back from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion crying?
Lady Chang'an and Lin Shuyu stood up in shock. They were about to ask the old woman to explain in detail when they heard a crying sound coming from afar. Lin Shuqing cried all the way to the flower hall.

She threw herself into the arms of Lady Chang'an, crying, "Mother, I'm being bullied to death! The people of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion are all bullying me, and my mother-in-law is utterly humiliating me. Mother, what's the point of me living? I might as well die."

Lin Shuqing sang, recited, acted, and fought, crying uncontrollably. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her fair cheeks were covered in tears.

This broke Lady Chang'an's heart, and even Lin Shuyu felt extremely distressed.

She took her younger sister from her mother's arms and kept comforting and patting her, her delicate brows furrowed tightly.

Lady Chang'an handed her youngest daughter to her eldest daughter and began to interrogate Ruizhi, who had followed in a disheveled state. With a stern expression, she pointed at Ruizhi, who was kneeling on the ground, and gave her a thorough scolding.

"I entrusted the girl to you, and how did you take care of her? The people of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion bullied the girl, and you maids lied to your superiors and subordinates, never mentioning this to me. What kind of miserable life did the girl live in the Duke's Mansion? You'd better tell me properly today, or I'll sell your parents too."

Ruizhi knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy and crying, "Madam, it's all nonsense, it's all nonsense."

"You're still lying. Qing'er said the Duke's mansion bullied her, so how could that be false? Tell me the truth, or I'll punish you according to family rules."

Ruizhi was terrified by the stern-faced lady and hurriedly told her everything.

She dared not lie, nor conceal anything, nor show any bias. She could only tell the truth and recount the series of events that occurred after Aunt Ding returned to the mansion.

However, as Ruizhi spoke more and more, the flower hall grew quieter and quieter. Gradually, only Ruizhi's trembling voice and Lin Shuqing's aggrieved sobs could be heard.

Lady Chang'an's movements stiffened, and Lin Shuyu's patting stopped.

The mother and daughter seemed to have heard a fairy tale; their lips were pursed tightly, and their teeth were grinding together.

After Ruizhi finished speaking, she kowtowed and begged for forgiveness, "The Duke's Mansion really did not mistreat the young lady. If it did, it was only today. It was really only this one incident, and there is no more Madam. This servant dares to swear that if this servant is wrong, may this servant be struck by lightning."

Upon hearing this, Lady Chang'an turned ashen-faced and could barely breathe.

She staggered back two steps, plopped down on the armchair behind her, and then pointed at her eldest daughter, saying, "Let her go."

Seeing her mother so angry, Lin Shuyu was truly afraid that she might do something terrible.

She quickly released Lin Shuqing and rushed to her mother's side, patting her mother's chest to help her catch her breath.

“Mother, please don’t be angry. This is only the maid’s side of the story and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Mother, please don’t get angry. I’ll ask other maids to come and ask them.”

After saying this, Lin Shuyu raised her eyebrows and asked Ruizhi, "I won't ask how biased your words are or whether you've hidden anything. I just want to ask you, where are Ruixue and Ruijin? Qing'er went back to her parents' home in anger, why did only you come with her? Where are the other two girls? Did they hide because they were afraid of being scolded?"

Ruizhi kowtowed again, "Please spare us, young lady! Ruixue and Ruijin aren't unwilling to come, they just can't. Ruixue, Ruixue..."

"What's wrong with Ruixue? Tell me now!"

"Ruixue was hit on the head by the girl and bled a lot before fainting. Ruijin, Ruijin helped Ruixue plug the wound, Ruijin..."

Ruizhi seemed to remember Ruixue, whose fate was unknown, and could not say anything more. She sobbed and couldn't breathe.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shuyu gasped and took two steps back.

She couldn't believe her younger sister had done these things. Clinging to a last shred of hope, she asked Lin Shuqing, "Qing'er, tell your sister, this maid framed you. You didn't hit anyone, did you?"

Lin Shuqing glared at Ruizhi, who was kneeling on the ground, and said fiercely, "She's just a maid. I can smash her if I want. Who told them not to stand up for me and to stop me from going back to my parents' home? What's wrong with me hitting them? Even if I kill them, they deserve it!"

Lin Shuyu sat directly on the armchair.

She couldn't believe it. How could her spoiled and willful younger sister, who was just a child, have become like this after getting married?
Is this sister who treats human life like dirt, who is arrogant and domineering, and who is completely unaware of her mistakes, really her sister?
Lin Shuyu looked utterly disillusioned, covering half her face with a headache, still unable to believe that those words had just come from her own sister.

Looking at Lady Chang'an, she had recovered from the suffocating feeling and regained her composure and calmness.

But her eyes grew increasingly sharp and heavy. "I don't care whether that maid is dead or alive. I only ask you, the young master almost lost his life because of Ruizhu's mistake, yet you still protected that maid and didn't take her life. Is this really true?"

Do you guys still have any monthly tickets? Give me some! I want monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, favorites, and clicks. Yes, I'm such a greedy woman, I want everything you have! So, do you guys have any left? Give me some, give me some…

(End of this chapter)