The Old Madam was both shocked and frightened, stumbling back in a daze. Accidentally stepping on a footrest, she fell back onto the arhat couch.

“Old Madam!” Nanny Qin frantically helped support her.

Qin Yining also instinctively reached out to help, but if one looked carefully at her expression, one could see she was currently distracted. Her large, clear eyes were filled with sorrowful tears, and her hands were trembling. However, she forcibly held back her tears, doing everything possible to calm herself.

The Old Madam stared blankly ahead. After a long while, she finally caught her breath, and tears began to flow: “Truly, what evil, what evil! I don’t even know what to say!”

She asked Ji Xiang again: “Did Qi Tai say if your eldest master had any other instructions?”

“Reporting to Old Madam, there were no other instructions. The eldest master only said he won’t return to the mansion tonight and asks that you not worry.”

“How can I not worry! The Emperor kills people at the slightest disagreement!” The Old Madam patted her chest, tears falling like rolling pearls.

“I shouldn’t have let Meng Ge’er become an official. Tell me, what kind of situation is this? When that stratagem was used initially, it indeed brought fame throughout the realm and dealt a heavy blow to Northern Ji, but Meng Ge’er was also resented by that demon Pang Zhixi. Now that he’s become Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, the Emperor consults him on every matter, big or small. Who knows if he’s being envied and schemed against by others? My heart hangs with him every day, as if being roasted over fire.”

Seeing the Old Madam cry so sadly, Nanny Qin quickly offered gentle consolation.

But Qin Yining maintained her posture of supporting the Old Madam while feeling desolate inside.

So many people had died in Duke Dingguo’s mansion, including even her seven-year-old and five-year-old young cousins, yet upon hearing this news, what saddened the Old Madam was fear of implicating her own family.

Such was human nature – hadn’t she known this all along?

Qin Yining forcibly suppressed her grief, rapidly calculating in her mind: given the Old Madam’s character, if she now requested the Old Madam to release Sun Shi so they could bid farewell to the Duke Dingguo’s men, the Old Madam would surely be furious enough to confine her as well.

The Old Madam would rather let Duke Dingguo’s people rot in the streets than care about them.

Not just the Old Madam – anyone else would probably lack the courage to collect corpses after the Emperor’s sudden fury led to executions.

However, she absolutely could not watch her grandfather and the others meet such a miserable end. The matter of collecting their bodies – she had to do it, and do it flawlessly!

After her earlier conversation with Qin Huaiyuan, Qin Yining had gained some confidence. She wiped away her tears, already formulating a plan.

As Qin Yining was thinking, suddenly came the sound of a woman crying from outside, faintly audible shouts:

“Let me go! All of you let go, I want to go out, let me out!”

“First Madam, you cannot!”

“Elder sister-in-law, you mustn’t go out! It’s chaotic outside, and grandmother will worry if you do this!”

“I won’t! You people – it’s not your fathers and brothers in trouble, so you’re not concerned!”

“Please lower your voice! Oh my, this is right in front of the Garden of Filial Devotion! My ancestors, my gods and buddhas!”

“I’m afraid of people hearing?! That ungrateful old witch! How she fawned over us when my family was wealthy! Now that trouble comes, she retracts her turtle neck – worse than pigs and dogs!”

…

The Old Madam couldn’t hear clearly the conversation outside, but those few curse words came through exceptionally clearly.

Old witch, ungrateful, worse than pigs and dogs…

“Slap her! Slap her!” The Old Madam’s face turned purple with rage as she stood up abruptly: “Is this that foolish woman’s upbringing? What, now that her father is dead her manners are completely gone! Daring to insult her mother-in-law like this – where’s even half a bit of filial piety! I want to divorce her, I want to open the ancestral hall and divorce this unfilial fool for Meng Ge’er!”

Qin Yining stood beside supporting the Old Madam’s arm, but her gaze gradually turned cold as she watched her.

Even if seeking advantage and avoiding harm was human nature, the Old Madam’s behavior was too unseemly, showing she wasn’t merely opportunistic but selfish to the point of cold-bloodedness.

Nanny Qin stood on the Old Madam’s other side, also silently criticizing in her heart. As a servant, she couldn’t speak much. Inadvertently catching Qin Yining’s gaze, Nanny Qin felt a chill run down her spine, feeling she wasn’t facing Fourth Miss but Qin Huaiyuan himself!

She couldn’t help but advise: “Old Madam, please calm down. The First Madam’s maternal family has been destroyed – it’s human nature for her to be so grieved. She must be out of her mind right now, so some wild talk is expected. Why should Old Madam argue with a madwoman? Moreover, matters like divorce require consulting the eldest master’s opinion. Furthermore, you must consider the eldest master’s reputation outside.”

Qin Yining didn’t want to continue listening to the Old Madam speak, having seen through this realistic and opportunistic grandmother completely.

She even thought that if mother were divorced and sent away right now, it might actually be a good thing. She had a thousand ways to ensure mother lived comfortably and contentedly outside.

Duke Dingguo had only fallen one day, yet the Prime Minister’s mansion’s attitude was already like this. How much more torment would mother endure if she stayed? She wasn’t someone who could endure humiliation and plan strategically – she’d be devoured completely, and even if father wanted to intervene, he was still a filial son after all.

Curtsying to the Old Madam, Qin Yining said: “Grandmother, I’ll go take a look outside.” Without waiting for the Old Madam’s response, she quickly walked out.

The Old Madam was helped to sit down by Nanny Qin, panting heavily and stamping her feet: “Look at this – everything’s turned upside down!”

Qin Yining emerged from the Garden of Filial Devotion’s courtyard gate to see Nanny Jin and Bingtang on either side consoling the sobbing Sun Shi, who was covering her face. Additionally, a maid and an older servant woman knelt on the ground hugging Sun Shi’s legs. The maid was Cui Fu, and the servant woman was surnamed Zhang – one was Sixth Miss’s personal senior maid, the other was Sixth Miss’s wet nurse. And Sixth Miss herself stood not far away with other servants watching the excitement, whispering among themselves.

Qin Huining had learned to be clever, knowing not to show herself but to find a scapegoat instead.

Qin Yining strode forward and casually grabbed the collars of the two people hugging Sun Shi’s legs, throwing them aside.

“What are you things, daring to touch the First Madam! Even if Duke Dingguo’s mansion has fallen, the First Madam is still my father’s principal wife. What do you want to do? Want to die?”

Both Cui Fu and Nanny Zhang fell to the ground. It didn’t hurt, but they were frightened pale.

Sixth Miss couldn’t contain herself and immediately rushed over: “It’s because eldest sister-in-law wouldn’t listen to persuasion and insisted on going out that Cui Fu and Nanny Zhang tried to stop her. Eldest sister-in-law left the ancestral hall privately without reporting to the Old Madam.”

“What happened?” Qin Yining ignored Sixth Miss and asked Nanny Jin instead.

By then Sun Shi was crying as she embraced Qin Yining, sobbing incoherently as she smeared tears on her shoulder, mumbling: “I want to go out, Yining, I want to go out and see your grandfather!”

Nanny Jin said quietly: “Fourth Miss, Sixth Miss just came to tell madam about Duke Dingguo and the others being executed, and madam became desperate to go out. No matter how we tried to stop her, she wouldn’t listen. Please persuade madam quickly.”

Qin Yining held Sun Shi while glancing sideways at Sixth Miss: “You’re quite obedient to Qin Huining. How much did she pay you?”

Sixth Miss didn’t immediately understand, blinking before angrily saying: “Who are you calling a dog!”

“Calling you a dog would insult dogs! For second aunt’s sake, I won’t touch you, but acting like this, you’ll never amount to anything respectable. Bingtang, go see second aunt immediately. Tell her about Qin Shuangning privately going to the ancestral hall to relay messages and incite my mother, then ordering her maid and wet nurse to detain my mother here and provoke her into making a scene. Since your words alone aren’t proof enough, bring two articulate witnesses.”

“Yes.” Bingtang nodded.

Sixth Miss shrieked: “Qin Yining, we’re both Qin family misses. You can bully an adopted daughter, but do you dare bully someone like me who’s blood-related! How dare you go to the second madam to sow discord!”

Qin Yining ignored her and swept her gaze over the surrounding servant women.

Immediately she saw Nanny Jing, mother of Manager Jingsan, pulling out a sturdy servant woman: “Fourth Miss, this servant is willing to be a witness.”

Qin Yining nodded: “Good, thank you.”

She didn’t address Nanny Jing familiarly, pretending not to know her well.

Nanny Jing then pulled the sturdy servant woman to follow Bingtang quickly toward the second branch.

Sixth Miss was completely panicked. She wasn’t even raised under her legitimate mother’s name – if this caused trouble, how could her legitimate mother spare her?

“What are you standing there for! Stop them!” Sixth Miss shrieked, pulling Cui Fu and Nanny Zhang to give chase.

The two obeyed and pursued, but Nanny Jing and the sturdy servant woman forcefully knocked them down.

Meanwhile, Qin Yining had taken advantage of the chaos to whisper a few words in Sun Shi’s ear.

Sun Shi first looked stunned, then her eyes rolled back as she let out an “ah” and fainted.

“Mother! Mother! Someone come quickly! Call a doctor!”

“Madam must have fainted from excessive grief! Someone come quickly!” Having heard Qin Yining’s earlier words, Nanny Jin now simply cried out as she rushed into the Garden of Filial Devotion for help.

By this time the Old Madam, wearing a cloak and supported by Nanny Qin, Ji Xiang, and Ru Yi, had emerged and stood frowning on the steps, glaring at Sun Shi.

Qin Yining was already supporting the collapsed Sun Shi as she sat on the ground, tears streaming down helplessly as she called out like a small cat: “Mother, don’t frighten me, please wake up.”

The Old Madam opened her mouth but was secretly pinched on the arm by Nanny Qin.

She looked at Nanny Qin unwillingly, who whispered: “The eldest master is still in the palace. You should at least consider the eldest master’s feelings. Moreover, so many people are watching.”

The Old Madam glanced at the watching servants and finally swallowed back the words “immediately divorce this fool and throw her out.”

She still cared about her reputation after all.

Besides, seeing her daughter-in-law, whose family had just met disaster, collapsed before her – could she refuse to take her in?

“Carry her into the Garden of Filial Devotion to wait for the doctor.”

Once the Old Madam gave the order, Nanny Qin immediately had people bring a spring bench and carefully move Sun Shi onto it. A crowd of people stumbled into the house.

Qin Yining took advantage of the chaos to hurry toward the second branch, meeting Bingtang, Nanny Jing, and the sturdy servant woman just returning from delivering their message.

“Fourth Miss?”

“Nanny Jing, please find a way to go out and deliver a message to Manager Zhong for me. Thank you!”

“I wouldn’t dare refuse. Miss, please just give your orders.”

Qin Yining whispered instructions in Nanny Jing’s ear until she understood, then quickly headed to the Garden of Filial Devotion with Bingtang.

Nanny Jing quickened her pace and left the mansion through the rear gate where vegetables and fish were delivered from the kitchen.