Nanny Wu’s heart pounded wildly.

Previously, after Nanny Wu and Jiang Shi had dealt with those maids, they discovered they hadn’t found the maids’ contracts among Bai Jinxiu’s dowry items. Originally, keeping Mingyu was intended so that when Duke Zhenguo’s mansion pursued the matter, they could have Mingyu, the personal head maid, say that Bai Jinxiu herself had told Mingyu to give the contracts to Jiang Shi.

But who knew Duke Zhenguo’s mansion would use Mingyu’s contract to forcibly tie her up and drag her from Jiang Shi’s estate? The other five dowry maids’ contracts must also be with Duke Zhenguo’s mansion.

Before Nanny Wu could carefully consider her words, the already guilty Jiang Shi used anger as an excuse: “Bai Jinxiu just entered the Qin family and doesn’t think to serve her in-laws with filial piety, doesn’t observe proper wifely conduct, and instead uses treacherous schemes to incite her husband to divide the family—yet your Duke’s mansion has the face to ask me about those maids! Even Bai Jinxiu herself… if I, as her mother-in-law, beat her to death, no one in the world would say a wrong word! Nanny Wu, let’s go!”

Nanny Wu, covered in sweat, followed Jiang Shi.

“Marquis’s Wife, once you step out this door today, if you plan to spread word that my second sister instigated Qin Lang to move out of Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion, trying to splash dirty water on my second sister, I advise you to save the effort! Our Duke Zhenguo’s mansion will certainly deny everything completely, and my mother will inevitably defend my second sister’s grievances and explain things.” Bai Qingyan stood up, speaking with a smile, “My mother was personally praised by His Majesty as the exemplary clan wife of the capital… Marquis’s Wife, think about it—with your reputation for enabling your daughters to nearly kill someone and arbitrarily taking your daughter-in-law’s dowry, if you add slandering your daughter-in-law’s reputation, that would truly be wonderful.”

Regarding what Bai Jinxiu had said to Qin Lang, spreading it would be detrimental to Bai Jinxiu’s reputation.

Bai Jintong stood beside Bai Qingyan, shaking her head with feigned helplessness: “I told Marquis’s Wife what second sister said, precisely hoping Marquis’s Wife would add fuel to the fire and pour oil on her already burning reputation! Elder sister is too kind-hearted—why bother reminding her?”

“Dong Wanjun, is your Duke Zhenguo’s mansion trying to completely break with our Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion?” Jiang Shi’s eyes blazed with fury as she twisted the handkerchief in her hands.

Dong Shi lazily raised her eyes: “Your two daughters nearly killed my Duke’s mansion’s second miss, yet you still dare ask for face in front of my Duke’s mansion?!”

Bai Jintong stood with hands behind her back, lips curved in a cold smile: “Is Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion’s face made of city walls? Our Duke’s mansion made a grand show of bringing my second sister back! Hasn’t that already torn things apart?!”

“You… Fine! You, Bai mansion, can be arrogant for now!” Jiang Shi was consumed with rage, trembling all over, speaking without thinking: “It won’t be long before you have plenty to cry about! Nanny Wu, we’re leaving!”

Bai Qingyan raised her eyes, her profound gaze fixing on Jiang Shi’s retreating figure.

Nanny Qin, standing at the door, saw Jiang Shi storming out of the hall and properly stepped forward with a smile to escort her out. Jiang Shi vented all her wicked anger on Nanny Qin: “What’s this, need surveillance to leave the mansion? Afraid I’ll steal something from your Duke Zhenguo’s mansion?!”

Once Marquis Zhongyong’s wife left, Dong Shi threw down her teacup with disgust: “Jiang Shi’s character—she always thinks she’s the smartest in the world and everyone else is a fool for her to scheme against!”

Originally, Bai Qingyan’s engagement had been arranged when Qin Lang’s mother was still alive. Later, after Qin Lang’s mother died, Marquis Zhongyong married Jiang Shi as his second wife. Dong Shi knew exactly what kind of person Jiang Shi was and had always worried for Bai Qingyan.

Later, when Bai Qingyan was injured and having children became difficult, the Duke wanted to cancel the engagement between Duke’s mansion and Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion. Marquis Zhongyong personally came to persuade them to change Qin Lang’s engagement from Bai Qingyan to Bai Jinxiu. Originally the Duke disagreed, but somehow Marquis Zhongyong convinced him, and the Duke agreed.

As a daughter-in-law, Dong Shi couldn’t say much, and she was afraid that saying too much would make Second Madam Liu Shi think she was dissatisfied with the engagement being transferred to Bai Jinxiu. After a few words of persuasion proved ineffective, she simply kept quiet. She never expected that years later, when Bai Jinxiu married, the child would suffer such a great loss. If she had known, she should have strongly opposed it from the beginning.

“Mother, don’t be angry either.” Bai Qingyan spoke to comfort Dong Shi. “Before going to Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion, I thought Marquis Zhongyong’s wife was some formidable character, but now I see she’s nothing special. Currently, Qin Lang’s moving out of Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion is inevitable. Later, you and your second aunt should select some capable nannies and servants to send over. Without a mother-in-law controlling her, why worry that Jinxiu won’t live well?”

Dong Shi sighed and nodded. Fortunately, the Emperor had issued a clear edict, and the Empress had also spoken—even if Jiang Shi had three heads and six arms, this matter was set in stone and unchangeable.

Thinking of how Bai Qingyan had just pressed Jiang Shi about the whereabouts of those five dowry maids, Dong Shi hesitated for a moment before telling her daughter truthfully: “Yesterday your second aunt asked me to send people to search for your second sister’s remaining five dowry maids, wanting to understand the whole story for future retaliation. Although I sent people this morning to question the human traffickers in the city, I know in my heart that those five dowry maids are probably already gone. Your second aunt has a fierce and straightforward nature and doesn’t know how vicious Jiang Shi is—she probably hasn’t thought in this direction. I don’t know how to tell your second aunt.”

No matter what, the five dowry maids were maids who came from the Duke’s mansion. Even beating a dog requires looking at its owner, which human trafficker in the capital didn’t want to live, daring to touch people from Duke Zhenguo’s mansion without contracts? Only Second Madam Liu Shi would believe this story.

“Why must Mother explain clearly to the second aunt? If our Duke’s mansion can’t find these five dowry maids, then we report to the authorities and let the officials find them.” Bai Qingyan’s idea was proper.

Dong Shi, who had been frowning worriedly, looked up at her daughter, whose expression was calm as water yet composed, and immediately smiled with relief: “My daughter is right! I was being foolish! When our servants can’t be found, naturally, we should report to the authorities! And we should have the steward take those five girls’ contracts along with their birth parents to report together!”

Bai Qingyan’s expression was grave as she emerged from the hall, repeatedly pondering Marquis Zhongyong’s wife’s words spoken in rage before leaving—”It won’t be long before you have plenty to cry about.”

These words seemed to have a deeper meaning. She looked down at the stone path beneath her feet, inevitably wondering whether Marquis Zhongyong’s wife knew something, which was why she dared to act just as Bai Jintong entered the family.

That day at Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion, Jiang Shi appeared completely confident, not at all afraid that her daughters had hurt someone. The usually cautious Marquis Zhongyong, even if angry about the Bai family not giving their marquis mansion face by removing Bai Jinxiu, under circumstances where right and wrong were already clear, why was he still so stubborn?

She felt cold sweat on her back. Regarding the Bai family’s affairs… exactly how many powerful nobles in this capital were implicated?

Bai Jintong walked slowly beside Bai Qingyan, looking pleased: “Seeing that evil woman trembling with rage felt so satisfying—finally vented some anger!”

Not hearing Bai Qingyan respond, Bai Jintong inevitably thought of those five dowry maids. She asked with a thread of hope: “Elder sister, those five maids… are they really as eldest aunt said… in great danger?”

She came back to her senses at the sound and didn’t hide anything: “Your second sister’s dowry maids, except for Mingyu, were all drowned. That Marquis’s Wife, fearing the maids’ clothing and accessories would easily reveal their identities, ordered people to strip the five maids’ clothes and threw them wrapped in straw mats into the mass grave on a snowy night.”