Madam Du was right. After the snowfall, important areas in the Marquis’s mansion were covered with carpets or straw mats to prevent slipping. When Xiao Xuexi first took over, she saw the servants doing this proactively without being told. As it wasn’t a major issue and was quite practical, she never interfered. How could it be that today, of all days, there was nothing in front of the Old Madam’s room? Xiao Xuexi’s heart sank, and she instinctively glanced at Mudan, whose expression was neutral, looking neither at her nor at Madam Du. Unable to gauge Mudan’s thoughts, Xiao Xuexi considered briefly before responding seriously to Madam Du’s words:

“Mother is correct. I failed to manage the servants properly and neglected my duty, nearly causing a disaster. I must first apologize to Grandmother and Sister-in-law.” With that, she knelt before the Old Madam and kowtowed heavily.

Xiao Xuexi’s reaction was indeed quick. Mudan inwardly sneered but didn’t say a word, just sitting steadily and watching the scene unfold with a calm expression. She had never stayed at the Marquis’s mansion during snowfall before, so she didn’t know whether the steps were usually covered or not. However, judging by the state of Yingxue Hall today, it seemed unlikely that Kuan’er had suddenly come up with the idea – where would she have found straw mats on such short notice? Regardless of who was behind this, if Mudan didn’t vent her anger this time, she would be letting down the child in her womb and the loving care of Lin Mama and Kuan’er.

The Old Madam had never seen Xiao Xuexi so submissive before. She coldly said, “It’s a festive day, let’s not make a fuss. It’s just the servants being lazy, isn’t it? Just punish them severely and be done with it!” Madam Du was right; in the past, whenever it rained or snowed, the steps in front of her room were always covered with carpets, so even in colder weather, nothing like this had ever happened. Even during the recent snowfall, this rule hadn’t changed. Why was there suddenly no carpet today? There was something fishy going on!

Xiao Xuexi obediently stood up and bowed deeply to Mudan: “Sister-in-law, please don’t hold this against me. I failed to manage the servants properly and nearly harmed you. Thankfully nothing serious happened, otherwise I fear even death wouldn’t absolve me of guilt.” Initially, when she heard Mudan and the others cry out in alarm, she had hoped for Mudan’s misfortune, wishing the “little bastard” in her belly would be lost in a fall. But then she realized how fortunate it was that nothing serious had happened, otherwise she would have been wrongly blamed for the poisonous woman’s actions.

Mudan finally spoke calmly: “Sister-in-law, there’s no need for this. Although you’re in charge and we’ve had our disagreements in the past, I don’t think you would intentionally try to harm me and my unborn child, would you?” Her words were clear and direct, immediately shifting the focus from technical issues to matters of grudges and intentions.

Xiao Xuexi was most afraid of being held accountable for this, as it would be unbearable. She hurriedly said, “Of course not, how could I have such evil intentions? What kind of person would I be if I did?”

Mudan glanced at Madam Du, who was watching the commotion, and continued: “But these servants seem to have no respect for anyone.” Her voice was icy: “People from the family visit Grandmother’s place several times a day. Grandmother is elderly, and I’m pregnant – we both have difficulty moving around. In this weather, we can’t afford any accidents. Yet this person, clearly aware of all this, not only disobeyed Sister-in-law’s arrangements to do the job properly but also ignored Madam’s instructions and removed the carpet without permission. I can only say that this servant has eaten a leopard’s gall, daring to harbor such malicious intentions to harm Grandmother and me, as well as the Jiang family’s legitimate heir.”

Wasn’t this a call for a thorough investigation? Xiao Xuexi caught the implications and, not finding Mudan’s words particularly harsh, quickly said: “Sister-in-law is right. I’ll get to the bottom of this and find out who’s responsible!”

Mudan calmly replied: “Then I’ll wait. Otherwise,” she lowered her head and caressed her belly, “I truly won’t be at peace. I was frightened just now; the baby is moving.” She then clutched her stomach and let out a painful “Ouch.”

Lin Mama was greatly alarmed and quickly supported Mudan: “What’s wrong?” Mudan gently tapped her hand once, just frowning in pain without speaking. Lin Mama understood and, with undiminished anxiety on her face, turned to Lücao and said: “Please trouble you to fetch the Young Master!”

The Old Madam, unsure if it was genuine, repeatedly ordered people to help Mudan lie down on her bed and sent for a doctor. She then began to frown with worry. No matter how much she disliked Mudan and Jiang Changyang, she didn’t want anything to happen to the child that would cause Jiang Changyang to completely fall out with the family.

It’s just a pregnancy, why make such a fuss? Xiao Xuexi secretly resented but, remembering that her suspicion hadn’t been cleared, she had no choice but to condescend and go to express her concern. Lin Mama blocked her like guarding against a thief, but she couldn’t afford to get angry.

Madam Du steadily said: “Mother, if we don’t investigate this thoroughly, the household will be in chaos! Why don’t we detain the person first and let the eldest young master handle it later…” You’re good at investigating cases, aren’t you? Now’s your chance to show off.

The Old Madam caught on, realizing that if anything happened to Mudan, they needed to clear themselves quickly and offer a scapegoat for Jiang Changyang to vent his anger. She immediately said: “You go handle it!” After a moment’s thought, she felt it wasn’t appropriate and looked at Hong’er: “You go handle it!” Hong’er hurriedly went out to apprehend the culprit.

Xiao Xuexi was greatly shocked. It was indeed serious. Although she envied and hated Mudan, she only dared to think about it, not do such a thing. It must be Madam Du, that poisonous woman, trying to smear her, and she had likely arranged everything in advance – the poisonous woman had been quiet for so long, who knew she was scheming behind the scenes. This time was different from before; she must have covered her tracks thoroughly. An investigation would surely reveal major problems. But could she refuse the investigation? Jiang Changyi needed to be present. So she hurriedly said: “Yes, quickly go and invite the eldest and second young masters to come over.”

Madam Du coldly curled her lip. Jiang Changyi? By the time Xiao Xuexi’s people reached the room, Jiang Changyi would have already gone out to fetch a doctor. She calmly looked at Mudan lying on the bed. How could the He family’s luck be so good? They always managed to turn danger into safety, and their people were truly loyal. Whether Mudan was faking it this time or not, Xiao Xuexi wouldn’t be able to escape anyway. Old Jiang, did you think marrying this noble lady would make you soar? Keep dreaming!

“Danni! Danni! How are you?” Jiang Changyang rushed in with his outer robe loosely draped, his face full of anxiety. Seeing her loved one, Mudan’s nose suddenly tingled, and with tears in her eyes, she said with infinite grievance: “My stomach hurts.”

Jiang Changyang sat down beside Mudan, holding her hand carefully, and said: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve already sent Shunhou’er to fetch a doctor. It’ll be alright.” Mudan saw that although he appeared calm, there was panic in his eyes. Feeling a bit guilty, she gently scratched his palm.

The couple had their long-established tacit understanding, and Jiang Changyang immediately understood. His expression darkened further as he sternly said: “Lin Mama! Explain what happened! If anything happens to Danni, none of you will need to live either!”

Lin Mama began to wail, leaving Mudan’s side and kneeling on the ground, sobbing loudly: “Please, Young Master, seek justice for the Madam! Severely punish those black-hearted wretches! As long as we can remove those harmful people, and the Madam and young master are safe, this old servant’s life is worthless!”

What was going on? With all this ghostly wailing and wolf howling, she immediately assumed Mudan had been harmed. If this maid was allowed to continue, what would become of the situation? The Old Madam thumped her cane heavily and said fiercely: “What nonsense are you spouting? Take this ill-mannered servant away!”

Jiang Changyang let out a cold laugh: “No need for Grandmother to worry, I’ll manage my people. But I’d like to ask Grandmother, what exactly happened here? You asked Danni to come to talk, and as soon as she arrived, something went wrong. Grandmother’s maids truly have remarkable skills. Grandmother, no matter how much you dislike Danni, the child in her womb is still of Jiang’s family blood.” He wasn’t being muddleheaded, but he needed to shut down the Old Madam first.

“How dare you! Have you lost your mind? You dare suspect me?” The Old Madam was furious. From Jiang Changyang’s tone, it seemed he suspected that she couldn’t tolerate Mudan and the child in her womb. But she was the one who had sent for Mudan, and the incident happened in her quarters, with her servants… She turned and glared hatefully at Madam Du and Xiao Xuexi, these troublemakers! Bringers of misfortune! She then loudly said: “Hong’er, where’s the person? Bring them in quickly!”

What’s the big deal about apprehending a little maid who does rough work? Hong’er had already brought the unfortunate girl and was waiting behind the curtain. She immediately ordered the rough-handed woman to push the unlucky one in. Jiang Changyang frowned and said: “Grandmother, please stop shouting. Are you afraid Danni isn’t uncomfortable enough?”

The Old Madam trembled with anger. Others had sown the seeds, but she was reaping the consequences. She pointed at the little maid called Mu’er and said sternly, though with a much lower voice: “Where’s the carpet? Speak! Or you’ll die!”

Mu’er was so frightened that her skirt was wet. She prostrated herself on the ground, trembling and stammering: “It wasn’t me! Sister Caibo accidentally spilled a basin of water on the carpet earlier, and I went to change it. But the spare carpet was missing, so I had to go to the storeroom to get a new one. I didn’t expect such a big problem to occur in just a short while.”

Jiang Changyang calmly asked, “What a coincidence. Who is Caibo?”

Xiao Xuexi’s face suddenly turned pale. She turned and glared fiercely at her senior maid Caibo, who had already fallen to her knees in fright behind her. Xiao Xuexi said coldly, “Speak, what happened?” It wouldn’t have been strange if Red’er, Lücao, or any other little maid had taken out and spilled water from the Old Madam’s room, but Caibo was her senior maid. Not only had she done something in the Old Madam’s room, but she had also spilled water and was now involved in Mudan’s incident, which was rather suspicious.

Caibo, after all, was from the Minister’s household and a capable senior maid of a noble lady. Although panicked, she spoke clearly: “Earlier, when the madams were talking, I was waiting with Red’er and others in the adjacent tea room. I accidentally soiled a corner of my skirt, so I asked for a basin of water to clean it a bit. When I went to pour out the water, I slipped and fell, even scraping my elbow.

I didn’t do it on purpose…” Originally, such a small task as pouring water didn’t require her to do it; she could have just called a little maid or an old woman to do it. But coincidentally, at that time, she couldn’t find her people, and the rest were all the Old Madam’s room staff, whom she didn’t dare to order around. Who would have thought that this fall would lead to such a big incident?

Everything seemed to be coincidental, with no apparent flaws when strung together. Xiao Xuexi was at a loss for words. She felt her throat dry and itchy, and grasped at the only possibility of turning the situation around: “Didn’t Mu’er say there was a replacement carpet? How could it suddenly disappear? I don’t believe the carpet just turned to ash.” She heard her voice, dry and tinged with nervousness. She glanced anxiously towards the door – why hadn’t Jiang Changyi arrived yet? Only now did she realize how important Jiang Changyi was to her.

Jiang Changyang simply held Mudan’s hand, comforting her in a low voice. It seemed he didn’t need to interfere; Xiao Xuexi was already panicking.

The carpet issue wasn’t hard to investigate. Someone soon came to say that Xiao Xuexi had previously given the order to have everything clean for the festival, so the carpet had been taken for washing. Due to the bad weather, it hadn’t dried and thus wasn’t sent back. She had indeed said those words. Another mistake of hers! Xiao Xuexi nearly burst into tears. Clinging to her last strand of hope, she asked Mu’er, “You didn’t even know where the spare carpet went? Does our household only have two carpets? Why didn’t you get a new one ready early? This is laziness and dereliction of duty!”

Mu’er burst into loud sobs: “Young Madam, please spare me! I didn’t know, it had always been kept there. No one told me the carpet hadn’t been sent back.” But regardless, she was in charge of this task, and couldn’t escape responsibility for her carelessness.

Why hadn’t Jiang Changyi arrived yet? Xiao Xuexi anxiously looked at Jiang Changyang’s dark, cold eyes, the Old Madam’s disgusted gaze, and the expressions of Lin Mama and others who looked as if they wanted to tear her apart. She knew she had fallen into a carefully designed trap. She recalled Madam Du’s excited demeanor upon returning home, how she had sent all the maids away, acting mysteriously as if she had something private to discuss with her and the Old Madam, and then her cunning way of suggesting to the Old Madam to summon Mudan for a talk.

Connecting the dots, her heart was filled with grief and anger at being schemed against and framed. She wanted to lunge forward and tear apart this poisonous woman’s face but knew this approach wouldn’t work, as she had no evidence against Madam Du. Her lips trembled for a long while before she finally shouted at Mu’er: “If you don’t know anything, what use are you? You’re the one who harmed the First Young Madam!”

Madam Du watched with great satisfaction and coolly interjected: “Enough, Xuexi, don’t be upset. The servants will certainly be punished for their mistakes. Although Caibo spilled the water and the laundry room didn’t send the carpet over in time, it’s not your fault after all. You were originally well-intentioned. Your sister-in-law just said that although you had grievances in the past, you’re family now, and she believes you wouldn’t harm her. Your sister-in-law is kind-hearted and won’t make wild speculations about people, so you needn’t worry.”

After saying this, seeing Xiao Xuexi speechless with frustration, wanting to argue but unable to, angry to the point of tears and trembling all over, Madam Du felt truly gratified. It hadn’t been in vain that she had schemed so meticulously for so long. Although it was not easy to plan everything so precisely, even the heavens seemed to be helping. Her luck was truly good; just after securing that good marriage for Jiang Changzhong, she reaped another reward.

The heavens were indeed on her side. Now, Xiao Xuexi had no way to clear herself, and there would be quite a show between the main branch and the side branches. But as she turned her head, she met Jiang Changyang’s gaze. That kind of look, she had never seen in anyone’s eyes before. It was indescribable, like looking at a dead person. She uncomfortably turned her head slightly away and looked at the Old Madam, saying: “Mother, how do you think we should handle this?”

The Old Madam squeezed out a sentence through her lips: “Give this lazy maid forty military canes and sell her along with her old mother!” Her gaze fell on Caibo: “She’s the instigator, give her sixty military canes! Sell her too!”

Sixty military canes would be fatal! Caibo’s head buzzed, and she tightly hugged Xiao Xuexi’s feet, pleading in a low voice. Xiao Xuexi felt sorry for her, but she could barely protect herself, as her punishment was coming next.

Sure enough, the Old Madam calmly said: “I think the daughter-in-law has been tired these days. She should stay in her room and rest well for a while. Starting tomorrow, there’s no need to come to my room for morning greetings.” With these light words, she stripped Xiao Xuexi of her household management authority and barred her from coming to pay respects.

Xiao Xuexi felt indignant and burst into tears, feeling extremely aggrieved. She couldn’t even cry injustice or say she hadn’t harmed Mudan. It seemed no one had accused her of harming Mudan; even Madam Du had said Mudan wouldn’t suspect her. But by beating Caibo to death, stripping her of power, and confining her, wasn’t this equivalent to pinning the charge of attempted harm to Mudan on her? Du, I want you dead! This was the only thought in Xiao Xuexi’s mind at the moment.

“What’s going on here?” Jiang Zhong entered and saw a commotion. He had thought the family would be waiting for him to return and offer birthday wishes, but instead, he found this scene, with everyone looking as if someone had died, and Xiao Xuexi even crying loudly. Then he saw Mudan lying on the couch and immediately stepped back out of propriety, standing outside the curtain and anxiously asking, “What exactly happened?”

No one spoke, so the Old Madam had to say: “There was a small accident. The eldest daughter-in-law nearly fell and experienced some pregnancy discomfort. We’re just punishing people now.”

While Jiang Zhong was trying to understand what had happened, Mudan whispered to Jiang Changyang: “Just say it’s a festive day, and I don’t want to upset everyone. Giving so many military canes will surely be fatal. I don’t want to create bad karma for the child. Let’s stop here.”

As the saying goes, when immortals fight, the little ghosts suffer. Although no one was entirely innocent, she hadn’t fallen, and she didn’t want to cause deaths.

Jiang Changyang gently stroked the back of her hand: “I know what to do.”

Suddenly, Xiao Xuexi cried out: “If that’s the case, not just these two should be beaten, many others should be punished too!” She laughed coldly, “There was no carpet, ice had formed on the steps, and it hadn’t become slippery in just a moment. But the person sent to invite my sister-in-law for a talk didn’t mention this at all. There must be a problem here! Sister-in-law, who was sent to invite you?”

If she was going down, everyone else would go down with her! She had suffered this injustice, and others wouldn’t escape either!

Lin Mama calmly said: “It was a mama who conveyed the message. She looked unfamiliar; I don’t know her name.” So Xiao Xuexi persistently demanded to find this person.

It was a tangled mess. Seeing Mudan’s brows furrow, Jiang Changyang said: “Arguing here endlessly isn’t the solution. While it’s still light out, let’s have a sedan chair brought to take Danni back to her room. It will also be convenient for the doctor to examine her later.”

How could anyone object? They temporarily put aside other matters and busied themselves with sending Mudan back. Jiang Changyang didn’t care how they fought among themselves. Anyway, Xiao Xuexi now only wanted to clear herself and wouldn’t easily let others off the hook. So he let them continue their quarrel; he would come back later to see the result and add fuel to the fire. He supported the sedan chair and sent Mudan back. Upon reaching Yingxue Hall, he tightly held Mudan’s hand, sitting beside her with a face full of guilt. He didn’t believe Mudan was alright; she must have been frightened. In just the time it took for a short nap, a major incident had nearly occurred.

Shunhou’er’s doctor arrived first – knowing that old Doctor Sun was elderly and couldn’t move quickly, he had invited Doctor Sun’s direct disciple. The crowd in front had quieted down and all came to Yingxue Hall to hear the news. The doctor said she had been frightened and experienced some pregnancy discomfort, needed rest, and wrote a prescription.

Just as the prescription was written here, Jiang Changyi, who had gone to fetch a doctor first, finally returned. Madam Du said indifferently: “Why were you gone for so long? The examination is already done; send people back.”

It was hard to find people on a festival day; he had tried his best. Jiang Changyi felt wronged. He didn’t know why Mudan had suddenly experienced pregnancy discomfort; he only knew someone had notified him to quickly fetch a doctor. He had thought Jiang Changyang couldn’t get away and trusted him, not knowing it would turn into such a mess. He looked at Xiao Xuexi, who seemed on the verge of rushing over to cry and complain, utterly grieved, and vaguely understood. He wasn’t angry or upset; thinking of the news he had received this morning, he felt indescribably pleased. Du, go ahead and be arrogant! By tomorrow at the latest, you’ll have your comeuppance. I want to see you in unbearable pain!

After settling Mudan down, Jiang Changyang went to the front to see the latest developments. Hearing that everyone outside had left, Mudan felt an indescribable sense of peace. Seeing Shu’er supporting the limping Kuan’er as they entered, she quickly said: “Why aren’t you resting? Although no bones were broken, that fall was hard; you must be in pain.”

Kuan’er smiled and said: “I’m fine, miss. Just some bruises.”

Shu’er smiled and said: “There are two things to tell you, to cheer you up. First, do you know why you were summoned today? Madam went to the palace to see Consort Ding, to ask for her niece’s hand in marriage for the Second Young Master. Consort Ding agreed to a Miss Shi. Since this lady is related to Madam Bai of the Chu State Marquis’s household, they wanted to ask you to help inquire about Miss Shi’s character.”

Mudan had heard Madam Bai mention this Consort Ding before. She was Madam Bai’s maternal aunt, a formidable figure. Although she had no children of her own, only a ten-year-old little princess, she had maintained favor in the palace for fifteen years. Madam Du was trying to add support for Jiang Changzhong – although he couldn’t marry a daughter from the five noble families, he could marry someone with connections. With Jiang Changzhong’s frequent military achievements, adding a good marriage alliance was reasonable. Mudan then asked, “What’s the second thing?”

Shu’er smiled mischievously: “The Marquis has brought back a beauty. But he’s been too busy to attend to her, so she’s been left waiting.” With Madam Du and Jiang Zhong’s poor relationship, and the two concubines being old and faded, there would be some excitement to watch now.

Mudan was shocked. Jiang Zhong had gone out for a banquet and brought back a beauty. What could this mean?