That sneaking old woman was none other than the wife of Qi Shun, the head steward of the attendant quarters at the Chengyang Marquis Manor. She was one of those who came last time to fetch Song Wan and ended up being injured by Shen Qianyu.

When the carriage overturned, although she rolled out of the carriage together with everyone else, she hadn’t lost consciousness. She had clearly seen Shen Qianyu committing violence.

Therefore, Qi Shun’s wife knew about Song Wan being abducted by an unfamiliar man.

Since this major matter concerned the manor’s madam’s virtue and reputation, she didn’t dare not report it. As soon as she returned to the marquis manor, she secretly told Madam Jiang.

Thinking of the madam’s furious appearance at that time, she shuddered violently.

Coming here today was also following her orders to secretly monitor Song Wan. The madam had said that if Song Wan encountered misfortune outside and lost her chastity, their marquis manor could use this as reason to present divorce papers. But if…

Qi Shun’s wife gritted her teeth, her eyes full of conflicted uncertainty.

In the past, Song Wan had treated her well, but this behavior of seducing wild men and being unchaste was truly… too outrageous!

“Let’s go, return to the manor.”

Qi Shun’s wife gritted her teeth all the way back to the marquis manor.

Old Madam Jiang and the manor’s illegitimate children had passed away one after another, making Madam Jiang age over ten years all at once. Originally, years of living in pampered luxury had nurtured her into a beautiful woman who looked to be in her early thirties. But now, overnight, most of her black hair had turned white, as if she’d aged ten years.

“Madam, Concubine Liu has come again.”

Madam Jiang held a brass hand warmer. Hearing this, a trace of impatience flashed through her eyes.

“Should this servant send her away?”

“No need. Let her come in.”

Raising her hand to pinch the space between her brows, Madam Jiang said, “I’ve also experienced the pain of losing a son. As a mother, one would probably rather take the child’s place. Let her come in—it’s good for me to console her.”

“This year the manor has lost too many people. In my heart…”

Covering her chest, Madam Jiang sighed softly. “It doesn’t feel good either.”

In the past, the old madam managed everything in the manor and she didn’t need to handle affairs. Over many years, she had developed a lazy disposition of being unwilling to manage matters. Naturally, she was also too lazy to raise the illegitimate sons and daughters at her knee.

But although those illegitimate children weren’t born of her own body, when living people were gone, she still felt bad about it.

Not to mention that in just a few months in this manor, four people had passed away one after another.

Just thinking about this made Madam Jiang’s heart turn cold. She clutched the warming brazier in her arms even tighter.

She found Concubine Liu tiresome, especially these past few days when Concubine Liu had asked the manor for many things and silver to hold funeral rites for Jiang Yan. Though she had some complaints about this matter, she had still agreed to everything one by one.

Could it be she was afraid Concubine Liu would profit from her dead son?

It was nothing more than a mother’s bitter heart with nowhere to find relief.

Madam Jiang wore white, concealing her exhausted eyes.

As soon as Concubine Liu entered, she saw Madam Jiang sitting there lost in thought, not knowing what she was pondering. Her eyes darted around and she instantly squeezed out a few tears before Madam Jiang.

“Madam, you must seek justice for Yan’er.”

Madam Jiang let out a long breath and said with lowered eyes, “What are we missing now?”

Concubine Liu wiped her tears. “These past few days I went to Yuling Hall, only to discover that Yan’er’s room had nothing in it. How could this be? In the past, I saw him spending money generously—he didn’t look like someone without silver.”

“Moreover, Steward Liu from the outer courtyard also said that Yan’er had asked him several times to go south to bring back items. Those items weren’t cheap—how is it that they’re all gone now?”

Madam Jiang frowned. “You came just for this?”

“Men interact with their peers outside and buying and selling items is ordinary. What could he, an illegitimate son, possibly have in his room? Moreover, Jiang Yan’s corpse is barely cold and you’re already going to his room to search for silver? How can you be a concubine like this?”

Madam Jiang’s expression turned severe, her tone sharp. “These past few days, under the pretext of holding funeral rites for Jiang Yan, you’ve asked the manor for this and that. Where are those things? Were they used on Jiang Yan?”

Concubine Liu turned her head away, avoiding Madam Jiang’s gaze.

Her son was already gone—if she didn’t keep more silver for herself, how would that do? Dead is dead—must one insist on taking all the silver to the underworld?

Thinking of Jiang Yan, Concubine Liu furrowed her brow.

That child was clearly well-behaved and sensible when he was young, and treated her so well. Who knew how, when he grew up, his temperament changed? Day after day he showed his birth mother a cold face, as if someone owed him eight hundred strings of cash.

His short life now was probably also karmic retribution for his unfilial behavior.

“Of course it was used on Second Master. Second Master crawled out of my own belly. Besides me and Madam, who else would feel sorry for him?”

“Good that you know.”

After all, he wasn’t her own son. Madam Jiang had no heart to investigate further. After speaking, she wanted to send Concubine Liu back to her courtyard. Who would have thought that Concubine Liu would kneel on the ground with a face full of grievance? “It’s just that, Madam, many things are truly missing from Yan’er’s room. Even the two maids at his side don’t know where they’ve run off to.”

“Although Qing Zhai spoke with the manor’s steward and took their indenture contracts before leaving, this humble concubine just feels something isn’t right. Yan’er’s valuables must have been absconded with by those little sluts. Madam, we should report to the authorities.”

“You don’t know how generously Yan’er spent money in the past. Nine out of ten, he had some private property outside…”

Concubine Liu’s face was anxious.

She had once seen with her own eyes Jiang Yan giving her sister-in-law a set of extremely valuable jadeite headdress accessories. That jadeite’s water clarity was excellent—worth over a thousand taels of silver.

She had secretly asked people to inquire—it was worth at least one thousand five hundred taels of silver.

If Jiang Yan didn’t have private property, how could he afford to buy such things?

The more Concubine Liu thought about it, the more anxious she became. Her bent waist wished it could press against Madam Jiang’s body.

“Enough.”

With a bang, Madam Jiang smashed the hand warmer on the ground. “Jiang Yan is already gone and you’re still gossiping about him? What kind of reputation is it for an illegitimate son to hide private property? Are you rushing to pour dirty water on a dead person?”

“For that bit of silver, you don’t even want your face anymore?”

“Nanny Li.”

Madam Jiang was furious—the veins at her temples bulged. “Concubine Liu is speaking nonsense. Fetch the family discipline rod and cure this bad habit of hers properly.”

Nanny Li hesitated. But Madam Jiang raised her voice. “Why aren’t you going yet! I’ve finally seen it clearly now—without using some thunderous methods in this manor, things won’t work. Go! Today let Concubine Liu properly learn a lesson—what words can be said and what words cannot be said. Let her learn it all clearly at once.”

“If she can’t learn, don’t let her out. Also, bring Jiang Xing here for me to see. What kind of daughter can such a concubine raise?”

Jiang Xing was only nine years old this year. Madam Jiang only had an impression of this illegitimate daughter as submissive and obedient. Today, seeing Concubine Liu gossip even about her dead son, she truly couldn’t bear it any longer.

Soon servants brought Jiang Xing over. When Madam Jiang looked, she nearly fainted from anger.

Winter was approaching, yet Jiang Xing was still wearing early autumn clothes. Just walking to Jiangxiang Courtyard had frozen the little girl’s hands purple and her cheeks bright red.

Madam Jiang supported her forehead, too angry to maintain composure. “Send Jiang Xing…”

“Send her to Lanting Courtyard to be raised by Lin Shi and Huai Su. As for Concubine Liu, since she now has neither husband nor son, there’s no use keeping her in the marquis manor.”

“The marquis manor has always been generous to people, so we won’t make her keep mourning for the marquis her whole life. After serving her with family discipline, send her out of the manor.”

“Also, bring Liu Chengxiang to me. Have him properly discipline this thing. If she dares to speak nonsense outside, throw the entire Liu family out!”