Qingyu, a servant from the outer courtyard, quickly explained, “Master! We’ve been wronged! Lady Gu sent people over, saying our courtyard was hiding something that slandered Miss Gu, and they forcibly searched…”
Lady Gu? Taohua blinked, looking at Shen Zaiye. His face darkened as he pushed her aside and strode into the room.
Moments later, several servants were thrown out, landing with a thud in the middle of the courtyard.
“You’ve gone too far! Who gave you the audacity to search my Prime Minister’s manor?” Shen Zaiye roared, then turned to Zhanlu, “Bring everyone from Wenqing Chamber to me!”
“Yes, sir!” Zhanlu responded, turning and running swiftly.
Shrinking her neck, Taohua entered cautiously, braving the master’s anger. The servants lying on the ground weren’t wearing the manor’s uniforms; they were brought from elsewhere.
No wonder Shen Zaiye was so angry. Who could be so thoughtless? Bringing people to search the Prime Minister’s manor and getting caught by the Prime Minister himself was like poking a snake’s nest. It would be strange if these fools didn’t get bitten!
The manor quickly became noisy. Zhanlu, truly bold, even brought guards and directly escorted an elegantly dressed person over.
“Let go! All of you, let go! How dare you!”
The shrill voice carried from afar. Taohua was startled and quickly jumped behind Shen Zaiye.
Mei Zhaoxue was the first to enter the courtyard, her face showing some panic as if she truly didn’t know Shen Zaiye had returned. She stepped forward to greet him, “This concubine pays respects to the master. We didn’t know you’d return early and failed to welcome you. Please forgive us!”
Shen Zaiye ignored her, raising his eyes to look at the person being escorted behind her.
Seeing that the Prime Minister had returned, Lady Gu stopped her clamoring, but her expression remained rather defiant, mumbling something under her breath.
“Master!” Gu Huairou rushed forward, “My mother doesn’t understand etiquette. If she has offended you in any way, please be forgiving.”
“Doesn’t understand etiquette?” Shen Zaiye let out a cold laugh. “The wife of the Minister of Ceremonies doesn’t understand etiquette and needs others to be forgiving? I’m not Minister Gu; I don’t have such a broad mind. Lady Gu is the first to dare search my manor without an imperial edict. How can I not settle this account with Minister Gu?”
Gu Huairou was taken aback and quickly turned to look at her mother, signaling with her eyes repeatedly.
Lady Gu was accustomed to being pampered in the manor. Due to Minister Gu’s quiet nature, she had always been overbearing and talkative. When Gu Huairou was favored in the Prime Minister’s manor, she treated her daughter as the Prime Minister’s darling, often throwing her weight around.
So now, even though Shen Zaiye’s face was very unpleasant, she only lowered her voice a bit: “I haven’t done anything wrong. What does the Prime Minister have to settle?”
“Mother!” Gu Huairou’s face turned pale with anxiety. She glanced nervously at Shen Zaiye and hurriedly retreated to her mother’s side, tugging at her, “Please don’t speak so harshly!”
“How am I being harsh?” Lady Gu frowned, “Isn’t it true? Someone is trying to harm you first, and you’re being so weak. What kind of behavior is that?”
Laughing in extreme anger, Shen Zaiye looked down at her with his hands behind his back, asking, “Who is trying to harm whom?”
“Don’t you know, Prime Minister?” Glancing at Jiang Taohua nearby, Lady Gu knelt on the ground and said coldly, “As soon as you left the capital, rumors started spreading inside and outside the manor that Huairou used her pregnancy to frame the Meng family and set up Lady Jiang. Coincidentally, this news came from Zhengchun Chamber.”
What? Taohua looked at her with a shocked expression, “I left, and there was no one in Zhengchun Chamber. How could any news spread from there?”
“This is where we must praise Lady Jiang for your cleverness,” Lady Gu snorted lightly, looking at her sideways. “You left with the Prime Minister, seemingly distancing yourself, but secretly arranged for maids to slander my Huairou! Poor Huairou not only lost her child but is now being slandered!”
Now this is interesting! Taohua narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, looking at her, “Please say that again. What did I slander Lady Gu about?”
“Why are you playing dumb?” Lady Gu frowned, looking up at her, “Does anyone not know? You sent people to gossip throughout the manor and the neighborhood, saying my Huairou wasn’t pregnant, but used the pregnancy to go against you and Lady Meng, being petty and scheming. You even said she bribed the doctor from Xuanhu Hall, with vivid details that almost made me believe it! Now people outside are cursing my Huairou terribly. Are you happy now?”
Taohua was very surprised. Where did this story come from? Only she and Gu Huairou should have known about it, and she had been busy dealing with Shen Zaiye. How could she have had time to frame Gu Huairou?
She turned to look at Lady Gu, her eyes full of inquiry. Gu Huairou was very nervous; as soon as she met Taohua’s eyes, she quickly looked away, lowering her head.
What’s going on?
Shen Zaiye, having listened from above, spoke calmly, “Zhaoxue.”
“I’m here.”
“You are the mistress of this household. When I’m not here, you’re in charge. However, you’ve allowed others to bring servants here to cause trouble. Do you acknowledge your mistake?”
Mei Zhaoxue was stunned and quickly lowered her head, “I admit to the fault of dereliction of duty.”
“Go back and copy the Heart Sutra ten times as punishment.”
“…Yes.”
Lady Gu was stunned, glaring at Shen Zaiye. This punishment was for Mei Zhaoxue, but it was slapping her face. On what grounds?
“Prime Minister, are you so biased that you won’t thoroughly investigate this matter?” she angrily said. “It concerns the reputation of your manor! You can’t let the culprit behind this go easily!”
“I will certainly investigate. There’s no need for you to worry, Lady Gu,” Shen Zaiye said coolly, glancing at her before turning to Gu Huairou. “Since such rumors have spread, let’s invite the doctors from Xuanhu Hall for another examination.”
Gu Huairou was slightly shocked and quickly lowered her head, “If master wants to invite someone, please ask for Doctor Zhang. He’s particularly experienced with women’s ailments.”
“How is one doctor enough?” Shen Zaiye looked at her with a cold smile. “There are many skilled physicians at Xuanhu Hall. I can afford to invite them all.”
Gu Huairou’s face turned pale, her mind in chaos. She hurriedly tugged hard at her mother’s clothes.
“What’s wrong?” Lady Gu looked at her in confusion, raising her chin, “If an examination is needed, then let’s have it. We can’t let you suffer this injustice! You’re just too kind-hearted, that’s why you’re always bullied in this manor!”
Taohua smiled, looking at Gu Huairou, “Indeed, she is quite kind-hearted.”
She hadn’t even confronted her about the previous attempt on her life, and now Gu Huairou was afraid she’d expose the secret of her pregnancy, so she turned around and bit her first.
What benefit did this bring her? If it was discovered that she truly wasn’t pregnant, it would be adding frost to snow. With the Meng family in prison, Shen Zaiye no longer had any reservations. He could directly deal with the Gu family on the charge of faking pregnancy without any problems.
Why are people so keen on seeking their demise?
Gu Huairou was so anxious she couldn’t speak. She looked at Taohua a couple of times, her eyes full of pleading.
This wasn’t her doing. She wasn’t that foolish! She was trying to avoid trouble, not seek mutual destruction!
Taohua was surprised, raising an eyebrow slightly.
If it wasn’t her, then who?
Without giving them more time for eye contact, Shen Zaiye took Taohua into the inner room, making her lie down on the bed to rest well. He then had Lady Gu, Lady Gu’s mother, and the others who were watching the commotion wait in the outer room.
Lady Gu sat to one side, glancing into the inner room several times, muttering under her breath, “So many people are sitting here, and she gets to lie down?”
“Mother,” Gu Huairou finally couldn’t help but say in a low voice, “I’m no longer as favored as before. Can’t you tone down your attitude a bit?”
“You…” Lady Gu frowned, “You’ve already put yourself so low, who will respect you?”
“Do you think everywhere is like the Gu manor?” Gu Huairou stomped her foot in anger, “This place has its own rules. It’s not just about me!”
Stunned by her outburst, Lady Gu became more subdued, pouting, “I get it. Why are you so anxious? The Prime Minister is still watching.”
“…” Gu Huairou closed her eyes in frustration. In the past, she always reported only good news and not bad, causing her mother to think she was truly remarkable. Her mother then offended people everywhere by using her name, but in the end, she was the one who suffered.
Why couldn’t she just stay calm?
Shen Zaiye quietly drank his tea, not even raising an eyelid. In the register beside his hand, another name had been crossed out.
The doctors from Xuanhu Hall arrived quickly, ten in total. Gu Huairou was very reluctant to extend her hand, trying to use dizziness and physical discomfort as an excuse to avoid it. Lady Gu also noticed something was wrong and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
With so many people in the room, how could Gu Huairou dare to say anything? She could only grit her teeth and say to Shen Zaiye, “This concubine doesn’t want to be examined. Can Master allow me to return and rest? Let’s just forget about today’s incident.”
“If you had been wronged, I would think you were being sensible by saying this,” Shen Zaiye raised his eyes to look at her and said calmly, “But today, it was your mother who wronged Taohua. For you to say this now seems a bit arrogant.”
Gu Huairou was stunned and immediately knelt, holding her skirt, “This concubine is willing to apologize to Lady Jiang.”
“It’s good to acknowledge mistakes and correct them,” Shen Zaiye said, “But the doctors are already here. You should still be examined. If you don’t, even I will think you have something to hide.”
Her body stiffened, and Gu Huairou lowered her head, not moving. Beside her, Qingtai, following Shen Zaiye’s eye signal, immediately stepped forward and pressed Gu Huairou onto a nearby chair, extending her hand for the doctors to examine her pulse one by one.
Gu Huairou’s face turned pale, looking at Qingtai, she said, “I have no grudge against you. What are you doing?”
“According to Lady Gu’s words, this is to prove the innocence of the young miss, and also to clear my master of the accusation of slander,” Qingtai said expressionlessly. “If you’re innocent, you have nothing to fear. There’s no need for the young miss to be nervous.”
How could she not be nervous? Gu Huairou struggled desperately, her brows furrowed as she shouted, “Let go of me!”
“If you struggle any more, it will prove that the rumors outside are true,” Shen Zaiye said sternly. “Huairou, the crime of faking pregnancy to frame others is no lighter than Meng’s attempt to harm a child.”
(End of Chapter)