Chapter 159: Drag him down and give him twenty strokes of the cane!

When Qin Wanru arrived at the kitchen, the two people who had been fighting had already been pulled apart.

Yujie was the one holding Qionghua, while the kitchen steward was restraining the other woman, an elderly servant. Both of them had disheveled hair, scratch marks on their faces, and aggressive expressions.

Shui Ruolan had not arrived yet, but Madam Di was already there, interrogating the two.

The elderly servant turned out to be the exact same one from earlier. A large crowd of servants had gathered around the kitchen entrance, with those in the back standing on their tiptoes to peer inside.

Qin Wanru brought Qingyue behind them without alerting anyone, quietly listening in. Madam Di’s voice was loud, clearly showing her anger.

As they stood there silently, the attention of everyone in front was focused inside the kitchen, so no one noticed their arrival.

"Qionghua, why on earth are you picking a fight? Are you relying on being a senior servant of the estate to bully a newcomer?" Madam Di asked sternly, implying that she had already figured out the situation.

"Madam Di, she was the one who deliberately provoked this maid, bad-mouthing my mistress. This maid couldn't bear it, which is why I started with her, and furthermore—" Qionghua’s gaze fell upon the identical bowls of bird's nest porridge on the stove, and with a sharp tone, she was about to bring the matter up. However, her wrist was fiercely twisted by Yujie, causing her to let out a cry of "Ouch," cutting her words short.

"Qionghua, are you telling the truth? She is a newcomer; who gave her the audacity to provoke a senior servant of the estate without even knowing who you are? Is she a fool?" Madam Di sneered.

"Madam, you must seek justice for this maid! This maid came to the kitchen to fetch the bird's nest porridge you requested, but this maidservant—who knows whose person she is—claimed that your porridge was deducted from her mistress's share and that what you are eating belongs to her mistress. This maid refused to accept this and argued a few words, but unexpectedly, she lashed out and hit me! I beg Madam to uphold justice for me! As a newcomer who knows nothing, this maid simply cannot understand why the dignified wife of a general would still take food from someone else!"

The elderly servant shoved the kitchen steward aside and burst into loud tears. As she cried, she wiped her tears and loudly proclaimed her grievances.

Her cries voiced grievances not only for herself, but for Madam Di as well!

Qionghua was trembling with anger. How could there be such shameless people in this world who turned black into white? Clearly, the servant had provoked her first, slipped a purse to the kitchen steward privately, and pointed and gestured sneakily, afraid that Qionghua would see. Yet, she had seen it clearly. This was obviously a scheme to make the kitchen staff pour more of the mistress's bird's nest porridge into Madam Di's portion.

Qionghua had also noticed three identical bowls. The bird's nest given by the Old Madam was not something the mistress dared to consume alone, so it had been stewed into porridge for both the mistress and the Second Miss. Why had it suddenly become three bowls? This had already angered Qionghua upon entering the kitchen. What angered her even more was that she actually heard this elderly servant standing triumphantly before those bowls, lifting the lids to peer inside, and mocking sarcastically:

"Eating such precious things, who knows what kind of monster she'll give birth to? Might as well let our Madam eat it all—it might even help her conceive a big fat boy. Just a widow, and she thinks she's worthy!"

When she said this, the servant's voice was low, but it happened to be heard by Qionghua. Qionghua, who was walking over, instantly blew her top. She immediately grabbed the servant and demanded to know what she had said.

Naturally, the servant refused to admit it, and the two started fighting. Seeing that things were going south, the steward tried to pull them apart, but couldn't. Just as the steward was running around in a panic, Yujie entered the room and helped separate them, and then Madam Di arrived.

"Madam Di, she insulted our mistress!" Qionghua argued loudly.

"How did she insult her?" Madam Di raised an eyebrow and asked with curious amusement. The servants gathered at the kitchen door stretched their ears even further. Outside the crowd, a cold sneer appeared on Qin Wanru’s face. How could Madam Di even ask such a question? To make Qionghua repeat the insults the servant hurled at Shui Ruolan in front of so many people—how could a mere servant ever say those words aloud!

The insults hurled by that elderly servant must have been vicious in the extreme, the kind that would thoroughly humiliate Shui Ruolan!

"Madam Di, she... she insulted our mistress... she..." Qionghua was so anxious tears welled up in her eyes, but those words simply would not pass her lips.

"Madam, look, she can't even say it. Clearly, she deliberately framed me, and now she realizes her lie is exposed, she can't even answer Madam's question!" The servant, proving to be sharp-tongued, instantly seized the opportunity to point at Qionghua and scream shrilly, a look of triumph on her face.

That word "widow" was not something an ordinary servant would dare utter in front of a crowd. Furthermore, with many newly recruited servants in the estate, very few knew that Shui Ruolan was a "widow." If those words were passed on by her personal maid, it would become a laughingstock.

"Look at you, when asked to speak, you fall silent. How do you expect me to help you? Qionghua, did you really frame her? She is just an elderly servant—even if she serves in my courtyard, she is still a newcomer. Why must you be so intolerant? This makes your mistress look poorly-bred!"

Madam Di spoke to Qionghua in a tone meant to sound earnest and concerned, her voice even softening as if she were genuinely standing on Qionghua's side.

Qionghua was speechless and frustrated. Wanting to speak yet finding no way to explain, she had the urge to lunge at the servant and wipe that hateful smile right off her face.

Even now, the woman was looking at her with a provocative gaze, her eyes brimming with undeniable triumph.

"Qionghua, whatever conflicts exist between your mistress and me are family matters. Even if there are minor discordances, it is not a place for a maid like you to speculate or exploit. Yet today, you dared to frame my person, loudly claiming she provoked you and insulted your mistress. When asked to explain, you have nothing to say—this clearly shows a guilty conscience! If you cannot produce evidence right now, I will be forced to invoke family discipline!"

The smile on Madam Di’s face slowly faded, replaced by an expression of stern impartiality, even feigning an attitude that despite the rift with Shui Ruolan, they were still family after all.

Yet, mentioning this "family" sentiment served only one purpose: to "fairly" punish Qionghua.

Furious and panicked, Qionghua tried to lunge forward, but Yujie’s grip tightened, holding her firmly in place so she could not move. She looked around at the surrounding faces—kitchen staff and stewards—but there had been no one else nearby at the time, and no one to corroborate her story.

"This maid..." Qionghua cast a resentful glare back at Madam Di. By now, she understood completely: she had walked right into a trap set by Madam Di's people.

Qionghua knew well that she was Shui Ruolan’s most trusted personal maid, having accompanied her out in marriage and later returned with her. The bond between them was unlike that of ordinary mistress and servant. If anything were to happen to her, her mistress would surely be heartbroken.

Her mistress was currently pregnant; if grief harmed her health, it would spell disaster!

"Since that's the case, someone drag Qionghua away and give her twenty strokes with the heavy staff!" Madam Di said indifferently.

"Yes!" Two burly maidservants immediately stepped forward, grabbing Qionghua to drag her outside. Twenty strokes of the staff would strip off a layer of skin even if she survived, rendering her unable to serve Shui Ruolan for quite some time. And right now, Shui Ruolan was not even three months pregnant—the most critical period.

A slight carelessness could easily lead to a miscarriage!

Having her most capable maid beaten, how could Shui Ruolan not feel the pain? Yet the "evidence" was ironclad; even if Shui Ruolan blamed Madam Di, it would be useless. Everything was done according to "rules"—who told Qionghua she couldn't defend herself properly?

"Wait!" Qin Wanru calculated the time, knowing that whoever was supposed to come should arrive any moment now, and spoke up.

"Our Second Miss is here!" Qingyue called out loudly. The crowd immediately parted on both sides as Qin Wanru slowly walked inward, followed by Qingyue.

The two burly maidservants pretended not to hear and continued pulling Qionghua, only for Yujie to step forward and push them away viciously. The two maids stumbled back, dissatisfied, and tried to step forward again, but Qin Wanru said in a chilling voice: "Disobeying the mistress merits a slap across the face!"

With Qin Wanru's order, Yujie held nothing back. She stepped up and gave the two maids a violent shove, sending them stumbling back several steps before they regained their balance. Meeting Qin Wanru’s icy glare, they were instantly subdued and dared not move further.

"Wanru, you're so young, yet you carry such an imposing aura!" Madam Di hadn't expected Qin Wanru to meddle at this moment, and her expression grew even darker.

She had actually calculated the timing. Shui Ruolan was pregnant, so she wouldn't arrive quickly; the Old Madam was in poor health and wouldn't be up too early either; moreover, matters of the inner courtyard were usually reported to Shui Ruolan first, not necessarily reaching the Old Madam. As for Qin Huaiyong, even if he came, everything she did followed the rules, so he wouldn't be able to say anything.

She wanted Shui Ruolan to swallow this grievance silently, unable to voice it, which might even induce a miscarriage from sheer anger—that would be ideal.

Madam Di simply hadn't expected Qin Wanru to arrive so swiftly. This matter shouldn't have been reported to Qin Wanru in the first place, as she was just a young girl who didn't manage the household affairs.

Yet this very person, whom she least expected, had burst onto the scene and jumped out just as her plan was about to succeed. How could Madam Di not be furious?

Still, she didn't dare underestimate Qin Wanru now. After tossing out a sarcastic remark, she said coldly: "Qionghua deliberately picked a fight with others, falsely accused someone else, and now cannot provide any justification. If all the servants in the estate behaved this way, would there be any rules left? Can such a servant not be punished?"

She wasn't worried about whatever Qionghua might say. Whether it was about the bird's nest porridge or the servant, she held the high ground. Even if Qin Huaiyong wanted to side with Shui Ruolan, he couldn't, let alone Qin Wanru!

Just an overestimating little wench! Did she really think she could manage everything?

"Second Miss, she was the one who deliberately provoked trouble! This maid is truly wronged, I beg the Second Miss to seek justice for me!" The elderly servant loved watching the drama unfold. Catching Madam Di's expression, she rode the wave to curry favor, weeping as she threw herself toward Qin Wanru, pretending she genuinely sought justice from her.

Madam Di was quite satisfied, a hint of triumph crossing her face. A little maid trying to match wits with a seasoned veteran—she would just stand by and watch the good show!

Yet the next second, that triumphant smile froze stiffly on Madam Di’s face!