They watched the execution until the lanterns were lit. Only then did the mother and daughter support each other as they walked out of the dungeon. When they smelled the bloodless air outside, they breathed deeply as if they had come back to life.
It was said that Yu Pinyan's methods were ruthless and treacherous. They finally experienced it for themselves. Although he had hit someone else, the scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere would be engraved in their minds for the rest of their lives. From then on, this experience would become an evil spirit that would haunt their dreams. Unless they died, they would never be able to get rid of it.
The Lin Clan knelt on the ground with a thud and began to bawl without caring about their image. She was remorseful, she was afraid, and she hated herself for being powerless.
How could Yu Miaoqi not feel remorseful or afraid? But what was the point of feeling remorseful and afraid? Since everyone had already shed all pretenses of cordiality, she didn't need to spend so much effort to curry favor with Yu Pinyan and Old Madam. She could quickly find a more powerful husband to marry. Once she left Prefecture Yu, she would be able to live a better life!
Yu Miaoqi gritted her teeth and pulled the Lin Clan up. She staggered forward, only to see the two lanterns getting closer and closer. Yu Xiang's bright and beautiful face was hidden in the light, instantly illuminating everything around them.
"Oh, you're out?" She covered her mouth and chuckled. "Was it fun inside?"
Yu Miaoqi ignored her and continued to support the Lin Clan. When the two passed by each other, Yu Xiang stretched out her little finger and shook it slightly. Her contemptuous tone made people's teeth itch. "Yu Miaoqi, you want to fight with me? You're still like this."
Yu Miaoqi suddenly turned around and glared at her as if she wanted to eat someone. Seeing her pull out her horsewhip with a murderous expression, she hurriedly turned around and supported the dazed Lin Clan as they quickly ran away. It was as if there was an evil spirit chasing after them.
A string of bell-like chuckles sounded behind the two of them, following them like a shadow.
-----
In the main courtyard, Old Madam was leaning on the couch. Her gaze was fixed on the empty space where a corpse once lay with a malicious expression.
"Take out my account book," she said slowly.
Mama Ma took out a small book and a pen and handed it to her.
Old Madam muttered as she wrote, "I chased the Lin Clan out of the Marquis Household right after Siyu got into trouble... and I don't know what the outside world, but I can only endure it... She originally thought that after driving Mrs. Lin out of the house, the house would be peaceful. But now it seems that this was not the case. Yu Miaoqi was even more troublesome. .............. out..
Mammy Ma listened carefully and didn't dare to answer casually.
The old lady let out a long sigh and continued, "Look at her. She made such a vicious oath without any regard for ghosts or gods. She didn't differentiate between good and evil. Everything she did was for her own benefit. For her own sake, she killed the Shen couple, blocked her adopted brother's career, and ruined her sisters' reputation. Won't she destroy the Marquis Household in the future? The Lin Clan... Even they can't get any true feelings from her. How can we enter her heart? It's fine if we don't enter her heart, but I'm afraid she hates us to the core. She'll take her revenge in the future. "
Mama Ma nodded sadly.
Old Madam closed the account book and sneered, "If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have brought her back. Evil creature. She's really an evil creature! "
Mama Ma thought for a moment and asked, "Then, should The Old Lady take back the funds?"
"No need. Just send someone to watch them. We'll settle the score together in the future. This matter shouldn't be blown up, so I'll bear with it for now. Yu Miaoqi is very cunning. Even if there's obvious evidence, she won't admit it. She's much harder to deal with than the Lin Clan. If she wants to cause trouble, I'll let her do it. When she causes trouble, I'll make her lose face. When that time comes, let's see who can take the blame for her. "Old Madam's tone was malicious.
Mama Ma nodded and didn't say anything else.
Two days later, another strange incident occurred in the capital. It was also related to the Fang Family. Fang Zhichen was pacing back and forth outside a family's courtyard during the day. That family only had an orphan and a widow left, so they were very concerned about their family's safety. They chased after them with a stick and cursed, causing the neighbors to gather around to watch.
Fang Zhichen took to his heels to run, but was stopped by a busybody who said that he must have stolen something. The busybody reached into Fang Zhichen's clothes and found many colorful undergarments. Everyone was dumbfounded. There was even an ignorant child who pointed at one of them and shouted, "Ah, that's my mother's!"
The corner of the undergarments was embroidered with her own name, so there was no way to deny it. The child's mother was scared out of her wits and immediately defended herself, "I was wondering why the undergarments that were exposed to the sun disappeared every day. It's because they were stolen by this black-hearted dog!"
There were also many men who recognized the undergarments of their women. In order to protect their reputation, the women had no choice but to confess that their undergarments were stolen. The thief didn't steal property, but instead stole undergarments. Although it was rare, it wasn't the first time. Two years ago, a thief was caught stealing women's stockings. After he was caught, he was beaten to a pulp, and the incident became very serious.
Everyone was filled with righteous indignation. Just as they were about to beat Fang Zhichen to death, they coincidentally encountered a group of patrolling officers. They surrounded Fang Zhichen and after understanding the situation, they escorted him to the yamen for interrogation.
This kind of slightly erotic anecdote spread very quickly, and in less than half a day, Fang Zhichen became famous. Then, this incident was connected to the scene he caused at the Marquis Yongle a few days ago. Everyone came to a realization. How was that a private gift between two lovers? It was clearly Fang Zhichen who stole the clothes of the Marquis Household's young mistress, and conveniently blamed her for it. Who told the Marquis Yongle to be a tall tree that attracts the wind?
There were also women who were victims of the incident who spoke up for Yu Siyu, and for a time, countless people sympathized with her.
The next day, the news of the Prefecture Yu's young mistress committing suicide by hanging herself spread. There were even more people who sympathized with her, and the harsh words from before slowly dissipated. At the same time, the women in the capital no longer embroidered their own names on their undergarments. There were many women in the family, and they were afraid that they would get mixed up after washing, so they only made an inconspicuous mark on the pattern of the embroidery.
In the end, Fang Zhichen was sentenced to fifty strokes of the cane and exiled for three thousand li, and this matter was settled. Not long after, the rumor that the zhuangyuan scholar was born a slave replaced the excitement at the Marquis Yongle, and became the newest topic of discussion among the people of the capital. Everyone was waiting to see how far this stunning zhuangyuan scholar could go, and how the emperor would deal with him.
-----
Ever since the day Mama Kim was beaten to death, the mother and daughter of the Lin Clan were both seriously ill and bedridden. The Lin Clan was overly worried, and Yu Miaoqi didn't dare to show her face because of the red and swollen palm print on her face.
During this time, many steward mamas went to report to Miss Three and the matriarch, but the two ignored them. Helpless, they could only go to the main room to look for the Lin Clan.
Yu Miaoqi originally thought that the power of being the head of the household would be taken away, but she didn't expect that it was still in her hands. She didn't care what the matriarch and Yu Xiang were planning. She only knew that by being the head of the household, she would be able to gain a lot of benefits. She would be able to accumulate connections and wealth before she got married, and after she got married, it would be enough.
Therefore, she put on a veil, forced herself to be alert, and dealt with the household affairs every day as if she wasn't affected by the 'framing incident' at all.
When the matriarch heard the news, she coldly laughed. She was even more afraid of this granddaughter of hers. She thought that in the future, she definitely couldn't let her gain power. Otherwise, with her snake-like heart and rock-like temperament, the first person she would take revenge on after gaining power would definitely be the Marquis Household.
Yu Siyu also fell ill, but she didn't hang herself like the rumors said. Instead, she fell ill because she was angered by the mother and daughter. After half a month of recuperation, she recovered slightly. After paying her respects, she immediately begged the matriarch to send her to the countryside. Although the rumors outside no longer called her lewd, but said that she was pitiful, her reputation was still damaged, and it wasn't good for her to show her face in the capital.
The matriarch immediately nodded in agreement.
The next day, Yu Siyu was packing her luggage in her room when she heard the sound of a wheelchair turning outside the door.
"You're leaving already?" Yu Xiang used her horsewhip to lift up the curtains.
"En, I'm going to the countryside to accompany my concubine mother." Yu Siyu placed a large brocade box on the table and said with a smile, "Inside this box are all small items from my collection, such as jade, pearl hairpins, small terracotta figurines, and so on. Although they can't be compared to your precious items, they are all my beloved items. I'll leave them for you as a memento."
"Tsk ~ Who cares about your lousy things? Take them to the countryside and send them to the landlady." Yu Xiang's face was full of disdain.
If Yu Siyu heard these words in the past, she would definitely be fuming with anger. But now, not only was she not angry, but she could also detect the hidden concern in her words. Yu Xiang was like a hedgehog, with spikes all over her body. She didn't seem to be easy to deal with, but after getting familiar with her, one would discover that she was just protecting her softest belly.
This little temper was actually quite cute.
Yu Siyu smiled at her and didn't take back the brocade box. Instead, she continued to bury her head in organizing her things.
"Who are you bringing with you this time?" Yu Xiang looked around. Aside from the Qiu Clan's servants, who were taking care of the boxes and cages, all the other servants were gone. The courtyard seemed extremely deserted.
"Who else can I bring with me? Naturally, it's Senior Servant Qiu. How could those servants be willing to suffer in the countryside with me? In order to find a better place to go, they're all rushing to the main house to beg Yu Miaoqi. "Yu Siyu sneered," I didn't stop them and simply let them all go. If they follow Yu Miaoqi, they might follow in Madam Jin's footsteps one day. I'll let them be happy for a while. "
Because Yu Pinyan had cleared the area, not many servants knew about what happened that day. They still thought that Yu Miaoqi was a gentle and docile person. Yu Siyu straightened up and looked at the busy Qiu Clan. She couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. She didn't expect that in the end, the most loyal servants were the spies that Yu Xiang sent to her. How ironic.
Yu Xiang ordered Tao Hong, Liu Lu, to push her into the room. She raised her eyebrows and said, "You're leaving just like that? You've lost your reputation, your husband, and your status. You're just going to leave like a stray dog with its tail between its legs? Why don't you think about who caused you to be in this state? "
"Of course I remember. When I come back, I'll definitely torture that little whore to death! "Yu Siyu spat on the ground.
"You don't have money, power, or connections. What do you have to fight with her? Just based on the fact that you can spit farther than her? "
Yu Siyu was instantly silenced. She glared hatefully at Yu Xiang. No wonder all the noble maidens in the capital don't like you. Just based on your poisonous tongue, who can stand it?!
Yu Xiang covered her mouth and laughed. She gave Liu Lu a look.
Liu Lu immediately handed over the small box in his hand and explained, "This is the compensation that our Miss asked for for Eldest Miss's emotional distress. Eldest Miss, please take a look."
Yu Siyu opened the box and flipped through it. Her suspicious expression was gradually replaced by astonishment. She never expected that the deeds to the west of the city, Yuqing Street, King Ning Street, Flower Bird Lane, and the deeds to the four shops, as well as the deeds to the two hundred hectares of fertile land, were inside the box. These were the Lin Clan's most valuable assets!
"You, how did you get them?" Yu Siyu stammered.
"I directly asked for them. What else could I do? She had a guilty conscience, so she obediently gave them to me after scaring me a few times. On the other hand, Yu Miaoqi was rather unhappy. Since she's unhappy, I'm relieved. With these things, even if you go to the countryside, you'll still be able to live comfortably. People are forgetful. After a year or so, who will still remember your trivial matters? When the time comes, I'll help you find an honest and dutiful husband so that you can live well. "Yu Xiang used the horsewhip in her hand to whip the edge of the table. Her expression was very indifferent.
Yu Siyu was silent for a moment. She choked back her tears and said, "Thank you, Younger Sister. No matter what, I, Yu Siyu, will only recognize you, Yu Xiang, as my blood-related younger sister. I really do need these things right now, so it would be impolite to refuse. In the future, I'll definitely return them to Younger Sister a hundredfold. "As the saying goes, distance tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's heart. She finally understood this principle.
Yu Xiang disdainfully glanced at her and reprimanded, "What are you crying for? Don't learn from Yu Miaoqi's shameless attitude. I'll be leaving now. Remember to kowtow to the Old Ancestor before you go out. You really angered her a few days ago. "
"Ai, I won't. It's my fault." Yu Siyu hurriedly wiped her tears with her sleeve and followed her out the door.