Chapter 220 – A Missing Old Maidservant
Thinking backing, Doctor Ming still had lingering fear in his heart. Marquise Hua Yang’s health had been damaged, and the medicine was his. When he saw the medicine bottle, he knew that he was unable to clear his name. Doctor Ming was totally at a loss at that time. He didn’t know what to say, so he could only do whatever he was told to and before leaving Marquise Hua Yang’s courtyard.
“Why didn’t you explain yourself?”
“I… I was confused and scared. I just wanted to leave quickly. When I got outside, I remembered that I had to explain this matter to Marquise Hua Yang clearly. But… just as I was about to go back and explain it to Marquise Hua Yang, I was pulled back by someone!” Recalling what happened back then, Doctor Ming’s eyes were filled with fear as he wiped the cold sweat off his head.
“By whom?” Wei Yuewu’s eyes narrowed.
“I… I didn’t know who it was. It was an old maidservant. I’ve never seen her before, but she had a lot of strength. She pulled me aside and warned me that it was the Madam Dowager’s plan. If I dared to reveal it, my entire family would definitely be killed!” Doctor Ming had been completely subdued by Wei Yuewu, and he told her everything he knew.
“Sixth Young Lady, the Madam Dowager and Marquise Hua Yang had always been at odds. The entire mansion knew that the Madam Dowager punished Marquise Hua Yang several times because the Madam Dowager didn’t like Marquise Hua Yang. If this was really the Madam Dowager’s plan, how would I dare to expose it!”
Compared to Marquise Hua Yang, the Madam Dowager was of course the most powerful person in the mansion.
“Who was that old maidservant?” Wei Yuewu asked harshly, and sweat began to appear on the palm of her hand that was holding the handkerchief.
“I… I don’t know. I never saw her again, but I didn’t dare to ask the Madam Dowager directly. So, I never talked about this matter with anyone. I didn’t dare to tell anyone about it.” Doctor Ming shook his head. After that, he had indeed paid attention to the old maidservants by the Madam Dowager’s side several times.
However, none of them was that old maidservant whom he saw. He was extremely panicked, and at that time, Marquise Hua Yang’s health was getting worse and worse. However, she was soon giving birth to her baby. Therefore, Doctor Ming naturally did not dare to tell the truth.
He had already kept the secret for such a long time, and if he chose to tell the truth, he would be punished by Lord Marquis. Moreover, he could not find that old maidservant as a witness. In this situation, if Lord Marquis found out what happened to Marquise Hua Yang, there was absolutely no way he could survive.
The hand holding the handkerchief slowly relaxed. Wei Yuewu’s heart throbbed so violently that she felt uncomfortable. After a long while, she calmed down. Sure enough, this matter was not so easy to investigate. The person behind the scenes used Doctor Ming’s medicine bottle so that he didn’t dare to tell the truth.
However, even if this matter concerned the Madam Dowager, Wei Yuewu would not let go.
There was no doubt that her mother was murdered.
“If I let you see that old maidservant again, would you recognize her? If you can save your life by identifying her, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to recognize her, right?” Wei Yuewu lowered her eyes to conceal the emotions in her heart as she chuckled coldly.
Doctor Ming was instantly shocked by Wei Yuewu’s look. Such contemptuous and bloodthirsty look even made people feel that the person in front of them was not a weak and delicate aristocratic lady, but a warrior who emerged from the pile of corpses. Only a person who was used to seeing life and death was able to remain calm to such an extent!
Although her exquisite face still looked a little childish, she was clearly an overwhelming beauty. Under her long and curled eyelashes, her pair of translucent eyes revealed a trace of icy cold hostility. She did not retreat, nor did she hesitate at all. Even after hearing him say that this matter was related to the Madam Dowager, she didn’t waver at all!
Such courage and coldness coupled with such a merciless temperament made Doctor Ming’s heart tremble!
Doctor Ming gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He raised his head and said firmly, “Yes, if I see her again, I will definitely recognize her, and I will also identify that old maidservant for you!”
Although he was greedy, he still had his principles. He had never done such a wicked thing. He was forced to be a part of the plan that took the life of Marquise Hua Yang against his will. Every time he woke up from a nightmare, he saw the pale and beautiful face of Marquise Hua Yang on her deathbed.
However, in his dreams, that face was bleeding and ferociously demanding his life!
“Sixth Young Lady, Concubine Dong and the Second Lady often rewarded me with some things in the name of the Madam Dowager. I didn’t dare to use them. I kept them at home until a while ago when something happened to my son. I needed money urgently and sold them to a shop!” Since he had decided to stand with Wei Yuewu, Doctor Ming naturally told her everything.
“Why would the two of them reward you?” Wei Yuewu’s eyes lit up as she asked.
“I didn’t know either, but each time, the reward was given to me in the name of the Madam Dowager, and the reward was quite generous. I thought the Madam Dowager… so I didn’t dare to decline!”
He thought that the Madam Dowager had asked Concubine Dong and the Second Lady to buy his silence. Since he still had to work for the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, he naturally had to accept the reward. Otherwise, if the Madam Dowager became suspicious of him, it was very likely that she would find trouble with him.
Although he was not a servant of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, he was just a doctor. It was quite easy for the Madam Dowager of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang to deal with him!
In Doctor Ming’s opinion, the Madam Dowager had been warning him with those rewards. However, the Madam Dowager could not personally reward him, so she asked Concubine Dong and the Second Lady to reward him instead.
As a result, every time he checked the pulse of Marquise Hua Yang, he became even more cautious and didn’t dare to mention the pill. Marquise Hua Yang’s health conditions deteriorated day by day, and she had been bedridden ever since she gave birth to the Sixth Young Lady with difficulty. A few years later, she died!
After that, he didn’t dare to mention this matter to anybody!
After Doctor Ming left, Wei Yuewu remained in her seat quietly. Jin Ling was worried and asked in a low voice, “Miss, let me serve you a cup of hot tea.”
“No need, this is better!” Wei Yuewu picked up the cup of tea that was still warm in front of her and took a sip. She lifted her head, her eyes regaining their usual calmness. In fact, she had already guessed that this matter wasn’t that simple as it appeared on the surface. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Wei Luowen to know nothing about it back then.
However, it was also possible that his father was merely putting on a show and didn’t care as much about his mother as the servants said.
The tea was bitter, but it made her mind clearer and she drank another big mouthful of it.
Jin Ling was really worried. She looked at Wei Yuewu’s face and said, “Miss, this tea is a little cold. Let me serve a hot cup of tea for you.”
“No problem, let’s go to Tranquility Courtyard now.” Wei Yuewu shook her head and stood up.
“Miss, Doctor Ming can’t find any evidence about the Madam Dowager’s involvement…” Jin Ling was shocked and hurriedly stopped her.
“Isn’t there a banquet in Tranquility Courtyard tonight? Although it’s a little early, as a granddaughter who is also happy to see her father back, I have to go there earlier than usual.”
Wei Yuewu knew what Jin Ling was worried about, so she smiled and said softly.
Of course, she wouldn’t act rashly at this moment. Doctor Ming’s words didn’t constitute any evidence against anyone. Therefore, she had to temporarily keep Doctor Ming for future use. When the best time came, she would put Doctor Ming into use and give the enemy a fatal blow. But now… it was still too early!
The Madam Dowager’s Tranquility Courtyard was especially lively today. Not only Wei Qiufu and Wei Qiuju, but even Wei Ziyang and his brother had arrived.
Third Lady Zhang was chatting with the Madam Dowager when she saw Wei Yuewu come in. She smiled and said, “Mother, you were talking about Yuewu just now. I told you that Yuewu is most filial. How could she not come early to accompany you?”
Her implication was clear: Wei Qiufu, who was the first one to come to accompany Madam Dowager, was the most filial.
Wei Yuewu only smiled faintly at the increasingly eloquent Third Lady Zhang. She paid her respects to the Madam Dowager first before sitting down quietly on the side.
Wei Yuejiao hadn’t come yet, but she believed Wei Yuejiao must be coming with Concubine Dong and her father.
Wei Qiufu and Wei Qiuju were naturally seated next to each other. Besides them were Wei Ziyi and Wei Zifeng from the third branch. As far as offspring was concerned, the third branch had the most offsprings. The four of them were siblings from the same family, so it was reasonable for them to be seated together.
Wei Ziyang sat on the other side of the Madam Dowager. The Madam Dowager seemed to really like this eldest grandson, and she would occasionally ask him some questions. Sometimes, she would ask him to talk about Wei Luowen’s life at the border to show her concern.
However, Wei Yuewu inexplicably felt that the Madam Dowager’s focus was still on Wei Ziyang. Although the Madam Dowager was concerned about Wei Luowen, she was more concerned about Wei Ziyang. Wei Yuewu even had the feeling that the Madam Dowager was a little absent-minded when she asked about Wei Luowen.
This feeling was very subtle. It was hard to say why, but Wei Yuewu just felt this way. It was very strange!
“Sixth Younger Sister, what happened to Prince Nan’an Mansion?” When the Madam Dowager talked to Wei Ziyi, Wei Ziyang looked at Wei Yuewu with a complicated expression. It was really hard to believe that the girl in front of him was a malicious person.
When he thought about Nurse Qian who was sent by her mother, Wei Fengyao’s accusations against Wei Yuewu became even more unbelievable to him. However, Wei Fengyao was his own sister.
“Eldest Brother, no matter what Eldest Sister said to you, you can investigate. Apart from the Heir-apparent of Prince Nan’an, there were also the Fourth Prince and several other noble young masters present at that time. Eldest Brother, I don’t want to say anything bad about Eldest Sister. She also has her own stand.” Looking at Wei Ziyang’s expression, Wei Yuewu already had a plan in her heart. She looked at Wei Ziyang, her eyes filled with sincerity.
Wei Fengyao was injured. As her eldest brother, Wei Ziyang would definitely go and see her. With Wei Fengyao’s hatred for her, she would definitely speak ill of her while making herself look extremely innocent.
“Sixth Younger Sister, you really don’t know anything?” Wei Ziyang asked.
Wei Ziyi and Wei Zifeng were talking happily, laughing from time to time. Wei Ziyang’s voice was not loud. Basically, apart from Wei Yuewu who was sitting beside him, no one could hear what he said.
“How do you want me to answer your question? Do you know nothing about Eldest Sister’s malicious intentions? Or is it that you know nothing about the incident of the puppy incident? Or are you saying that you know nothing about Fifth Elder Sister’s affair?” Wei Yuewu’s eyes turned cold, and the corners of her lips curled into a faint mockery. “Eldest Brother, do you want to say that if I were the one who was injured in the accident, you would believe in my innocence, right?”
“If my innocence had to be proved by disfiguring myself, I would rather give it up!” Wei Yuewu’s last sentence sounded extremely natural, but it shocked Wei Ziyang. It gave him almost the same feeling as he went on the battlefield and killed someone for the first time. He was so shocked that he almost couldn’t believe these words were spoken by the weak Wei Yuewu!
In this era, in such an aristocratic family, innocence was always the most important thing for women. Especially for women in aristocratic families, innocence was something they would fight for by sacrificing their lives. He had never heard any woman say such daring and unconventional words.
However, this shock also filled his eyes with admiration. A woman who dared to say such words must be extremely courageous. He was now even more willing to believe that Wei Yuewu was innocent, despite his natural inclination to be sided with his own mother and sister!
“Madam Dowager, Lord Marquis is coming, and Marquis Jing Yuan is also coming with him!” An old maidservant hurriedly came in and reported.
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