Chapter 373 – Confrontation
Chapter 373 Confrontation
When Concubine Dong saw the pile of vibrant-colored clothes, she was taken aback and froze for a moment, and her face instantly turned ghastly pale. She could tell that these were the clothes she had given to Wei Yuewu at a sight.
Concubine Dong unconsciously trembled. No one knew better than her how much the Madam Dowager valued the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
She originally thought that these clothes had long vanished in the Palace. If the Empress saw the clothes, she would think that Wei Yuewu was trying to provoke her, so that Wei Yuewu would be doomed. Moreover, if something happened, she would definitely punish Wei Yuewu severely without telling her the real reason.
To her surprise, Wei Yuewu had returned in one piece, and these clothes were thrown in front of her.
“M-M-Madam Dowager, I-I don’t understand. What do you mean by this?” Concubine Dong suppressed the fear in her heart and stammered.
“You don’t understand what I mean, right? Do you want to know how Chunhe and the others died?” The Madam Dowager’s face was as gloomy as the night.
“Madam Dowager… I… I…” Concubine Dong could not help but tremble in horror. She wouldn’t be able to forget that night no matter what. She was the youngest of the few maids. In the middle of the night when she was asleep, she heard a commotion outside. She carefully came out and saw a few old maidservants strangling the Madam Dowager’s senior maids and old maidservants to death.
At that time, she was so scared that she kept trembling in the corner. She sat stiffly and did not dare to make a sound.
Afterward, they said that the maids and old maidservants had done something wrong and were reprimanded by the Madam Dowager. When they went back, they committed suicide out of guilt.
After knowing this news, Concubine Dong became more and more careful. Although she was young at that time, she was very clever. After hearing that the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang and Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion had broken off the engagement, she knew that those people died because of this matter.
Everyone thought that she knew the least about that matter because she was the youngest of them all. Even if she had heard a little, she would have only heard the names. On the contrary, she knew the most among everyone. She even saw Second Miss Tu’s face, who was now Empress Tu.
The night before the killing happened, it was raining outside. The Madam Dowager saw that the rain was getting heavier and heavier. She knew that Wei Luowen would come to pay her respects later. In addition, she wanted to talk to Wei Luowen about the engagement. Hence, she asked Concubine Dong to take a big umbrella to the gate of the mansion and wait for Wei Luowen.
The sky was very dark and the wind was very strong. The guards all hid inside. Only Concubine Dong stood at the gate and looked around to see if Wei Luowen was coming back.
However, before Wei Luowen could arrive, she saw a carriage coming over. The symbol on the carriage was that of Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion, which Chunhe had mentioned to her a few days ago.
The Madam Dowager’s most trusted servants in Tranquility Courtyard knew that Lord Marquis had wanted to break off the engagement with Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion for the past few days. When she saw that the carriage of Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion was parked outside but no one came out of it, she felt more and more curious. She secretly ran out and hid under a tree that was closer to the carriage to peek.
The sky outside darkened and the heavy rain turned into a light drizzle. Wei Luowen’s carriage also appeared in Concubine Dong’s sight. Then, Concubine Dong saw Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion’s carriage stop Wei Luowen’s carriage.
Wei Luowen got off the carriage. A young lady also came out from Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion’s carriage. She seemed a little agitated and said something to Wei Luowen, but Wei Luowen reacted very coldly as if the woman was invisible.
After that, the young lady seemed to be angry. She turned around and asked her maids to take out a pile of cloth. Concubine Dong was familiar with the cloth because she had seen the Madam Dowager carefully select them and send them to Grand Preceptor Tu Mansion. It was said that the cloth was obtained by Lord Marquis by chance. It was so exquisite and beautiful that even the Madam Dowager was reluctant to use it to make dresses for herself.
But now, the precious material was ruthlessly thrown in front of Lord Marquis, and the young lady’s next action stunned Concubine Dong.
She pulled out a hairpin from her hair and fiercely stabbed it into the beautiful cloth…
However, Lord Marquis only looked on coldly from the side!
When the bolts of cloth were destroyed, the pale-faced lady got into the carriage angrily and left. After that, Lord Marquis asked someone to take these bolts of cloth and throw them away.
Concubine Dong secretly ran to the door when Wei Luowen asked someone to throw the bolts of cloth.
That young lady should be Second Miss Tu who was supposed to be engaged to Lord Marquis, right? Otherwise, she wouldn’t get those exquisite fabrics. At that time, she was standing close, so she saw her face clearly despite the rain.
Concubine Dong originally wanted to tell Chunhe, whom she was close to, about this. After the “suicide” incident, she knew that she couldn’t say these things casually, so she decided to take it to the grave.
After that, Wei Luowen married Madam Qin. After that, Madam Qin was in poor health and failed to get pregnant for several years, so she was given by the Madam Dowager to Wei Luowen as his concubine. Then, the series of events made her slowly forget the scene that had happened at the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. Until one day, she unexpectedly saw Second Miss Tu again.
At this time, she had become the Empress of the country!
The person who had been engaged to Lord Marquis was Empress Tu?! This realization made Concubine Dong feel shocked and incredulous. In the end, she suddenly felt that this was also her chance!
That night, she had clearly seen how Empress Tu had furiously pierced and shattered the exquisite satin.
She could tell that the hatred in Empress Tu’s heart was enormous! Empress Tu cared about this matter very much; she hated Madam Qin very much and she wanted Madam Qin to die…
“Tell me, do you know something?” The Madam Dowager asked sternly.
“W-What… what could I know? Madam Dowager, I do not understand what you are talking about…” Sensing the sharpness in the Madam Dowager’s eyes, Concubine Dong did not dare to admit it. She wailed in desperation, “Madam Dowager, I have been serving you and Lord Marquis wholeheartedly. For so many years, I did not dare to overstep any boundaries. However, I do not know why you are angry now. Please enlighten me.”
Seeing her sincere and weeping face, the Madam Dowager calmed down a little, and her expression eased a bit. However, she did not intend to let Concubine Dong go. If Concubine Dong really knew too much, it would be trouble, and she would definitely not let her get away with it.
She was only a concubine. Even if she gave birth to an offspring, she was only a concubine, and she was too insignificant compared with the safety of the entire mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
“Where did you get these fabrics?” The Madam Dowager asked coldly.
“I-I bought them when I was at the border. They were so beautiful and exquisite, and I got them by chance. The patterns and colors are so youthful and lively, so I wanted to give them to Sixth Young Lady to make some beautiful clothes. Is it wrong for me to give them to Sixth Young Lady?”
After the initial shock, Concubine Dong clenched her teeth. She clearly knew that the Madam Dowager would never let her off the hook after knowing how much she had known about this matter. She had planted some aides in the mansion over the years, but the Madam Dowager’s existence in the mansion was conclusive.
When she bought those fabrics, she even showed them to Wei Luowen as a plan B in this matter. She wouldn’t be afraid even if the Madam Dowager tried to verify her story.
“Also, I showed them to Lord Marquis before I gave them to Sixth Young Lady, and he agreed.”
“You showed him?” The Madam Dowager asked doubtfully.
“Yes, I did. You can ask Lord Marquis if you don’t believe me!” Concubine Dong cried more and more aggrievedly.
“What about the hairpin?!” The Madam Dowager’s voice was still serious.
She was referring to the hairpin that was given to the Third Princess.
Concubine Dong secretly heaved a sigh of relief in her heart, knowing that her cry, as well as letting the Madam Dowager know that she had shown the fabrics to Lord Marquis, worked. Thus, her expression became more and more panicked.
“Madam Dowager, this hairpin is one of a pair. There is a big one and a small one. Before Marquise Hua Yang died, she gave this pair of hairpins to me, saying that she wanted to give them to Sixth Young Lady and Third Young Lady. So, I kept them after Marquise Hua Yang died.”
“Ever since then, I kept the hairpins with me. When I entered the capital this time, I heard that Sixth Young Lady had returned to the capital, so I brought this pair of hairpins. I gave the big one to Sixth Young Lady and the small one to Third Young Lady.”
Nanny Hong, Chunhe, and the other maids had handled the hairpins and the brocade. Concubine Dong was the youngest and did not directly deal with these things, so the Madam Dowager assumed that she didn’t know anything and kept her alive. In fact, she was scheming and sly. She had always seen the process of everything, thinking that she would curry favor with the new Madam in the future, but after those things happened, she did not dare to reveal it to anyone else.
She pushed all the blame on Qin Xinrui because she knew that the relationship between Qin Xinrui and the Madam Dowager at that time was restrained. The Madam Dowager would not know whether Qin Xinrui had said this to her or not. As for Lord Marquis, Concubine Dong was not worried at all. For some reason, that bitch Qin Xinrui later did not have a good relationship with Lord Marquis.
Her ignorance toward Lord Marquis was a perfect chance for her!
“Did Qin Xinrui give them to you?” The Madam Dowager could not hide her doubts. This matter was too coincidental.
“Madam Dowager, think about it. I wouldn’t dare to take Marquise Hua Yang’s things if she didn’t give them to me. Lord Marquis loved Marquise so much. He would have killed me if he had known that I took Marquise’s hairpins without permission! Madam Dowager, everything that I said is true. You can take my life if I lie!”
Seeing that the atmosphere was about right, Concubine Dong cried and swore her innocence.
Her act of crying, wailing, and swearing was sincere and dramatic, but the Madam Dowager never trusted people easily. Although her gaze was less fierce, it was still as cold as water. “No matter what, you instigated the sisterhood and upset the Empress. Nanny Hong, take her to the tree at the door and let her kneel there for four hours.”
She did not mention the clothes and hairpins at this time. She only said that because of Concubine Dong’s items, Wei Qiufu and Wei Yuewu became at odds with each other.
“Yes, Madam Dowager!” Seeing that the Madam Dowager no longer pursued the matter, Concubine Dong was happy in her heart, but she still looked sorrowful and dejected. She stood up by grabbing the chair on the side and followed Nanny Hong. She went to the tree in the courtyard and knelt down, drooping her head obediently.
It was in the middle of winter, and the wind was blowing directly toward the tree. In just a short while, Concubine Dong’s originally red and plumpy face was a little pale. Her lips were dark, and her hair was messy. There was even a small piece of brocade that had been hooked out of nowhere on her hair.
Nanny Dong looked at Concubine Dong’s miserable appearance and wanted to reach out to remove the fabric for her, but Concubine Dong stopped her with her glare. At this time, letting the Madam Dowager vent her anger was the most important thing…
“Concubine, what are you doing?” Shortly after she knelt down, she suddenly heard a surprised voice coming from the door, and then a person ran over in a daze.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺