Chapter 21 Falling into the Trap
Old Madam Zheng calmly returned to the armchair, wearing a dark purple robe and with a sharp gaze.
When the people around saw this scene, they all retreated in fear, knowing that Jiang Yingying had inadvertently touched the untouchable taboo in Mrs. Zheng's heart.
The past is like smoke. Back then, Mrs. Zheng and the old marquis were newly married. They were deeply in love and spent a harmonious time together.
However, the good times did not last long. The old marquis began to favor various concubines in the backyard and neglected his original wife. This also made many women with different thoughts in the backyard ready to make moves.
Among them, there was a concubine who was particularly favored. Her beauty was even better than Jiang Yingying, and she often decorated her hair with an exquisite white magnolia hairpin.
Tragedy occurred when Mrs. Zheng was pregnant for the first time. After she drank the lotus soup brought by her favorite concubine, the fetus could not be saved and the life in her belly came to an abrupt end.
The premature death of the fully grown baby boy dealt a double blow to Mrs. Zheng physically and mentally. For six whole years, she was unable to get pregnant again. That period of time was like being trapped in hell for her, as she endured criticism from the outside world and indifference from her family.
Finally, after a long wait and unremitting efforts, Mrs. Zheng became pregnant again and gave birth to the future Marquis Zheng, and her status gradually became stable.
From then on, she would no longer tolerate anyone violating her dignity and status. If the concubines and illegitimate children in the mansion dared to disobey her, they would be severely punished.
Rumor has it that the dry well in the backyard of Zheng’s mansion is his final resting place.
It was not until the old marquis passed away that the turmoil surrounding the backyard subsided a little.
Now, the old lady is sad about losing her first son and cannot sleep at night.
But Jiang Yingying was unaware of the situation. She came wearing a white magnolia hairpin and holding a cup of hibiscus soup, which undoubtedly stepped into the most sensitive minefield.
Under the rough coercion of several maids, boiling hot soup was forced into Jiang Yingying's mouth. The pain made her tears and pleas intertwined, and only vague whimpering sounds could be heard from her throat.
She struggled hard, begging for mercy intermittently: "Wu... Old..."
The maids held her hands tightly, not giving her any chance to escape. "Auntie, just drink it! Otherwise..."
Jiang Yingying's tears rolled down her cheeks, but she was still unable to escape the iron-like hands of the maid behind her.
In the main room, the fragrance and the smell of medicine intertwined and slowly spread, seeming to fill the entire space and make people suffocate.
Soon, the bowl of medicine was poured into Jiang Yingying's mouth without leaving a drop.
The maids finally let go and let Jiang Yingying collapse powerlessly on the cold floor tiles.
Jiang Yingying's throat was burning from the scalding soup and was numb from the pain. She could only cover her mouth tightly with both hands and let out heart-wrenching sobs.
Qingyue's legs were shaking as she knelt on the ground. "Old lady, please be kind. Aunt Jiang is pregnant with the Zheng family's child. You can't torture her like this any longer."
The old lady's eyes were filled with indifference. "If the blood of a humble concubine disappears so easily, then the fetus is not worthy of being born under the lintel of the Marquis of Changping's mansion."
Jiang Yingying was filled with fear, trembling all over. She tried to get up and kowtowed to the high-handed old lady again and again, barely squeezing out a hoarse plea for mercy from her throat: "Mercy...Mercy..."
In the old lady's cold gaze, Jiang Yingying seemed so small and insignificant that staying for one more second would be a waste.
She gently closed her eyes, waved her hand, and ordered, "Come here, send this Concubine Jiang back. From now on, she is not allowed to approach my yard even a step!"
"Yes, old lady." The servants obeyed the order and supported Jiang Yingying, who was almost exhausted, and slowly left Anxuan Hall.
When she left, Jiang Yingying's lips were covered with blisters from burns, and she felt weak all over, as if half of her soul had been forcibly taken away from her.
In Jiaoyang Courtyard, Su Wanyu remained calm upon hearing the news, and she continued to embroider the handkerchief in her hand with graceful movements.
She instructed Yunyi calmly: "Yunyi, send someone to get a doctor to see her later."
Yun Yi smiled gently, sorting out the things in her hands, and whispered: "I thought Aunt Jiang was very capable, but it turns out she is just so capable. She was fooled by such a simple trick. She angered the old lady today. It will be even more difficult for her to gain a foothold in the mansion in the future."
All this was because Liu'er had tampered with Jiang Yingying's note long ago, laying out the plan carefully and without any flaws. Not only Jiang Yingying fell into the trap, but also the powerful old lady of the Zheng family.
Su Wanyu's fingers danced lightly, finishing at the edge of the embroidered handkerchief. With a wave of the scissors, she cut the silk thread cleanly and neatly, and said in a calm tone: "Those who are impatient for success will inevitably make mistakes."
Yun Yi nodded heavily, "Miss, you are absolutely right. We must remain calm."
As Su Wanyu slowly unfolded the embroidered handkerchief in her hand, she stood up and said, "Go, prepare the items you will need for tomorrow. We will set out for the Princess's Mansion tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Miss!" Yun Yi smiled like a flower and immediately got busy.
Her eyes accidentally passed over the measuring tape beside Su Wanyu, "Miss, why do you need to bring a measuring tape when you go to the Princess's Mansion?"
This trip was originally just to modify the pattern, and measuring the size was not part of the plan.
Su Wanyu paused for a moment, folded the handkerchief carefully, put it in her bosom, and replied, "Take it with you in case of emergency."
"Got it, miss." Although she didn't understand why, Yun Yi still put the tape measure into the luggage as instructed.
The next morning, when the dawn broke in the eastern sky, Su Wanyu had already started to get busy.
By the time the carriage set off, the hour of morning had quietly approached.
In the car, Yunyi and Siqi were chatting and laughing, and all the interesting things that happened in the mansion last night were brought up again.
"I heard that when the second young master learned that Aunt Jiang was force-fed soup, he rushed straight to Anxuan Hall in anger. It is said that the two quarreled so fiercely that even the Marquis was alarmed." Yun Yi's narration was vivid and lifelike.
There weren't many disputes in the Zheng residence that the Marquis could hear with his own ears. The old lady's disturbance not only made him lose face, but also made Zheng Chengyan embarrassed.
Jiang Yingying was pregnant. After drinking the bowl of hot soup, she couldn't even utter a complete sentence, let alone eat.
Jiang Yingying groaned in pain all night long.
Zheng Chengyan felt extremely distressed and went to argue with the old lady in anger.
The old lady was already dissatisfied with Jiang Yingying, and now she was even more furious, and the two of them had a fierce argument.
Yun Yi lowered her voice and whispered into Siqi's ear, "It is said that in Anxuan Hall, the old lady smashed the precious jade tea set given by the old marquis to pieces in front of Zheng Chengyan."
Upon hearing this, Siqi secretly glanced at Su Wanyu who was resting with her eyes closed. Although she seemed to be resting, she actually heard every word.
Last night, after the old lady smashed the tea set in anger, she ordered Zheng Chengyan to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment for disrespecting his elders.