Chapter 680 The So-called Continuing Serving Her
“Madam Di has been locked up as before. No one comes to see her other than some people sent by Duke Yong’s Mansion, and Yuru seldom comes!” When Old Madam Qin spoke of Madam Di, the smile on her face faded away.
Shao Wanru understood what Old Madam Qin meant. Now Madam Di was really a n.o.body in Qin’s Mansion and was no longer a threat to Shui Ruolan. Nevertheless, since Duke Yong’s Mansion still sent some people to see her, it meant that they still attached great importance to her. So Qin’s Mansion could not be too harsh on her and just locked her up.
And she would not be treated unfairly in everyday food and clothing.
Someone like Qin Yuru probably would not show great grat.i.tude towards her birth mother.
“Grandma, can I meet Madam Di?” After thinking for a while, Shao Wanru finally raised her watery eyes and asked softly.
“You want to see Madam Di?” Old Madam Qin asked with a frown, wondering why Shao Wanru wanted to see Madam Di at this time!
“Grandma, I want to ask if she knows some bygones. It’s most suitable to ask her!” Shao Wanru said bluntly.
She had a hunch that Madam Di knew about her origin much better than Old Madam Qin.
“Okay, but be careful.” Old Madam Qin said with a nod.
As she said, she instructed someone to take Shao Wanru there. Shui Ruolan intended to go there with Shao Wanru, but she was refused by Shao Wanru.
The old maid took Shao Wanru to Madam Di’s yard. At the door, there were two tall and st.u.r.dy old maids guarding. When they saw Shao Wanru, they froze for a while and then hurriedly stepped forward to bow to her.
Most of the servants in the mansion knew her, who had been the Second Miss of Qin’s Mansion and was now the Fifth Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
“Is Madam Di having a rest?” Shao Wanru raised her hand as a hint for them to forego formalities and asked.
“I don’t think so. I just saw Madam Di come out for a walk!” An old maid answered.
Shao Wanru nodded and walked into the yard. It had been almost three years since she came here last time. Now the things were still there but people were no more the same ones. Everything seemed to be the same as before, but in fact, everything had changed.
“Second… Second Miss…” An excited voice came from the side. Shao Wanru looked sideways, only to see a maid in plainclothes stand in the corridor and look at her emotionally.
It seemed to be a maid in her twenties. Wasn’t she too old to be a maid?
“Miss, she’s Qing Xue!” Yujie reminded Shao Wanru.
“Second Miss, it’s really you… I kowtow to you!” In the corridor, Qing Xue had put down the tray in her hand, rushed over, and said with tears. She walked up to Shao Wanru, knelt down, and kowtowed heavily to Shao Wanru.
“You are… Qing Xue?” Shao Wanru looked at her face and asked hesitantly. In her memory, Qing Xue was young and beautiful. Was the maid, who seemed to be old, in front of her really Qing Xue?
“Second Miss, I am Qing Xue.” Qing Xue cried.
Shao Wanru looked at Yujie, and Yujie hurried forward to help her up.
“Qing Xue… what… happened to you?” Shao Wanru looked her up and down and asked. Upon a closer look, Shao Wanru found that she was indeed Qing Xue, who appeared to old and haggard. She should be less than twenty years old, but she seemed to be in her early twenties.
“I… I’ve been serving Madam Di…” Qing Xue lowered her head, wanted to say something, but stopped on second thought.
Shao Wanru understood. Qing Xue, who had served Madam Di for such a long time, seemed to have suffered a lot. Someone like Madam Di would definitely torture the servants around her crazily after being locked up and stuck in such a desperate situation.
She continued walking inside. Before she reached the front door of the main room, as the curtain was lifted, an old nanny came out. When she saw Shao Wanru, she opened her mouth wide in astonishment and couldn’t say a word.
This was Nanny Zhou, who had aged a lot and seemed to be at least a dozen years older.
“Second… Second Miss…” Nanny Zhou stammered.
“Is Madam Di in the room?” Shao Wanru raised her eyes slightly and asked.
“Yes, yes…” Nanny Zhou said in a hurry. Another two maids, Meiya and Meibao, came to lift the curtain. They had served Madam Di as her princ.i.p.al maids for the longest time.
Both of them also looked old and lifeless, unlike the two girls in their prime.
All the members of this courtyard seemed to have aged a lot as if several three years had pa.s.sed here in the past three years.
Shao Wanru stepped into the room.
“Who’s here?” A hoa.r.s.e voice came out from inside, making Shao Wanru feel extremely uncomfortable as if it were caused by something ground against a heavy sharpening stone.
Shao Wanru stepped in and saw Madam Di sitting in the middle chair.
Madam Di was very thin, almost as thin as a mere bag of bones. Despite her gorgeous clothes, they seemed to be too loose for her. She opened her eyes so wide that they almost popped out of her eye sockets, somehow looking horrifying and completely irrelevant to beauty.
Because she was skinny, her lips and cheekbones were protruding and her eyes were muddy. She couldn’t compare with herself, who was in high and vigorous spirits when moving to the capital three years ago.
She even looked like the mother of the lady she had been three years ago.
“You… you are Qin Wanru?” Madam Di looked at Shao Wanru fiercely and asked. Obviously, she had recognized who Shao Wanru was. Her eyes were vicious and gloomy as if they could devour Shao Wanru.
After saying that, she picked up the teacup on the table and threw it at Shao Wanru violently. The hot tea had just been brewed. Nanny Zhou, who stood beside her, screamed in fear with her face immediately turning pale.
Shao Wanru was no longer the humble Second Miss she used to be. If she was really smashed by Madam Di and got scalded, Madam Di would definitely be punished!
Yujie quickly pulled Shao Wanru aside to avoid the teacup. The teacup smashed the door heavily, making the stained curtain look even more filthy.
“I’m Shao Wanru! The Fifth Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion, the daughter of the former Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua, the granddaughter of Rui’an Great Elder Princess!” After standing firm, Shao Wanru looked at Madam Di unhurriedly with cold eyes and said.
“So what? You are just an unfavored Miss. Do you really think that Duke Xing’s Mansion wants you to go back and be a legitimate Miss?” Madam Di sneered hoa.r.s.ely with a trace of madness flas.h.i.+ng in her eyes.
At that time, she used all sorts of intrigues in an attempt to make her daughter replace Shao Wanru to be the Fifth Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Unexpectedly, she failed on the verge of success, and Yuru fell into a difficult situation. How could she not hate Shao Wanru when she thought of this!
She wished she could avenge her daughter by biting Shao Wanru to death and eating her flesh bit by bit. All of these should belong to her daughter. If it weren’t for Shao Wanru, her daughter would be fine.
“I’m the Fifth Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion anyway no matter I’m favored or not. It’s something neither you nor Duke Yong’s Mansion can control. I heard that the First Miss Qin has been locked up in Duke Yong’s Mansion like you recently. Is she going to be locked up forever like you? The heir of Duke Yong may have a co-wife!”
Shao Wanru said unhurriedly and joyfully and then shook her sleeves splashed with a few drops of water accidentally.
“You’re talking nonsense!” Madam Di shouted with madness in her red eyes, which became muddier and muddier.
“You know whether I am talking nonsense or not! How long has it been since the First Miss Qin came to see you last time? If she is not locked up, do you think she would not come to see you?” Shao Wanru said leisurely as if she did not realize that Madam Di had been driven crazy by her.
It was true that Qin Yuru had not come to see Madam Di for a long time. Madam Di lived a miserable life now, so she almost counted the days while looking forward to Qin Yuru’s visit. However, Qin Yuru did not come, and she had indeed waited for a long time and had a lot of speculations. Nevertheless, at the thought that Duke Yong’s Mansion was her mother’s home, she convinced herself that Qin Yuru would be fine.
“You’re talking nonsense! You’re talking nonsense! Yu’er is fine! She’s definitely fine!” Madam Di shouted so crazily that she almost raved herself hoa.r.s.e. But even so, her voice was not loud and hoa.r.s.e enough to make Shao Wanru feel uncomfortable.
After all, her throat had been injured before, and she had not fully recovered yet.
“You should know whether I’m talking nonsense or not. Madam Di, you deserve to be hurt by your daughter that year. You did all you could to help Qin Yuru set me up, but now you are abandoned by your daughter. You were almost killed by your daughter. Does it make you feel good?”
Shao Wanru said in an increasingly calm tone, but the meaning of her words made Madam Di tremble all over and almost lose control of herself. She grabbed the armrest of the chair with her twitching fingers and curled up into a ball.
“You’re talking nonsense… You’re talking nonsense…” Her sharp voice almost pierced the ears of everyone in the room.
“You know clearly whether I am talking nonsense or not. Your daughter is so vicious, and now she is about to be despised by Childe Di. She’s going to follow in your footsteps soon and be detained in the backyard. Madam Di, this is the retribution for what you have done. You attempted to make your daughter replace me to be my father’s daughter? Unfortunately, you failed, but Madam of Duke Xing benefited from it!”
Shao Wanru sighed softly this time with a sneer and cold eyes. After that, she turned around and was about to leave, seeming to intend to stop talking with Madam Di.
“She… she benefited from it?” Madam Di asked while grabbing the armrest of the chair so hard that her knuckles turned white.
“Of course. Madam of Duke Xing has always been capable of getting whatever she wants in Duke Xing’s Mansion. Madam Di, you should know about her tactics, right? I had an accident before. I heard that Madam of Duke Xing s.h.i.+fted all the blame onto the First Miss Qin and made Qi Rongzhi bear witness. The First Miss Qin is really doomed this time!”
Shao Wanru said. After that, she turned around and left, ending her conversation with Madam Di, as if she came here just to see Madam Di in a miserable situation.
Considering the hatred between her and Madam Di, it was reasonable for her to do so!
“Miss, please save me!” Qing Xue knelt down at the door and pleaded with Shao Wanru.
In fact, not only her but also the other servants staying in the yard with Madam Di were almost driven crazy by Madam Di’s torture. They all wanted to leave, even including Nanny Zhou. It was said that she would also leave here after using some connections.
Shao Wanru looked at Qing Xue calmly. This time, she didn’t instruct Yujie to help her up. “I will tell Aunt Shui about your business. You can be transferred out of the courtyard, but you can’t completely leave the work here aside.”
Qing Xue understood and immediately became overjoyed. She kowtowed hard to Shao Wanru and said, “Thank you, Miss. Thank you very much. I will continue serving Madam Di even if I am transferred out of here!”