Chapter 149 The Malicious Woman’s True Purpose
How does it feel to be betrayed? Not bad, right? From now on, I will let you and your wife taste it over and over again.
Zi You sneered in her heart, but she went to kneel down with a sad face in front of Mu YingRui. “Father, you’ve been deceived by Liu Yanhong. Let’s not talk about how she caused mother to lose face when she was bitten by a poisonous snake. Such a greedy slave who dares to even betray her master, how can daughter trust her or ask her to do anything secretive?
“If the person today was one of the four “Yun” maidservants, then you can blame daughter. Daughter will not feel wronged. But do you think it’s possible with Liu Yanhong? You believed in whatever she said, but you won’t listen to daughter’s explanation?”
Mu YingRui was startled. What did she say? When they were rolling around in bed, Liu Yanhong didn’t say anything. Afterwards, w.a.n.g Yiping came to complain to him. That was why he believed that Liu Yanhong was ordered by his daughter to seduce him. Then, he did these things according to w.a.n.g Yiping’s arrangements.
Mu YingRui thought of this and asked without confidence, “Since you didn’t order her, then where did the jewelry and expensive clothing on her body come from?”
Zi You faintly sighed. “The clothing that mother made for daughter had bright colors and older styles. Daughter didn’t like them, so I gave them all to Shiyun to take care of. All the jewelry is kept by her too. Daughter rarely look at them.
“You just need to ask Shiyun where Liu Yanhong got all the clothing and jewelry from. Father, daughter is only twelve years old. Please don’t think of daughter as so dirty and shameless, okay?”
Zi You was black belly inside. To shameless people like you and w.a.n.g Yiping, it should be having a taste of your own medicine. Are you worthy of me using n.o.ble means against you?
Old General Mu didn’t wait for Mu YingRui’s reaction and summoned Shiyun over. Even Nanny Lou followed with a parcel in her hands.
Old General Mu looked at Shiyun and asked austerely, “Xiaojie’s clothing and jewelry are managed by you. Tell me how Liu Yanhong got Xiaojie’s clothing and accessories?”
Shiyun curtsied slowly and calmly. She replied, “Lao TaiYe, Xiaojie likes elegant clothing and the style of accessories that the previous furen left behind. So, Xiaojie’s clothing and accessories are designed by Xiaojie herself. They are made personally by Nubi and Xiucui in the clothing department. Accessories are made by Zhenbaozhai.
“The clothing that Furen ordered for Xiaojie is too colorful and the styles are too complicated. Xiaojie didn’t like them and told Furen before. But Furen said that girls should dress up in bright colors.
“Xiaojie couldn’t say any more or refuse her elder’s kindness, so she could only accept them. It was a waste to throw the clothing and accessories away, but it was a pity to leave them around. To be cost-effective, Nubi could only save the money designated for making the maidservants’ clothing and bestowed all the clothing that Xiaojie does not like to the maidservants.
“Some of the accessories were converted to money and rewarded to the maidservants too. Liu Yanhong likes those bright clothing and accessories, so Nubi gave her some according to her taste. She is clever and knows how to dress up and likes dressing up. This is something that all the maidservants in Youran Ju knows. As for whether she has any other thoughts, how can Xiaojie and Nubi know?”
Nanny Lou opened her parcel and knelt down. She said to Old General Mu, “Lao TaiYe, if you don’t believe it, you can look at these clothing and accessories. Second Furen gave the money to the first household according to Furen’s wishes. Lao TaiYe, please take a look at the clothing and accessories that First Furen made for Xiaojie. Then look at Xiaojie’s custom- designed clothing and accessories.”
Although Old General Mu did not know about fashion or the current fashion trends, he could see that there was a huge difference in beauty and taste between w.a.n.g Yiping’s ordered clothing and accessories and Zi You’s.
It couldn’t be said that the clothing and accessories w.a.n.g Yiping ordered were of bad quality. In fact, the workmanship on the clothing and accessories were even exquisite. But even Old General Mu felt that the colors and styles were vulgar.
Old General Mu picked up the parcel and threw it at Mu YingRui’s face. He angrily scolded, “She really tries hard. She won’t even let go of this opportunity. She wants to make You’er ugly and vulgar and be ridiculed. Tell me the truth. Did she instigate you to do this matter too?”
“No. no.” Mu YingRui’s reply sounded very guilty. Old General Mu was not a fool. What did he not understand?
Old General Mu sneered. “She will not give up until this family is a mess. For your career and the General Manor’s reputation, I have tolerated her again and again. It seems that she took my patience as a sign of weakness. I’m giving you two choices. First is divorce. Second, you can scram out of General’s Manor. You choose.”
Mu YingRui was stunned silly. He had not reacted, but Nee Liu came forwards and knelt in front of Old General Mu. She had clearly cried. Her eyes were red and swollen. “Father, hand the management of the household over to sister-in-law. Daughter-in-law doesn’t want to manage anymore and can’t manage anymore.”
Old General Mu was originally very angry. Now that he saw Nee Liu like this, he couldn’t help but angrily scold, “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. What are you all doing? If you don’t break up this family, you won’t feel good, right?”
Old General Mu had never raised his voice to Nee Liu before. He had reprimanded her twice today and once was in front of the servants. Nee Liu really felt wronged.
Before she could explain, she heard Mu YingYi snap, “You don’t think the fu is enough of a mess? You don’t think that father is sad enough? You’re making a scene. Why aren’t you apologizing to father?”
Nee Liu couldn’t hold back anymore. Her tears overflowed. “Father, it’s not that daughter-in-law wants to make a scene. But brother-in-law and sister-in-law are dissatisfied with me managing the household. They want to take the management over.
“They actually had first household’s servants persuade the entire house’s servants not to work, inquire about their masters, and discuss about their masters. Daughter-in-law just called the stewards over and asked them, ‘Why aren’t you disciplining your subordinates, but actually went with your subordinates to watch the show?’
“As a result, those stewards told daughter-in-law that brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s servants told them that brother-in-law wanted them to go to Yiping Ju to see how First Laoye was bullied. At first, the stewards didn’t let the servants go, but……
“But brother-in-law’s Steward Yang told them that as long as they showed up, they would receive one silver in reward. Please explain, brother-in-law. What does this mean? Who is bullying you? Or is it that you want me to hand the management power over to sister-in-law so you made the servants not respect me first?”
Nee Liu was tearful at the end and finally glared angrily at Mu YingRui. She cursed him many times in her heart. Such a shameless man. He was a grown man and he listened to a woman’s instigation to meddle in the inner courtyard. How embarra.s.sing.
Mu YingRui then understood that he was w.a.n.g Yiping’s spear once again. He never had Yang Qingjun call the servants over. After he woke up, w.a.n.g Yiping had cried and said, “Laoye, you cannot let this matter go so easily. How can there be ghost possession in broad daylight? You’re probably being played by your precious daughter again.
“She knows martial arts now. If she wants to hit you, it’s too easy that she won’t be discovered. Heavens. She’s actually so disobedient to the point of being unfilial. The reason that she is so fearless is because she depends on Lao TaiYe’s doting on her.
“Wait and see, Laoye. When Lao TaiYe returns, he will punish you rather than scold her. Now, you can only use another plan to make Lao TaiYe let you off.”
He didn’t say anything, so he had acquiesced in his silence. But he didn’t know that the plan was to call all the servants in the fu over to see this scene. If he knew, he would never agree. Could it be that having all the servants seeing him being beaten and scolded by his father was a glorious thing?
“Father, I didn’t know about this. I really didn’t know.” Mu YingRui reacted and quickly shirked from responsibility.
Zi You understood now. This was w.a.n.g Yiping’s second motive in her plot. She used the disrespectful servants to cause Nee Liu to be censured by grandfather and hand over the management power.
But even if Nee Liu did not hand over the management power, w.a.n.g Yiping didn’t suffer any losses. After all, the one who was shamed was not her. It was Mu YingRui.
Even Zi You and Old General Mu said that “an evil tiger wouldn’t eat its cubs.” If Old General Mu really hit and kicked his son out of the house the day before New Year’s Eve, then he would be considered vicious and ruthless. Ultimately, the servants would not wonder what Mu YingRui did, especially w.a.n.g Yiping’s servants.
Probably as soon as the New Year was here and every fu held banquets, the scandal in the General’s Manor today would be spread out. Even if Zi You and Old General Mu were innocent, they would only be called unfilial and merciless.
When there were many people, conversation flowed freely. The General’s Manor had more than 200 servants. With the addition of being driven by money, one word from each person was enough to cause a sensation in the capital.
w.a.n.g Yiping took advantage of people’s love of gossip and money and had Mu YingRui make trouble right before New Year’s. She really spent a lot of thought on this.
Zi You thought of this and immediately said to Nee Liu, “Aunt, quickly call all the servants in the fu and strictly order them not to spread out what had happened today. During the festival, they are not allowed to go outside. If they have to go outside, they must register where they went, what they did, who they saw, and report back to you. Make sure to reward them two silvers to not talk about this matter. We want to reduce the impact to the minimum.”