Madam He braced both hands on the ground and struggled to get up, her heart filled with pent-up anger, wishing she could tear Qi Yuan’s face apart right now!
What kind of thing is this?!
She actually dared to attack someone in front of the elders!
But just as she pushed herself up, Qi Yuan suddenly kicked her hard in the backside again. Her whole body lurched forward at once, and she fell heavily to the ground again, letting out a muffled groan before immediately crying out in pain.
Qi Yuan stepped forward, stomped on her hand, then squatted down to look at her. “Madam He, I’m not a very patient person, so you’d better speak to me properly.”
Madam He looked at Old Madam Wang in disbelief. “Aunt, are you really going to let her behave so recklessly?!”
Old Madam Wang stepped forward two steps. Wary of what Madam He was holding, she called out to Qi Yuan in a hoarse voice, “Yuan Jie’er!”
Old Madam Qi, however, stood expressionless at the side, showing no intention of intervening.
Qi Yuan grabbed Madam He by the hair and yanked her up. Only after seeing her face twist from pain did she ask with a dark expression, “Madam He, the one who abducted Ah Chan that night, it was your people, wasn’t it?”
Madam He clenched her teeth tightly, hating so much she wanted to kill Qi Yuan on the spot, her throat burning as if smoke were about to come out.
Hearing Qi Yuan’s question, she immediately denied through gritted teeth, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you madwoman!”
Qi Yuan sneered and suddenly reached out to grab the sachet at Madam He’s waist. After taking it into her hand, she raised her brows and asked, “What a coincidence. This sachet of yours also uses hair embroidery.”
Madam Lu’s temples began to throb. She subconsciously widened her eyes, quickly stepped forward, and reached out to take the sachet. With a single glance, she saw the embroidery on it.
Yes, she hadn’t noticed before, but if carefully compared, the two kinds of embroidery were exactly the same technique!
Just as Qi Yuan had said, this embroidery method was rarely seen in the capital.
She swayed slightly before steadying herself, glanced at Madam He, then turned back to look at Old Madam Wang, the shock in her eyes unmistakable.
Old Madam Wang’s face flushed purplish-red. The moment she saw the sachet, her whole body began to tremble.
She pointed at Madam He, her lips shaking. “It really was you? It actually was you! Are you insane? Do you people have any conscience at all?!”
All these years, Old Madam Wang had been supporting her natal family.
If not for having such a relative in the capital, how could her natal family have earned overflowing profits doing business in Song City over the years?!
But in the end, her natal family had calculated against her instead.
Old Madam Wang couldn’t accept it; she felt as if her organs were churning.
Thinking of her granddaughter, she couldn’t help but question, “Why?!”
They were all family, why would they do such a thing?
Seeing that the matter had already been exposed, Madam He stopped pretending. She spat out the blood in her mouth and sneered, curling her lips. “Who exactly has no conscience? Aunt, when you married out, you took half the family fortune with you, but what happened after that?”
She didn’t put Madam Lu in her eyes at all and sneered righteously, “In the end you only tossed us a little leftover scraps like charity, and expected us to be grateful! You’re truly hypocritical!”
Old Madam Wang was so angry her heart felt as though it were tearing.
So all these years, the support she gave her natal family was, in the eyes of the He family, merely small favors, just leftovers!
She immediately realized something.
Previously, the He family had proposed a marriage alliance several times, but she had not agreed right away.
So the He family believed they had been wronged, which was why they did such a thing, setting their sights on Wang Chan.
Absolutely ridiculous!
She clenched her hands tightly and stepped forward, fiercely slapping Madam He.
Madam He’s head snapped to the side from the blow, yet her face still carried the smug satisfaction of revenge fulfilled. “Go ahead, Aunt, beat me to death. Let’s see if beating me to death changes anything.”
She lowered her eyes. “Even if you kill me, what’s done is already done. Other than marrying my family’s Shengchang, who else would want Ah Chan?”
The reason Madam He had resolved to carry out this matter was precisely because of this point.
It was indeed risky.
But as long as it succeeded, the benefits would be obvious.
No matter how high one’s status or position, once her chastity was gone, she could be dragged into the mud!
No matter how noble and precious Wang Chan was, the fact that she had been abducted was a muddy pit. The filth on her body could never be washed clean.
Aside from marrying into the He family, there was no other way.
Madam Lu could no longer endure it. So furious she nearly fainted, she lunged forward, grabbed Madam He’s collar, and tightly choked her neck. “Beast! You people are worse than beasts!”
Even as her neck was being strangled, Madam He showed no fear at all.
She had nothing to fear, would Madam Lu really dare strangle her to death?
If she were strangled to death, what then?
How would they explain it to the outside world?
Old Madam Wang was so angry she felt dazed, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be smoke coming out of all seven orifices, staring blankly at Madam He before her.
Old Madam Qi sighed inwardly.
She could understand the pain in Old Madam Wang’s heart at this moment.
She glanced at Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan had already stepped forward and pulled Madam Lu away.
Madam Lu’s eyes were red with anger. “Yuan Jie’er, don’t stop me! I might as well strangle her today and then go accept punishment myself! Even if it costs my life, I will never marry my daughter into such a family!”
If they could scheme so shamelessly before marriage, then once she truly married over, this matter would become leverage for the He family to control and belittle Wang Chan.
How could one expect beasts to have any conscience?!
As a mother, Madam Lu would absolutely never agree to let her daughter marry such people.
Madam He giggled strangely and clicked her tongue in a mocking tone. “Not marrying? Then let her become a nun!”
After all, girls only have these two paths.
Either that, or die.
She looked extremely pleased with herself.
Until Qi Yuan looked at Old Madam Wang and said, “Grandmother, send someone to invite He Shengchang over. Just say Madam He asked him to come.”
Madam He instantly became like a hen protecting her chicks, widening her eyes in vigilance. “What are you trying to do?!”
Qi Yuan coldly curled her lips. “Close the door and beat the dog.”
She had no patience, especially for people like Madam He jumping around arrogantly.
So she looked at Old Madam Wang once more.
Old Madam Qi immediately grabbed Old Madam Wang’s arm. “Listen to Yuan Jie’er!”
She also felt that marrying into such a family would not be a good thing.
Even if their reputation was temporarily preserved, what would be the use?
It would only be drinking poison to quench thirst.
What meaning was there in that?
Old Madam Wang closed her eyes and made a painful decision. She turned and walked out of the room to instruct the steward to bring He Shengchang over.
Afterward, her whole body seemed to collapse from exhaustion as she shut her eyes.
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