Chapter 4: A Visit to Convict is Different from Waking Up in the Middle of the Night in Peace...

Chapter 4: A Visit to Convict is Different from Waking Up in the Middle of the Night in Peace...

Unlike the quiet when she woke up in the middle of the night, when Xiao Yan woke up in the morning, a maid immediately went to invite the First Madam.

Seeing that all the maids were silent and trembling, it seemed that they had all been punished by the First Madam after yesterday's incident.

After scanning the maids in the room and finding no one she was looking for, Xiao Yan Hui didn't say anything more.

"Yan Hui, you're finally awake! Is there anything else that's bothering you? Are you cold? Are you dizzy? Let Doctor Chen take another look at you." The First Madam had actually come to her daughter's courtyard early in the morning, and it just so happened that she met the maid who was on her way to fetch her.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw my daughter trying to get out of bed, so I quickly stepped forward and pushed her back down.

A pair of soft hands explored Xiao Yan's forehead and then touched the back of her neck. Seeing that Xiao Yan's complexion was fine, her body temperature was normal, and she was no longer sweating, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she quickly called the doctor to take her pulse.

Doctor Chen, who had been summoned early in the morning, came forward without hesitation and carefully took her pulse before gently saying, "Third Miss caught a chill and was frightened yesterday, which caused her to have a slight fever. However, she has a strong constitution and is now fine. I will prescribe three more doses of medicine for her to rest. She should rest well for the next few days and avoid cold foods..."

After taking her pulse, the First Madam arranged for someone to prepare and brew the medicine. She also sent someone to the kitchen to order breakfast according to the dietary restrictions reported by Doctor Chen. The First Madam quickly arranged everything perfectly.

"Qingfu, get Yan Hui that thin silk outer garment embroidered with crabapple blossoms." Seeing that Xiao Yan Hui was getting up and dressing, she insisted that the maid change her gauze garment into a silk one.

"Mother, don't worry, I'm fine. Who wears spring clothes in this weather? Qingfu, get me that bamboo green gauze dress." Xiao Yan tugged at the First Madam's sleeve and shook it gently, her tone slightly coquettish.

After she spoke, Xiao Yan was surprised to realize that this was the way the original owner and the first wife interacted. Looking at the beautiful and gentle woman in front of her, who should have been a stranger, she felt a sense of closeness to the first wife that she had when she was a child, as if the person in front of her was her own mother.

"Why are you crying all of a sudden!" The first wife was happy that her daughter was alright, but when she turned around, she saw her daughter staring blankly at her, her eyes filled with tears that seemed to be filled with countless grievances.

This broke the heart of the first wife.

"without......"

Before Xiao Yan could say anything, the First Madam slammed her hand on the table, then waved for all the maids in the room to leave before putting her arm around her daughter and speaking softly.

“I know my son has been wronged. No matter how well-behaved you are, how could you fall into the water for no reason? Moreover, yesterday, the eldest son of the Qin family actually got drunk and slept in the water pavilion. What a coincidence! That bitch Zhao Zhenzhu must have plotted something wicked yesterday. Yan Hui, tell me in detail. If we don’t chop off her outstretched hand this time, she will dare to climb over our main house and act arrogantly.”

A fierce glint flashed across the First Madam's gentle face.

Xiao Yan Hui almost blurted out the words she had thought of last night without hesitation: "I was tired from picking flowers yesterday and was resting in the lakeside pavilion. Green Moth went to the kitchen to get an ice bowl as I instructed, leaving only Firefly by my side."

But I fell asleep after sitting for a short while. Looking back now, I think it must have been something Liuying did. Later, I vaguely felt Liuying carrying me and taking me somewhere. Halfway through, I became more alert and struggled to get up. She probably panicked and ran away. After that, I accidentally fell into the water. And then, you know what happened to those women.

Xiao Yan's words about struggling to stay conscious were obviously false, but the betrayal of the head maid Liu Ying was real.

After carefully sorting through her memories last night, Xiao Yan Hui discovered some details she hadn't noticed before. For example, the original owner seemed to be unconscious, but she actually still had some senses. She could feel herself being carried and supported by Liu Ying towards a certain place. Before being helped into the water pavilion, she vaguely saw Xiao Que Xian staring coldly at her from the artificial hill in the garden in the distance.

Xiao Yan Hui only understood why she was so convinced that the people who plotted against her were the second wife and her daughter when she had just transmigrated and hadn't even fully sorted out her memories. It must have been her subconscious that was at work.

Hearing Xiao Yan mention Liu Ying's name, Madam Liu Ying became even angrier: "That treacherous, lowly servant girl! These people we buy from outside are indeed unreliable. Once we find her, I'll beat her to death!"

It turns out that Liu Ying has disappeared without a trace. She probably knew that what she did would not end well, so she simply fled. But it is more likely that someone had already arranged this escape route for her before she took action.

"Mother, since she has already escaped, it will be very difficult to find her again." Xiao Yan Hui had little hope of finding Liu Ying.

Even without Liu Ying as the executor, there is still a big question about yesterday's events: "Our garden is not some remote and secluded place, so why was Liu Ying so bold as to help me walk around while I was half unconscious?"

"That's right, my son is indeed clever and quick-witted. There's a high chance that Liu, the garden manager, was involved in yesterday's incident." Upon hearing this, the First Madam immediately realized what was going on. Then, with a face full of pride and affection, she gently stroked Xiao Yan Hui's long hair, and words of praise flowed from her lips.

After praising the First Madam, she stood up and instructed, "Breakfast will be served soon. Yan Hui'er, eat well. I'll go and take care of this matter first."

Before she could even step out of the room, Qingfu rushed in to report: "Madam, Miss, Master, Second Madam, and Second Miss have come to our Qingkong Courtyard together. They said that Second Madam looks like she has been crying."

If it were just the master coming to visit early in the morning, it could be said that he was worried about his daughter who had fallen into the water yesterday. But with the second wife and the second daughter coming along, it sounded more like they were there to cause trouble.

Sure enough, upon hearing these words, the First Madam's entire demeanor changed. However, she did not become more assertive or sharp; instead, she became even more gentle and graceful, as if she had instantly donned a special armor and entered battle mode.

"I didn't go to settle accounts with her, but she came first. It's just in time." The First Madam smiled gently and immediately got to work.

"Xiangdai, go find Granny Sun. You two take some people and tie up Granny Liu from the garden and bring her to my main courtyard. I'll interrogate her when I get back." While instructing the maid to carry out the task, he stripped Xiao Yanhui of her outer garment and stuffed her back onto the bed.

Granny Sun was the head maid in charge of the main house's backyard, and Xiangdai was the first wife's personal maid. With the two of them working together, even though Granny Liu was a somewhat respectable head maid in the inner quarters, it wouldn't be difficult to tie her up.

Xiao Yan Hui wasn't stupid; the blankets had been put back on her, so she naturally knew why the First Madam had done this.

She knows how to pretend to be in great pain when she's only slightly sick!

He cooperated perfectly by lying back down on the bed, and even coughed lightly twice in a pretentious manner.

"Cough, lie down properly, okay!" The First Madam covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed lightly, then asked the maid outside if the medicine was ready.

Sure enough, not long after, Zhou, the old woman who served the second wife, came to knock on the door.

"Master, you must do justice for our Xian'er." The Second Madam's voice, tinged with a slight sob, had just rang out from outside the door when a maidservant lifted the curtain.

The first person to stride into the room was Xiao Fuyan, the current head of the Xiao family. The Xiao family has been doing business for generations and they believe in making money through harmony. Xiao Fuyan has inherited this family tradition well and always has a smile on his face.

He is now in his early forties, but because of his comfortable life and good maintenance, he looks at least four or five years younger than his actual age. Even though he is a little overweight, he still manages to maintain the appearance of a handsome middle-aged man.

Although the second wife was saying things like "take charge" outside the door, which sounded like she was there to cause trouble, she still greeted the first wife, her sister-in-law, according to etiquette after entering.

As soon as Xiao Fuyan entered the room, he looked at Xiao Yanhui, who was still bedridden, with loving eyes and spoke words full of concern.

“Yan Hui, stay in bed and rest. You’re still sick, so don’t get up. Are you feeling any better? Yesterday, when you fell into the water, it scared the whole family half to death. If the front yard hadn’t been so overwhelmed, I would have come to see you yesterday.”

"Father, I'm mostly fine now, but I still feel a bit weak." Xiao Yan looked at her adoptive father and felt the same filial piety that the original owner had, but it was far less affectionate than when she saw the First Madam.

Judging from the original owner's memories, this father spent a considerable amount of time away from home doing business, and had very little time to spend with his children, especially his daughters. However, he was emotionally stable, generous, and fair in his actions, which made him a very good father in this era.

Of course, even though he usually has a smiling face, as the male head of the Xiao family, he still holds absolute authority in this mansion.

In Xiao Yan Hui's memory, there were almost no instances of him losing his temper, but he was always punished with copying books, kneeling in the ancestral hall, and being whipped without batting an eye. All of these cases came from the original owner's elder brother, Xiao He You.

Xiao Fuyan also frequently issued orders such as caning or selling off servants. Overall, although he remained emotionally stable, his methods were far from gentle.

"Hmm, it's good that she's alright." After asking a few questions about his daughter's health, Xiao casually picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The pause in the conversation seemed to be deliberately left to allow for a brief interjection, and sure enough, the second wife spoke up.

The moment she opened her mouth, the previously harmonious atmosphere vanished completely.

"The Third Miss is not fully recovered yet. There is something I should have asked her about a few days later, but the servant who helped Qin Dalang into the inner courtyard yesterday said that he was instructed by the Third Miss that it concerns Yan Hui's reputation and Xian'er's marriage, and there is really no room for delay..."

The second wife appeared troubled and hesitant, but in reality, she immediately pinned several serious crimes on Xiao Yan Hui.

"Shut up! Some words are sinful to say. Don't you, as an elder, understand that?" Even though the First Madam was mentally prepared, she was still trembling with anger at the Second Madam's shamelessness. Her usually gentle face showed obvious anger. She immediately stopped the Second Madam when she was halfway through her sentence, but she still couldn't stop her from throwing mud at Xiao Yan Hui.

She bit her tongue hard to suppress her excessive anger, and turned to look at Xiao Fuyan, her eyes filled with shock, anger and grievance: "Master, how can a young lady's reputation be spoken of like this? Second Madam's heart is despicable."

At this crucial moment, Xiao Fuyan remained silent, clearly trusting the Second Madam more in this matter. Seeing the lingering fatherly affection on his face, the First Madam's already chilled heart sank even further.

In contrast to Xiao Fuyan's silence, the second wife could start singing, reciting, and acting at will. Tears welled up again in her already slightly red eyes as she cried and recounted her pitiful story.

“Sister-in-law, this matter is of great importance. How could I dare to speak without solid evidence? Even if we have all the witnesses and evidence now, I brought Master and Xian’er here not to pursue Yan Hui, but to think about how to resolve this matter. Why do you misunderstand me like this, sister-in-law?”

"The witnesses were interrogated by the master himself this morning, and this is the physical evidence." The second wife took out three gold coins shaped like swallows and placed them on the table.

"Father, if my sister is determined to marry into the Qin family, I am willing to give up my position." Before Xiao Yanhui could even speak, Xiao Quexian knelt before her parents with a righteous expression: "I really do not want my sister to fight over a mere marriage. If my sister wants it, I will give it to her."

Her words were firm and resolute, her eyes full of sincerity; she truly embodied the qualities of a good daughter and a good older sister.

A note from the author:

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