Chapter 137: The Second Steward Is Angry

When Qin Wanru arrived at the Liufeng Courtyard to visit Shui Ruolan, Qin Huaiyong was still there. Upon hearing that Qin Wanru had come to offer her congratulations, he smiled and waved her inside.

After entering, Qin Wanru offered her congratulations to both Qin Huaiyong and Shui Ruolan before taking a seat in a nearby chair.

"Wanru, why don't you go out to the markets and pick out some new clothes yourself tomorrow? Your mother needs to rest," Qin Huaiyong said with a laugh, looking radiant and in high spirits.

"Cousin, I am quite well and can accompany Wanru to choose clothes and some jewelry. She is just a child, what would she know about such things?" Shui Ruolan said with a gentle, smiling expression.

"You, you are always so worried. Wanru is already a young lady!" Qin Huaiyong’s typically stern face softened with concern and tenderness. As his gaze swept over Shui Ruolan’s abdomen, his eyes grew even gentler.

This expression was a complete departure from his usual demeanor, showing that his joy was genuine.

"Cousin, I really am fine," Shui Ruolan said, smiling as she lightly dabbed her lips with a handkerchief.

"Madam, Madam Di has sent Nanny Zhou to offer her congratulations!" Qionghua announced, entering with a joyful expression. Ever since Shui Ruolan became pregnant, everyone in the Liufeng Courtyard had been in high spirits.

Shui Ruolan looked at Qin Huaiyong, hesitating for a moment before staying silent.

"Let her in," Qin Huaiyong said with a smile. He turned to Shui Ruolan, lowering his voice, and reached out to touch her hand on the table to reassure her. "Since she intends to reconcile with you, there is no need to dwell on the past. If it weren't for her, you and I..."

Shui Ruolan blushed and lowered her head, looking gentle and submissive.

Thinking that his inner household was now harmonious, Qin Huaiyong’s smile widened. He had previously worried that Madam Di might cause a scene, but he now reasoned that, as a lady from a prominent family, she surely understood the proper codes of conduct for women.

Qin Wanru’s gaze swept over Shui Ruolan. Sitting to her side, she saw the blush on Shui Ruolan’s face, but she also caught the flash of shame and resentment hidden in her eyes as she lowered her head.

She knew that Shui Ruolan was furious.

At the time, Shui Ruolan had only wished to live a quiet life in the Qin household, serving the Old Madam, and had no improper ambitions. Yet, Qin Huaiyong’s words made it seem as though she had been plotting to seduce him all along, implying that she only managed to enter the Qin household because of Madam Di.

To Shui Ruolan, those words were a humiliation.

Qin Wanru’s willow-leaf brows furrowed, and her dark eyes flickered toward Qin Huaiyong’s face. She found her father’s words truly disagreeable. However, it also made it clear that in her father’s heart, Madam Di still held a significant position.

Nanny Zhou entered, led by a maid. Seeing Qin Huaiyong there, she felt that Madam Di’s move was excellent, as it would surely restore the General's favor.

She stepped forward respectfully and bowed to both Qin Huaiyong and Shui Ruolan before presenting a jewelry box. "Madam Shui, our Madam heard the good news and was so excited that she wanted to come and see you herself. But in her haste, she accidentally knocked over the curio cabinet in the corner, shattering all the porcelain. She even injured herself, so it is inconvenient for her to visit you right now."

"Is my sister hurt?" Shui Ruolan asked, raising her head with a look of concern, though she did not truly believe it. She was more inclined to believe that upon hearing her good news, Madam Di had flown into a rage and smashed the porcelain herself.

"Our Madam is fine; it is nothing serious. She just feels very regretful that she cannot come to see you. She specifically ordered me to bring this gift—the finest set of jewelry from her collection—and hopes you will accept it," Nanny Zhou said, her words smooth and practiced.

She wore a beaming smile, appearing to be in high spirits. Qin Huaiyong seemed quite satisfied with this, and he paid little attention to Madam Di’s clumsiness.

"Just have the estate steward replace the porcelain later. Your Madam is truly too careless!" Qin Huaiyong said casually, dismissing the matter.

"Yes, I understand. I shall see to it immediately," Nanny Zhou replied, bowing repeatedly.

"I have seen the curio cabinet in Madam’s room before. It is quite large and filled with many antique porcelain pieces; it looks very expensive. A cabinet of that size would have hit the floor with quite a force. I hope no maids were injured, besides Madam?" Qin Wanru asked with concern.

"It... it was nothing... the maids were not nearby, so no one else was hurt!" Nanny Zhou’s smile flickered, but she answered cleverly.

A cabinet of that size falling would likely have caused injuries, but she could not think of anyone to blame, so she vaguely pushed all the blame onto Madam Di.

"Then... should we call a physician to take a look?" Qin Wanru asked, turning to Qin Huaiyong. "Father, since Madam is injured, we ought to have someone check on her. Otherwise, if something serious happens, it will be troublesome."

The curio cabinet in Madam Di’s room was indeed massive, and she was always surrounded by servants. It was strange that such a heavy object had only managed to injure Madam Di herself.

Her words served as a reminder to Qin Huaiyong. His expression darkened, and he cast a suspicious glance at Nanny Zhou, making her tremble with fear that he might discover the truth.

"Then let us have a physician examine her," Qin Huaiyong said in a deep voice.

"This... General, it is really unnecessary. It is not serious at all. Madam only suffered a few scratches, and she has already applied medicine—the secret healing balm that the Old Madam of the Yongkang Earl's Mansion gave to the Eldest Miss!"

Upon hearing that a physician was actually being called, Nanny Zhou frantically waved her hands. Madam Di had no injuries; if a doctor were to check, the lie would be exposed immediately.

"If she is hurt, how can we not check? Nanny Zhou, you are confused! Come, let us go see her together!" Qin Wanru stood up, her face full of anxiety, as if she were genuinely worried about Madam Di.

"I..." Nanny Zhou suddenly felt that what Madam Di had said might be true. Was the Second Miss becoming increasingly sharp? Otherwise, how could such a young girl be so perceptive?

"General, the Second Steward requests an audience. It concerns Madam Di’s Yulan Pavilion!" a servant standing at the door hurried in to report before they could reach a decision.

The room fell silent at these words.

Nanny Zhou looked left and right, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart, and she involuntarily stepped back.

"Nanny Zhou, be careful!" a maid’s low voice came from behind. Nanny Zhou turned around and was so angry she nearly slapped the smiling face before her. When had Yujie stood behind her? Now, she could not retreat quietly.

"Let him in," Qin Huaiyong said, frowning deeply.

There were no outsiders present, so there was no need to avoid the issue. Shui Ruolan, as the manager of the inner courtyard, would often have to deal with the Second Steward, and as for Qin Wanru, in Qin Huaiyong’s eyes, she was still just a child.

"Yes!" The servant went out and soon returned with a man in his fifties—the estate’s Second Steward. He looked furious, and one could tell at a glance that something was wrong.

"What happened?" Qin Huaiyong asked after the steward finished his salute.

"General, Madam Di smashed all the porcelain in her room, yet she claims she knocked it over by accident. If it was an accident, how could it be that not a single piece of porcelain remains in the room? Even if the cabinet was full, there were other pieces in the room that were not on the shelves. How could she have smashed everything in one fall?" the Second Steward said indignantly.

The reason for his anger was that he had already been pushed to his limit by Madam Di, and he now had no choice but to complain to Qin Huaiyong.

"What do you mean, 'smashed all of it'?" Qin Huaiyong frowned, not immediately understanding.

"General, when I was preparing her courtyard, I was afraid of doing a poor job, so I put extra care into it. Who would have thought that every piece of porcelain in the room would be smashed? I don't know why she did it, but after smashing everything, she demanded I bring more high-quality items. When I brought them, she wasn't satisfied and smashed several more. Where could I possibly find such fine items now?" the steward fumed, his mustache twitching with rage.

"Madam Di smashed them herself?" Qin Huaiyong’s expression turned grim.

"General, it wasn't the Madam who smashed them! It must be that he spoke out of turn earlier and angered the Madam, leading to the conflict. Allow me to return, ask the Madam for clarification, and then give you a report!" Seeing Qin Huaiyong’s expression, Nanny Zhou had to step forward with a forced smile, feeling miserable inside.

She had not expected Madam Di to escalate the matter to Qin Huaiyong. With this commotion, her previous efforts had all been in vain.

Qin Wanru kept her gaze fixed on Nanny Zhou, her eyes darkening as she observed the nanny's reaction.

Qin Wanru had previously sent someone to prompt the Second Steward on behalf of Shui Ruolan, but that was hardly overstepping. Shui Ruolan was the mistress of the inner courtyard, and with her pregnancy, the General doted on her. It was only natural for Qin Wanru, as a daughter, to assist her mother with minor affairs.

More importantly, Madam Di’s courtyard had originally been the most luxuriously decorated—much better than Shui Ruolan’s. When Qin Wanru instructed the Second Steward to decorate Shui Ruolan’s courtyard to the same standard, the steward had been dumbfounded.

When he first arrived in the capital, he had indeed intended to curry favor with Madam Di.

What finally broke the steward was that several pieces of porcelain in Madam Di’s room were actually the Old Madam’s personal property, which were supposed to be kept in her own quarters, but had been given to Madam Di by the steward instead.

If these pieces were to disappear without explanation, the steward could not bear the responsibility, which was why he had brought the matter to Qin Huaiyong.

"General, those porcelain pieces were the best in the estate, and some even belonged to the Old Madam. I cannot find replacements of equal value to decorate Madam Di’s room, and Madam Di became angry and accused me of hoarding them for myself. I did not dare to say more, so I simply observed the situation in her room and reported the truth to you!" the steward stated indignantly.

He had served in the Qin household for a long time and had always been by Qin Huaiyong’s side; he knew exactly what to say in such moments.

Learning that the Old Madam’s belongings were involved, Qin Huaiyong snorted, his voice growing cold and heavy, like the suppression before a storm. "Madam Di smashed them herself?"

"I have looked into it; it must have been intentional. If it had been an accident, it would be impossible for every single piece of porcelain in the room to be shattered," the steward affirmed.

"Let’s go see for ourselves!"