Chapter 160: Madam, are you very angry?

"Yujie, wake her up!" Qin Wanru sneered coldly.

Before anyone could fully grasp the meaning of Qin Wanru's words, Yujie had already stepped forward and dealt the old woman two crisp, decisive slaps across the face. Following that, with ruthless precision, she delivered a fierce kick straight to the woman's chest, instantly sending her crashing to the ground.

Everyone was utterly shocked!

Who would have thought that the Second Miss’s subordinate could be so vicious? In the past, this maid named Yujie had always appeared gentle and amiable, greeting everyone with a three-part smile.

Many of the surrounding maids and older women instinctively retreated a step, not daring to get close to Yujie for fear of inadvertently provoking her.

Previously, they had merely considered the Second Miss as the daughter of Madam Shui, and since Madam Shui was currently managing the household, it was only natural to show them some flattery. Moreover, Madam Shui was currently pregnant; being respectful to the Second Miss was equivalent to being respectful to Madam Shui. Who in the estate didn't possess a bit of shrewdness and know to show her some deference?

Only now did they realize that although the Second Miss was so young, her imposing aura was by no means lacking. In fact, she seemed even more formidable than the two madams of the estate. Standing there, small in stature, she faced Madam Di not only without showing any weakness, but seemingly even managing to overshadow her entirely.

From that moment on, not a single servant present dared to look down upon Qin Wanru!

"Have you all lost your minds? Absolutely lawless! Qin Wanru, you have truly rebelled!" Madam Di trembled with rage, and Zhou Mama standing behind her also turned pale with fright. None of them had anticipated that Qin Wanru would resort to physical blows without the slightest hesitation.

She hadn't even given anyone a chance to offer an explanation—or rather, even if an explanation were offered, she had no intention whatsoever of listening to it.

"Madam, are you very angry?" Qin Wanru turned around to face Madam Di and suddenly broke into a sweet smile.

Such a smile carried a hint of childlike innocence and sweetness, yet at this moment, it caused the surrounding servants to instinctively take another step back, inexplicably sensing a hint of danger within the Second Miss's smile.

The courtyard fell into an absolute, pin-drop silence!

Qin Huaiyong had arrived together with Madam Shui. The reason he was late was simply because he happened to be with Madam Shui, and since she was pregnant, her pace was slow.

Hearing that an incident had occurred involving Qionghua, Madam Shui had been anxious to rush over immediately, but because Qin Huaiyong was concerned for her safety and walked at a slow pace with her, they had only just arrived.

Stepping inside and witnessing the scene before him, Qin Huaiyong frowned slightly and made to step forward, but Madam Shui caught his hand. Glancing at Qin Wanru standing in the midst of the crowd, Madam Shui had a strong intuition that this was not the right time for Qin Huaiyong to intervene directly. Thus, she simply held onto his hand and stood firm outside the perimeter of the crowd.

At that moment, everyone's attention was focused entirely on the center, and no one noticed the arrival of Qin Huaiyong and Madam Shui, who had brought only a single maid and a pageboy with them.

"You... how audacious!" Seeing the reactions of the people around them, Madam Di gritted her teeth and rebuked, "No matter how unworthy this old woman is, she is still my person! How dare you show such blatant disrespect..."

Gritting her teeth, Madam Di's delicate face twisted with anger. Before so many servants, not only had she failed to establish her authority, but she had actually allowed a mere little girl to trample over her and assert dominance.

"Qin Wanru, showing such unfilial behavior, why haven't you knelt down before me yet!"

She decided to dispense with verbal sparring with Qin Wanru. This time, she had brought people with her specifically to preempt Madam Shui by physically humiliating Madam Shui's subordinates under an inescapable pretense—and ideally, to agitate Madam Shui to the point of fainting from anger.

Since she couldn't reach Qionghua right now, she would vent all her pent-up fury on Qin Wanru, leveraging the banner of "filial piety." Even if she was not Qin Wanru's biological mother, as long as she remained Qin Huaiyong's legitimate wife, she was an elder to Qin Wanru, and the concept of "filial piety" alone could crush anyone into submission.

The current dynasty governed the realm through "filial morality and righteousness." Madam Di refused to believe she could not suppress a cheap girl like Qin Wanru, especially since the logic of this situation was visibly on her side.

"Madam, why should I kneel? Have I done something wrong?" Qin Wanru raised her tender, youthful face, her gaze turning faintly and coldly.

"You struck my person without distinguishing right from wrong. Shouldn't you kneel and apologize?" Madam Di slapped the table and said coldly.

"Then shouldn't Madam also apologize for striking my mother's person without asking questions first?" Qin Wanru retorted without yielding an inch. Her gaze swept across the crowd, immediately spotting Qin Huaiyong standing with his hands behind his back outside the gathering. Her pupils flickered with a faint, deep amusement, though a trace of a smile instantly crossed her eyes.

It was all for the better that Qin Huaiyong hadn't stepped inside yet; this way, he could listen all the more clearly!

Without him present, Madam Di would be all the more inclined to blurt out her true intentions.

"Qin Wanru... you... you are too bold! That maid slandered someone else, yet you blindly shield her and talk back to me simply because she is Madam Shui's person?" Madam Di gnashed her teeth in fury. Having her dignity repeatedly shredded by a little girl, she truly could not afford to lose face like this.

She was also a respectable madam of the estate, and in her own mind, she was the only true mistress of the Qin household. Yet now, she was being cornered and questioned by such a tiny child—how could she not be enraged?

"Madam, I heard no such thing as Qionghua slandering anyone. What I did discover, however, is that the old woman by your side harbors malicious intentions and deliberately stirs up trouble. Was she trying to anger my mother by creating such a scene? My mother's health is currently delicate; she cannot withstand such shocks!" Qin Wanru said with a calm expression, her cold, detached gaze resting upon Madam Di.

"For a newly entered servant to dare act with such audacity against the head housekeeper's chief maid... Madam, I actually wish to ask: who gave her such courage to behave so lawlessly?" Without allowing Madam Di a chance to interrupt, Qin Wanru continued.

Her gaze burned ever more intensely into Madam Di, as though trying to pierce straight through her heart.

As these words were spoken, the eyes of everyone present immediately shifted toward Madam Di and the old woman. This old woman was a recent arrival whom none of the kitchen staff had seen before. Thinking back to when the human traffickers had delivered new arrivals, these people ought to be part of that very batch. Weren't newcomers supposed to tread carefully and act with utmost caution?

Yet this old woman behaved quite like a seasoned troublemaker.

There were many servants in the kitchens, and quite a few of them were shrewd and worldly. Observing the old woman now, they all found her highly suspicious, as she bore no resemblance whatsoever to a fresh newcomer.

Qin Huaiyong reached out and gripped Madam Shui's hand. Madam Shui's hand was ice-cold; earlier, she had been sweating profusely with anxiety yet unable to walk fast. Seeing that Qin Wanru was already handling the situation, her heart had finally released its tension. Once the warmth of the sweat subsided, a biting chill had set in—the bone-chilling kind.

If not for Qin Wanru, Qionghua would likely be in a dire state by now. Her relationship with Qionghua had long since surpassed that of ordinary mistress and servant; if anything truly happened to Qionghua, Madam Shui wasn't certain she herself could remain unscathed!

Having realized this, her hands and feet grew even colder!

Madam Di was targeting her; Madam Di was targeting the child in her womb! Qionghua was merely a tool used to strike at her!

Qin Huaiyong gently massaged Madam Shui's cold hand, enclosing it within his own palm, and lowered his voice to soothe her warmly: "It's all right. Nothing will happen."

A thoughtful glint flickered in his eyes. Originally, he had simply considered Qionghua an ordinary maid—even as a personal chief maid, she was ultimately just a servant. Only now did he realize the immense weight this maid held in Madam Shui's heart; this girl named Qionghua held a truly extraordinary position for Madam Shui.

It seemed he would need to give this matter some serious consideration!

With a pale face, Madam Shui bit her lip and nodded silently without speaking.

Qin Huaiyong signaled the pageboy accompanying them, and the boy announced in a loud voice, "His Excellency the General and Madam Shui have arrived!"

Hearing the commotion outside, the crowd hurriedly stepped back to clear a path. This time, it was Qin Huaiyong who held Madam Shui's hand as they walked in slowly.

Hearing the voice from outside, Madam Di knew today's affair was turning sour, but she felt no panic. As long as this incident escalated and grew large enough to make Madam Shui lose decorum, that would suffice.

Now that Qin Wanru, that cheap girl, had muddying the waters with her sophistry to such an extent, if it ultimately turned out that Madam Shui's side was in the wrong, then the ones facing punishment wouldn't just be the maid Qionghua, but Qin Wanru as well. She truly wanted to see how Madam Shui would react when her people fell one after another.

Would she suffer a complete breakdown on the spot?

If so, that would genuinely be an unexpected delight!

Her gaze dropped down to the couple's tightly clasped hands, a flicker of envy and hatred flashing through Madam Di's eyes. Yet she knew this was not the time for jealousy. Seeing Qin Huaiyong approach, she hastily stepped forward to bow in greeting, then said, "My Lord, you've come just in time. Look at what Wanru just said to me—she is blindly partial to her stepmother's people, acting as though I deliberately sent someone to provoke her!"

Qin Wanru also dipped in a slight curtsy of greeting, though she did not immediately speak.

"What is going on here?" Qin Huaiyong swept his gaze across the assembled crowd and demanded in a deep voice. As a military general, his imposing presence was naturally formidable; wherever his gaze fell, no one dared to raise their head.

Even the old woman who had previously wailed in pain and lay paralyzed on the ground as though unable to rise dared not make a scene any longer. She merely clutched her chest, putting on an appearance of utmost frailty.

Unfortunately for her, Qin Huaiyong was a seasoned veteran of the battlefields; he could see right through such forced, feigned weakness.

The gaze he fixed upon the old woman's face grew as sharp as a blade. Regardless of how this incident had originated, this old woman was clearly no good sort.

"My Lord, it was my sister's maid who spoke insolently and started a physical brawl with this old woman, throwing the kitchens into absolute chaos. When the servants came to report it to me, I came to investigate, thinking that since my sister is currently with child, I should handle the matter on her behalf to spare her stress. Who could have anticipated that this maid is simply incorrigible? On one hand, she claims this old woman provoked and cursed at her, yet when asked what exactly was said, she cannot produce a single specific phrase. It is clearly a malicious frame-up! My Lord, you tell me—does such a person deserve to be punished?"

Madam Di was fully prepared; the words tumbled effortlessly from her lips, her face registering a mix of indignation and vexation, as though she were truly infuriated by Qionghua's wickedness as a malicious servant.

Having delivered this, she added with an expression of profound heartache: "My sister is currently indisposed, and many household affairs require her trusted people to execute. If her maids are of poor character, they may eventually implicate my sister. My sister's current condition cannot withstand such blows. For her own good, it would be best to dismiss this maid early and find a few reliable ones instead."

Madam Di's words grew increasingly earnest, as though she were genuinely and single-mindedly looking out for Madam Shui's welfare. Moreover, every single word struck precisely at the points where Qionghua had previously been rendered speechless, leaving the maid unable to refute a single syllable. For a time, Qionghua's face flushed a deep crimson, her fists clenched tightly in fierce frustration.

"Father, this old woman is the one harboring malicious intentions! I beg Father to punish her accordingly!" A clear, crisp voice rang out beside everyone's ears, and all eyes instantly turned toward the poised and composed figure of Qin Wanru...