Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 137 - 21: The Plot Fails

Though Nanny Qin received a message sent by the Third Miss, she continued her investigation as before. She not only removed many of the trails of the First and Second Madams but also intimidated the guilty parties and identified a critical figure related to the rumors—a second-class maid named Xiang Lian.

This maid had appeared previously and was one of the second-class maids responsible for serving the young ladies when the Old Madam first held a banquet in the mansion.

Xiang Lian originally served by the Second Miss’s side, but due to a clash with Susu because of her sister, the Second Miss grew displeased, found a reason to transfer her away.

A perfectly good second-class maid, yet because her mistress didn’t like her, she was assigned to manage flowers and plants in the Second Wife’s small garden, which made Xiang Lian so angry that she couldn’t express her grievances directly about the Second Miss, so she vented her resentment on Susu instead.

Most of the rumors about Susu this time were indeed spread by her.

Nanny Qin had Xiang Lian confined, gave her twenty slaps, and locked her up in Sui’an Hall. Xiang Lian’s family was with the Second Madam and had accompanied her to Shangjing, so she couldn’t possibly know about Susu’s medicine-induced infertility. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

However, under careful questioning by Nanny Qin, Xiang Lian insisted she spread the rumors due to her hatred for Susu, claiming it was mere fabrication and she knew nothing about it being true.

Upon further investigation of Xiang Lian’s parents, it was found that after her sister was sold, they were released from the mansion by the Second Madam, but because Xiang Lian was a second-class maid by the Second Miss’s side, the Second Miss kept her around to avoid being accused of ingratitude.

Yet her parents had returned to their hometown amid the wave of rumors at the Shun’an Earl Mansion, and Xiang Lian surprisingly had no apparent weaknesses or exploitations.

The matter reached a stalemate for a moment.

But the mastermind behind the scenes underestimated the Old Madam’s determination and wouldn’t have expected that Nanny Qin and Susu had long suspected who the mastermind was and had been keeping a watchful eye on her.

The planner behind the scenes would never have imagined that the Old Madam, known for her kindness to servants and who, if they made mistakes, would only sell them off, was truly enraged this time.

The Old Madam looked at the pretending-to-be-ignorant Xiang Lian and sneered: "It seems I’ve been too kind, allowing a servant to act stupid right before me. Gag her and beat her, regardless of life or death, until she talks. Find out those who are familiar with this girl. I refuse to believe she alone could make the entire mansion unrestful."

Xiang Lian, hearing these words, suddenly looked up at the Old Madam in disbelief. Since she entered the mansion at seven, she had never heard of the Old Madam hitting or scolding servants; even if displeased, she would only sell or transfer them away.

As for gossip, hadn’t the Old Madam heard enough before the First and Second Wives came to the Capital? Yet the Old Madam never bothered with it and instructed the servants of Sui’an Hall not to bicker with those gossipmongers. Xiang Lian was aware of this, which is why she dared to spread rumors about Susu. Anyway, she had no future in the mansion, and if the Old Madam sold her, the mastermind would provide her a path, and she could reunite with her parents with a hefty sum of silver coins.

At this moment, Xiang Lian was filled with disbelief and jealousy towards Susu. Would the Old Madam disregard her reputation for kindness over many years for Susu’s sake? Ultimately, Xiang Lian gritted her teeth; the mastermind held her parents hostage!

And the masters closely watching Sui’an Hall, upon receiving this news, were secretly taken aback. After all, the Old Madam’s reputation for kindness was truthfully earned, without any falsehood.

Like the Fifth Miss’s wet nurse earlier, though instigated by the Fifth Miss, instead of discouraging, she colluded, possessing the responsibility of incitement; even beating her to death wouldn’t have been too much. Yet the Old Madam still let her leave the mansion decently and even allowed her to take her years of personal savings.

But now, for a maid like Susu, even words like "regardless of life or death" were spoken, indicating Susu’s unmatchable position in her heart, at least, not by the Fifth Miss.

Those watching, the First and Second Madams, had earlier fanned the flames, making the rumors increasingly unpleasant, merely to displease the Old Madam. Little did they anticipate the Old Madam’s decisive action, so much so that they suffered losses. Now they could only watch quietly, for the Old Madam had still preserved their dignity.

Yet the First Madam, in her heart, hoped this mastermind was her dear daughter-in-law. That would be truly amusing, and she could no longer maintain the airs of a noble lady from a marquis family before her, and also see how the old fool will face being so publicly slapped in the face by her granddaughter-in-law.