Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 636 - 638: Unraveling (3)
Xiqiu took the tea handed over by the First Madam and thanked her. She replied, "It’s like this..." and recounted the course of events to the Grand Dowager: "After changing carriages, Manager Rong returned to the Prince Manor. I waited in the carriage, and half an hour later, the Princess Consort came personally and brought me back to the Prince Manor, which indeed confirmed my earlier suspicions..." She looked at the Grand Dowager and paused before saying, "The mastermind behind this is the Second Sister-in-law. I took advantage of the opportunity, having Manager Rong still bring a box in. My intention was to provide irrefutable evidence against the Second Sister-in-law, but I didn’t expect..." She glanced at Xiao Yanyi, who was lying on the bed, not sleeping soundly: "I was too clever for my own good, causing trouble for the Marquis."
"You did the right thing!" The Grand Dowager burst into anger: "The matter with the second one truly was an accident. She’s a madwoman, to even think of doing such a thing!" As she spoke, as if she thought of something, she called towards the door, "Someone!"
Ziwei responded by entering, and the Grand Dowager said, "Go and bring Zijuan to me!" Ziwei acknowledged and left.
The Grand Dowager, in her fury, was trembling with the teacup in her hand. She looked at Xiqiu and patted her hand, consoling, "You’re clever, otherwise the consequences of this matter would have been difficult to manage." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Luckily, you escaped unscathed, otherwise..." Otherwise, even at the risk of grave disrespect, she would have sent Chengning away!
"I’m sorry for alarming Mother." Xiqiu replied.
The First Madam furrowed her brows and pondered for a moment, saying, "I wonder if the Shen Family will make a fuss." She was worried that the Shen Family might seize the opportunity to impeach Prince Rong. They could sit back and watch the tigers fight, but the two central figures in this matter are the Second Madam and Xiqiu, both from the Xuanning Marquis Mansion. The Second Madam can be disregarded, but Xiqiu would suffer from this drag.
"They won’t!" The Grand Dowager shook her head and said, "I know Old Madam Shen’s methods very well. Had she been so impatient, she wouldn’t have survived the late Emperor’s hands during the Imperial upheaval back then!"
Xiqiu agreed with the Grand Dowager’s point of view. Despite not having witnessed Old Madam Shen’s abilities and methods now, the fact that she is still alive and her daughter is now the Empress is enough to prove her scheming and strength. If she acted on every opportunity without hesitation, the Shen Mansion wouldn’t have achieved such success and glory today.
The First Madam also nodded, just as Nanny Wu brought in medicine. The Grand Dowager stood up and personally went to feed Xiao Yanyi the medicine. One supported Xiao Yanyi while holding a spoon, Xiqiu and the First Madam sat at the table, and the First Madam looked at him, saying calmly, "You don’t need to feel guilty about this matter. Who could have predicted she would end up like this."
She was comforting Xiqiu.
Xiqiu was stunned for a moment, then nodded in response, "Thank you, Sister-in-law!" After a pause, she sighed, "How did things escalate to this point!"
The First Madam also let out a light sigh.
Ziwei lifted the curtain and entered, looking at the Grand Dowager she whispered, "Grand Dowager, Zijuan is missing. I’ve already sent people to search everywhere."
After feeding Xiao Yanyi his medicine, the Grand Dowager wiped his mouth and stood up, coldly instructing, "If she’s missing, she can’t leave the house!" After speaking, she looked at Xiqiu and the First Madam, "You accompany me to have a look over there."
Visiting the Second Madam’s place was necessary. Both of them stood up at the same time and supported the Grand Dowager on either side. The Grand Dowager then told Nanny Wu and Ziwei, "You stay here to attend, and do not let anyone in."
The two agreed, and the Grand Dowager, along with Xiqiu and the First Madam, left the room.
Led by Nanny Liu in front, with maids and old maids clustered around, carrying lanterns, none of the three spoke along the way. When they entered the Second Madam’s courtyard, the yard was even more silent, and the door-keeping old maid dutifully curtsied to the Grand Dowager as she entered, standing aside without daring to make a sound.
The Grand Dowager went directly into the main room, where only two young maids who had their hair down were standing guard in the main hall, the thick curtain hanging down. As soon as the two young maids saw the Grand Dowager enter, they immediately curtsied. The Grand Dowager asked, "Where is Chengning?"
"The Second Madam is in the room." The young maid, still frightened, glanced at the curtain and replied in a low voice. With that, one of them went up to lift the curtain.
Heat rushed to their faces again, and the Grand Dowager frowned, instructing, "Go in and shut the furnace, and open the windows!" The young maid acknowledged, immediately entering to turn off the furnace and then used a hook to draw the curtain aside for ventilation.
Nobody heard the Second Madam speak.
The Grand Dowager paused at the door, then stepped into the room, followed by Xiqiu behind the First Madam as they also entered the room.
In the room, a single lamp flickered like a bean, the Second Madam sat on a large wooden box, her face snow-white, her eyes fixed straight ahead, with no reaction to the sudden presence of several people in the room. She swung her legs back and forth like a child, with a black ring of coagulated blood around her neck after the blood had dried, her swollen throat looking gruesome.
The room had been cleaned up, but there was still a strong scent of blood. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
"Chengning!" the Grand Dowager shouted angrily, "Do you know what you’re doing!"
The Second Madam had no reaction whatsoever, not even a flicker in her pupils. The First Madam furrowed her brows and said to the Grand Dowager, "Mother, I think there’s something wrong with Second Sister-in-law!"
The Grand Dowager listened and arched her brows in surprise, then also began to look closely at the Second Madam. As the First Madam said, the Second Madam’s behavior was not that of a normal person at all; it was completely like the reaction of someone mentally impaired. She stepped forward a few paces, grabbed the Second Madam’s shoulders, and squeezed her as she shouted, "Chengning!"
The Second Madam seemed to be awakened from a daze, her eyes hesitantly focusing on the few people in front of her. Her expression changed suddenly, and she curled up on the box, looking at them with evasive eyes, shrieking, "Who are you? Go away, I don’t know you!" After a pause, she added, "Where is the Marquis, where is the Marquis? Marquis, we are to be together forever, never apart, never apart!"
The Grand Dowager was stunned, and a young maid carefully came in from the door, explaining, "Grand Dowager, the Second Madam has been repeating these words all night, otherwise, she just sits quietly for a long time without speaking."
It was not a normal reaction.
The Grand Dowager seemed a bit disheartened, perhaps finding it difficult to accept; her body swayed slightly, and the First Madam went over to support her, saying, "Perhaps we should ask Nurse Zhang to come and take a look. Maybe we’ll find out what’s wrong with Second Sister-in-law."
"That might be best!" the Grand Dowager nodded. She looked again at the Second Madam, her eyes filled with disappointment. Yes, she was very disappointed. A once-loved daughter-in-law had turned into such a state, neither human nor ghost, to the point of stabbing her own husband with a knife... it was simply...
The Second Madam seemed to sense the Grand Dowager’s anger, continuously shrinking her shoulders, wishing she could hide inside the box. She pointed at them and said, "Don’t come near, if you dare harm me, the Marquis will not let you go, neither will Grandmother, and my brother will not let you go either!" She spoke very clearly, making even Xiqiu somewhat suspicious of her authenticity. Then the Second Madam added, "You are all bitches, every one of you, trying to steal my husband. The Marquis is mine alone, no one is allowed to steal him, not allowed!"
