After a long time, Rong Yue said helplessly, "Son, I don't say anything about my father's fault. If my father is determined to protect Zhang's mother and daughter, what can I do? Since no one can make decisions for me, if I disobey my father, I will be punished by the world." accusing him of being unfilial."
Miss Xiao also sighed when she heard the words, "Hey, you fought for it too, and now you are an outsider in the Rong family, without the protection of the old lady, you are not letting others abuse you."
Slowly, Concubine Xiao said again, "Rong Ling is cheap for nothing, she is obviously not the heir of the Rong family, not to mention the delay in the treatment of the old lady, and she has gained a good reputation. I heard that the empress in the palace is very satisfied with Rong Ling. The day is about to choose a crown princess for His Royal Highness, nine out of ten it will be Rong Ling, and Rong Ling has become the crown princess, let alone no one dares to do anything to Zhang."
After a while, a maid came to invite Rong Yue to leave, and Rong Yue and Xiao Concubine left the room in a hurry, and then they became completely quiet.
The two sang together, and they were extremely angry at what the person listening next door said.
"It's unreasonable, it's too much, the Zhang family is so shameless, and took over the dowry of the younger sister, no, it's the Liu family's dowry!"
Mrs. Liu jumped three feet high angrily, wishing she could tear Mrs. Zhang to relieve her anger, "I said, how could the property of the Liu family be cut by more than half out of thin air? It turned out that it was all with my younger sister, which caused the Liu family to live in poverty all these years. She is fine. , squandering the Liu family’s money.”
"Isn't that right? Everything Rong Ling wears is very valuable. I've seen Rong Ling a few times, and she never wears the same clothes. The mother and daughter of the Zhang family are so cruel!"
Mrs. Liu Er was also getting up hard, grinding her back molars vigorously, making creaking noises.
"Second brother and sister, just now Rong Yue said that Mrs. Rong's health has not improved at all, is it because Rong Ling is not an heir of the Rong family?"
Mrs. Liu thought she heard it wrong, so she turned to look at Mrs. Liu, and Mrs. Liu nodded, "Sister-in-law is right, Rong Ling's painstaking effort has no effect on Mrs. Rong, but instead gave her a good reputation." , if this makes Rong Ling the crown princess, Zhang's tail will not be lifted up to the sky?"
The two Mrs. Liu have straightforward temperaments, and they don't want others to take advantage of them, so when they heard that Mrs. Zhang was squandering the Liu family's property in their hands, their hearts were bleeding.
"Damn!" Mrs. Liu spat, "Shameless bastard, not only killed my sister, but also dared to pour dirty water on her. Over the years, the Liu family has been criticized because of my sister. It can’t be left alone.”
Mrs. Liu Er also agrees with Mrs. Liu's thoughts, "Sister-in-law's words are very true. Mrs. Rong is a temperament with clear grievances and will never covet sister Yue's dowry. Since sister Yue intends to return it, if Mrs. Rong is ill Well, it will definitely be returned to the Liu family, after all Mrs. Rong is the head of the Rong family, and Sister Yue is too weak on her own, a word of filial piety can overwhelm her."
"That's why the most urgent thing is to ask the Imperial Physician Fang to help Mrs. Rong!"
The two Mrs. Liu quickly reached a consensus that they had the same goal and must spit out all the dowry that Mrs. Zhang had swallowed.
Mrs. Liu Er's eyes turned slightly, "Sister-in-law, I'm afraid it's inappropriate for us to rush to the Rong's house like this. That Mrs. Zhang is also very eloquent. If she bites us back, it's really not worthwhile."
"Then what to do?"
A gleam flashed in Mrs. Liu Er's eyes, and she smiled, "Let's find a way to force the Rong family to do it themselves. After all, Rong Yue is an unmarried child, and there are some things that I don't understand. Is there anyone in this world who Can a man stand Hong Xing's cheating?"
"Ms. Zhang guards a courtyard by herself, so it's inevitable that she will be lonely. It's been a long time, and she's been coming and going with the servants around her, and she's doing things in a secret way. It's not impossible. Rong Ling is the best evidence."
Mrs. Liu nodded after listening, "You are right. This Mrs. Zhang is too arrogant and domineering. I have long disliked her. Now that the opportunity is right in front of me, I must teach her a lesson severely to relieve my anger."
The two looked at each other and nodded, then picked out a few hairpins and went back to the mansion.
In the early morning of the next day, the original compliments to Rong Ling turned into doubts, and there was an uproar for a while, and the gossip flew across the streets and alleys as if it had grown wings.
Mrs. Zhang got up in the morning and went to visit Rong Ling first. Rong Ling used the most expensive medicinal materials and was carefully served by her maid. She recovered fairly quickly, and the wound had already scabbed over.
Mrs. Zhang took out two boxes of scar removal ointment from her bosom, "My mother spent a total of 10,000 taels of silver to buy this. The effect is very good. After two days, let the maid apply it on you, three times a day."
Rong Ling narrowed her eyes when she heard this, "Thank you, mother."
"Stupid child, you are my daughter, everything about your mother will belong to you in the future, you just need to rest in peace and recuperate, and don't worry about the rest." Zhang comforted with a smile.
Rong Ling nodded, she didn't ask a word about the condition of old lady Rong, she was only filled with the joy of being a princess.
Suddenly, a servant girl walked in with a pale face and winked at Mrs. Zhang.
Mrs. Zhang stood up slowly, "Mother still has some things to deal with, you take care of it obediently, and let the servant girl prepare whatever you want to eat later, and when you are free, mother will come to see you."
Rong Ling nodded, and obediently agreed, not knowing that the wind and rain outside had changed overnight, and she was still immersed in the dream she had woven and couldn't extricate herself.
Mrs. Zhang stepped out of the room with one foot, glanced at the maid, "What's the matter?"
The servant girl looked around, then whispered a few words in Zhang's ear, Zhang's face changed drastically when she heard it.
"Go and see!"
Without saying a word, Mrs. Zhang walked towards the gate with a livid face. The closer she got, the more noisy voices could be heard.
I saw a middle-aged man standing at the gate of the Rong family. He was dressed very elegantly, with a handsome face, tall and thin, and looked like a scholar.
A shrewd light flashed in the corner of his eye, but it disappeared when he looked up.
When the man saw Mrs. Zhang, he immediately stepped forward excitedly, "Yuan'er, you are Yuan'er!"
There is a word Yuan in Zhang's boudoir name, being called by a strange man's boudoir name affectionately, Zhang's face immediately sank.
"Presumptuous! You can call my wife's boudoir name. Who sent you here? Why are you standing on the territory of the Rong Mansion and refusing to leave? If you don't leave, I will report to the authorities!"
The man looked apologetic, "Yuan'er, I am Wenbo. I borrowed from your other courtyard fifteen years ago, and you supported me to take the imperial examination. Unfortunately, I have no face to see you. I have studied hard for decades because of my family. Mother passed away due to illness, and I have been looking for you for three years, only to find out by chance that you are married to General Rong."
The man said that he was very sad and guilty, and looked at Zhang with tenderness, as if it was his most precious treasure.
Everyone gasped when they heard the words, and they all looked at Mrs. Zhang strangely. It turned out that Madam had such a relationship before marrying into the Rong family.
Zhang's face was ashen, "Nonsense! I don't know you at all. You don't want to spread rumors here to slander my reputation. This is Rongfu. If you don't restrain yourself, don't blame me for being rude!"
"Who on earth sent you here? If you don't give an explanation today, don't even think about leaving!"
After the words fell, Mrs. Zhang gave him a look, and immediately two guards stepped forward to subdue the man.
The man didn't panic at all. Instead, he covered his mouth and coughed. After a while, the corners of his mouth were still stained with blood, his whole face became paler, and his thin body wobbled, as if he was about to fall down at any moment.
"Yuan'er, I am also happy for you that you can marry General Rong as your wife. I am unable to give you everything you want. I can see you again before I die. I have already died without regret."
The man took out a ball wrapped in linen from his arms and handed it to Mrs. Zhang, "This is Huguang grass, which is a good medicine for removing scars. I heard..."
"Enough!" Zhang interrupted the man with a sneer, "Stop bluffing here, there are more than one or two people who are afraid of the general, and there are countless people who deliberately want to discredit the general. The reputation of the general's mansion has always been good. You smeared at will, since you said you knew me, then let me ask you, what evidence can you prove that we know each other?"
Mrs. Zhang wished to cut this person into pieces to relieve her anger. If she opened her mouth and kept her mouth shut, she would be slandering herself. If Mrs. Zhang hadn't interrupted in time, this person would bite out Rong Ling like a mad dog.
How unreasonable!
Mrs. Zhang guessed in her heart who was so vicious, her eyes rolled slightly, she probably guessed how many people were there, and glared at the man angrily.
The man struggled to speak every word and kept coughing hard. Compared with Zhang's aggressive attitude, the man looked weaker and weaker.
"Yuan'er..." The man took out a half piece of jade pendant from his pocket. It looked very old, and the edges had been touched smooth.
Zhang's pupils shrank sharply, this jade pendant was indeed her own, she thought she had lost it, and didn't care, but now it is in the man's hands, it seems that this man came prepared.
Mrs. Zhang didn't dare to underestimate it any more, she pursed her lips tightly, "Who doesn't know that I gave this jade pendant to the maid a long time ago, you are lucky, you stole the maid's things and dared to come to threaten you, you have no shame! "
"Ma'am, this is indeed the jade pendant lost by the servant. The sister of the servant was ill and had no money to treat her. It was Madam who kindly gave this jade pendant to the servant. Unfortunately, the servant lost the jade pendant carelessly."
Before Mrs. Zhang could speak, a servant girl stood up and pointed at the man, "I remember you, you stole my jade pendant, and begged my wife to be the master of this slave girl. The slave girl's sister is still not healed, all because of This man, the servants have looked for this man many times to give justice to his sister, but unfortunately he ran away every time. He is a habitual offender. He appeared in the gambling house several times. Someone must have deliberately sent him to threaten Madam in exchange for money to continue. gamble!"
A smile flickered across Zhang's eyes, and he glanced at the maid in admiration, she was really smart.
Everyone looked at the man with contempt after hearing the words, it turned out to be a liar!
"Tell me, who taught you to come to Rong's house to make trouble? If you tell me, maybe my wife can forgive me. If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being rude!" Mrs. Zhang stared at the man fiercely. .
The man didn't panic at all, but looked at Zhang sadly, hesitated to speak several times, opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, his delicate face was flushed because of being slandered.
"Forget it, I shouldn't have come. Now you are no longer that kind and innocent little girl. Since you are doing well, I am relieved."
The man didn't seem to take Zhang's threat seriously at all, but continued to say some specious words, which caused everyone's misunderstanding.
Because the man didn't feel guilty at all, the audience was a little confused, who was lying
Mrs. Zhang's face changed slightly, "I think you don't cry when you see the coffin, you don't know how to live or die, come here, beat me hard until you're done!"
Immediately afterwards, the man was escorted to the stool by the guards, and when he got down on the board, the man didn't let go, but instead kept talking about Yuan'er, Yuan'er.
The angry Zhang wanted to beat him to death directly!
"What's going on!" General Rong rushed back after receiving the letter from the boy. There were many maids and women around the gate, as well as people watching.
Mrs. Zhang hurried forward and said aggrievedly, "I don't know where to come from such a bastard. He opened his mouth to slander this concubine. I don't know him at all, and I don't know who I offended. I sent such a person deliberately to slander my concubine." .”
General Rong said a few words to comfort Mrs. Zhang, then glanced at the dying man on the stool, strode forward with a fierce face.
"Is it you who are slandering the general's wife?"
The man raised his eyes, "Caomin has seen the general, the general is not slandering, Caomin and Madam really have nothing to do with each other."
The man denied it categorically again. If the man insisted on his relationship with Mrs. Zhang, it would give people a false impression that it was unreal, but the man looked at Mrs. Zhang with such tenderness. A trace of resentment, more guilt.
This has to be suspicious.
General Rong frowned tightly, "If you don't know each other, why did you come to Rong's mansion to make trouble?"
The man smiled weakly, "General Mingjian, it was Cao Ming who identified the wrong person. Cao Min just happened to know a woman named Yuan'er, but she was definitely not Mrs. Cao Min found the wrong person."
Mrs. Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, but was even more angry, "Husband, this concubine is really innocent, how could I know such a man."
The man raised his eyes, a little disappointed, "Yes, I'm just a poor scholar, and I'm not worthy of marrying a wife and having children, so how could I know my wife?"
Zhang's eyes changed, and he pointed at the man and said, "You stole the maidservant's jade pendant and came here to slander my wife on purpose. Now that you admit your mistake, you want to dismiss me, and you don't even look at where this place is. You trample on it at will, keep beating me!"
General Rong didn't speak, and kept staring at the man. The man was beaten and passed out soon, his back was bright red.
"That's enough, since you admit your mistake, it's enough to teach you a lesson, drag it out and hand it over to the government."
General Rong was disturbed by Fang Tai's matter, and now this happened again, General Rong looked at Mrs. Zhang meaningfully, slightly displeased.
Mrs. Zhang was startled, knowing that General Rong must have annoyed her, and there is no such thing as a storm. Such a thing may not necessarily admit his mistake, but General Rong does not want to pursue it, or General Rong trusts Zhang.
The man was dragged away by the guards, and a ball of paper in his arms suddenly fell to the ground, just at General Rong's feet.
General Rong didn't intend to pick it up, but he still bent down to pick it up, Zhang's brows twitched, and an ominous premonition lingered in his heart, which could not be dispelled for a long time.
General Rong opened the ball of paper. It was an ordinary piece of white paper, but it was a bit worn out. When he opened it, General Rong's face was as black as charcoal, gloomy and frightening.
Mrs. Zhang followed her line of sight, and her mind exploded with a bang, "Husband, this must be a misunderstanding..."
A half-opened peony is painted on the paper ball, which is enchanting and eye-catching. The peony is only half, and the flower color is bright and lifelike.
If you look at it alone, it is an ordinary peony flower, but there is a birthmark on Zhang's chest, which looks exactly like a peony. Later, Zhang's mother asked someone to paint a half-open peony on Zhang's chest, and now there are two. For more than ten years, he has been with Zhang.
General Rong is also very fond of this enchanting blooming peony, and will cherish and love Mrs. Zhang very much every time.
Now being nakedly painted on paper, people have to think about it.
"Husband, this must be a coincidence." Mrs. Zhang hurriedly explained, why it happened to be Shaoyao, damn it!
Such a secret part was known by others, Zhang almost fainted out of anger, needless to say, after today, it will definitely cast a shadow on General Rong's heart.
Mrs. Zhang understands General Rong best, she is stubborn in her bones, just like Mrs. Liu back then, only a man came out of the room with disheveled clothes, and there was a maid in the room.
It just left a deep impression on General Rong. Since then, he has never touched Liu's family again, and has always wondered whether Rong Yue is the flesh and blood of the Rong family.
General Rong held the paper tightly with one hand, and a strong hostility emanated from his whole body, making people dare not take half a step closer.
The people around were all at a loss, they didn't understand what was going on, they saw General Rong throwing his sleeves away angrily, and Mrs. Zhang trotted all the way to follow.