Xiao Haitang finally squeezed forward, supported Madam Ji and comforted her, but was pushed down again.
Finally, two maids helped Madam Ji, who was crying so hard that she could not speak, to go in and have some rest.
After a while, a maid came out and said, "Madam/Miss Xiao, please go and rest first. The Madam said she wants to rest for a while and doesn't want to see anyone at this time."
"I'll stay here and keep the Madam company!" Mrs. Duan said softly.
"Madam, you should go and have a rest. It will be dinner time soon. After dinner, you can come and see Madam Tai."
The old woman said with a smile.
Mrs. Duan hesitated for a moment: "I'll stay a little longer!"
"Madam, with you here, the old lady is worried about your rest. Knowing that you are outside, she has to ask people to take care of you. And you know the old lady's temper. She may not want to see you at this time." said the old woman.
Madam Ji doesn't like Madam Duan, and everyone in the mansion knows it.
However, there are not many people in the inner courtyard now. Mrs. Duan is the widow of Ji Yongming and the mother of Xiao Ling Anbo. Even if Mrs. Ji has too many dissatisfactions, she can only suppress them. It was she who made the decision for Mrs. Duan in the beginning and gained some good reputation. It is even more impossible for her to really do anything to Mrs. Duan now.
But even if he couldn't do anything to Madam Duan openly, he still took many actions in secret and scolded Madam Duan many times.
Fortunately, Madam Duan was a maid before, so she could endure being ordered around by Madam Ji. If she were an ordinary lady from a noble family, even if she didn't dare to confront Madam Ji in person, she would probably cry her heart out when she returned to her room.
"How is Madam Ji now?" Madam Duan was silent for a moment, and seemed to be about to stand up, "I'll go in and see Madam Ji."
The old woman stretched out her hand and held Madam Duan, "Madam Duan, you know... Madam Tai doesn't want to see anyone at this time. The second master just made Madam Tai sad."
"Is the Madam okay?" Mrs. Duan was still worried. Although she didn't stand up, she didn't look like she was going to leave.
"Of course, the Madam will be fine. Madam Duan knows her temper. She has always been a broad-minded person. What the Second Master said just now and what people said outside... are too much. Madam Duan knows her temper. How could she do such a thing?"
The old woman tried to stop him and sighed.
"What happened back then...really has nothing to do with Madam Tai?" Madam Duan asked after a moment of silence.
The old woman slapped her thigh and said, "Madam Duan, how can you say such a thing? How can this matter be related to the Madam Dowager? How can the Madam Dowager decide what to do with the affairs of the Eastern Palace? Your words really hurt the Madam Dowager's heart. If the Madam Dowager knew, she would be very angry again."
"Madam Tai has already been irritated by the Second Master, Madam Duan...how could you do this!"
It seemed as if Mrs. Duan had said something extremely outrageous.
Xiao Haitang looked at Madam Duan, then looked at the old woman, and became thoughtful.
To the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion, she was an outsider, but to the Xiao family, she was actually closer than the people in the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion, and she was not completely ignorant of some things.
"How dare you! What did our madam say to make you reply like that?" The maid standing beside Madam Duan stepped forward and scolded her harshly.
"This old slave... This old slave didn't say anything. This old slave just couldn't bear to hear people talking about Madam Tai.
"Gossip, the Madam is already in such a difficult situation, why doesn't the mansion... forgive her, the Second Master... the Second Master is already like this..."
The old woman looked a little anxious, but she was actually not as flustered as her tone indicated; that is to say, her tone was consistent, but the reaction on her face was a little bland, making it seem more like she was acting.
The people around Madam Ji actually looked down on Madam Duan in the past because of Madam Ji, and they would not panic just because of a reprimand from the maid around Madam Duan.
These words were even more concealed, which made Mrs. Duan very uncomfortable.
"Madam, are you really okay?" Madam Duan snorted coldly, her face darkening. Although she was a maid before, she had been serving the madam for all this time, so she still had some aura.
The old woman was choked by her words and said unhappily, "Why does Madam Duan feel that Madam Tai is in trouble? Madam Tai just wants to be quiet and doesn't want to be disturbed. Madam Duan should go back, lest Madam Tai finds out and starts to talk back."
"Can you guarantee that the Madam will be fine? Otherwise, I will hold you accountable?" Madam Duan said word by word.
The old woman was really anxious this time: "Madam Duan, what you said, how can this matter have anything to do with me? Even if... I just served the Madam with all my heart, and now I want you to leave, it is also the Madam's intention. Could it be that Madam Duan wants to push all the things onto me and take on all the Madam's affairs? I am a servant, my shoulders are not that strong, and I can't bear such a big responsibility."
The old woman choked anxiously.
There was only one old woman like this, and she was a trusted old woman following the Madam Dowager. Although she looked weird in the past, she would never say such words.
Mrs. Duan sneered in her heart. Sure enough, the Princess of England guessed right.
Since she had already found out, she didn't plan to stay and stood up and said, "You take good care of the lady."
"Madam Duan, rest assured. I will do my best to take care of you and will never let anything happen to you. The things happening outside will eventually pass. You are a calm person and nothing will happen to you."
This was a repeated assurance that Madam Ji was fine, but even so, it made people more suspicious.
He looked at Xiao Haitang on the side and said, "Miss Xiao, will you come with me?"
"Yes!" Xiao Haitang responded obediently. Even Madam Duan couldn't do anything to the maids around Madam Ji, so what could she do? She was just a maid who had not yet married into the family.
Besides, even if she was married, she was still a new daughter-in-law. She couldn't make any waves even if she wanted to. She even regretted some things. The Ji Mansion was now... getting worse day by day...
The two men left one after another with their maids and old women.
Seeing the two people finally leave, the old woman breathed a sigh of relief, and respectfully sent them to the gate of the courtyard.
I looked up at the sky. It was still early. It was not the right time yet...
"Madam Duan, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first!" When they arrived outside the courtyard, Xiao Haitang bowed to Madam Duan. Now that she no longer had the support of the Xiao family, she was still respectful to Madam Duan. After all, she was not yet married and could not make any decisions in the Ling Anbo Mansion.
Therefore, the current Xiao Haitang and the previous Xiao Haitang looked very different when they met Mrs. Duan.
"Is there anything else?" Mrs. Duan stopped and asked a rare question.
"It's not a big deal, just some family matters. My family just sent someone over." Xiao Haitang said vaguely.
"Since there is something going on at home, then go back early. It's just..." Madam Duan paused here, then looked at Xiao Haitang and continued, "If something really happened, just tell us clearly. If the Ling Anbo Mansion can help, they will definitely help you."
This is because she was in some difficulty.
"Thank you, Madam Duan." Xiao Haitang said softly, watching Madam Duan leave with her maids and old women. She stood there for a while, looked left and right, and turned onto another road.
This road also leads to her residence. She had been very much liked by Mrs. Xiao in the past. Because there were not many masters and ladies in the Ling Anbo Mansion, Mrs. Xiao specially prepared a yard for her and asked her to come and sit from time to time.
This is a small path. Xiao Haitang would have walked along here in the past. But today, when they reached the next bend, Xiao Haitang asked everyone else to go back and left only a maid to go along another small path. This small path was specially pointed out to her when Xiao was here.
Taking this path, you can go around to the back door of Madam Ji's yard.
Xiao Haitang had not walked this road often, but she knew it. After walking around a few corners with her confidant, they finally appeared at the back door of Madam Ji's yard.
It was already getting dark and it was almost time for dinner. It was the time when the days were long and the sky was only slightly dark. It was not like in winter when it would be very late at the same time.
The back door was ajar. Xiao Haitang had someone open it secretly. She had followed the instructions of Princess Ying and had come to the Ling Anbo Mansion to accompany Madam Ji these days.
She didn't believe all of Princess Ying's words, but after thinking about it, she came to terms with it. On the one hand, she didn't dare to disobey Princess Ying's words, and on the other hand, she had to please Madam Ji. If it weren't for Madam Ji, she wouldn't be able to marry into the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion. Seeing that her cousin kept delaying, it didn't seem like he was sincere in wanting to marry her.
The Xiao family has hinted to the cousin more than once, but he still insists on doing what he wants. Everyone in the Xiao family is getting a little anxious.
If Madam Ji had not made the decision, this marriage might have been delayed.
The most important point is that Xiao Haitang can't make the bet. If something really happens to Madam Ji, what will she do? She is already old and can't stand it anymore. If it drags on for three years, should she still get married? What if her cousin changes his mind one day
With this in mind, Xiao Haitang's visit to the mansion was not without purpose. He would rather make such a wasted trip than just watch something happen.
Although she didn't believe her cousin would do such a thing, she still came as she was told, and came very carefully, fearing that there would be any mistake.
She also saw how Madam Duan and the old woman were talking just now. The more she watched, the more suspicious she became. This matter seemed a little strange. Could it be true
Stepping into the lady's courtyard from the back door, Xiao Haitang became more cautious. She was not yet a member of the Ji Mansion. If someone discovered her, it would be bad and difficult to explain.
But even so, she had to make this trip...
When they arrived at the back window of the main house, Xiao Haitang and the maid hid under the window. The window was slightly open but not tightly closed, and they could vaguely hear words from inside. It was the two old women talking.
"How's it going? Are you leaving?"
"Don't worry, he's already gone. I've specially asked someone to keep an eye on him. If he comes back, someone will report it."
"Is the Madam asleep?"