Nanny Qiu did not expect Ling Qingwan to have this reaction. She was stunned at first, then she frowned and glared at Ling Qingwan fiercely.
"Just because He Xiaoguojiu died, I can't sleep well. What's the reason?" Ling Qingwan was like hearing a funny joke. The queen had expected that Wei Xun's killing of He An was related to her.
This was enough to prove that the Queen had been keeping an eye on her. If she was just a young lady in the Ling Mansion, the Queen would not have noticed her. The most likely possibility was that it came from Song Zhiqing.
Although Song Zhiqing hadn't appeared for a few days, Ling Qingwan still remembered him. In his previous life, he was a troublemaker, and in this life, he would probably be a troublemaker. Ling Qingwan felt a headache when she thought of how Song Zhiqing had pestered her many times before.
But the Queen treated her son like a treasure and thought that others valued him. Ling Qingwan sneered.
"Miss Ling, do you really not understand, or are you pretending to be confused? Otherwise, let me remind you that the death of Uncle He is related to you?" Nanny Qiu snorted coldly, looking at Ling Qingwan with contempt.
"Whether it has anything to do with me or not, the Ministry of Justice will naturally investigate it. If it really has something to do with me, I will admit it openly and will not hide it. But now even the Seventh Prince has not explained why he wanted to kill Uncle He, and you rushed into the General's Mansion so abruptly and threw this dirty water on me with such certainty. Is it against etiquette? Or does the Queen not believe in the ability of the Ministry of Justice and want to intervene in this matter?"
The harem does not discuss state affairs. This is the rule of Dai Viet. No concubine in history has ever broken this rule. Ling Qingwan said this. If Aunt Qiu insisted on making a fuss, it would be confirmed that the queen was interfering in state affairs. According to the rules, she would be punished.
After hearing this, Aunt Qiu looked embarrassed. She had never thought that she had been in the palace for decades and had seen all kinds of people, but she would fall into the hands of a yellow-haired girl.
Looking at Ling Qingwan again, although she was thin, she had an upright figure and a sense of pride, looking like someone who was not easy to mess with. She stood straight in front of Aunt Qiu, and her arrogance was almost overwhelming.
"I am a rough man and I don't understand these things. I only know to follow the Queen's order and teach Miss Ling some rules. Don't do anything to seduce others, disrupt the court order, and cause the Seventh Prince to kill even the court officials."
Aunt Qiu raised her head slightly, ignored Ling Qingwan's words, turned her head and glanced at the guards behind her. Several guards came forward and pretended to grab Ling Qingwan.
"This is General Shen's territory. You have captured General Shen's granddaughter. When the general comes back, you will be in trouble." Nanny Park was anxious. She couldn't bear to see her own young lady being bullied, so she rushed forward and protected Ling Qingwan behind her.
Nanny Qiu made up her mind. After Nanny Park finished speaking, she signaled with her eyes, and the guard received the instruction and kicked Nanny Park hard.
"Ah!" Nanny Park lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground, about two or three meters away.
"Madame Park!" Ling Qingwan was shocked when she saw that Madame Park was injured.
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards came forward again, trying to grab Ling Qingwan. Ling Qingwan was quick-witted and took the hairpin from her hair and put it against her neck.
Several guards were terrified and stopped where they were, hesitating back and forth, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.
"I am the daughter of the general's mansion, the most beloved granddaughter of the general who guards the country. I have lived a clean life, but you have tarnished it. If you dare to touch me today, I will end my life and die wisely."
Ling Qingwan had a firm expression, one hand tightly grasping the hairpin, and spoke to the people in front of her in a decisive manner.
Mingyue was away, and there was still some time before the morning court ended and Shen Chengzhou rushed back to the general's mansion. If Nanny Qiu insisted on sending someone to beat her up, she would have no chance of fighting back. After pondering for a moment, Ling Qingwan decided not to suffer a loss and find a way to expel Nanny Qiu and others from the general's mansion first.
"You..." Aunt Qiu turned pale with anger.
The Queen only asked her to teach Ling Qingwan a lesson, and she didn't say she wanted Ling Qingwan's life. Aunt Qiu was not a fool, and she could weigh the importance of the matter clearly. If Ling Qingwan died because of her coercion, the Queen would also be to blame.
Even if she had a hundred courages, she would not dare to get into trouble and implicate her master.
"Go away." Ling Qingwan said in a dull voice. Although her tone seemed calm, she used all her strength.
Seeing that Nanny Qiu did not move, Ling Qingwan pressed the hairpin against her neck a little harder, and blood appeared on her fair skin.
"Miss!" Madam Park looked at her with a knot in her heart. She wanted to stop it, but her whole body ached and she struggled for a few times but couldn't move.
Madam Park was already old, and the guard kicked her with great force, causing her to fall against the pillar behind her, hitting her back and making all the bones in her body feel like they were broken.
"Let's go." Aunt Qiu had no choice but to leave.
"Wait."
Ling Qingwan suddenly called out to Nanny Qiu.
"Leave these guards behind." Ling Qingwan glanced behind Nanny Qiu.
"That's impossible!" Nanny Qiu refused without hesitation.
She brought seven guards with her when she came, and left without taking anyone with her. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that she had been humiliated in front of Ling Qingwan. Ling Qingwan was not trying to offend her, but was clearly going against the Queen.
"Then Madam Qiu can just take my body back and report back." Ling Qingwan said coldly.
Seeing Ling Qingwan's fearless look, Nanny Qiu's heart trembled. After hesitating for a moment, she had no choice but to agree and left the general's mansion alone.
Let's not talk about whether Ling Qingwan really has the courage to hang herself. If the news gets out, it will be against the reputation of the queen. Aunt Qiu is a smart person. Ling Qingwan's behavior of holding the hairpin against her neck seems absurd, but in fact it is very useful to Aunt Qiu.
Having lived for so many years, Nanny Qiu didn't want to offend the Queen at this critical juncture.
As soon as Nanny Qiu left, Ling Qingwan quickly threw away the hairpin and rushed to squat in front of Nanny Park.
"What are you standing there for? Call a doctor!" Ling Qingwan was very anxious and urged the housekeeper.
The butler agreed and disappeared in a flash.
"Madame Park, are you okay?" Ling Qingwan felt a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Miss, don't cry. I'm fine. It's really tiring for me to make you worry." Nanny Pu was injured herself, but she was still worried about Ling Qingwan's mood.
When she said this, Ling Qingwan felt even more guilty.
In her previous life, Nanny Park died to protect her. In this life, she clearly promised to protect the people around her. But in the end, Nanny Park was still injured.
Soon the doctor arrived, and at the same time, Shen Chengzhou and Ling Xiao also returned to the general's mansion. Upon learning about this, they were both furious and clamored to go to the palace to ask the queen for an explanation.
"Grandfather, brother, don't be impulsive. After all, Aunt Qiu is someone close to the Queen, so we can't do anything about her right now." Ling Qingwan was helpless. She was being bullied, and she had to comfort two grown men.
"So what if it's the Empress? The plaque at the gate was given by the late Emperor himself. When will it be her turn to come and go as she pleases in my General's Mansion?"