As soon as Ling Chuchu finished speaking, Ling Qingwan noticed that the princess's face was gloomy and frighteningly dark. Looking at the side, Old Madam Ling was hesitant to speak, feeling very uncomfortable. Ling Qingwan lowered her head and hid the smile in her eyes.
The prince and princess had a daughter in their old age, and they doted on An Yi. Ling Chuchu's words just now not only implied that An Yi was unreasonable, but also completely cleared her mind of the matter of An Yi falling into the lake, which was extremely ugly. Blaming her own daughter in front of the princess, I don't know whether to say Ling Chuchu is mean or stupid.
The princess was not a dull person, so she could tell right from wrong. If she hadn't known it in her heart, she wouldn't have come in person to ask for an explanation for the sake of the two governments' face.
Now Ling Chuchu will feel bad.
"Princess, my eldest granddaughter..."
"Miss Ling means that my An Yi fell into the lake because of her own fault. She deserves it, right?"
Before Madam Ling finished her words, she was interrupted by the princess. She stared at Ling Chuchu, her anger evident in her words.
Ling Chuchu was shocked and at a loss for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
"Princess, my eldest granddaughter was very abrupt. She got anxious when she saw you and said the wrong thing. Don't take it to heart." Old Madam Ling spoke up to smooth things over for Ling Chuchu.
"A girl of sixteen or seventeen should be sensible enough." The princess was angry and refused to give face to Madam Ling.
Ling Chuchu realized that she had gotten into trouble and fell to her knees with a plop.
"Princess, I can't speak. I hope you can forgive me for making you angry. I'm not blaming the princess. It's just that since Princess asked, I told you the truth about what happened that day. I haven't thought about it before."
Ling Chuchu still didn't want to admit that she was wrong. She lowered her head, and her expression couldn't be seen clearly.
But given Ling Chuchu's temperament, I'm afraid she wouldn't really be willing to do that.
"It's just the beginning of spring, and An Yi is a delicate woman. How could she bear falling into the lake in such a cold weather? Now she has caught a cold and is bedridden. I came to seek justice for her, but you, a junior, secretly accused me of being wrong. Ling Chuchu, do you really think that I will easily forgive you just because your grandmother dotes on you?"
The princess was extremely angry and criticized Ling Chuchu harshly.
Seeing that the situation was not going well, Madam Ling wanted to persuade the princess to calm down. Unexpectedly, the more she intervened, the more the princess felt that she favored Ling Chuchu. In the end, the more she explained, the worse it got, and Ling Chuchu was pushed to a dead end.
"Since the Ling family can't discipline Miss Ling, I will use the family rules of the Prince's Mansion to educate you on behalf of your grandmother and your father." The Prince's wife snorted coldly.
After that, she looked up and told the maid she had brought to the door. The maid responded and pulled out a long whip from her waist.
Seeing the long whip, Ling Chuchu turned pale with fright.
"Princess, calm down!"
Just as the nanny raised her hand, the whip was only a few inches away from falling on Ling Chuchu. Ling Qingwan suddenly spoke up, interrupting the nanny's actions.
Immediately afterwards, Ling Qingwan knelt down and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ling Chuchu.
"The princess came to the mansion to accompany me that day. The two of them had an argument, and I failed to stop them in time, which led to a disaster. My elder sister and I were both at fault for the princess falling into the lake. You severely punished my elder sister today, but did not touch me at all. I am grateful for your trust in me and will remember it in my heart. But if it gets out, I am afraid you will be charged with bullying. I also deserve this whipping. Please, Princess, let me be punished with the same crime as my elder sister!"
Ling Qingwan spoke sincerely. After she finished speaking, she pursed her lips tightly, her face extremely determined.
Old Madam Ling struck while the iron was hot and spoke up for Ling Qingwan, simply persuading the princess to spare the two of them.
"Forget it, leave." The princess hesitated for a moment and told Nanny Qiu to leave.
Seeing Nanny Qiu put away the whip, Ling Chuchu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The princess was too lazy to deal with them any longer, so she told Madam Ling to discipline the younger generation and left the room.
"Grandma." Ling Chuchu didn't even bother to brush off the dust on her body, and greeted Old Madam Ling with a wronged look on her face.
Madam Ling's face was filled with anger, and she glared at Ling Chuchu with reproach.
"Grandma, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to Iris Pavilion first." Ling Qingwan bowed slightly to Old Madam Ling. After saying hello, she turned around and followed her out of the room.
Old Madam Ling did not stop her, but just watched Ling Qingwan's leaving back, her eyes gradually softening.
"I don't know why she's so arrogant." Ling Chuchu couldn't stand Ling Qingwan and muttered to herself.
"You still say that. If Ling Qingwan hadn't helped to plead with the princess today, you wouldn't have been able to endure those whippings." Mrs. Ling was helpless, with a look of disappointment.
"It wasn't my fault in the first place. I didn't deserve those whippings. It was the princess who was unreasonable. When she saw her daughter was injured, she bit anyone she could find without knowing the truth. Her daughter is precious, and I am precious too. Would she be happy only if I fell into the lake?"
Ling Chuchu was stubborn and unwilling to give in. An Yi badmouthed her in front of her, and even the princess criticized her. The more Ling Chuchu thought about it, the angrier she got, and she was even more unwilling to bow to the two of them.
"But that's the prince's consort, and the person you're pushing is the princess! Not to mention you, even your father has to bow and greet when he sees the princess. Things are different now, and you, the eldest daughter of a marquisate, should put down your airs." Seeing that her words were not making sense, Madam Ling got angry and her voice became higher.
"I… "
"Forget it." Madam Ling waved her hand. "I have a headache, so I'm going to go back and rest for a while. Don't just think about playing, reflect on yourself. I won't tell your father about this matter."
After saying that, Nanny Zhang helped Madam Ling to stand up, then turned around and went behind the screen.
Ling Chuchu called out from behind, but Madam Ling did not respond, and she stomped her feet in anger.
Along the way, Old Madam Ling was thinking about what had just happened.
"The disputes among the younger generations will be handled by themselves. If the princess insists on seeking an explanation, Madam could have turned a blind eye and not interfere." Aunt Zhang saw that Madam Ling was hiding something on her mind and said softly.
"There are several households in the backyard, but Chuchu has the most difficult life. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up under the care of others in the big house. I feel sorry for her and take good care of her. Over the years, I have developed a deeper affection for her. If I don't help her when she is in danger, I will feel guilty."
Madam Ling said this and shook her head helplessly.
"Madam, you are kind-hearted. I understand that." Aunt Zhang lowered her eyebrows and looked at her in a submissive manner. She carefully comforted Madam Ling while supporting her. "Today, we have to thank the second young lady for smoothing things over in time and avoiding the punishment of the eldest young lady."
When Ling Qingwan was mentioned, Madam Ling's expression changed.
"That girl is very clever, but her heart is not on my side. The smarter she is, the more of a threat she is to the Ling family. You know how the Ling family fell to this point."
It was because Ling Qingwan filed a complaint and exposed the fact that Ling Feng was hiding the daughter of a guilty minister that the Ling family was defeated.