The maid Song Yan stood beside Mrs. Liu. After hearing the words, she immediately stepped forward, helped Wen Qingzhu up, and took her to sit on the empty seat at the top.
"Miss Seventh, please take care of yourself." Song Yan was very smart and heard the old lady's deep meaning, and sat on the seat facing her.
Seeing this, Wen Qinglan couldn't sit still and couldn't help but said: "Grandma! Wen Qingzhu—"
Before she finished speaking, Aunt Wu's expression changed.
She immediately stood up and pulled Wen Qinglan to kneel on the ground to plead guilty: "My concubine taught me poorly and is willing to accept the punishment. I also ask the old lady to punish Qinglan lightly."
Ms. Liu glanced at them expressionlessly and said solemnly: "This Chunbi belongs to the seventh girl, but it was the fourth girl who brought her in. Please explain, how do you explain it?"
Aunt Wu knelt on the ground, sweating all over her body.
Wen Qinglan hid the matter from her and brought it to the attention of the old lady, so she had no choice but to explain.
"This Chunbi has been serving in the west courtyard for a while. Qinglan thinks she is a nice person. This time she went out, Chunbi was wronged. Qinglan can't bear that Chunbi's life will be ruined. It is wrong to disturb the old lady. This matter , let me take it back to Yanyuan to deal with it."
In a few words, she said all the good things.
Although Mrs. Liu doesn't care much about Yan Yuan's affairs, she attaches great importance to rules.
Wen Qinglan, a concubine, blatantly ignored her as a grandmother, which really broke the rules.
"Since we've caused a disturbance, let's deal with it here." Ms. Liu looked away, looked at Wen Qingzhu and asked, "Qi Yatou, tell me, what's going on?"
Wen Qingzhu repeated it carefully according to what the guest house said before.
"You and Master Huixin were discussing Taoism in Meiyuan?" Mrs. Liu was surprised after hearing this.
"Yes, after my granddaughter discovered that the hairpin was missing and Chunbi was not there, she went out to look for it and happened to meet Master Huixin admiring plum blossoms." Wen Qingzhu behaved very humbly and obediently.
Mrs. Liu thought to herself that there were not many masters of this Hui generation.
Although she had never heard of Huixin, the people at Fengguo Temple definitely did not know Wen Qingzhu. After all, it was only her second time to go to Fengguo Temple.
After thinking for a while, Mrs. Liu made a decision: "Mother Sun! Send someone to search Chunbi's room!"
Hearing this, everyone present had different expressions.
The old lady didn't like Mr. Lu, and she also disliked Wen Qingzhu.
Mrs. Lu had not been pregnant for three years, so she took advantage of Wen San's absence and forced Mrs. Lu to take the decision and accept Mrs. Wu as a concubine for Wen San.
Therefore, Mr. Wu was still a bit thin-faced in front of the old lady.
Today, the old lady went out of her way and decided to make the decision for Wen Qingzhu.
In less than half an hour, Grandma Sun came back with someone.
She held a baggage in her hand, and when she unfolded it, she found that there were eighteen kinds of gold hairpins, jade hairpins, and necklace bracelets in neither new nor old styles.
Not even the Wu family has eight such pieces of jewelry, let alone Chunbi, a maid who was assigned halfway.
It is clear at a glance what is going on.
Aunt Wu immediately kowtowed and apologized: "My maid is not strict in discipline, please punish me, Madam."
Wen Qinglan, who was kneeling next to her, was unwilling to give in. Before she could raise her head, she was pinched hard by Aunt Wu.
Mrs. Liu was very satisfied with Aunt Wu's obedience, nodded slightly, and dismissed Mrs. Wu lightly.
Chunbi was beaten twenty times and then sold for twenty taels of silver.
Aunt Wu was not strict in her discipline and was punished for a month. Wen Qinglan was not able to recognize people well and was grounded for ten days.
After everyone retreated, Mrs. Liu left Wen Qingzhu alone and asked carefully about Master Huixin's situation.
Naturally, Wen Qingzhu would not tell her the truth, but only told her about Huixin's talent and knowledge.
After being disappointed, Mrs. Liu waved them away.
Back in the east courtyard of Yanyuan, Wen Qingzhu had just walked into the courtyard when he saw a little maid running out of the house.
When she saw her, the little maid put her hands behind her back, turned around and ran to the side room.
"Stop!" Lu Tao shouted sharply and chased after him in a few steps.
The little maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Miss! I didn't do anything!"
"Hand over what you have in your hands!" Wen Qingzhu looked indifferent.
Lu Tao was shocked: "You stole something again!"
Pressing the little maid's shoulders, Lu Tao took out a bunch of keys from her sleeve.
"How dare you steal the key to the master's cage! Today, you and Chunbi will be sold together!" Lu Tao's face turned red with anger and he slapped the little maid in the face.
The little maid kowtowed and begged for mercy, crying and explaining: "It's none of my business! Sister Ruyun asked me to steal it!"
After a few bang bang bangs, the little maid's head was bruised and bleeding.
"It turned out to be someone from Tingqinxuan!" Lu Tao was shocked.
Wen Qingzhu also frowned, Ruyun was the maid next to Aunt Yue.
In her memory, Aunt Yue has always been very low-key.
Although she had some means, since the death of her mother Lu, Aunt Yue had been suppressed by Aunt Wu and could not hold her head up.
Until she got married, Aunt Yue seemed to have never turned over.
"Xi'er, it's okay." Wen Qingzhu gently helped the little maid up, and then led her into the house.
After asking Lu Tao to get the medicine box, Wen Qingzhu treated her wounds himself.
Xi'er's face was filled with fear. She was just a third-class maid who was sold into the Wen Mansion two years ago.
Because he didn't know anyone and wasn't very clever, he was sent to Wen Qingzhu.
"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you. Since Ruyun asked you to steal the key, you can find her later and tell her that you didn't steal it."
Wen Qingzhu comforted her very gently. After all, she was just a teenage girl.
"Miss!" Lu Tao beside him couldn't stand it anymore.
Wen Qingzhu shook his head and motioned to Lu Tao not to interfere.
Then, she comforted Xi'er with a few words.
Miraculously, Xi'er gradually calmed down.
After staring at Wen Qingzhu for a long time, Xi'er said calmly: "Young lady, do you really not blame me?"
"No wonder, it's because I'm not favored and I'm causing trouble for you servants." Wen Qingzhu knew his situation very well and didn't blame anyone.
"Okay, I will go find Sister Ruyun tonight." Xi'er was still a little scared, but she was getting better.
After Xi'er left, Lu Tao asked: "A slave girl like this who eats the inside and outside of the house should be sold! Why did the lady stop the slave? And gave her medicine!?"
Wen Qingzhu smiled and said, "Go to the kitchen to get dinner first. I'm hungry."
Lu Tao wanted to say something else, but seeing that it was getting late, he went anyway.
When Lu Tao left, the smile on Wen Qingzhu's face faded and became frosty.
If she remembered correctly, this bunch of keys ended up in Aunt Wu's hands.
A quarter of an hour later, Green Tao came back with a spring breeze on his face.
Putting the food box on the table, Lu Tao put out a meat dish, a vegetable dish and a soup.
"Miss! Those snobbish people in the kitchen have figured it out today. They finally know that the lady is the legitimate lady of the house!"
A trace of indifference flashed in Wen Qingzhu's eyes, and then he waved: "You should also sit down and eat together."