The child was immediately taken into the house by Feng Jinlin. Zhu Jin and Yue Gui, who served Wen Shi, hurried forward to help change the child into clean clothes, and the household physician rushed in with his medicine chest.
Linlang Yiniang let out a roar and tried to rush inside, but was held down by three or four wet nurses, unable to move.
Without her dagger, she was like a plucked chicken without claws, at the mercy of others!
"You... give me back the child! Give him back to me!"
Feng Jinyao watched the frenzied Linlang Yiniang with cold eyes and said indifferently, "This is a child of our Feng family. Why should I give him back to you? You are merely a concubine."
"I am his birth mother, his birth mother! Only I will not harm him! Third Miss..." Linlang Yiniang shouted and tried to rush towards Feng Jinyao. Yun Xu and La Mei shielded her from the sides, afraid that she would actually collide with Feng Jinyao, which would be troublesome.
Wen Shi remained unmoved by her struggles. She had seen too many such melodramatic scenes in the past. Her repeated softness had only resulted in herself and her children being ignored and bullied.
After she ordered Qiu Yue to be beaten to death last time, there was no possibility of reconciliation between her and Linlang Yiniang. Rather than letting her cling to the matter endlessly, it was better to completely cut off her only way out in the inner courtyard this time.
Zhu Jin walked out of the room and said to Wen Shi.
"Second young master choked on water and was frozen in the courtyard for a while. He has a fever now. The household physician said he needs good care to recuperate and rest."
Wen Shi nodded, glanced at Feng Yunhe beside her, reached out to touch his forehead, and smiled at him. Feng Yunhe quickly understood his mother's meaning. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he agreed.
"Move Second young master to the adjacent room. I will personally take care of him."
"Yes!"
"How dare you! You are trying to kill my son! Third Miss, you must not hand Yunli over to that poisonous woman Wen Shi! It was she who colluded with her son to harm Yunli and make him fall into the water. If the child is handed over to her, Yunli will surely die!"
Linlang Yiniang was absolutely certain, her tone full of confrontation towards Wen Shi.
With one "bitch" and one "poisonous woman" after another, Feng Jinyao's eyes grew cold.
However, Wen Shi was not weak this time. She immediately ordered two young servants to be brought forward.
These two servants were Feng Yunli's attendants and were personally chosen by Linlang Yiniang, naturally trusted confidantes.
Seeing them brought forward, a flicker of hope ignited in Linlang Yiniang's eyes. "Quick, tell Third Miss how Yunli fell into the pond!"
She desperately hoped that their testimony would bring down Wen Shi. This way, she could clear her name, return to the master's side, and be the beloved concubine she once was.
The two servants exchanged glances, not daring to meet Linlang Yiniang's eyes. Instead, they trembled and glanced at Wen Shi, their hearts in a panic.
She stood tall in the corridor, saying nothing, and her gaze towards them was not oppressive. Yet, it was this cold expression that made the two servants break out in a cold sweat.
One of them gritted his teeth and said, "Second young master himself wanted to go ice fishing and asked us to chisel a hole. Who knew... who knew he lost his footing and fell in. Madam, it's really not our fault. It was Second young master's idea!"
The other echoed in agreement. The two were afraid of being implicated and pushed all the blame onto Feng Yunli. After all, he was unconscious at the moment and had no way to argue.
Linlang Yiniang's eyes widened. She had expected them to reveal the "truth," but instead, they turned on her on the spot.
The wet nurse holding her momentarily let go, and she broke free. With two slaps, she struck the servant's face, her long nails even scratching his face, drawing blood. The servant cried out in pain, holding his face, and the wet nurses swarmed forward, binding Linlang Yiniang.
Her hands were tied behind her back, her clothes were covered in dirt, and she had lost her former delicate beauty, exuding a trace of despondency. She glared fiercely at Wen Shi, "You poisonous woman, you actually bribed the servants by Yunli's side. No wonder he fell into the pond. I will definitely report this to the master today and let him see your true colors. With a vixen sleeping by your side, you'll probably be startled awake in the middle of the night."
"Audacious! A mere concubine dares to disrespect her superior!" Zhu Jin had endured this for a long time. Seeing her continuously insulting the Madam, she finally couldn't hold back and spoke, only to be stopped by Wen Shi.
"Are you finished speaking?"
"Hmph, what is there to say to a poisonous woman like you!"
"Good. If that's the case, then tie her up and send her to the manor. Once Yunli wakes up, the truth will be revealed. If he truly fell into the pond by himself, then don't blame me for not showing leniency for our past relationship. I will immediately write a formal complaint and send you to Ying Tian Prefecture! I want to see which family's concubine in Dongdu City dares to speak such wild words, calling someone a murderer and a bitch, a poisonous woman!"
Her tone was light, but the words she uttered made Linlang feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
All she wanted was to gain the master's sympathy by using the child's plight and push Wen Shi back to her former position of disfavor. She never expected that in just a few days, Wen Shi would undergo such a transformation, leaving her at a loss.
"My elder brother is coming to Dongdu City soon. He has been favored by a noble official and will soon be an official in the capital. I am an official's wife, you cannot treat me as you please!"
Linlang Yiniang clung to this point, shouting as if to bolster her courage.
Unfortunately, Wen Shi was no longer as weak as before. Hearing her words, she couldn't help but chuckle, "You are a woman of slave status. Can't I, as the mistress of the household, handle you? What if you are an official's wife? Can you defy the laws of our dynasty?"
The mocking smile on Wen Shi's lips made Linlang Yiniang completely lose her support, and she slumped to the ground.
Her eyes were vacant, and the defiance was gone. "No, no, my brother said that when he returns, I will have a backer. You cannot treat me like this."
Wen Shi had no intention of arguing with her further. She ordered her mouth to be gagged and sent to the manor outside the city by carriage.
The two servants who had been by Yunli's side were relieved that they had not spoken nonsense, otherwise, their fate would have been no better than Linlang Yiniang's.
Feng Jinyao had no objections to the way her sister-in-law, Wen Shi, handled the situation.
For a mistress of the household, when decisive action is needed, one must not be soft-hearted. Managing subordinates cannot be achieved by simply being easy to talk to.
Compared to Linlang Yiniang's punishment, she was more concerned about Yunli's health.
Wen Shi entered the room first, followed by Feng Jinyao and Feng Yunhe.
As Feng Jinyao was about to step inside, Feng Yunhe tugged at her sleeve. Looking up at her, his eyes held both worry and fear.
"Aunt, it wasn't me."