This old woman was Qin Mama, the steward of the manor's kitchen, and a former lackey of Concubine Liu.
However, since Leng Jinyu returned to the manor, this Qin Mama had been quiet for a while. If she hadn't been caught eavesdropping today, Leng Ruoli wouldn't have remembered that such a person existed in General Leng's manor.
At this moment, Qin Mama was forced to kneel on the ground by two guards, trembling as she said, "This old servant pays respects to His Highness the King, the King's Consort, and the Great General!"
"Qin Mama, why are you climbing outside my wall instead of being busy in the main kitchen?" Leng Ruoli asked sharply.
"Uh... uh, this old servant... this old servant came to see if the Consort needed anything?" Qin Mama stammered nervously.
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruoli smiled, "Qin Mama, why are you so diligent today?"
"Serving the masters well is this old servant's duty," Qin Mama replied obsequiously.
"Come on, this King's Consort knows your character best. You're a complete turncoat. Tell me honestly, why were you climbing outside my wall eavesdropping on our conversation just now?"
Leng Ruoli's apricot eyes swept over Qin Mama coldly, her face like carved ice.
This made Qin Mama shiver.
"This old servant... this old servant really came to see if the masters needed anything?" Qin Mama was still trying to quibble.
"Then why didn't you just walk in from the courtyard gate?" Leng Ruoli asked again.
"This old servant... this old servant..."
Qin Mama stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with an excuse for Leng Ruoli.
"Alright, just honestly tell us who instructed you to come and eavesdrop on our conversation."
Leng Ruoli narrowed her apricot eyes, a coldness covering her face. Her eyes were instantly sharp and murderous, making one's blood run cold.
Qin Mama sensed she was in danger, and her plump body, kneeling on the ground, trembled incessantly. The air was suddenly filled with a pungent smell of urine. Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan immediately covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves.
"Damn it!"
Leng Ruoli inwardly cursed angrily.
This Qin Mama was too disgusting!
"Since you're unwilling to tell the truth, Ye Ying, drag Qin Mama down and torture her. Use the zàn xíng (ancient torture of clamping fingers)." Leng Ruoli said, intentionally trying to scare Qin Mama.
As soon as she spoke, Qin Mama's face turned pale with fright, and she immediately pleaded with Leng Ruoli, "Consort, please spare this old servant! This old servant will tell, this old servant will tell the truth... It was... it was Concubine Liu's maid, Aman. Early this morning, she sneaked into the manor and came to the main kitchen to find this old servant. She gave me a golden hairpin and told me to keep an eye on everything happening in General Leng's manor. I was blinded by greed at the time and agreed to her request."
"But when this old servant returned from buying ingredients this noon, I heard the cooks and kitchen staff say that the King's Consort Leng brought two young maids to the main kitchen and took a lot of ingredients to cook for His Highness the King and the Great General at Mingyue Courtyard. I instantly thought this was a good opportunity to gather information for Concubine Liu. If I could hear some important news, perhaps I could even use it to threaten Concubine Liu and make a good profit."
Qin Mama had planned it all perfectly, but now she regretted it. Not only did she fail to get any information, but she was caught by Leng Ruoli and the others. She might even lose her position as the kitchen steward.
After Qin Mama finished speaking, Leng Jinyu, who was usually good-tempered, was furious.
"Qin Mama, over ten years ago, when there was a drought in your hometown, you brought your two children to the capital to beg. We happened to be returning to the city from an outing outside the city, and met you. At that time, to get a bite to eat, you immediately knelt down when you saw us. Wan'er took pity on you and your orphaned children, and gave you two taels of silver to buy food. A few days later, we encountered you being bullied again, and Wan'er rescued you and found you a job. Honestly, my wife and I treated you well, didn't we? But later, when Wan'er passed away and I was not in the manor, you were actually exploited by Liu Ruyi, who got you into General Leng's manor, made you the steward of my kitchen, and colluded with Liu Ruyi to bully my Li'er. Have you truly sold your conscience to dogs?"
Leng Jinyu scolded Qin Mama.
Leng Ruoli was stunned. She never expected Qin Mama to have such a history with Leng Jinyu and Xia Wan'er.
Upon hearing Leng Jinyu's words, Qin Mama burst into tears and slapped her own fat face frantically.
"Great General, and the late Madam Wan'er, this old servant truly is sorry to you. This old servant is not human, this old servant deserves to die..."
As Qin Mama recalled the miserable situation back then, she was filled with remorse. Yes, if she hadn't met Madam Wan'er back then, their family of three would have starved to death on the streets of the capital. They wouldn't be living so comfortably now, having put on so much weight. The current outcome was ultimately due to her own ingratitude.
"Alas, Li'er, since she has repented in time and hasn't heard anything important from us, let's spare her life and just expel her from General Leng's manor." Leng Jinyu sighed.
"Yes, Father!"
Leng Ruoli nodded. In fact, this Qin Mama had been quite kind to Leng Ruoli at first, even giving her hot steamed buns. But later, she gradually became greedy and often reported on Leng Ruoli to Concubine Liu, causing Leng Ruoli to suffer humiliation frequently.
"Ye Ying, escort Qin Mama out of General Leng's manor."
"Yes, Consort."
Ye Ying bowed respectfully.
Qin Mama also kowtowed three times to Leng Jinyu and Leng Ruoli, thanking them for sparing her life. She then stumbled to her feet and walked towards the courtyard gate.
At this moment, Ye Yi, whom Leng Ruoli had sent to follow Liu Ruyi and Aman, also returned.
"Consort, your subordinate has located Liu Ruyi's residence. Shall we..."
Ye Yi said, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"We cannot kill Liu Ruyi! She still holds an important secret that has not been revealed. Let's spare her life for now," Leng Jinyu interrupted with a frown.
As soon as he spoke, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan looked at Leng Jinyu with confusion.
"Father, what exactly is Liu Ruyi's secret?"
Leng Jinyu sighed deeply.
He knew they would be curious, but if even half of this matter were leaked, it would immediately cause turmoil in the court of Tianwu Kingdom. Therefore, no one could speak of it for now, not even his daughter and Jun Mohan.
"As for what the secret is, you two don't need to ask. When the time is right, you will naturally know," Leng Jinyu said faintly to Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan.
Knowing that Leng Jinyu was unwilling to reveal the secret, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan stopped pressing him and instead invited Ye Yi to sit down and eat hot pot.