Chapter 282: Chapter 282: Covering Up
Third Madam married into the Duke Mansion for so many years, and the Old Madam had never spoken such harsh words to her.
She was truly angry.
Never seen such a foolish woman.
Being foolish was tolerable, but being jealous as well!
Third Madam got up from the ground, and the Old Madam took a deep breath and said, "Go find the Eldest Young Madam and buy another pill back."
"Isn’t that pill useless?" Third Madam asked.
"The useless one is you!" the Old Madam scolded.
Third Madam’s face stiffened, and she bit her lips in anger.
After leaving the room, she sent a maid to the Agarwood Pavilion.
Seeing the maid enter, the maids and old women of the Agarwood Pavilion looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
The Eldest Young Madam’s maid had said that any maid from the South Courtyard should be chased out with a broom.
It hadn’t been a quarter of an hour since those words were spoken, and the maid from the South Courtyard had already come. Were they really going to use a broom to drive them away?
They had never done anything so rude before.
The maids dared not act, and the maid from the South Courtyard asked, "Where is the Eldest Young Madam?"
"In the backyard," the young maid replied.
The maid from the South Courtyard walked toward the threshold and said, "Madam sent me to find the Eldest Young Madam."
The young maid quickly went to the backyard to deliver the message.
Upon hearing it, Xingxing’s face turned sour, "Didn’t I say that no matter who it is from the South Courtyard, they should be chased away?"
"Really—do we really have to chase them away?" the young maid’s voice trembled.
"Go quickly, whoever dares disobey, I’ll whip her!" Xingxing said ferociously.
When the maid and old women from the South Courtyard used the broom to chase them, did anyone hesitate?
Their only wish was to beat them thoroughly!
The maids and old women of the Agarwood Pavilion hesitated to chase the maids from the South Courtyard, which was a disgrace to their own girl!
Xingxing, feeling uneasy, raised her foot and walked out.
As she expected, the maids and old women dared not act.
But as soon as they saw her, they gained courage and brandished their brooms toward the maids from the South Courtyard, hitting them brutally.
The maids’ screams were unending.
The maid fled all the way back.
The maids and old women of the Agarwood Pavilion each wielded a broom, and those without one took a stick. If she wasn’t beaten to death, it was only because she ran fast.
The maid, with her hair in disarray and covered in injuries, cried as she returned to the South Courtyard.
Seeing Third Madam, she knelt down with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably.
Third Madam was first startled, then became furious.
"Was it the people of Agarwood Pavilion who beat you?!" she asked through gritted teeth.
"I hadn’t even seen the Eldest Young Madam before the maids and old women beat me out," the maid complained.
Third Madam slammed the table in anger, her eyes cold, "I want to see if she dares to beat even me!"
Third Madam lifted her foot to leave.
The maid threw herself forward to hold her foot, saying, "Madam, don’t go."
Third Madam, angry, said, "Let go of me!"
"Madam, think about Princess Shouning, think about the Old Madam’s foot. There’s nothing the Eldest Young Madam wouldn’t dare to do," the maid advised earnestly.
Someone who dared to have Princess Shouning carried back to the palace wouldn’t care about Third Madam?
Third Madam was a senior, but was she more senior than the Old Madam?
If the Eldest Young Madam had any respect, she wouldn’t have massaged the Old Madam’s foot until it was swollen for days.
If anything displeased the Eldest Young Madam, she didn’t care who you were.
The Eldest Young Madam has already made a statement, going there now is clearly going to get beaten, is it not?
In her anger, Third Madam hadn’t thought so far ahead.
When the maid spoke, chills ran down her spine.
If she really went and got driven out, her face would really be lost.
This maid was loyal to her, and seeing her covered in wounds, Third Madam helped her up and additionally rewarded her with two taels of silver.
Third Madam went to Qihao Hall.
The Old Madam was sitting on the Arhat Couch, exhausted.
Seeing her this way, the maid didn’t dare report the matter of the South Courtyard maid being chased out of Agarwood Pavilion.
Therefore, the Old Madam still didn’t know about this.
Third Madam came in, and the Old Madam said coldly, "Why are you not staying in the South Courtyard, what are you doing here?"
Third Madam complained, "I don’t know what has possessed the Eldest Young Madam. I sent a maid to find her, and before even seeing her, the maid was chased out by their maids and old women with brooms."
The Old Madam’s brows furrowed.
Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but interject, "Previously, Second Miss wouldn’t allow the Eldest Young Madam into the South Courtyard and had maids chase her with brooms, surely angering the Eldest Young Madam."
The Old Madam knew this. Mrs. Wang was saying it for Third Madam’s benefit.
What the Eldest Young Madam did was wrong, but Second Miss had erred first.
There’s no reason why what Second Miss could do, the Eldest Young Madam couldn’t.
Third Madam looked at Mrs. Wang, "Is Mrs. Wang defending that female bandit?"
Mrs. Wang’s face tightened.
She was just speaking a fair word, how did it turn into defending the Eldest Young Madam?
To ask for help yet call someone a female bandit, it’s too unbecoming for her senior status.
Mrs. Wang was smart enough not to say these words aloud.
The Old Madam fiddled with the Buddha Beads, saying, "Have Second Miss go and apologize to her."
Third Madam remained seated, and the maid went to pass the message to Xie Jinxiu.
Agarwood Pavilion, backyard.
Su Jin was feeding fish by the lake.
She sprinkled a handful of fish food.
The koi competed for food.
Xingxing stood beside watching intently.
The young maid walked over and said, "Eldest Young Madam, Second Miss has come to apologize to you."
Xie Jinxiu came to apologize to her?
Did the sun rise from the west?
Su Jin keenly sensed a hint of something unusual.
If it wasn’t for needing something from her, Xie Jinxiu would never lower her pride.
"Xingxing, go ask if she brought any sincerity with her," Su Jin said.
"What if she didn’t?" Xingxing asked.
"If she didn’t, why be polite? Just toss her out."
"...."
Xingxing joyfully ran to the door.
The young maid was completely baffled.
She couldn’t understand the conversation between the Eldest Young Madam and the maid.
Asking if Second Miss came with sincerity, surely she did, wasn’t it redundant to ask?
The young maid followed behind.
Xie Jinxiu was waiting at the back door, and Xingxing walked over to ask, "Did Second Miss bring a silver note?"
"I’m here to apologize, why bring a silver note?" Xie Jinxiu said unhappily.
"So she really has no sincerity!" Xingxing snorted coldly.
"Chase her out!"
Xie Jinxiu was furious, "You dare?!"
Xingxing akimbo.
"You dared to have someone chase my lady, my lady not having me chase you directly is already giving face to her husband!"
She glanced around and said to the maids and old women, "Hurry up and chase her out!"
The maids and old women dared not act.
Xingxing’s fiery temper took the broom from a maid’s hand and swung it at Xie Jinxiu.
Xie Jinxiu was so frightened her expression changed, and she ran away as fast as she could.
The left-behind embroidered shoe proved how embarrassed she was.
The maids and old women in the courtyard had twitching lips.
Their Eldest Young Madam was indeed not ordinarily fierce.
But Second Miss brought this on herself.
Not long before, there were maids deliberately mocking in front of them, saying Eldest Young Madam also had times to be feared.
No one expected her to fall into the Eldest Young Madam’s hands so soon.
In that moment, they realized, whether they liked it or not, they were all part of the Agarwood Pavilion.
They were one with the Eldest Young Madam.
If the Eldest Young Madam lost face, they would have even less.
With the Eldest Young Madam calling the shots, they wouldn’t be bullied when they stepped out of the Agarwood Pavilion.