Abandoned by the best children? I just take out the space

But she didn't know that these words were heard by Shangguan Chu and Wan Shufang who rushed to the main hall. She originally wanted to bring Wan Shufang to visit the old lady, but she didn't expect to witness this scene.

Those words full of blame and sarcasm made Shangguan Chu's face turn pale and he clenched his fists.

Wan Shufang caught a glimpse of her like this, patted the back of her hand silently, and then strode towards the main hall.

"I didn't know that you, the Xiao family, had such sentiments. I just don't know if this is out of genuine concern for the family, or out of personal gain?"

A cold voice came from outside the door, and everyone was surprised. Who had the courage to speak so arrogantly and meddle in the private affairs of their Xiao family?

The Third Aunt frowned slightly, then stumbled back half a step, her face pale. Looking at the elegantly dressed and noble woman, she couldn't help but murmur, "The... The Duke's wife?"

Wan Shufang was followed by a group of guards, who were given to her by Chen Changli before she left.

She walked to the front like the moon surrounded by stars, and the servants on both sides raised their chins and looked at everyone with disdain.

"How dare you! According to your rank, you should salute our lady when you see her!" The leading guard took out the token and shouted loudly.

Seeing this, everyone hurriedly saluted.

Wan Shufang swept her calm eyes over the crowd, her face as calm as water. She pulled Shangguan Chu beside her and slowly walked to the high seat and sat down.

This action caused everyone to look at each other in confusion, each with their own ulterior motives.

The old lady looked embarrassed and quickly ordered the servants to serve tea. However, the third concubine's face turned even paler when she saw this. She no longer had that arrogance and just glared at Shangguan Chu with her peripheral vision.

This bitch!

He might be saying bad things about her behind her back and even hooking up with the Duke's wife. What a good trick!

No.

We can't let her do what she wants, or do we really think that there is no one in the Xiao family who can deal with her?

The third concubine pretended to be calm and stood up, with drooping eyebrows and eyes full of sadness.

"Thank you for your concern, Madam Duke. We dare not say anything behind his back. It's just that Jing Heng finally came to the capital to take the exam, but unexpectedly he fell seriously ill. We are just concerned about him."

"Really? But it doesn't sound like you're concerned." Wan Shufang chuckled, her voice sounding like a cold blade.

The Third Aunt felt as if her throat was cut by a knife and she was unable to speak.

"Madam, you don't know. As soon as Ah Chu came in yesterday, Jing Heng complained of dizziness. This morning, he couldn't get out of bed. We asked a doctor to come and see him, but he couldn't tell us what was wrong."

She paused, glanced at Shangguan Chu from the corner of her eye, and her voice added a hint of grievance.

"The old lady was so anxious that she burst into tears. She held my hand and said, 'What should I do? Jing Heng is a member of the Xiao family, and Ah Chu was also raised by me. How could they have such a bad relationship?' I tried to persuade the old lady at the time, saying that it might be a coincidence, but in my heart..."

She changed the subject and said in a gloomy tone, "So I couldn't help saying some angry words earlier. Madam, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."

"Okay, stop talking to the third room." The old lady pounded her cane heavily, her face a little gloomy.

The Third Aunt usually had a reckless personality, and she had never felt so aggrieved before. She snorted lightly.

"Old Madam, what I said is quite reasonable. Ah Chu has just arrived in this wealthy family, and I'm afraid his fate is not compatible with our family. I heard a fortune teller say the other day that some people have strong fates, and they are likely to disrupt the family's happiness as soon as they arrive in a place."

Upon hearing this, Wan Shufang snorted coldly, as if she hadn't heard the hidden meaning behind her words. Her voice was as clear as jade: "Third Aunt, what you said is quite novel. Could it be that Master Xiao's illness is being blamed on his wife?"

She took two steps forward, her eyes sweeping over everyone present, finally landing on the pale face of the Third Aunt.

"On the third day of last month, Third Aunt took out five hundred taels of silver from the Xiao family's treasury under the pretext of praying for the old lady. She then went on to buy twenty acres of fertile land on the outskirts of the city for her younger brother. I'm afraid the accountant of the Xiao family still remembers this."

The Third Aunt trembled all over, as if she had been slapped hard in the face: "You, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Am I talking nonsense?" Wan Shufang raised her eyebrows, her tone becoming increasingly cold.

"Then let's talk about the fifteenth day of last month. You had the steward withhold the servants' wages, replacing the fine silk with coarse cloth, and secretly sent the saved money back to your parents' home. Do you want me to call those servants whose wages were withheld to confront you about this?"

As soon as these words came out.

The whole room was in uproar.

No one expected that the third concubine was so vicious as to steal the silver from the mansion, and no one expected that Wan Shufang would know everything about their mansion.

Wan Shufang's eyes were everywhere in the city. If she wanted to know some of the dirty things in the Xiao family, she just had to nod.

The third concubine's face suddenly turned pale, and the old lady beside her glared at her fiercely when she saw this.

Wan Shufang turned to the Xiao Mansion's housekeeper and said coldly, "Third Aunt has no respect for the mistress, has embezzled public funds, and has been harsh with the servants. From now on, she will be confined to her own courtyard and ordered to copy the "Female Commandments" a hundred times. She is not allowed to leave the courtyard until she has finished copying them."

"Everything will be done according to Madam's request." The old lady nodded.

The housekeeper was so frightened that he quickly agreed.

After Wan Shufang finished giving the order, she turned to Shangguan Chu, whose face was still pale, and said in a slower tone, "Let's go. It's so stuffy here."

Shangguan Chu looked at her straight back, and his heart felt like it was hit by something, sour and hot, and he hurriedly followed her.

However, she suddenly remembered something, her eyelashes trembled, and a hint of darkness flashed across her eyes.

Soon Shangguan Chu took Wan Shufang to the villa. The villa was newly bought, quiet and elegant, with a few bamboo trees planted next to it. As soon as she stepped into the yard, Wan Shufang felt someone pulling her sleeve from behind.

With a thud, Shangguan Chu knelt down in front of her.

"What are you doing?" She frowned and quickly reached out to help.

"Madam, I'm sorry." Shangguan Chu's voice trembled.

"I've failed you, and you're still so nice to me... It's not worth it."

"I can't even tell you about my difficulties... I know you're doing this for my own good, but you still insist you don't want to study anymore!"

She looked up suddenly, her eyes were red and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I've failed you time and again in protecting me, failed your expectations of me, and most importantly, failed the person I once was."

Her eyes were full of pain. Seeing her like this, Wan Shufang felt angry and soft-hearted.

I'm angry that she keeps things to herself, but I'm soft-hearted because of her clumsy honesty. This girl isn't a bad person, she's just too kind.

"Don't do this again," Wan Shufang sighed and pulled her up: "Let's go, I'll go check on your husband's condition. I just got a magical medicine today, maybe it will be of some use."

The two of them walked through several courtyards and came to Xiao Jingheng's residence, only to see Xiao Jingheng lying on the couch, his face so pale that it was almost transparent, and he was still in a coma.

The maidservant standing by the bed saw them come in and quickly stood up and saluted.

Wan Shufang saw a porcelain bowl on the wooden table next to her, with some medicine residue in it.

This is…

Her eyes flashed, and while Shangguan Chu turned around to close the door, she quickly picked up the porcelain bowl and twirled it with her fingertips. The medicine residue slipped into her wide cuffs and was hidden in her sleeve pocket.