cold clothes

After saying this, Yunqiu sighed, and Qingchun snorted disdainfully.

Madam Hu sat in the main seat, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest, and said expressionlessly, "Since Ningbi won't speak, won't the maids speak either?"

"This……"

Qingchun immediately replied, "I asked the maids, and they didn't know. Xiaoping and Yun'er were chosen by my mother to be my personal maids. I chose Xiaolü and Lan'er myself. I know their character very well; they would never steal."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaoping and Yun'er, who were on either side of Lengyi, knelt down in a panic and cried out, "We would never steal anything from Miss, please, Mother, see the truth!"

Unexpectedly, Madam Hu's expression didn't ease but instead darkened further. "Is this your way of governing, Qingchun?" Qingchun's face paled, making the red marks even more noticeable.

“A maid wouldn’t steal, but Ningbi would? Regardless of whether Ningbi stole it or not, the maid’s failure to let the hairpin be stolen is a dereliction of duty and she should be punished. Granny Qin, go and call Xiao Lü and Lan’er over.”

"Yes." Granny Qin accepted the order.

Hu Mama's outburst silenced the entire room. Hu Mama's style was always to use both kindness and severity, rewarding heavily and punishing severely. Qingchun's gullibility in trusting her servants had naturally angered her.

Leng Yi was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected that although Madam Hu was ruthless and cruel in her dealings with people, she seemed quite fair and wouldn't favor anyone. However, she saw that Yun Qiu didn't dare to say anything and stayed quietly to the side. Leng Yi sneered inwardly.

May your plan be flawless, Sister Yunqiu.

If the plan is exposed, then we'll all go to hell together.

Soon, Granny Qin entered with Xiao Lü and Lan'er. The two maids immediately knelt down, trembling, upon seeing Granny Hu's gaze.

Granny Qin: "Tell the truth, have you ever touched the white jade hairpin that the second son of the Duke's mansion gave to Miss Qingchun?"

Xiao Lü spoke first: "This servant only saw that hairpin three days ago when I was helping Miss Qingchun with her hair and makeup, and I haven't seen it since. This servant, this servant is not lying at all! Please, Mother, see the truth!" After saying that, she kowtowed heavily.

Lan'er, who was standing next to her, was terrified from the beginning. She trembled and couldn't say a word. "I, I..." she stammered for a long time. Under everyone's gaze, she finally broke down and kowtowed like a madwoman, crying and shouting, "Mother, spare me! I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken Miss's hairpin without permission. I was wrong. I don't want to die. Mother, spare me!"

Lan'er's forehead was covered in blood after a few blows, a shocking sight.

"It was you! Why did you steal my hairpin?" Qingchun was both shocked and angry, and her eyes and face started to hurt more and more as her anger rose.

"I was wrong, Miss, I was wrong," Lan'er continued kowtowing. "It's because I was bragging to my girlfriends that Miss Qingchun had gained the favor of the young master of the Duke's mansion. The young master gave Miss Qingchun a white jade hairpin, and my girlfriends wanted to see the hairpin for themselves. I was so foolish that I showed it to them, and then I lost it. Miss, Mama Hu, I really didn't mean to steal the hairpin! I meant to put it back after I showed it to my girlfriends, I didn't expect it to disappear... I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Now that things have come to this point, the reason is probably clear. Madam Hu glanced at Leng Yi and asked, "Where did Ningbi find the hairpin?"

With her large, clear blue eyes like glass beads, Leng Yi said in a muffled voice, "The bushes near Butterfly Dance Pavilion."

"Why won't you say that you found the hairpin?" Madam Hu's tone turned sharp, and the oppressive aura suddenly made Leng Yi feel a little breathless.

Leng Yi bit her lip, looking like she refused to communicate, but under Hu Mama's imposing presence, she said with cold sweat, "Qingchun, you immediately assumed I stole it. I can't stand it. Besides, what I found is mine."

This statement surprised everyone. Leng Yi knew that this logic was very thuggish and absurd, but since the arrogant and domineering persona had already been established, what did it matter if he was even more arrogant?

Qingchun covered her face, seemingly too angry to speak. Her eyes were now bloodshot, and her face was covered in a dense rash. "You...you're truly shameless..."

"Qingchun, your face seems to be getting worse!" Yunqiu exclaimed in alarm.

"Doctor Xie is here!" Finally, the maid's announcement came from outside the door. Doctor Xie was dragged over by the maid, with Nuandong following behind.

Doctor Xie examined Qingchun's injuries and smelled the perfume powder. She said incredulously, "It contains duck bile powder, which will cause the skin to slowly rot." Then she composed herself and said, "Fortunately, the amount of perfume on Qingchun's face is not very large. After a period of treatment, her skin can recover completely."

"But I have to perform on stage tomorrow, and I made a promise with Erlang... No, this won't do, my face can't be ruined!"

"Miss Qingchun, please remain calm and allow me to treat you."

"No, no," Qingchun had lost control. In an instant, her hatred for Lengyi reached its peak. "It was you! You ruined my face! You're the one who prevented me from performing on stage tomorrow for the Double Ninth Festival! I'm going to kill you!"

Qingchun rushed towards Lengyi in an instant, but was stopped by Yunqiu and Liuxia. She struggled desperately, her blood-red eyes staring at Lengyi like a demon. Lengyi felt that her gaze was like needles piercing through her eyes and head.

It's like saying again—she will get her revenge.

The next second, Madam Hu's words confirmed her thoughts, "Ningbi is arrogant and rude, and has committed insubordination. She used poison powder to disfigure Qingchun's appearance. Her crime is unforgivable. Guards, take her to the Zhuoyu Pavilion dungeon and punish her severely!"

At Madam Hu's command, two strong hands grabbed her arms and dragged her out the door. She saw everyone watching as she was dragged away in such a disheveled state. Madam Hu's face was full of anger; Qingchun wanted to kill her with her eyes; most people were either disgusted, angry, or sighing; as for Yunqiu, she remained expressionless.

He didn't show any sign of triumph... which made her somewhat disappointed.

In a daze, she saw the pained look in Dr. Xie's eyes, which made her heart clench with pain. That look was like a mother's incomprehension and disappointment towards her child. Why...why was she looking at her like that?