How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Du Juan took the things and waited until evening when the people in the mansion were busiest before quietly walking towards the Buddhist hall.

The Buddhist hall was built in the outermost corner of the Song Mansion, surrounded by trees, making it unique in the city and seemingly designed to completely isolate the people inside.

The Buddhist hall is not large, about the size of a courtyard house.

Du Juan stood at the doorway, peering inside. She saw only a dim light. The area was filled with trees, and the cold wind blew fiercely, rustling and howling like ghosts.

Swallowing hard, Du Juan got up and walked inside.

Fortunately, although the Buddhist hall was deserted, it was not completely closed, and outsiders could still enter.

The side rooms were dark, with only a faint light coming from the main room, where the First Madam must be.

"Madam, are you inside?" Du Juan asked, not seeing anyone.

"who are you?"

A voice suddenly rang out, startling Du Juan. She turned around and saw a person dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe standing in front of her.

I couldn't tell if she was the first wife or a servant who attended to her. Her face showed obvious signs of aging, unlike the well-maintained second wife.

He had two deep furrows around his mouth, and his brows were furrowed. He was tall and straight, but he looked older than the old man.

"I am a maid in this manor. I heard that the maid who harmed the sixth concubine was thrown into this place. I came to see if she is still alive?"

The man, with a cold face, casually pointed in a direction, "Over there."

Du Juan nodded. Originally, this was just an excuse, but the person in front of her was too creepy.

"Excuse me, are you the first wife?"

The man's stern gaze fell upon them, as if Du Juan had spoken of a taboo subject. "Is there a first wife in this household? Isn't it the second concubine's domain?"

Du Juan didn't know how to answer, so she just smiled awkwardly, "Although the second concubine is in charge of the household, she is not the real wife after all."

These words seemed to please the other party, and the woman proudly raised her head and said, "That's right, as long as I live, I will always be the first wife."

Du Juan's eyes widened; the person in front of her really was...

"What? Doesn't it look like it?"

Du Juan quickly came to her senses, "I...have never seen the First Madam."

"Hmm," she seemed to be enjoying it. "You didn't come here to see that maid, did you? You came to see me?"

Du Juan dared not admit it and quickly said with a smile, "No, I really did come to see how badly the little one was hurt. She served my master for so long, but I never expected her to betray me, so..."

"So you came to see if she's dead? And while you're at it, to see if I, as the first wife, have shown favoritism and protected my own dowry?"

Du Juan could only smile and try to cover it up.

The first wife stroked the white hair at her temples, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.

"Who is your master?"

"Yes...Sixth Concubine." Du Juan finally told the truth; there was no point in hiding it. The little thing was locked up here; they could find out by asking.

"Only six concubines? I thought there would be at least sixty by now. I already had four back then, and after twenty years, there are only six? Who is the most favored?"

"No, the seventh concubine is pregnant too. She's just not officially recognized yet, so we're just calling her that."

“I hear that little thing howling every day, and it seems to be mentioning some young lady from the boudoir. What’s going on?”

"That is, the master said that all newly acquired concubines should be moved to the boudoir and wait until they give birth to children. Only then will they be considered proper concubines after the news is announced to Heaven and the ancestors. It doesn't matter who came first or last; they will be ranked according to the number of children they have."

"Oh? This Song Wenqu is really talented, to come up with such a clever idea. Hehe, so he has more than seven women?"

"Yes."

The first wife snorted coldly, "Is the second concubine driven mad by jealousy every day?"

"No, that's not true. Master said that Second Concubine is a first-rate virtuous woman. As expected of a princess from the Prince's Mansion, she is very sensible. No matter how many women there are in this mansion, none of them are as virtuous as her. Therefore, even if there are new concubines, Master will still respect Second Concubine."

"Pah! She's virtuous, she's kind? Haha, that's laughable. Does she still live in the main courtyard? Does she still manage the household?"

"Yes."

"Hmph, all pretentious. She's the most hypocritical person in the whole mansion. And her cousin, those women from their royal family, they're the most cunning and manipulative..."

"Madam, I just came to see the little one. I'll leave as soon as I'm done." Du Juan dared not listen any longer.

The first wife sneered and sat down with a flick of her sleeve.

Du Juan quickly took her leave and headed in the direction the First Madam had pointed out earlier.

"Sister Fang?"

Du Juan stared at the wriggling creature on the ground, hardly believing her eyes. Was this really the same arrogant, overbearing little thing?

"Hmm, are you here to laugh at me? That's ridiculous..."

The little creature spat a mouthful of filth at the cuckoo with a fierce look in its eyes, as if it wanted to tear the cuckoo apart.

But Dujuan wasn't afraid at all. She looked at the little thing with pity and shook her head slightly.

"Why are you shaking your head? Are you pitying me? Bah, you slut, you coward..."

The little thing was swearing rudely, and Dujuan suddenly gave her a cold smile, full of sarcasm and disdain.

The little girl's defenses suddenly crumbled, and she burst into a tirade, "Come back! Don't go! Let me tell you, Sixth Concubine is no good. She's seducing the Master while secretly eyeing others. Don't think I don't know! And Fourth Concubine, a complete idiot, she was sold out and still wants to count the money! And Second Concubine, a wolf in sheep's clothing! You all deserve to die a horrible death! Bah..."

Du Juan was surprised that she could still confide these words, and secretly kept them in her heart.

"Uh... First Madam."

Dujuan had no idea when the First Madam arrived at the door.

The first wife waved her hand, dismissing Dujuan, and then stared at the little creature with great interest.

Du Juan knew immediately that the person had something to ask, so she quickly said goodbye and left.

The first wife looked down at the little one with a gloomy expression, making the little one feel uneasy.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The little girl was also very dissatisfied. She had always been proud that her family had served the first wife and considered herself superior. But when she actually met the first wife, she realized what a pipe dream she had been having.

Her parents were part of the first wife's dowry, but she and her siblings were not; they were brought in later. Therefore, although she was one of the first wife's people, she had never seen her.

"Tell me everything you know."

The little creature was taken aback, then snorted coldly, "I don't know anything."

"Have you thought this through? Don't forget what my Huang family used to do."

The little creature was startled, then suddenly remembered how the Huang family had risen to prominence, and broke out in a cold sweat. "You... what are you going to do?"

"I'm not doing anything. Life in the Buddhist temple is boring. I want to hear more about what's happening outside."

The first wife smiled kindly, but the little one felt as if it were a death warrant, wanting only a quick end.

"I'll talk, I'll talk..."

Under the increasingly oppressive gaze of the First Madam, the little one revealed everything he knew.

Since her hands and feet had already been crippled and only her head could still move, she might as well tell everything and just ask the First Madam for a quick death.

After a long while, the first wife looked at the lifeless body lying in the pool of blood and revealed a satisfied smile.

Stepping out of the blood-soaked room, the First Madam strolled out and looked up at the dark night sky.

"Song Wenqu, you can't trap me; what traps me is my promise. Twenty years ago, you used a trick to imprison me; now I want you to personally escort me out!"