0p0 Chapter 20 Assigned to the Old Man
Chapter 20 Assigned to the Old Man
Aunt Gui immediately nodded, turned around, and excitedly went out to prepare the tools.
Old Madam Qiao seemed to have something stuck in her throat, wanting to say something, but ultimately held back.
Xu Biyun's actions these days are truly outrageous, so let Sister Shu teach her a lesson.
Anyway, this kind of punishment won't harm the baby in the womb; it's just a bit of physical suffering.
Xu Biyun was already terrified and rolled to the old lady's feet, screaming and begging for mercy, but was kicked away by the old lady.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Xu Biyun's screams pierced the sky, and the ordeal only ended when all ten of her fingers were pierced by sharp bamboo skewers, leaving them bloody and unrecognizable.
Xu Biyun's face turned deathly pale, and she nearly fainted.
Then she heard Qiao Qingshu whisper in her ear,
"Xu Biyun, you still owe my mother six hundred and eighty taels of silver. If you don't pay it back today, I'll stab all ten of your toes until they're pierced and broken!"
Liu Wan'er hurriedly returned to Lanxiang Pavilion to retrieve the silver and return it to Qiao Qingshu.
Qiao Qingshu accepted the money, lifted the curtain, and left. The old lady had also already returned to her inner room to rest.
They left the mother and daughter standing there looking disheveled.
Liu Wan'er helped her mother, who was on the verge of death after being treated, out of Fushou Hall.
As she descended the steps, Liu Wan'er wondered to herself whether the dregs of the medicine were truly harmless, or whether Qiao Qingshu had been prepared all along.
As she turned to leave with her mother, she looked up and saw Qiao Qingshu standing steadily in front of a cluster of plum blossoms in the covered walkway, smiling meaningfully at her.
That smile was full of provocation and the air of someone in a superior position.
This made Liu Wan'er very uncomfortable, but she still met her gaze. Although she felt unwilling to accept defeat, she still nodded slightly to her and quickly disappeared with her mother.
Lin Dong stood behind Qiao Qingshu and said,
"Luckily, Miss is smart. Those herbs were all ground into powder and boiled, so they can't be found in the dregs. Chunfen is such a clueless girl, she tells everyone everything. Miss should teach her a good lesson."
Lin Dong was naive and didn't know that Chun Fen had betrayed them. She thought Chun Fen was innocent and had been tricked by Liu Wan'er.
Qiao Qingshu sneered.
"Let's go back now and properly teach them the rules of the Spring Equinox."
Spring Equinox knelt on the ground, crying with an innocent expression,
“Miss, I really don’t know anything. I was carrying the dregs of the medicine to throw away when I bumped into Miss Biao. She pulled me aside and chatted with me, asking a few questions. I didn’t think Miss Biao was an outsider, so we chatted for a bit. I really didn’t mean to tell Miss Biao.”
Qiao Qingshu toyed with the small leaf prayer beads that Li Pu had given her, and squinted as she said,
"Spring Equinox, if you are smart, tell me everything. If you continue to lie to me, you are of age. Old Gao, who guards the horses in the outer stables, has been widowed for many years. How about we marry you off to him?"
Lin Dong, Wan Qiu, and Xia Zhi, who were standing to the side, exchanged glances, all somewhat startled. How could the girl be so cruel to the Spring Equinox?
Old Gao, who guards the horses in the outer courtyard, is over fifty years old and has a limp. He loves to drink and gamble. His previous wife was beaten to death by him when she was drunk. If Chunfen marries her, she will have no chance of survival.
Chunfen was so frightened her face turned pale. She cried so hard that all her makeup was washed away, and she clung to Qiao Qingshu's clothes, wailing.
"Young lady, please don't! I don't want to marry him! Please, young lady, don't!"
Qiao Qingshu bent down and patted Chunfen's face, speaking softly.
"Then confess honestly, how and when you got involved with Liu Wan'er!"
Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Chunfen finally confessed.
“My cousin became close to me in the second year after she entered the household. I was originally from the old lady's household, and knowing that she was a relative of the old lady, I was naturally very polite to her. She didn't think of me as a servant at all, and often gave me food and jewelry. I thought she was a good person, so I became closer to her. In the past few years, she often asked me about the young lady. Originally, I didn't want to say much, but she gave me more and more things, and even said that she would help me find a good marriage in the future. Only then did I believe her and often told her about the young lady's whereabouts and affairs.”
Before Qiao Qingshu could react, the three maids behind her bared their teeth and glared angrily.
Late Autumn, with her quick temper, stepped forward, pointed at Spring Equinox's nose, and scolded him.
"You little slut! Our young lady treats us so well, no other master's courtyard is as comfortable as our young lady's. And you're still not satisfied. You're a traitor, eating at two different places behind our young lady's back!"
As she spoke, she reached out to pinch the tender flesh on the inside of Chunfen's arm, but Xiazhi pushed her away.
"Your pinch didn't hurt that much. Watch me punch her a few times to vent my anger!"
As he spoke, a fist the size of a bowl landed on Chunfen's back, causing Chunfen to kneel on the ground, curl up in a ball, and cry out for mercy.
Qiao Qingshu raised her hand, and the two maids stopped what they were doing. Chunfen also crawled to Qiao Qingshu's feet and cried.
"Please forgive me this time, young lady! I promise I won't do it again!"
Qiao Qingshu kicked the person away and instructed Wanqiu and Xiazhi,
"Go to her room with Chunfen, keep an eye on her, and find out for me one by one the things Liu Wan'er gave her."
The two grabbed Chunfen and left the house.
Lin Dong handed Qiao Qingshu a cup of chrysanthemum tea.
"I was so naive during the Spring Equinox, and my cousin tricked me into revealing information. So that's why..."
He sighed and said helplessly.
"Girl, calm down and don't get angry over her."
Qiao Qingshu took a sip of the fragrant chrysanthemum tea, looked up and said,
“This girl is smarter than all three of you. You still think she's innocent? You'd better be more careful in the future.”
Lin Dong lowered his eyes and nodded.
A moment later, Wanqiu and Xiazhi carried in a box, with Chunfen following behind them dejectedly.
When the box was opened, it contained a lot of loose silver, bracelets, hairpins, fabrics, and fashionable trinkets. Although none of them were worth much money, they were incredibly tempting to a maid.
Late Autumn picked up a bolt of satin and threw it at Spring Equinox's face.
"You spineless, lowly thing, these pieces of junk are enough to buy you off. The gifts that girls give us during the holidays are a thousand times better than these."
Chunfen was kneeling on the ground, still sobbing softly, her face full of pain.
Chunfen's parents died early, and she grew up with her older brother and sister-in-law. She was sold into the family at a very young age and initially did menial tasks in the old lady's courtyard. Later, because she was about the same age as Qiao Qingshu, she was chosen to serve her.
Her monthly allowance was only eight hundred yuan, and her brother and sister-in-law often came to ask for money, so she had to support her family and didn't have much money left. Suddenly, Liu Wan'er came along, treating her with heartfelt kindness and promising her so many things. Naturally, she was very happy and would do whatever she was asked to do.
Qiao Qingshu knew where her weakness lay, and said,
"Call your brother and sister-in-law in. These things you've been keeping privately will be your dowry. We'll pick a day later to marry them off to Old Man Gao."
As if the end of the world had arrived, the spring equinox filled him with terror. He knelt on the bluestone bricks, ignoring the pain, and kowtowed with utmost devotion, each thud resounding as if he wanted to knock a hole in the ground.
"Please, young lady, have mercy on me this once! I'll do anything you ask, just please spare me this time and don't marry me off to that lame old man! I'll serve you like a slave for the rest of my life!"