Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Turning the Tables The next day, Cui Lingrong arranged for Er Shun to escort Nanny Zheng to the estate. Zhuqing even stuffed two taels of silver into her hands, which only made Nanny Zheng seethe inwardly—two taels of silver, was that how you dismissed a beggar? But things had come to this, and all Nanny Zheng had left was regret. The carriage jolted along the road, and with every bump, Nanny Zheng's backside throbbed with pain. She let out a steady stream of "aiyo" cries the whole way. When the carriage finally stopped, she thought they had arrived at the estate, but then reconsidered—it couldn't be that fast. When she heard Nanny Qiu's voice, her heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the Eldest Young Madam had sent Nanny Qiu to kill her? Nanny Zheng's heart seized with alarm. Her eyes flew wide open, and feeling a gust of wind blow in, she turned her head warily—only to see Nanny Qiu lifting the curtain. "You... what are you doing here?" "No need to be nervous, Nanny Zheng. I've come on the Eldest Young Madam's orders to deliver some things to you." Nanny Qiu spoke with a warm smile and a gentle voice. "The Eldest Young Madam said that as the mistress of the household, if she doesn't handle matters according to the rules, it will be hard for her to command respect." With that, Nanny Qiu detailed what she had brought. "There are beddings and silver. The Eldest Young Madam will also send you to your brother's estate. With your brother there to look after you, you won't fare too badly." In truth, the Eldest Young Madam knew that Nanny Zheng had been skimming money through Zheng Side's purchasing. By putting two rats in the same nest, they would either turn on each other or conspire together in some shady scheme. The Eldest Young Madam wasn't sure what connection existed between Zhuqing and Nanny Zheng, so she needed to dangle a lure to get them together first, which would open up more avenues for breakthrough. But Nanny Qiu's words now sounded very agreeable. With such an arrangement, Nanny Zheng couldn't imagine any possibility of the Eldest Young Madam meaning her harm. After all, if she went to Zheng Side's estate, who could possibly persecute her there? Nanny Zheng took a deep breath, still asking cautiously, "Is the Eldest Young Madam really that good?" "Of course. Since you came to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, when have you ever seen the Eldest Young Madam mistreat a servant? Even when she makes a move, it's aimed at certain masters. She's the one who understands servants best." Nanny Qiu kept her smile. "Alright, I've delivered the things and said my piece. After all, you belong to County Princess Rongjia's people, so we'll never be on the same side. Go to the estate and live your life. Zheng Side's estate belongs to County Princess Rongjia. With the County Mistress's protection in the future, just work hard and honestly." Nanny Zheng spat inwardly. County Princess Rongjia had never given a damn about her. In this whole affair, County Princess Rongjia hadn't even sent a single person today. It was the Eldest Young Madam who was truly kind. What a pity—she was a household-born slave of the Rong Prince Mansion, and her entire family's indentures were in County Princess Rongjia's hands. She didn't have the courage to openly betray the County Princess. So was this how she would live for the rest of her life? Nanny Zheng felt a burning sense of injustice. If not for County Princess Rongjia being so useless, with the household management falling into the Eldest Young Madam's hands, why would she have had to take such risks and end up in this state? Hearing Nanny Qiu say she was about to leave, Nanny Zheng suddenly called out to stop her. She couldn't openly oppose County Princess Rongjia, but she could curry favor with the Eldest Young Madam. The Eldest Young Madam was so kind—perhaps if she rendered meritorious service to atone for her mistakes, she might be given another chance to return to the Marquis Mansion. After all, the Eldest Young Madam was the one managing the household now. Whether she could go back was just a word from the Eldest Young Madam, wasn't it? Nanny Zheng chose to sell out Zhuqing. "Nanny Qiu, could you come inside to talk?" That dead girl Zhuqing had completely disregarded their former kinship. If Zhuqing had pleaded with the Marquis on her behalf, maybe the Marquis would have let her off. Nanny Zheng had seen through Zhuqing, knowing she was a selfish and self-serving person. Since she couldn't rely on Zhuqing, she would step on Zhuqing to climb up. Once Nanny Qiu boarded the carriage, Nanny Zheng spoke in a low voice. "The Eldest Young Madam is a good person, and I must repay her kindness. Go back and tell the Eldest Young Madam that Zhuqing is no good. Earlier, when she was made a menial maid, she couldn't bear the hardship of that work and urgently asked me to find her a man. But she was a woman the Marquis had touched—how would I dare? I urged her to go to County Princess Rongjia, but she refused. I believe that during this time, she must have found herself a man. She's a woman who can't stay faithful." Nanny Qiu's heart jolted with shock, but her face betrayed nothing. "She's that desperate to find a man?" "She's shrewd, that one. She knows that working as a menial maid for too long will ruin her looks, so she wants to find someone with money to keep her while she's still young and pretty." Nanny Zheng's words dripped with contempt. "That girl has been a social climber since childhood—whoever's favored, she fawns over. I truly regret recommending her to the County Mistress." She sighed. "I'm telling you this for the sake of the Marquis Mansion's reputation. The Eldest Young Madam needs to guard against Zhuqing. If Zhuqing goes around seducing men and ruins the mansion's reputation, wouldn't that affect Yu-jie?" Nanny Qiu said she understood. "With such a loyal heart, the Eldest Young Madam will know." Nanny Zheng grabbed Nanny Qiu's hand excitedly, her voice choked with emotion. "We're both servants. You should know that many times, we have no choice in the matter. What happened this time was a moment of foolishness on my part. The Eldest Young Madam is a good person. Please speak to her for me—if she can let me return to the Marquis Mansion, I will serve as her eyes and ears." These words were an offer of allegiance. Nanny Qiu, having achieved her goal, spoke in a soothing tone, "Don't worry, I will definitely pass along your message. Go tend to your wounds first. Once you're at the estate, the Eldest Madam won't be able to send people to visit easily. If anything comes up, just have someone come find me." Nanny Zheng, hearing that there was still a chance to return to the Marquis Mansion, saw a glimmer of hope and nodded eagerly in agreement. After returning to the Marquis Mansion, Nanny Qiu relayed Nanny Zheng's words to the Eldest Madam, then analyzed, "Nanny Zheng's greed for money shows she's easily swayed by wealth. If Concubine Zhuqing seeks her help, she's bound to offer some kind of reward." Cui Lingrong said, "As long as there's a reward, she'll definitely find a man for Zhuqing. But the way she spoke to you was just her way of covering her own tracks. That's only natural—people always speak in a way that protects themselves." Nanny Qiu agreed, "Eldest Madam, should we look into this? Then, using this matter, we could make the Marquis doubt the paternity of Concubine Zhuqing's child?" Regardless of whether the child was the Marquis's, once doubt was planted, the Marquis would never allow Concubine Zhuqing's child to be transferred to County Princess Rongjia's name. After all, a concubine's child couldn't overturn the heavens—they could never surpass Xuan-ge and Jin-ge to inherit the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. But if it were County Princess Rongjia's child, then it could compete for the inheritance. One could only say that everyone had their own position, and those positions were mutually contradictory. In the past, others had schemed against her, and though Cui Lingrong had resolved every trouble, each close call carried the risk of an unexpected slip. Cui Lingrong had already resolved to make Song Shulan unable to bear children, so Zhuqing's child absolutely could not be registered under County Princess Rongjia's name. "We need to investigate not only Zhuqing but also the people around Nanny Zheng. Whoever Nanny Zheng would introduce to Zhuqing must be someone she knows well." Cui Lingrong finished speaking calmly, thinking to herself that it was fortunate she had sent Nanny Qiu on that errand—otherwise, she would have missed such a significant matter. At this moment, Zhuqing was in the Wutong Courtyard, complaining to County Princess Rongjia about Cui Lingrong's strict household management. "Can the Eldest Madam guarantee that everyone around her is clean? My aunt only made one mistake—she was already beaten, and now she's being expelled from the Marquis Mansion. Isn't that pushing someone to their death?" "They all say she's kind-hearted and treats people with gentleness and tolerance, but I say she's the most vicious of all!" Zhuqing knew that County Princess Rongjia enjoyed hearing people criticize the Eldest Madam, so she deliberately chose these words to curry favor with the County Princess.