Wan Chu's eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes grew moist.
If the old lady had said this before her elder brother accidentally killed Yu Rongbai, she might have accepted the old lady's help.
But now, it was all too late.
Liang Yuzhou held the handle of her elder brother's secret. She would struggle in his cage for the rest of her life.
She took a deep breath, hiding all her sorrowful emotions, and forced a smile. "Old lady, I've figured it out. I won't leave. From now on, Wan Chu only wants to serve you and fulfill my filial piety by your side."
"That won't do. You're not even twenty yet. You still have such a long life ahead..."
The old lady sighed repeatedly.
Wan Chu was completely disheartened with Yuzhou. Being trapped by his side and wasting her whole life would be such a cruel torture.
If Wan Chu still had a shred of love for Yuzhou, she, as the eldest in the family, could force Liang Yuzhou to make Wan Chu his legal wife.
It was a pity that Wan Chu no longer cared.
Even if she got the position of the legal wife and was granted the title of a first - class imperial - bestowed lady, it would just be a gorgeous but empty crown to her.
The old lady silently pondered in her heart. She had to come up with a foolproof way to send Wan Chu away.
As for that little scoundrel Liang Yuzhou, since he was blind and missed Wan Chu, he could just wait to end his life in loneliness.
Yu Huiyan, that venomous woman, would never be able to marry into the Duke's Mansion!
The grandmother and granddaughter sat down and had a cup of tea when a maid outside reported, "Old lady, the mistress has brought Miss Yu here to pay their respects to you!"
The old lady's face immediately changed from gentle and kind to angry. "Tell them to go back. I, an old woman, can't bear such respect!"
Song Wanchu smiled. "Old lady, it's the princess's good intention to come and see you. If you don't want to see them, just let them come in for a cup of tea and then send them back. Leaving them outside will only give others a chance to say you've lost your dignity."
She knew that the old lady was afraid that she would feel bad if she saw Yu Huiyan.
But Princess Jiahe and Yu Huiyan had to show their faces in front of the old lady today.
The old lady didn't listen to others, but she only listened to Wan Chu.
"Let them in."
After Princess Jiahe came in, she called out "Mother" to the old lady in a perfunctory manner.
With her status as a princess, she didn't have to pay respects to her mother - in - law.
The old lady didn't care about her attitude at all. The disharmony between the mother - in - law and daughter - in - law had been going on for a long time, and they had already fallen out. Who were they putting on a show for?
Yu Huiyan was much more respectful. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. "Paying respects to the old lady."
The old lady snorted coldly. Princess Jiahe quickly pulled Yu Huiyan up.
"Take a seat." The old lady waved her hand casually.
Since the two of them entered the room, the old lady had been keeping a straight face. Princess Jiahe felt ignored and pulled a long face.
The atmosphere was far from harmonious.
Yu Huiyan quickly flattered, "After the old lady came back from the Jingchan Temple to offer Buddha, your appearance and demeanor are even more compassionate. You really seem to be the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva."
The flattery in these words was too obvious.
The old lady sneered. She hated flattering people the most in her life.
"I was thinking of praying in front of the Bodhisattva for a longer time. But there's an annoying thing that would dirty the Bodhisattva's ears. I'm ashamed that I haven't managed the family well or taught the younger generation properly. I'm too ashamed to face the Bodhisattva and Buddha, so I had to come back early."
Yu Huiyan's face flushed with embarrassment.
The old woman might as well have pointed at her nose and scolded her for bringing shame to the Duke's Mansion if she married into it!
But she couldn't turn hostile.
In front of Princess Jiahe, she had always been the image of a well - behaved and gentle girl. Moreover, Princess Jiahe only had the empty title of the late Duke's legal wife in the Duke's Mansion and had long lost her say.
After she married into the Duke's Mansion, she still had to flatter this old woman who had the highest seniority and the most authority.
Yu Huiyan's false pretense annoyed the old lady.
"Qiaoying, why aren't you serving the tea yet?"
Qiaoying quickly brought a pot of tea.
"Wait." Princess Jiahe stopped Qiaoying who was about to pour the tea.
She looked at Song Wanchu and commanded haughtily, "Song Wanchu, you're a concubine. It should be you who pour the tea for the mistress of the family."
The old lady raised her eyebrows, showing a bit of sharpness. "Who's the mistress? I'm reluctant to order Wan Chu around. You, a woman abandoned by your husband who has long lost the power to manage the family, have no right to put on airs in front of Wan Chu!"
"I'm not..." Princess Jiahe was so angry that she wanted to defend herself.
She couldn't stand Song Wanchu's face in front of the old lady. The words just now were meant to teach Song Wanchu a lesson by asking her to pour the tea and to let her offer tea to Yu Huiyan.
Huiyan was going to be the mistress of the Duke's Mansion soon. Was she wrong?
The old lady must have understood the meaning of her words, but she deliberately misinterpreted them!
It was all to protect that bitch Song Wanchu!
"Old lady, Wan Chu is a junior. It's only right for her to offer tea to the elders."
Song Wanchu looked calm.
The old lady frowned. Even if it was to smooth things over, she didn't want Wan Chu to be outshone by Yu Huiyan.
Song Wanchu picked up the teapot and poured tea for the old lady, Princess Jiahe, and Yu Huiyan in turn.
Her obedience made Princess Jiahe regain a bit of face.
"You should have done this earlier. A concubine should know her place. Serving the mistress is your duty."
She didn't forget to take the opportunity to teach Song Wanchu a lesson.
Song Wanchu ignored her words and calmly returned to the old lady's side and picked up a teacup.
Yu Huiyan felt even more elated. The tea in her mouth seemed a bit sweeter.
During the tea - drinking time, the room returned to calm. At first glance, it really seemed like a peaceful and serene time.
The old lady put down the teacup, with impatience all over her eyebrows. "Alright, I'm tired. I'm afraid of noise. You can go back."
Princess Jiahe originally wanted to talk about the betrothal gifts.
Last time, when the marriage between Liang Yuzhou and Yu Huiyan didn't go through, the betrothal gifts that the Duke's Mansion had prepared early, together with the ones that Song Wanchu had returned, were all locked in the warehouse by the old lady.
She had asked the warehouse steward for the key several times, wanting to check the betrothal gifts and choose a good day to send them to the Yu family.
But without the old lady's permission, the warehouse steward simply ignored her orders.
"Auntie, let's go back first. Don't disturb the old lady's rest."
There would be plenty of time for the betrothal gifts. Yu Huiyan didn't want to upset the old lady.
Just as the two of them were about to step out, Song Wanchu suddenly covered her chest and gasped for breath.
"Wan Chu, what's wrong with you?"
The old lady quickly supported Song Wanchu. She saw that Song Wanchu was cold all over, her face was as white as a sheet, and a thin layer of sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.
"Old lady, the mistress's heart palpitations have flared up. I'll go and call the doctor in the mansion right away!"
Nanzhi hurriedly lifted the beaded curtain and ran out.
Princess Jiahe and Yu Huiyan, who were about to leave, were confused by this sudden scene.
The two of them stood aside gloatingly, with a mind of watching a show.
There was a venomous glint in Yu Huiyan's eyes. She had failed to poison Song Wanchu yesterday and had been wracking her brains on how to do it again without being noticed. She didn't expect this sickly woman to get sick on her own.
It would be great if she died in pain.
The doctor in the mansion came quickly.
This doctor was surnamed Zhou. He was a disciple of Doctor Shen and had been practicing medicine in the Duke's Mansion for twenty years. His medical skills were no less than those of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He felt Song Wanchu's pulse and frowned tightly.
"How is it?"
"Strange, strange." Doctor Zhou took out a tranquility pill for Song Wanchu to take while reporting to the old lady. "Although the mistress has lost a lot of weight recently, I've been checking her pulse these days. This morning, the mistress's pulse was calm and strong. Logically, she shouldn't have suddenly fallen ill."
His eyes scanned the room and finally landed on the cup of tea that Song Wanchu had only taken a sip of.