They stood far and couldn’t hear what the people said in the house on fire, but a guard could guess what people said through their mouth patterns. If Qu Moying was here, she would be surprised to find the guard had repeated exactly what they said.
Looking at the scene, the man smiled silently, “Is she the blind daughter born of Qu Zhizhen’s ex-wife? Timid, solitary, and gloomy?”
It was the rumor that the guard told him just now. As expected, the rumor was unbelievable. He saw Qu Moying kick Granny Wang agilely, so he stopped to watch what was going on.
“Your Highness, shall we go to the Crown Prince’s Mansion now?” A guard reminded him quietly. They meant to go to the Crown Prince’s Mansion to see the fun. Something unusual would happen there!
“No hurry!” The man’s eyes sparkled, looked at Qu Moying’s back with a faint smile, and said slowly, “Wait and see!”
Compared to seeing the fun in the Crown Prince’s Mansion, it was more interesting to stay here and watch the Fourth Lady of the Qu Family, who was contradictory to the rumor. He just needed such an agile girl who couldn’t see. Of course, she couldn’t be completely blind. It was good that she was half-blind…
Yu entered. She was in her thirties and looked pretty. Though she was not very young, you could guess how beautiful she was when she was a young girl.
Seeing Yu, Granny Wang felt more confident and began to complain while crying without tears, “Madam, I came here to check the fire and help to put it out as you ordered. But when the Fourth Lady saw me, she gave me two slaps and kicked me.”
She pointed at her face and the hemline of her clothes.
Her white and fat face became red and swollen, and a footprint could be seen clearly on the hemline. They were irrefutable evidence.
“Moying, why did you lose temper with a servant? If you are treated unfairly, just tell me. Don’t make a scene. It’s embarrassing if others see it!” Yu walked to Qu Moying and soothed her softly as if she didn’t see Granny Wang’s grievance.
Yu was really something. She seemed to be on the side of Qu Moying, but what she said indirectly authenticated that Qu Moying was to blame.
“Madam, it means you plan to let off the hateful servant, right?” Qu Moying asked and came back to the topic calmly and naturally.
“Madam, you believe the hateful servant instead of me, don’t you?”
It irritated Yu, but she couldn’t rebuke Qu Moying in public because she needed to be a good mother.
“Now that the servant has made you angry, flog her five times as a punishment to help her remember it.” Yu said casually.
Two senior housemaids behind her came over to draw Granny Wang away.
They flogged Granny Wang five times lightly. They were just putting on an act to spare Qu Moying’s blushes.
Understanding Yu’s trick, Granny Wang began to cry out her grievance, “My Lady, I don’t know how I offended and irritated you. Please tell me clearly.”
Granny Wang shouted as if she was really wronged. Though Yu gave her a punishment of being flogged five times, it was indicated that Granny Wang did nothing wrong, and it was Qu Moying that made trouble. Yu did it to spare Qu Moying’s blushes.
“Madam, don’t you think it is not enough to flog her five times?” Qu Moying looked at hypocritical Yu and Granny Wang and sneered.
Yu was surprised and looked sulky. She was in control of the business in the backyard and was Qu Moying’s stepmother. Disobeyed by Qu Moying repeatedly, she couldn’t repress her anger anymore.
“Moying, what do you mean?” Her smile became frozen.
“Will you keep such a hateful servant? Did she just speak out what you thought?” Qu Moying asked.
Qu Moying used to be silly and timid. After she returned, she had been bullied a lot, but she didn’t dare to complain to the Old Lady. However, she was different now. She was determined to make things worse to bother Yu.
Yu was sure that Qu Moying wouldn’t complain to the Old Lady, so she dared to bully her. In fact, it was Yu that had someone set the fire to kill her.
If she died, everything would be finished!
Yu felt shocked. She observed Qu Moying and frowned. The girl was indeed blind. How dared the blind girl talk back to her? Did the girl deliberately pretend to be gloomy and silent to make her relax the vigilance?
“Moying, what did the servant say to irritate you? Don’t blame me. I am afraid that it will be hard to wind this matter up if you punish her too severely.” Yu said unhappily and coldly.
She seemed to threaten Qu Moying.
“My Lady, I don’t know how I offended you and made you hate me so much. Please just be frank with me. Thus, even if I die, I will be clear about my fault.” Granny Wang began to cry again.
“Madam, once you entered, you began to defend a servant. Don’t you think it’s improper? If you insist on doing that, I’ll complain to my grandmother!” Qu Moying said coldly and firmly. “A servant dared to address me as a blind girl repeatedly. Madam, I don’t know where the discipline comes from? Can’t I give a lesson to such a hateful servant?”
“My Lady, I am wronged. I didn’t!” Granny Wang cried and denied. She thought when she came here, no one else stayed here and heard it except those coming with her.
“Some people had arrived earlier than you did to put out the fire at the back door. We can ask them to testify that you said it.” Qu Moying said calmly.
Granny Wang was surprised. She began to look towards the back door subconsciously.
There were more people here now. Granny Wang couldn’t tell who came first. Seeing Qu Moying composed, she believed someone must have heard it and became panic-stricken immediately. She rolled her eyes with swollen eyelids and corrected herself, “My Lady, the blind girl I said referred to someone in my village instead of you. You misheard!” She confessed without being pressed.
“Madam, how will you punish her? Will you investigate who told her to say that in my presence?” Qu Moying looked at Yu through the veil, “My grandmother left you behind specially that day and told you to warn the servants. Do you forget it?”
The Old Lady said that indeed. To spare Qu Moying’s blushes, she drove away all servants out of her room and only told some family members.
Yu didn’t realize she was trapped by Qu Moying until now. No matter whether Granny Wang referred to Qu Moying, it was taboo for the Old Lady to mention the word “blind” in the presence of Qu Moying.
“Madam, you are in control of the business in the family. I wonder how the hateful servant will be punished for offending a sick master?”
“Flog her twenty times!” Yu had to yield. If the Old Lady knew it, she couldn’t defend herself and would lose face.
“Madam, will you keep such a servant to give her another chance of offending others?” Qu Moying pressed Yu for an answer casually.
“Give her twenty slaps extra!” Yu gritted her teeth and yielded again.
“I thought it would be enough to give her twenty slaps. Unexpectedly, the madam is so strict and will flog her twenty times extra. Now that it’s the madam’s order, why not draw her away now for punishment? Just do as the madam ordered?” Qu Moying lifted her chin and ordered casually.
Qu Moying beat Yu’s servant and asked Yu to punish the servant. Qu Moying seemed to offend nobody!
Yu was furious to look at her fearless look. She twisted her handkerchief with force and waved reluctantly. Two senior housemaids walked over and drew away Granny Wang who crumpled on the ground in terror like a dead dog.
Yu suffered losses in this battle. She couldn’t control her anger anymore. She rolled her eyes, looked at the fire trace, and began to find fault with Qu Moying with a foxy smile, “Moying, why did the fire break out? Don’t you like the house?”
“Madam, please bring Qing He here, the servant of my elder sister. The fire was set by her!’ Qu Moying said affirmatively. She guessed the Old Lady would come here now even though she arrived late.
Qu Moying didn’t have evidence, but Qing He must have it. Those people thought she was blind, so they didn’t pay attention to details!
Yu’s face became pale…