Tianliangyuan

Chapter 5 I almost used her as a weapon

Wang Ruolan could easily see through their suspicions, so she simply instructed softly, "Go and invite Miss over. Tell her that several elders from the Xie family have come to speak with her, and that she should not delay."

"Yes, ma'am."

Before the maid could leave, footsteps could be heard outside the door.

Xu Zhaozhao's graceful figure was revealed as she walked slowly into the house and curtsied to greet the elders.

Madam Xie observed that his complexion was rosy and his demeanor was proper, and he did not appear to be as sickly as the rumors suggested.

However, Madam Xie, recalling Sun Qian's earlier words, couldn't help but glance at her more often. Only after confirming that Xu Zhaozhao was indeed very healthy did she become extremely dissatisfied with Sun Qian.

Seeing that her daughter looked well and had not been impolite, Wang Ruolan called her over to talk.

"Your grandmother from the Xie family has been here for a while. I remember sending someone to fetch you earlier, so why are you late?"

Wang Ruolan asked this question deliberately, hoping to give her daughter a chance to explain herself openly and honestly, so that she wouldn't have trouble explaining it later.

Xu Zhaozhao naturally understood her mother's intention and said with a little shyness, "Reporting to Mother, after I had breakfast, I went to the kitchen. Yesterday, Father said he wanted to eat pigeon and casually mentioned that Grandmother loves pigeon soup the most. I may not be good at making other things, but I am good at making soup, so I stayed there until Peony from the courtyard came to the kitchen to report, and then I hurriedly came over."

Madam Xie, with her sharp eyes, noticed some creases on Xu Zhaozhao's sleeves and realized that she must have tied her arms with straps to make it easier for her to move.

Seeing this, Madam Xie was even more satisfied, because she could tell from these details that the little girl had not lied and was a filial and good child.

Madam Xu smiled even more genuinely: "Good child, it's just a soup, why did you need to make it? Qian'er just said you coughed half the night last night, I was just about to ask you what happened?"

Xu Zhaozhao was taken aback at first, then laughed, "Cousin, you have sharp ears, but you misunderstood. Someone did cough for a long time last night, but it wasn't me. It was my maid, Shaoyao. She coughed for a while because she accidentally ate some dogwood last night. It wasn't as bad as half a night."

Everyone's smart enough to know that Xu Zhaozhao's voice was clear and crisp, and that she hadn't coughed or gasped for breath even after speaking for so long, so they knew that everything outside was just a rumor.

Overall, the Xie family was quite satisfied with their trip today.

On the way back, Madam Xie was quite excited: "Mother, I don't think that Sun Qian is a good person. Moreover, when I spoke with Madam Xu alone later, she also hinted that someone was deliberately spreading these rumors to ruin our two families' marriage."

Madam Xie's expression remained unchanged: "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Madam Xie chuckled: "Xu Zhaozhao did indeed consult a doctor before, but it wasn't anything serious, just normal recuperation. However, somehow, the news reached the Old Madam. Later, Madam Xu found out that someone was deliberately stirring up trouble in front of the Old Madam Xu, trying to solidify the reputation of our Third Son being cursed to bring misfortune to his relatives."

Marquis Xu and his wife were no pushovers, and they resolved the matter in just a few words.

Unexpectedly, the person behind it all wasn't giving up and started maliciously spreading rumors. Our Xie family almost fell for it too!

Madam Xie frowned slightly; she had indeed acted too hastily today.

Moreover, she truly saw Xu Zhaozhao today, and this child is definitely not the kind of sickly and delicate person she is. So who on earth is so bored and has nothing better to do than ruin people's marriages?

That's absolutely despicable and vicious!

Both Madam Xie and Madam Xie thought of Sun Qian, who spoke in a way that was clearly meant to cause trouble. Could it be that she was involved in this?

Moreover, from her second daughter-in-law's words, Madam Xie had also made a judgment. She had to go back and interrogate her carefully. The head of the family had whispered these words into her ear and almost used her as a weapon. This was simply outrageous!

Once the Xie family left, Wang Ruolan could no longer hold back and angrily rebuked Sun Qian: "Sun Qian, since you came to my Marquis's residence, in what way have we wronged you? Whether it's food or clothing, everything is chosen by you. But instead of thinking about how to protect your own family, you're always causing trouble. What do you want?"

Wang Ruolan may seem gentle, but she is not without temper.

She managed such a large marquis's mansion; how could she be completely without any cunning or shrewdness?

Her outburst on the spot, disregarding everything, was an attempt to force her mother-in-law to send the person away!

Madam Xu was also in a bit of a dilemma.

It has to be said that Sun Qian's performance today was truly terrible.

Moreover, her open and covert attempts to belittle Zhaozhao naturally raise suspicions about her motives.

"Qian'er, tell me yourself, what exactly is the reason for your outrageous behavior today?"

"Grandmother, please calm down. Qian'er really didn't expect things to turn out this way. And Qian'er did hear coughing last night, but she thought it was because her sister was unwell, so she brought it up herself, just in case they insisted on seeing her sister."

I just didn't expect it to be my younger sister who was sick; it made me, as the older sister, seem like I was meddling.

As Sun Qian finished speaking, she wiped away her tears and began to express her feelings.

Xu Zhaozhao had no intention of indulging her anymore, but she wouldn't deliberately expose her either.

"Grandmother, Mother, it's all Zhaozhao's fault. Please don't be angry; your health is the most important thing. As for my cousin's words just now, they weren't a big mistake. Please, for my sake, don't make things difficult for her."

These words truly touched the old lady's heart. One was her own granddaughter, and the other was her granddaughter-in-law; they were both her flesh and blood!

However, Sun Qian was displeased because her words just now confirmed that she was targeting Xu Zhaozhao. If her uncle found out, he would definitely not forgive her!

Xu Zhaozhao coaxed her a few more times, and Wang Ruolan finally stopped keeping a straight face.

Sun Qian remained kneeling on the ground, and even when someone pleaded for her, she dared not stand up.

“Mother, my cousin knows she was wrong. Please forgive her this time. It’s all Shaoyao’s fault. If she hadn’t been coughing in the room, this misunderstanding wouldn’t have happened.”

Sun Qian's face stiffened; she had a bad feeling!

Wang Ruolan narrowed her eyes: "Where did Peony rest last night?"

"Mother's question is rather strange. Peony naturally went back to her own room to sleep. Everyone knew she had accidentally eaten something, and Dingxiang didn't dare let her come near to serve her, so she sent her back early."

Xu Zhaozhao said this with an innocent look on her face, as if she had not noticed anything wrong.

Wang Ruolan's expression instantly turned cold: "Qian'er, you said you heard the cough with your own ears?"