Real Empress from a Noble Family

Chapter 232 The Insidious Tao Family

Qiu Yelan hurried back to Marquess’s Mansion. As expected, when she got out of the carriage, she heard the bad news, “A child of Jiang Yadan died!”

No wonder Jiang Yadan was so rushed on the road!

“How can that happen? When I went to the eighth sister-in-law two days ago, the children were still lively!” She walked toward the backyard and asked Xiaran, who was waiting at the drop-off point. At that time, those two kids were so lively as to snatch the jade bracelet from their official mother’s wrist! Would one of them be the one who had the accident at this time?

“They fell into the water.” Xiaran lowered her head behind her, whispering quickly, “Sheng Shishui was found pregnant yesterday, so the old Madame told Madame Tao Junior to take more care of her. So, she got up early this morning and went to the house of Sheng Shishui... The servants in Madame Tao Junior’s yard just reported that Jiang Yahong and Jiang Yahu got into a fight while playing on the rockery, and they accidentally fell into the lake together!”

Qiu Yelan stopped and asked in surprise, “They both fell into the lake? Are both of them...?”

“Jiang Yahu is dead but Jiang Yahong has been rescued.” Xiaran hesitated, “But...”

“But what?” Qiu Yelan calmed down and asked, continuing to walk.

Xiaran looked around and said, “I heard that when the servant came to save them, he was closer to Jiang Yahu, who was a boy, so he intended to save him first. But, Luan, Jiang Yahong’s biological mother, came to the lake first. She forced the servant to save Jiang Yahong first... Jiang Yahu’s biological mother, Madame Feng, came to the lake later. But when Jiang Yahu was pulled out of the water, he has been...”

“How about Luan and Madame Feng?” Qiu Yelan frowned, thinking that Madame Tao Junior might be in trouble. A concubine’s child died, and the concubines made such a mess. Madame Tao Junior would be accused of managing the concubines poorly.

This was the sorrow of women at this time. The concubines and their children must be controlled by the official wife, while the official wife had to bear the responsibility of ineffective supervision and management if anything was wrong with them.

To be honest, it was not wrong for the official wife to be involved if she really owned the right to manage them. While Madame Tao Junior, who couldn’t manage the concubines at all but couldn’t escape being held accountable when something went wrong, was really wronged!

Xiaran smiled bitterly, “As soon as the old Madame knew it, she ordered people to poison Luan and send her to the mass grave. But Madame Feng, god knows if she is mad! She was crying on the bed at that time, and Madame Tao Junior and the others were comforting her, but as soon as Jiang Yadan was back, she suddenly got her strength and jumped up to hug Jiang Yadan, saying that she and Luan were both concubines, so the servant couldn’t dare to save the girl first while leaving the boy behind. She said that two days ago, Jiang Yahu snatched the bracelet on Madame Tao Junior’s wrist when he was there, so she bore a grudge against Jiang Yahu and privately asked the servant to listen to Luan... The old Madame is going crazy now!”

Qiu Yelan looked gloomy and sneered, “I’m going mad too. With such a biological mother, it’s no wonder that Jiang Yahu is so unruly!” She had thought it was pitiful for such a small child to die out of the concubine of his father before. But at this time, she didn’t feel it at all. With what Madame Feng did this time, if the kid had grown up safely, Madame Feng and the kid might have driven Madame Tao Junior to death in the future!

She calmed down and asked, “Did my brother believe her words or not?”

Xiaran sighed, “Even though Jiang Yadan didn’t believe Madame Feng’s words, he still complained that Madame Tao Junior didn’t take care of the child... After Sheng Shishui knew that, she asked someone to call Jiang Yazhu, planning to apologize to Jiang Yadan with him together!”

“Although he is cold, he is not foolish!” If Jiang Yadan had really believed in Madame Feng’s words, Qiu Yelan thought that he could go die then.

She had thought that since Jiang Yadan did not believe in Madame Feng, Madame Tao Junior would just bear the responsibility for poor management. While when she came to Madame Tao who was dealing with the matter, she did realize that Madame Tao Junior was in a more severe situation than she thought!

“Madame, it was really Madame Tao Junior who forced us to do that! Otherwise, how dare we plot against the little master and lady?” Seven or eight decently-dressed servants were down on their knees, crying about being wronged, “Madame Tao Junior holds our slave contracts... How dare we not listen to her?”

At this time, Madame Tao Junior looked so pale and her lips were trembling. If she hadn’t been helped by others, she would have been unable to stand!

But she just couldn’t fall down, because Jiang Yadan, who was sitting at the end, was looking at her expressionlessly! Obviously, he would never give up if he didn’t make things clear!

After listening in for a while, Qiu Yelan pulled Sheng Shishui’s sleeve secretly. Sheng Shishui frowned and lightly pressed her lower abdomen knowingly. So Qiu Yelan took the opportunity to say to Madame Tao, “Grandma, the sixteenth sister-in-law seems to be a little tired. Can I help her to leave and have a rest?”

Madame Tao, with an iron face, was eager to excuse Madame Tao Junior, so she did not look up when she heard the words, “Go. I’ve said before that Shishui needn’t be here since she is pregnant!”

“Thanks, grandmother!” The two sisters-in-law got away and went back to the courtyard of Sheng Shishui together.

“Wasn’t Madame Feng talking nonsense? Why they are talking about the eighth sister-in-law’s murdering the kids seriously?” After asking the servants to leave, Qiu Yelan asked eagerly, “Those servants?”

Sheng Shishui also had a solemn expression, “The eighth sister-in-law was set up. Even if Madame Feng said that, brother did not believe her, and Mom Hu in front of grandmother also said that Madame Feng was talking nonsense... However, before grandmother handled Madame Feng, Madame Feng said that she had evidence! Then, the servant who saved the kid at that time actually confessed that the eighth sister-in-law had told them that she did not like Jingheng and Jinghu!”

Jiang Jingheng and Jiang Jinghu were the kids of concubines who had snatched the bracelet from Madame Tao Junior’s wrist together before, and it was Jiang Jinghu who died this time.

“Luan’s servants also ran out after they knew about it, screaming that Luan might have been forced by the eighth sister-in-law to save Jiang Yahong first! Their words didn’t matter much, but even Mistress Lu said the same!”

Qiu Yelan hurriedly asked, “Who is Mistress Lu? Why do her words matter?”

“Mistress Lu was the maid of the eighth sister-in-law, called Lvzhan.” Sheng Shishui sighed. “She is the daughter of the one who manages the dowry industry of the eighth sister-in-law. She matters!”

Qiu Yelan kept silent for a while, and asked lightly, “I just get married and I can’t recognize all the relatives... Do you know whether the Tao Family has unmarried daughters now? Especially the pretty one.”

Sheng Shishui gave her a deep look, “Tao Peibin, you know, she is already married. But she has a sister who looks pretty. The girl is only fourteen this year, and she hasn’t been married. She had been taken here by the Tao Family for a few times at the Spring Festival before. At that time, she acted like a pampered child and said to the eighth sister-in-law that she wanted to stay at the Jiang Family for a few days. But before the eighth sister-in-law spoke, she was stopped by grandmother...”

After a pause, she frowned, “It is true that the Tao Family is the most suspicious as Lvzhan claimed that the eighth sister-in-law murdered the kids judging from her birth. After all, it’s really a good thing for the concubines to have such a generous and great wife for their husbands. Lvzhan can’t become the official wife, so it can’t do her any good to frame the eighth sister-in-law! She is a concubine of Jiang Yadan. She never interacts with outsiders, and her parents are the caretaker of the eighth sister-in-law, enjoying the Tao Family’s protection. Except for the Tao Family, who can threaten her? However, if the eighth sister-in-law got the reputation of murdering the children of concubines, wouldn’t all the people from the Tao Family be shameless? In order to change a wife for Jiang Yadan, they abandoned the reputation of a whole family. It...?”

“Have you forgotten grandmother?” Qiu Yelan sneered, “How can such words spread out with grandmother here? Even if it spreads out, once the eighth sister-in-law’s conviction is confirmed, how can she still be alive then? After the eighth sister-in-law dies, they will reverse the verdict and restore her reputation, and the Jiang Family will also agree to let Tao Yibin be the official wife of Jiang Yadan. Tao Peibin is not so beautiful, while Jiang Yadan has so many beautiful concubines, so how can he take a fancy to Tao Yibin who is not even as pretty as Tao Peibin?”

Sheng Shishui’s face changed, “So what about the eighth sister-in-law now?”

“Fortunately, grandmother really cherishes the eighth sister-in-law. She has been thinking about excusing her all the time.” Qiu Yelan thought for a while and said, “But you said that Tao Yibin wanted to live here before and was stopped by grandmother. I’m afraid that at that time, the Tao Family had already discussed the replacement with grandmother, but grandmother did not agree, and she did not even allow Tao Yibin to live here... So, if the Tao Family really designed it this time, I’m afraid they wouldn’t ignore grandmother’s objection... If it is made a well-documented case this time...”

“Now so many people insist that. Before you came back, grandmother killed Luan’s closest maid in public, but no one changed their words even so...” Sheng Shishui looked serious, “I think your guess is right. But for the eighth sister-in-law, it’s....”

If it were other people who set up Madame Tao Junior, she still had her natal family to support her. But if it were exactly her natal family? Even if Madame Tao Junior could be cleared of murdering the kids, it was hard to say whether she could get through the trauma in her heart!

“If it was really the Tao Family who did that, there is only one way to save the eighth sister-in-law.” Qiu Yelan pondered for a moment, “Let the Tao Family know that even if the eighth sister-in-law dies, the position of Jiang Yadan’s wife has nothing to do with their family!”

Sheng Shishui hesitated for a while before she said, “To be honest, if the Tao Family really did that, no matter how grandma loves the eighth sister-in-law, I’m afraid she will accept that.”

Madame Tao’s surname was also Tao after all. She would do anything to get Madame Tao Junior off, except exposing the Tao Family!

And once Madame Tao Junior was forced to death, Madame Tao would not only no longer oppose Tao Yibin’s marrying into the Jiang Family, but would even help Tao Yibin to secure her position as Jiang Yadan’s wife. After all, Madame Tao was also a daughter of the Tao Family!

“I know. I won’t embarrass grandmother about it.” Qiu Yelan stood up, “I know there is someone who happens to do this kind of thing!”

Sheng Shishui asked in surprise, “Who?”

“The fourteenth sister-in-law!” Qiu Yelan narrowed her eyes, “I remember she does this kind of business as well!”

Didn’t the Yang Family beg her to marry their daughter Yang Yinian to Ding Lingyi after his wife died?

Had it not been for Yang Yishi’s being cheated by Ding Lingyi’s nephew Ding Qingyan, the marriage should have been done.

Since He Shuijin could act as the matchmaker for the Yang Family and the Ding Family, it shouldn’t be difficult for her to find a good wife for Jiang Yadan, right?

As expected, when she came to He Shuijin, told her about her intentions, and took out a few pieces of paper money from her sleeve, He Shuijin, who held a tea bowl and indicated that she needed to think about it, became zealous immediately, “You might guess right. Since there is no one else here, let me tell you the truth. Do you know why the eighth sister-in-law is so good-tempered? She is forced to be so! But the one who forces her most is not the Jiang Family but the Tao Family!”

“I’ve heard people say that her biological mother once said that she was useless, because she couldn’t win the heart of Jiang Yadan, and she couldn’t have a baby as well! And she couldn’t even get a concubine’s child to raise by herself! Her mother needled her and then came to grandma to complain about her, who was scolded by grandma badly! But, think about that. How would the eighth sister-in-law feel when she heard what her mom said? Would she still have any spirit to fight for anything? ”

Qiu Yelan sneered, “Sure enough! I was just skeptical before, but fortunately, I came to you, my sister-in-law.” Pointing to the paper money, Qiu Yelan said, “I don’t know your rules, sister-in-law, so please don’t be offended if it’s not enough. It’s just the deposit. I will have a big gift for you in the future. Anyway, as long as she is eager for the position of Jiang Yadan’s wife, if she knows he will marry an irrelevant woman, she will come out definitely!”

“You’re so kind. So, I won’t beat around the bush with you. Business is business. You’ll give me half of this amount after the thing is done.” He Shuijin smiled slightly, “I promise to find someone who can become Jiang Yadan’s wife while has nothing to do with what happened today!”

Kidding? There were Madame Zhuang of the fourth branch in Beijiang and Qiu Yelan who dared to beat her sister-in-law in less than a month after marrying into the Jiang Family. If the good-tempered Madame Tao Junior was replaced by a domineering one, how could other branches live their life?

She had to find a way to intervene in it even if she could get no money!