Chapter 128 Huang Ju commits suicide
When the old lady saw that the doctor said the two young ladies were fine, she was a little tired after working all afternoon, so she told everyone to disperse. Just as she was about to leave, the aunt came forward, knelt down and said:
"Old Madam, Madam, I have something to report to you."
When the eldest wife heard this, she stopped and looked at Cuiping with an unrecoverable look on her face. This little bitch had only been a concubine for two and a half days, and she already didn't know her last name. How could she have a say in front of the old lady? What's more, at this moment, the old lady looked obviously tired. She secretly blamed Cuiping for being nosy and did not return to her seat, but just stood there listening.
When the old lady saw Cuiping kneeling, she sat still and asked coldly, "What's the matter?"
"Replying to the old lady, I think it was just a coincidence that the two young ladies ate beef and brown sugar today, which violated the taboo. It is better to investigate it to prevent similar things from happening again, which would hurt the young master."
When everyone heard this, they remembered that the two young ladies became ill because of eating taboo food. They had almost forgotten about this because of the third young lady's spitting. When the eldest wife heard this, she thought it made sense and turned around and sat down again. When Xiao Jun heard this, his heart moved and he looked at Aunt Li on the side.
The nurse had said it countless times that the two young ladies had eaten the candied haws that Huang Ju had sent them today in addition to lunch. She had also specifically asked why the candied haws were not as crystal clear as usual, but were red, to show her concern and carefulness for the two young ladies' daily diet, fearing that they would eat something by mistake. Huang Ju said that it was boiled with brown sugar, and using various fruits to make candied haws of various colors was Huang Ju's unique skill, and it was no secret in Xiaoxiang Courtyard. Therefore, when everyone heard this, they all looked at Aunt Li.
Aunt Li turned pale when she heard Aunt Cui's words. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she hurriedly took a few steps forward, knelt down on the ground with a plop, and kowtowed repeatedly:
"Please, old lady, first wife, second master, check it out. I really didn't know about this. Today, I wanted to eat candied haws, so I asked Huang Ju to make it. I didn't know she used brown sugar. And I happened to meet the two young ladies. I didn't know that beef and brown sugar would violate the taboo. Please, old lady, check it out. This matter has nothing to do with me."
Everyone then remembered Huang Ju and looked around, but there was no trace of Huang Ju.
"Where has Huang Ju gone? I think I saw this maid just now. Go look for her."
The eldest wife looked at Aunt Li on the ground in confusion, looked around, didn't see Huang Ju, and then said.
At this time, several maids had already responded and ran out. Everyone was waiting, and Aunt Cui stepped forward and said:
"Replying to the old lady, I am just confused. At noon today, all of our concubines had beef on their menu. Concubine Li must have eaten beef as well. How come Concubine Li ate the red candied haws and nothing happened?"
After hearing Aunt Cui's threatening words, Mengxi felt a chill in her heart. This was the woman in the deep mansion. Under her gentle, virtuous and delicate appearance, she hid a vicious heart. Anyone who naively believed in this gentleness would be close to death. There was no warmth here, only fighting.
Didn't Chairman Mao say that China has a population of 600 million, so how can we not fight? There are so many women in Mr. Xiao's backyard, so how can we not fight?
"Replying to the old lady, this afternoon, when Huang Ju returned to Ju Garden, I was taking a nap. Later, the maid came to report that the two young ladies were in trouble, and I hurried over. The candied haws were still in my room, and I didn't have time to eat them. The maids and old women in my room can testify to this. The old lady can send someone to Ju Garden to ask. I am scared when I think about it. I think I am lucky. If I hadn't fallen asleep at that time, and the second lady only had one pill of medicine, I might have died long ago. I beg the old lady, the first wife, and the second master to understand."
As Aunt Li spoke, she began to wipe her tears with a handkerchief.
A woman's tears are the best weapon. Aunt Li's words really worked, especially for Mr. Xiao. After listening to Aunt Li's words, he thought about it and realized that Aunt Li really ate the candied haws. There was only one pill of the medicine at that time, and the two children were young and could just share it, but with Aunt Li, it would not be enough. If that really happened, between her and her daughter, both the grandmother and the mother would choose to save the daughter.
Thinking that his Aunt Li almost passed away, his heart softened a little. He recalled how gentle and kind Aunt Li was in daily life. He remembered that once, a bird in her room died and she was sad for several days. She was so timid that she was afraid that a falling leaf would hit her head. How could such a person hurt others, let alone the daughter of Xiao Jun? Thinking of this, although he was still distressed in his heart, the expression on his face eased a lot and he just sat there without saying a word.
After hearing this, the eldest wife thought about it and realized that it was true. She usually thought that Aunt Li was a softie. It was because Jun'er spoiled her that she was not bullied. Jun'er's four aunts, including the new daughter -in-law , were not as filial and considerate as her. How could such a person harm her own flesh and blood? In addition, she had long been dissatisfied with Cuiping and thought that Cuiping was taking the opportunity to frame Aunt Li in order to win favor. So she said:
"Li is a weak woman, how could she understand the principle of food interaction? Besides, Li is usually timid, kind, gentle and virtuous, how could she have such a sinister mind? Besides, Li just wanted to eat it, and she didn't ask Huang Ju to use brown sugar. It was Huang Ju who used brown sugar. How could Li have thought that Huang Ju would meet Chun'er and Feng'er on her way back? The old lady and the daughter-in-law also think that this might be a coincidence."
What do you mean by timid and kind, gentle and virtuous? That was in front of you and your son. I have only been married for a few days, and she has played tricks on me so many times. What kind of weak woman doesn't understand these things? Am I not a weak woman? After hearing this, Mengxi glanced at the Second Master, but saw that he just sat there in silence. Mengxi was completely speechless.
Damn, this mother and son are a pair of idiots. It’s hard to believe how the Second Master grew up without getting completely cheated.
The old lady nodded after hearing this. Cui Ping's face darkened. She was about to go forward and say something, but she saw the little maid who had gone to fetch Huang Ju hurried in, fell to her knees and said:
"Replying to the old lady, the first wife, and the second master, something bad has happened. I followed the first wife's order to go look for Huang Ju. We arrived at the Ju Courtyard and searched around. Finally, it was the little maid who found that Huang Ju had hanged herself in her room. When everyone came forward to rescue her, Huang Ju's body was already stiff. I'm afraid she won't survive."
It turned out that Huang Ju and Bai Ju had always been following Aunt Li. When they heard the Second Mistress point out that the two young ladies had eaten taboo food, they knew they could not escape. She and Bai Ju were brought by Aunt Li when she entered the mansion. The whole family was in the hands of Aunt Li's family. They were used to Aunt Li's cruelty and were afraid of implicating the people at home. Seeing that everyone was busy rescuing the third young lady, they took advantage of the chaos to quietly retreat. Aunt Li saw it, but did not stop her and let her go.
After she returned, she hurriedly asked her maid to deliver a message to her family, and gave out the valuables such as the silver she had saved daily. She then told them that she was tired and wanted to rest, and asked no one to disturb her. She closed the door, found a stick of white wine, and hanged herself.
