Chapter 181 Misunderstanding?
Seeing that the Second Madam was going to call a doctor, Si'er and Wu'er were so scared that they kowtowed and ignored the two maids. Mengxi looked up at Concubine Cui on the bed and said:
"Aunt Cui, please put on some more clothes. The doctor will be here soon and it will be inconvenient to see him."
After hearing this, Si'er realized that the Second Mistress would not let Concubine Cui lie peacefully in bed and would make her restless somehow.
He kowtowed to the Second Grandma and said:
"Please allow me to help Concubine Cui change her clothes."
"Go now"
"Thank you, Second Madam"
In front of so many people, it was impossible for Aunt Cui to put on her bellyband and quilt pants from the inside out. Si'er thought to himself that he should find a big coat for Aunt Cui to put on first. Thinking of this, he got up and went to the cupboard to find a slightly thicker casual dress. He went to the bed, lowered the bed curtain, and helped Aunt Cui put on her clothes.
After putting on her clothes, Si'er knelt down again. Mengxi saw that Aunt Cui was still sitting on the bed, staring at her and the Second Master blankly, and said in her heart: You are so good Aunt Cui. At this time, you are still standing there hard. I want to see how the Second Master protects you today!
Thinking of this, he opened his mouth and said to Wu'er:
"You blind slave, why don't you even listen to your master? Didn't I tell you to go and get the doctor? Why don't you go quickly and let your aunt stay in bed like that?"
After saying this, seeing that Aunt Cui was still sitting there without moving, just looking at the Second Master, and the two maids just kowtowed and had no intention of getting up , he smiled slightly and said:
"This is really the master being favored and having face, the servants are also arrogant, and I, as the mistress, can't even use the servants in this courtyard!"
After Mengxi finished speaking, he looked at Erye provocatively. Erye, who was drinking tea, saw Mengxi looking at him, thought for a moment, put down his teacup and said:
"Why, didn't you hear what Second Grandma said? Why don't you go now?"
Second Master's words made Fourth and Fifth tremble, and they kowtowed and said:
"I dare not! I dare not!"
Aunt Cui was dumbfounded when she saw that the Second Master not only did not stop her but actually helped the Second Mistress. "Call a doctor? Not to mention that the doctor came and found that she was not sick, just calling a doctor would definitely alarm the First Mistress and the Old Mistress. Then tomorrow this matter would spread throughout the courtyard. No matter how thick-skinned she is, she would have no face to live."
He hurriedly got up and crawled to the ground, without even putting on his shoes, and came to the second grandmother, then fell to his knees with a plop:
"I was wrong. I won't do it again. Please forgive me, Master. I beg you to forgive me."
Seeing that Concubine Cui had finally gotten down from the ground, and after she knelt on the ground and kowtowed and begged for mercy, Meng Xi said with a look of shock:
"Oh, look at you, why did you run down here? You're still sick. What if you catch a cold again? If you don't care about your own body, the Second Master will also feel bad. You'll blame me, the mistress, for not taking good care of the concubines. Go back and lie down quickly. Si'er, why don't you help your concubine to bed? If Concubine Cui's illness gets worse, watch your skin!"
Aunt Cui looked at the Second Master with resentment, hoping that he would say something. Seeing that he was just concentrating on drinking tea, she felt disappointed. She could not count on the Second Master. It seemed that if she did not admit that she was faking illness, the Second Mistress would not let her go today. Rather than endure it like this, she might as well admit it. She hoped that the Second Master would stop the Second Mistress from punishing her too harshly for the sake of their past friendship. Thinking of this, she made up her mind and said:
"I am not sick. I pretended to be sick because I wanted to see you. Please forgive me, Master and Madam, for my sincerity towards you. I will never do it again."
"Oh, so Concubine Cui is not sick? When the Second Master heard that Concubine Cui was sick, he rushed here in a hurry without saying a word."
After Mengxi finished speaking, she looked at the Second Master meaningfully.
After hearing what Mengxi said and seeing that everyone was looking at him, Erye felt his ears getting hot. He glanced at Mengxi with a hint of annoyance, and when he met her provocative gaze, his heart moved. He turned around and continued to drink his tea sip by sip. The room was so quiet that only the sound of him drinking tea could be heard.
After waiting for a long time and seeing that the Second Master didn't speak, Meng Xi slowly said:
"Mrs. Cui, you are so bold that you dare to seduce the Second Master with such a shameful method. Do you know that you are pretending to be sick and deceiving your master, and you are not a woman of virtue. According to the rules of the Xiao Mansion, how should you be dealt with?"
Second Mistress's voice was not loud, but her soothing tone was like pearls falling to the ground, hitting Aunt Cui's heart hard, making her feel as if the end of the world was coming. She was even a little breathless, and she kowtowed repeatedly to beg for mercy:
"I beg you to have mercy on me, Madam. Please forgive me. I will definitely remember your kindness."
"Someone, take Aunt Cui out and beat her to death with sticks."
Ignoring Aunt Cui, Mengxi shouted to the outside. She stole a glance at the Second Master, thinking that he should finally come forward this time, right?
The door was pushed open and two maids came in, trying to grab Aunt Cui.
Aunt Cui quickly crawled forward and hugged the Second Master's legs, crying and begging:
"Second Master, Second Master, please say something. I am sincere to you. You are the one I think of every day. This is all for you. Please say something!"
"Mrs. Cui, you have been in this garden for so long, don't you know the rules of the mansion? All matters in the backyard are decided by the Second Mistress."
The Second Master finally spoke, but he said such words. Aunt Cui looked at the Second Master in disbelief, loosened her hands, and stood there in a daze. Not only was she in disbelief, but there was someone who was even more surprised than her, and that was Mengxi.
Seeing the Second Master say this, Mengxi was shocked. Wasn't she his sweetheart? Shouldn't he protect her? Why did he say this? She was too lazy to fight with Concubine Cui.
Remember that he was the most easily angered. The reason why she did this was to make him stand up for Concubine Cui. She took advantage of the situation and made a big fuss, which made him write a letter of divorce in anger. She packed up her belongings and left, but the Second Master said that she was the mistress and she could do whatever she wanted in the backyard. For a moment, it seemed as if she had been fully armed, riding a horse and running to the front of the battle to shout, but the other side hung up a banner of exemption from battle, making her suddenly like a defeated rooster, with no will to fight at all.
After all, he is a modern person. Mengxi is not so cruel as to take a person's life so lightly. He looks at Zhiqiu for help.
Zhiqiu was also confused. Did the Second Master really hand over the affairs of the backyard to Second Mistress, including the life of the aunt? Before she could digest this information, she saw Second Mistress looking at her, and she understood what Second Mistress meant. She walked up to the Second Master and Second Mistress and poured another cup of tea for each of them. She handed the tea to Second Mistress with both hands and said:
"Second Madam, drink some tea first and calm down. After all, Concubine Cui wanted to see the Second Master, she didn't break the rules on purpose. Besides, it would be bad if this matter got out. If you really want to execute Concubine Cui according to the rules today, and this matter gets out tomorrow, it will be embarrassing for the Second Master. But then again, Concubine Cui was born as a maidservant by the First Madam's side. If you don't consider the Second Master's face, you have to consider the First Madam's face."
What kind of words are these? How could what Concubine Cui did make him lose face? Zhiqiu kept talking around, but in the end, it turned out that he, the second master, had no face at all. After hearing what Zhiqiu said, Xiao Jun was so angry, but he really couldn't do anything about this master and servant, so he just sat there and drank tea in silence.
Mengxi was relieved when she heard this. Her Zhiqiu was really considerate. Look, what she said was so beautiful. It not only made Cui Yi Niang remember that she was just a maid, but also offended Second Master's face. Moreover, she asked them to follow this arrogant flirting. Thinking of this, she pretended to be in deep thought.
Seeing that someone was going to die, Hongzhu also became nervous. When she heard Zhiqiu talking, she also hurried forward and knelt down to plead for Cui Niang. Only then did Cui Niang come to her senses, and she and Si'er and Wu'er began to kowtow to the Second Madam. Mengxi saw that it was almost over, so he sighed and said:
"Who told me that I am also a soft-hearted person who cannot stand others saying a few nice words, Aunt Cui, I will remember this time. If there is a next time, don't say that I don't care about the face of my sisters. Although you are spared the death penalty, you pretended to be sick and deceived the master this time. No matter how generous the Second Master and I are, we can't help but punish you, lest other aunts learn from you in the future. There are no rules in this backyard. This time, I will punish you to be grounded for a month and copy the female rules ten times every day. Do you feel wronged?"
"I've made note of this. I thank you, Second Master and Second Madam, for letting me go."
"Everyone, get up!"
The people on the ground responded quickly and stood aside.
The commotion was finally settled, and everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Cui hated the Second Mistress to death at this point, but she was also afraid of her from the bottom of her heart, so she didn't dare to have any bad thoughts. She stood aside, not daring to breathe.
Mengxi glanced around and saw that the Second Master was still sitting there without saying anything, so she said:
"It's getting late. Since Madam Cui is not ill, Master, please let me first..."
"Okay, Aunt Cui, you can take a rest first. Fourth and fifth sons, serve your aunt well!"
Seeing that Mengxi wanted to leave first, Erye put down his teacup without waiting for her to finish speaking, and took over the conversation. He stood up while speaking, and Mengxi also stood up. Zhiqiu hurried over to support her.
When Aunt Cui saw that the Second Master was about to leave, she looked at him with resentment, but did not dare to keep him. She stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"The maid respectfully sends off the Second Master and Second Madam"
After saying that, he followed behind. The Second Master glanced at the disheveled Concubine Cui and said:
"Stay in the house, don't come out"
Aunt Cui responded and stood at the door.
Mengxi walked to the door and suddenly remembered something. He stopped and said to Aunt Cui:
"I don't know what kind of incense Aunt Cui lit, but it smells like musk. Although musk can make people excited, it can also make people infertile. For the sake of Second Master's offspring, I advise Aunt Cui not to use this incense in the future."
The Second Master, who had already walked out of the door, heard Mengxi's words, sniffed, and turned to look at Aunt Cui.
Aunt Cui had already been stunned. When she saw the Second Master looking back at her and met his intimidating gaze, she shuddered violently, fell to her knees with a plop, and begged:
"Please spare my life, Master. I only asked for it because you like exotic fragrances. I didn't know it contained musk. If I knew, I would never dare to use it even if you killed me. Please investigate, Master."
"Come here, take Aunt Cui away and give her twenty strokes of the cane."
Two maids had already come forward and pulled Concubine Cui away. Ignoring Concubine Cui's crying, the Second Master strode out with a grim face.
Isn't Concubine Cui his favorite? How could he punish her so harshly? Mengxi squinted at the back of the Second Master. She seemed to have really misunderstood him.
Since she froze her heart, she also froze her perception of him, as if she had never carefully looked into his heart.
