Qian Zhaodi collapsed onto the ground, trembling, shaking her head and tearfully proclaiming her innocence in betraying the first wife.
Her plight was truly pitiable.
But no one believed her. With Laogentou’s accusation, any further denial was futile.
Bai Sheng looked at her, her gaze like ice. "Qian Zhaodi, you had the guts to do it, but not to admit it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff, that I might at least hold you in a little higher regard. Turns out, you’re just a cheap, dirty thing unfit for public view.
You thought you were so clever, with everything under your control, but you were merely a jumping jack, a clown.
Perhaps you don't even know? From the day you started associating with Laogentou, I had people secretly monitoring you. When you stole poison from the medical hall, it was because I had my master deliberately give you the opportunity.
Each of my master's medicines has a precise count. Did you really think my master wouldn't notice when you stole them? You truly are presumptuous.
Today, I must thank you for leading Wang Quanfu here. It allows me to finally sever his connection with Sister Haohao."
Qian Zhaodi widened her tear-filled eyes and looked at Bai Sheng in terror. "First Wife, I..."
"Don't call me First Wife. You are not worthy," Bai Sheng cut her off coldly.
Granny Zhong stepped forward, agitated, pointing at Qian Zhaodi and scolding her angrily. "Qian Zhaodi, you are a true ungrateful wretch! If it wasn't for the First Wife taking you in back then, you... you would have starved to death!"
Madam Liu also gritted her teeth in hatred. "Qian Zhaodi, I just can't understand, what did the First Wife ever do to wrong you? She gave you shelter, food, and clothing, and what did you do in return? Betray her! You even incited so many people to cause trouble for the First Wife. Are you even human? Do you have any conscience? You are truly base and shameless!"
Tian Guihua, who was busy in the kitchen, heard about this and angrily threw down her spatula, charging out like a cannonball. She grabbed Qian Zhaodi by the collar, slapped her several times, and then spat on her. "You slut!"
"Tian Guihua! You... How dare you hit me!" Qian Zhaodi pointed at Tian Guihua, trembling and wailing. They were all servants, so how could Tian Guihua hit her!
"Hit you? I wish I could kill you! You disgusting, vile bitch! Spit!" Tian Guihua spat on her again and kicked her.
The onlookers began to murmur. Most of them were criticizing Qian Zhaodi, though a few pitied her and spoke up for her.
As Qian Zhaodi's former fellow villager, Qian Choutuo couldn't help himself. He stepped forward and sternly rebuked Qian Zhaodi. "More than a year ago, your parents instigated you to break your own leg to extort money from the Master and First Wife.
After the scheme was exposed, your parents abandoned you. It was the First Wife who, out of pity, took you in.
I never imagined you would repay kindness with enmity, turn against your benefactors, and collude with outsiders to bully the First Wife. You have truly disgraced the Qian surname!"
Qian Zhaodi, perhaps touched by a nerve, shrieked hysterically, "What do you mean, she took me in? She exploited me, making me sell myself to her, to be her slave and servant, to work like an ox and horse!"
"Qian Zhaodi! You wretched creature!" Tian Guihua was so angry she wanted to rip her mouth apart. "You were the one crying and begging the First Wife to buy you! You willingly sold yourself to the First Wife! Working like an ox and horse was also something you promised the First Wife yourself to gain her acceptance!"
"Exactly! And later, when the First Wife wanted to release our indentured status and return our contracts, you were the one who refused them! And now you blame the First Wife? Are there any more base and despicable people like you?" Madam Liu retorted sternly.
Madam Yang smiled coldly and said softly, "Qian Zhaodi, look at yourself now, and then recall yourself more than a year ago. Is there much difference? Back then, you were emaciated, in rags, covered in dirt, utterly destitute.
How dare you say you were a slave or servant? What slave ate as well as you, or wore as well as you? What servant enjoyed as much freedom as you? In what way did the First Wife mistreat you?"
At these words, the onlookers stirred. A young girl who had come for a job said, "If I had such a good mistress, I'd want to sell myself into servitude too."
"Yes, a poor girl who sold herself, raised like a young lady by her mistress, yet she's ungrateful and complains about being bought. Some people are truly worse than cats and dogs. Even cats and dogs know how to be grateful."
"We can't even get enough to eat, and several people in our family have starved to death. No one wants us even if we want to sell ourselves into servitude. And this girl, with such a good mistress, still causes trouble. Truly, she is bringing ruin upon herself!"
Facing the accusations of the crowd, Qian Zhaodi raised her tear-streaked face and cried hoarsely, "Yes, the First Wife took me in at first, and I intended to repay her. But was she good to me?
She was always excluding and targeting me!
It was Sun Gami, not me, who learned to read and write with Lu Hao! It was Sun Gami, not me, who was sent on errands to the capital! What is she, Sun Gami, to deserve such favoritism? She's not even a household servant, so why did the First Wife rely on her so heavily and not on me?
The manager of the cloth shop is Madam Yang, not me. Even when Madam Yang wasn't here, she preferred to hand the management over to outsiders rather than to me!
The head manager of this workshop is Bai Jing and Lu Hao, not me! Bai Jing and Lu Hao just arrived in this household, what qualifications do they have? Are they worthy?
Why is it that as soon as they arrived, they gained the First Wife's trust, while I, who have worked diligently in this household for over a year, what have I gained? I am just an inconspicuous sewing worker!"
Lu Ye’s eyes glinted with coldness, and he very much wanted to cut out Qian Zhaodi's tongue and feed it to dogs.
Bai Sheng glanced at him and gently pressed the back of his hand, whispering, "Such a trivial person is not worth getting angry over."
Prince Yu looked at Qian Zhaodi, feeling so disgusted he almost vomited again.
Ji Chenghe also sighed, finding this woman truly greedy and insatiable. It was utterly laughable that she, a mere servant, expected her mistress to always cater to her personal wishes.
Lord He, not understanding the woman, merely watched the spectacle.
Granny Zhong, Tian Guihua, and the others were all gritting their teeth in anger, wishing they could slap Qian Zhaodi to death!
Yang Ming, Zhao Dazhuang, Feng Pingyuan, and a group of men clenched their fists, struggling to control themselves from beating this ungrateful wretch.
Bai Sheng took a sip of tea and slowly stood up, walking to Qian Zhaodi. She looked down at her and said, "Qian Zhaodi, you probably forgot your station, didn't you? You are a servant, and I am the master. You have no right or qualification to demand that your master satisfy your personal desires.
If your master bids you to live, you live; if your master bids you to die, you die! Who gave you the audacity to dictate your master's actions!"
Looking into Bai Sheng's stern eyes, Qian Zhaodi instinctively recoiled. She stammered, "But... why are you so good to Tian Guihua, Du Min, Madam Yang, Madam Liu, and even Bai Jing and Lu Hao? They are also servants!"