But what did her aunt mean? She felt this matter couldn't end well. Before she could ponder it further, two old women suddenly appeared and dragged her away. Madam Hu, snapping back to reality, let out a loud reprimand, "What are you doing? Disrespecting your betters!"
Everyone understood this was Old Madam Hu's directive, and no one dared to utter a word. Even Madam Hu's personal maid could only stand by helplessly, anxious. She wanted to plead with Old Madam Hu, but when she turned around, she saw the deep killing intent in Old Madam Hu's eyes.
At that moment, she suddenly awoke. No matter what mistake Madam had made, she was still Old Madam's niece. As for herself, a personal maid, she could be replaced at any moment. She broke out in a cold sweat and quickly hurried after Madam.
"Let me go, hurry and let me go!" No matter how much she struggled, the two old women continued to lead her step by step back to her own courtyard. With a slight exertion of force, Madam Hu was unable to control herself and fell to the ground.
This was the first time in many years she had been treated like this. The palms of her hands, in contact with the ground, were bloody and exquisitely painful. She quickly checked herself. While her body hurt, her heart ached even more. In truth, she knew very well that all this was ordered by her aunt, but she simply couldn't believe her aunt would treat her this way.
As her personal maid entered, the door slammed shut with a bang. The two old women immediately took out locks from their bosoms and bolted the door tightly.
Madam Hu made one last desperate attempt, pounding on the door and shouting, "Let me out, let me out..."
"Madam, we are merely following orders. The Old Madam said you are to stay in your courtyard for a few years, and you may come out when you are well-behaved." One of the old women gave a few parting words, completely ignoring Madam Hu's reaction, and left. Shortly after, several guards arrived and stationed themselves at the courtyard entrance.
Watching their retreating figures from the crack in the door, Madam Hu couldn't help but weep. Was it really worth it just for offending someone from the Hu family? It seemed in her eyes, the bloodline of the Hu family was always the Hu family's bloodline, and she herself was forever an outsider.
Simultaneously, Old Madam Hu, carrying several chests of belongings, quietly entered through the back door of the county yamen. The magistrate had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Old Madam Hu, he quickly recounted his difficulties. Old Madam Hu immediately comforted him, promising to introduce him to her relatives who held official positions in the capital when they returned for the New Year. She then opened the chests she had brought.
"Regardless, Lord Hu and I were fellow students. It's only right I help you. You're being too polite," the magistrate said, looking a bit embarrassed at Old Madam Hu. He said this, but he didn't refuse her gifts.
"It's all my niece's foolishness. You've taken pains for this. You need to rest and recuperate from the effort, or perhaps use wealth to ward off disaster. We cannot let you bear this expense." Old Madam Hu appeared to be smiling, but her heart was bleeding. How long had it been, and so much of the Hu family's fortune had already gone. The thought of the thirty thousand taels of silver still in the Zhou family's hands made her secretly resolve that once this matter was settled, she would definitely reclaim that money, otherwise, the accounting department would have nothing to operate with.
To outsiders, the Hu family appeared wealthy and powerful. In reality, a portion of their annual income was submitted to those in the capital for appeasement. Only by climbing higher could the Hu family's backing become more stable.
Outsiders said the Hu family only had seven nominal masters. In truth, that was mere hearsay. Someone like her niece was also considered a master of the Hu family, and their expenses were not low. Moreover, this branch of the family had no one of consequence, and many kept concubines, fathering numerous illegitimate sons and daughters. While unknown to outsiders, every little bit required money.
Furthermore, as the matriarch of the Hu family, having managed the affairs of Zhong Kui for so many years and worked so hard, she deserved to skim some benefits for herself. This thirty thousand taels of silver was indeed very important to the Hu family.
After some more polite exchanges, Old Madam Hu left the county yamen, and the magistrate returned to the hall.
As soon as the magistrate left, Hu Lianyu and Wu Caiwei exchanged a glance, guessing what would happen next. They knew when they came that they couldn't bring down the Hu family, as the Hu family had officials in court, and they understood the principle of officials protecting each other. The reason they had her brought to the county yamen was twofold: first, to see how the magistrate would handle the case, and second, to cause the Hu family to lose a significant amount of money. Only by angering them could they find an opportunity to seize leverage. Su Dan Novel Network
"My lord, now that there are witnesses and evidence, what further hesitation do you have? And where are the Hu family members?" Hu Lianyu looked at him with a meaningful gaze, asking calmly.
The magistrate looked at the man sitting below, the rumored sickly individual, and felt his gaze was exceptionally deep, as if it could penetrate one's very soul.
He dared not look further. He slammed the gavel and declared loudly, "When I left just now, it was because I had already discovered the truth of the case. This maid poisoned your well and framed Madam Hu because her childhood sweetheart, Xiao Liu, was caught stealing and dealt with by Madam Hu. A while ago, the commotion between you and Old Madam Hu became a major issue. She wanted to seize this opportunity to avenge him."
The maid was initially somewhat shocked by the magistrate's words. Everything she had said was the truth, but upon hearing Xiao Liu's name, she became agitated and shrieked, "What did you do to Xiao Liu?"
"Bold! All of this is your feud with the Hu family, what does it have to do with me?" The magistrate looked at her sternly, giving her a silent warning.
"You killed him, it must be like this. No matter how well we concealed it, Old Madam and Madam still wouldn't let him go." The little maid looked at him with hatred. At this moment, she understood. She had caused Xiao Liu's death, and she would not be spared either. Before anyone could react, she hurled herself against a nearby pillar.
The magistrate abruptly slapped his forehead, frowning involuntarily. He felt the situation was spiraling out of his control. Although what he had said today seemed very plausible, everyone understood the truth.
"Is she proving her innocence by dying?" Actually, Wu Caiwei was also startled by her sudden action. When Xiao Liu wasn't mentioned, she had seemed full of fight, knowing she was guilty and at least wouldn't implicate her family. But upon hearing about Xiao Liu, she lost all will to live. Wu Caiwei hadn't expected her to suddenly attempt suicide. Of course, even if she had reacted, she wouldn't have saved her, knowing that even if she were saved, this girl would have no future and would likely die a more tragic death.
She had initially thought the maid was pitiful and had misjudged her. She never expected her to be so cruel as to poison the Hu family's well, which was lethal. If Wu Caiwei hadn't had a sudden urge to prepare a healthy dish for Hu Lianyu in the kitchen, she would never have discovered the problem.