"This is what you said. Don't disappoint me again. My patience is limited." Liu Zhiyi warned him. Since he had stated his position, she was prepared to let things slide. After all, one shouldn't push someone too hard.
After walking a few steps, Liu Zhiyi noticed that Zhu Chenxing hadn't followed. She turned and saw the two of them gazing at each other tenderly, which made her exceptionally angry. Her voice, unbidden, rose, "Aren't you coming?"
"Oh... oh... coming!" Zhu Chenxing quickly gave her a meaningful look and followed close behind Liu Zhiyi.
Even after walking a considerable distance, Li Wenwen could still hear Zhu Chenxing's constant efforts to placate Liu Zhiyi. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. She felt that while she had been clever her whole life, she had been foolish this one time. She had thought her intelligence and resourcefulness could handle the intricate schemes of a wealthy household, but she hadn't expected to be defeated within just a few days of arriving.
Now, she had no retreat. Her family back home knew she had left with Zhu Chenxing. Even if she returned, no one would dare to marry her. Moreover, being unable to bear children, she would eventually be divorced if she did marry. But if she pressed forward, she would be facing the formidable second young madam of her maternal family. She felt a sense of powerlessness.
A few days later, Wu Caiwei heard that Li Wenwen had been sent away. Although she had only met Li Wenwen once, she had seen ambition in her eyes and felt that she might be able to escape the machinations of the second young madam and return home safely, stirring up trouble.
None of this concerned Wu Caiwei. She had been brought out by Zhu Chenxing to be a shield for Li Wenwen. It was possible that Li Wenwen herself knew nothing about this matter, and it was actually the couple who had acted.
Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye. After this period of careful recuperation, Zhu Yuxuan's health had improved significantly.
It was time to settle accounts properly with them, especially since, during this period, the couple had discovered something unusual in his food almost every other day.
Wu Caiwei, who preferred an eye for an eye, added some of her homemade secret medicine to Madam Zhu's food that very day.
The next morning, Madam Zhu went to visit Master Li's residence as planned, to admire chrysanthemums with other madams. She had dressed meticulously for the occasion but returned in disarray before noon.
Although they were all neatly dressed, the two maids behind her had swollen, red faces, clearly having been slapped severely. Madam Zhu's complexion was exceptionally grim, and everyone unconsciously moved with lighter footsteps.
Enduring the probing gazes of the others, Madam Zhu hurried back to her courtyard. Once the door to her room was closed, she vented her frustration, overturning teacups and a teapot from the table to the floor, and then collapsed onto the bed, weeping.
Her personal maid hid in a corner, afraid to approach. Only her wet nurse, upon hearing the news, hobbled forward with her cane to offer comfort. "What's wrong, Madam? Don't be sad. Tell wet nurse anything. Although wet nurse is old and can't walk much, her mind is still sharp, and perhaps she can help you strategize."
"It's useless, useless. I've made a terrible mistake this time. If the master finds out, he will surely blame me." If anyone else had inquired, Madam Zhu might have scolded them. But facing the wet nurse who had nursed her since childhood, she unconsciously revealed her troubles.
"I heard Madam went to visit the Li family with her servants. What could have happened among so many madams? We've been through worse difficulties when we were young, surely it can't be worse than that? Tell me, what exactly did you do? Let's see if there's anything we can do to remedy it." In the wet nurse's opinion, although her young lady sometimes had a temper, she was generally well-behaved and couldn't possibly cause any trouble.
Madam Zhu looked at her wet nurse's expression and knew what she was thinking. However, no one could help her with what she had done this time. She herself didn't know why she had lost control at the banquet and overturned all the tables, frightening the madams present.
She had always been very displeased with Madam Huang, but those were deep-seated feelings. She knew Madam Huang's husband held a higher official post than her own, so no matter how much she disliked her, she had to suppress it. But today, she didn't know what possessed her. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, she grabbed Madam Huang by the wrist and ran wildly towards the lake. Under Madam Huang's terrified gaze, she kicked her into the water.
Watching her struggle in the water, she had felt a sense of release at the time. A moment later, when a slap landed on her face, she was suddenly jolted awake. Recalling what she had just done, she was filled with regret and tears.
Madam Li looked at her, unsure of what to say. She and Madam Zhu were close friends and she wanted to speak in her defense, but didn't know where to start. After all, she had acted in broad daylight, leaving no room for excuses. She was also somewhat annoyed. Madam Li had made her look bad from all sides, and by causing such a scene at her banquet, she had made a name for herself this time.
After Madam Huang slapped her twice, she ordered her servants to teach Madam Zhu's people a lesson, believing that they had not restrained their mistress, which had led to this calamity.
Madam Huang did not pursue the matter relentlessly, not out of kindness, but for her own purposes. If she had beaten Madam Zhu too severely, and others saw it, they might think her own fall into the water was on par with Madam Zhu's injuries, making her demands seem excessive.
By letting it go with a light touch, outsiders would see Madam Zhu as the one at fault. Then, her husband would surely demand a hefty compensation from the Zhu family to stand up for her.
With such an incident at the banquet, everyone lost their appetite and hurried home, recounting the day's events to their husbands as a curious tale.
After hearing her description, the wet nurse could hardly believe it. This time, she truly couldn't help. She could only offer silent comfort.
Soon, the events of the day spread like wildfire throughout the capital. Master Zhu naturally heard of it. When he first heard the rumors, he didn't believe them. In his eyes, his wife knew where to draw the line and would never do such a thing. But with so many people saying it, he couldn't help but believe.
Returning home and seeing his wife's guilty eyes, he understood everything. "You've been foolish!" Master Zhu uttered only these words before shutting himself in his study, silently contemplating a solution.
That afternoon, Master Huang sent someone to demand an explanation. Although it was only the steward who came, one had to bow their head when under someone else's roof. Master Zhu had no choice but to treat him as an honored guest.
Seeing that the Huang family's steward had already drunk two cups of tea and his host still hadn't offered a solution, he forcefully placed his teacup on the table with a loud bang, angrily saying, "My lord sent me to ask you why, and I believe Master Zhu knows the reason. Did Madam Zhu have any grievances against our Madam, otherwise why would she push our Madam into the lake?"
"How is that possible? She hasn't been feeling well lately and has been somewhat dazed. It's all a misunderstanding. I will send a generous gift later to apologize to Master Huang and Madam Huang." Master Zhu stood up with a sense of indignity and bowed to a servant.