Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Intimidation

After listening to Lady Lin’s words, the old woman felt anxious, understanding that Lady Lin was warning her, and that she would take the fall if anything happened.

Mrs. Gu Sr. snorted coldly, ignoring Lady Lin’s soliloquy, and didn’t bother to look at the old woman on the ground.

Nanny Chi stepped forward, stood in front of her, her voice sharp, “Have you thought it through? This is the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, not a place just anyone can enter. You better think carefully, confess now while Mrs. Gu Sr. is soft-hearted, and she might spare you. But if you harbor ill intentions or ulterior motives, don’t blame the Marquis Mansion for treating you harshly.”

“Mrs. Gu Sr., spare my life, madam, I was also sent here to claim kinship by someone who gave my family a hundred taels of silver, only asking me to claim kinship. If I acknowledged a girl from the mansion, I was to take her back, but madam, truly, I know nothing else.” The old woman, thinking of her children at home, knew that at this moment, she had no choice but to bear it herself.

She only hoped Madam could spare her family for her loyalty.

Before Mrs. Gu Sr. could speak, Lady Lin jumped up, “Such a malicious person, how dare you commit such acts, do you not see where you are? This is the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, and even without it, we have the Lin Mansion and the Gao Mansion. How can you bully the daughters we have raised?”

Even the General Gao Mansion was mentioned.

The people present weren’t fools; they could see Lady Lin was fearful of being implicated, hence she used this to suppress others.

Who wouldn’t think about who would benefit most from Lin Youning’s identity being exposed?

If Mrs. Gu Sr. didn’t consider the relationship over the years and directly replaced her with a daughter from the Lin Mansion?

The most affected would indeed be the Lin Mansion.

Lady Lin knew she was now in a difficult situation; if this servant implicated her, there was a real fear of the Marquis Mansion becoming hostile towards them.

“Madam, spare my life, I was momentarily greedy, and today I understand I cannot just leave the mansion. I only ask Mrs. Gu Sr. and Madam to spare my family.” As the old woman finished speaking, she stood up from the ground and directly ran into a nearby pillar.

Lady Lin exclaimed in shock, only to see the old woman use all her strength, dying on the spot.

Apart from Lady Lin, no one else in the room reacted, as if they had already anticipated this, and Lady Lin, noticing this, grew even paler.

Without needing Mrs. Gu Sr.’s orders, Nanny Chi had already called in servants to clean up. A young maid brought in a basin of water and wiped the blood clean. In less than a quarter of an hour, the flower hall was as if nothing had happened.

But a life was lost just like that, and watching the indifferent reactions of the Gu Mansion’s people, Lady Lin felt a chill in her heart.

It was imaginable that if the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion pursued this today, what kind of outcome the Lin Mansion would face.

Earlier, she had thought of scheming to have her daughter replace Lin Youning’s position, but now Lady Lin dared not entertain such thoughts.

Mrs. Gu Sr. raised her eyelids indifferently, glancing at the frightened Lady Lin, “Letting such a malicious person die like that is too easy for her.”

Meanwhile, she instructed Suyi beside her, “Go and tell the Marquis to check what family members she has and sell them all off.”

Suyi respectfully retreated.

Mrs. Gu Sr. then said to Lady Lin, “You see, just because of some rumors outside, someone dared to come and falsely claim kinship. If we hadn’t been vigilant, Sister Ning might have been ruined by these malicious people. I heard that the girls in the mansion have spoken out of turn. Although Sister Ning isn’t a daughter of the Lin Mansion, she was sent here by you, so she is half your daughter. You cannot disgrace your own family like this, or it reflects poorly on us.”

Lady Lin repeatedly agreed, “What Mrs. Gu Sr. says is right. It was my failure not to manage Qining properly. I will surely discipline her well when I return.”

Mrs. Gu Sr. nodded, “That’s good. Only by working together can we get things done. No matter what you thought back then, the matter is over. We won’t speak of it anymore. Although Sister Ning’s identity is not that of a Lin daughter, I, this old woman, want outsiders to understand that whether she is a child from a poor family or the Lin Family, she is someone I favor.”

The implication was that even finding Sister Ning’s family would be of no use; she wouldn’t replace her.

It was just as much about silencing outsiders as it was about silencing Lady Lin.

Lady Lin flattered, “Sister Ning is fortunate to meet someone like Mrs. Gu Sr. who loves her.”

Mrs. Gu Sr., having intimidated Lady Lin, was also tired after a busy day. She yawned, signaling a desire for the guests to leave, though she didn’t say it aloud.

Lady Lin had just stood up intending to leave when outside, Ping’er rushed in frantically, heading straight for Lady Lin, “Madam, the young lady is in trouble.”

“You unruly thing, don’t you see where you are?” Lady Lin, having been disgraced and intimidated by Mrs. Gu Sr., couldn’t be in a good mood, and upon seeing Ping’er rush in, naturally vented her anger.

Ping’er couldn’t afford to be afraid now, “Madam, the young lady and the young master of the mansion…”

“Young Master?” Lady Lin stopped scolding, not immediately grasping the implication, “What young master?”

“The young master of the Marquis Mansion. The young lady was changing clothes, and the young master barged in…” Ping’er needed not say more for the situation to become clear.

“You’re a maid from the Lin Mansion, right? I didn’t quite understand; why would the girl be changing and the young master walked in? Is there some misunderstanding?” Mrs. Dong stood up.

She was the head mistress and the young master’s legitimate mother; she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Mrs. Gu Sr. and Lin Youning were watching from the side.

Lady Lin looked at the panicked Ping’er, angrily reprimanding, “Didn’t you see Madam was asking you a question? Quickly explain what happened.”

“The young lady and the fourth miss were sitting in the eldest young lady’s room chatting, and they saw the dress the eldest young lady wore at her coming-of-age ceremony this year. The young lady liked it, and the fourth miss said it was fine for her to try it, so the young lady changed, and the young master walked in without announcing himself, and he saw this scene.” Ping’er said, her face ashen.

The young lady referred to Lin Qining, and the eldest young lady was Lin Youning.

As for the fourth miss, naturally, it was Sister Yue from the mansion.

The cause of the incident was clear, and Lady Lin turned pale, raising her hand to slap Ping’er’s face, “Fool, how did you serve the young lady?”

Lady Lin’s slap was forceful, causing blood to appear at the corner of Ping’er’s mouth.

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