Chapter 15：Harm others and oneself

Pan Yingqian probably never expected that Liu Ya would turn against her and shift all the blame onto herself. Before she could use her eloquence to excuse herself, Old Madam Yao interrupted her in a stern voice, "You are the wife of the Earl's Mansion, yet you hold such a grudge because of a minor dispute among young ladies in the boudoir. How could you treat your own younger sister like this! A person who can't even tolerate her own sister, where is her kindness? What right does she have to manage the backyard?!"

Yao Zhen probably thought that Old Madam Yao was really not giving Pan Yingqian any face, and he also felt embarrassed. So he quickly smiled and said, "Mother, this is a family matter. It's not appropriate to talk about it in front of outsiders..."

Yao Zhen wanted to settle the matter peacefully, but Old Madam Yao clearly didn't want to let it go. When Pan Yingqian was married into the family, although the matchmaker had praised the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion to the skies, she was still extremely dissatisfied. Today, she just took this opportunity to take back the power of managing the household, so as to prevent Pan Yingqian from using the family's finances to subsidize her stepmother in her natal family!

"But Miss Yue is the victim in this matter. Think about it, if the legitimate daughter of the Pan Prime Minister's family encounters such a dirty thing in our house, although your father-in-law may not blame us, won't he feel a little uncomfortable in his heart? And think about it, won't Miss Yue's uncles blame us? Zhen'er! You don't have your father's protection anymore!" Old Madam Yao patted the table in disappointment and shook her head at Yao Zhen. "Whose future has she ruined with her malicious plan?"

Yao Zhen suddenly woke up and looked at Pan Yingqian kneeling on the ground, as well as Pan Yueqing, Qi Simeng and the others standing beside her with a complicated expression.

Yes, Pan Yingqian was a concubine's daughter and didn't have as powerful a maternal family as Pan Yueqing. If today's plan had succeeded, the Marquis Dingyuan's Mansion might not dare to act against Pan Yingqian for the sake of the Prime Minister Pan, but they might not hesitate to act against the Pingnan Bo's Mansion!

Pan Yingqian looked up and saw Yao Zhen close his mouth and stand respectfully beside Old Madam Yao. Her heart sank like a stone in a well. She bit her lip, held back her tears and pulled the hem of Pan Yueqing's skirt. "Sister, you should understand. How could I treat you like this?"

"Big sister, I can't believe it either, but I also know that when it comes to future prospects and life and death, what Liu Ya said must be the truth!" Pan Yueqing looked at Pan Yingqian with a worried expression, her eyes filled with tears. She turned her face away reluctantly and took a step back, just holding Li Shuran's outstretched hand. "Big sister, I originally thought that although we weren't born of the same mother, we were still blood relatives..."

After Liu Ya ran out, she was intercepted by Pan Yueqing on the way. Pan Yueqing immediately gagged her and told Gu Pan and Wan Er to send her all the way to Old Madam Yao. Liu Ya was a person who would forget righteousness for the sake of profit. As long as she was told that Pan Yingqian would shift all the blame onto her and then threatened to send her to the authorities and sentence her to exile, for the sake of her own life, Liu Ya would definitely shift all the blame onto Pan Yingqian.

This was enough to teach Pan Yingqian a good lesson.

"Big sister, I have always trusted you. I never expected that the person I trusted the most would hurt me the deepest..." Pan Yueqing half-covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed softly.

After hearing Pan Yueqing's words, Pan Yingqian understood that today, unless Liu Ya took back what she said, she had no chance of turning the situation around. Now her confidant Mudan was useless. If she shifted all the blame onto Liu Ya, claiming that Liu Ya had pretended to act on her behalf and colluded with Mudan to harm Pan Yueqing, there might be a glimmer of hope! She immediately grabbed Liu Ya's collar and scolded with tears in her eyes, "I have never treated you badly. Why are you trying to harm me like this?! Why did you pretend to act on my behalf and collude with Mudan to harm my own sister?!"

"Cousin! You have to have a conscience! When did you ever treat Pan Yueqing as your own sister?! You just wanted to ruin Pan Yueqing's reputation so that the only daughter Prime Minister Pan could rely on would be your own sister Pan Miaoqian! You didn't treat me badly? Every time you held a tea party or a polo match, didn't you try your best to make us serve as foils for Pan Miaoqian?"

"You keep pretending to be innocent and pitiful, but you're actually as treacherous as a snake. You want to kill me, so I don't have to show you any mercy anymore!" Liu Ya pushed Pan Yingqian away and said loudly to Old Madam Yao, "The drug she gave Pan Yueqing was called 'Immortal Scattering Powder'! She specially had it prepared. It's ten times stronger than an ordinary aphrodisiac! Madam, you can send someone to search her room! Every time my cousin-in-law doesn't want to leave her courtyard once he goes in, it's because she gave him this drug!"

"Go and search!" Old Madam Yao's eyes were gloomy as she stared at Pan Yingqian, full of hatred as if she wanted to devour her alive.

Everyone knew that although that kind of thing could lead to a night of pleasure, using it for a long time would seriously damage one's fertility.

Pan Yingqian slumped to the ground, feeling as if all the blood in her body was draining away. She didn't dare to say anything more.

Soon, Zaoyun presented a small box. Inside the box was the so-called "Immortal Scattering Powder" that was half used. Old Madam Yao just glanced at the delicate box and then waved her hand in disgust, asking Zaoyun to take the thing away. She looked at Pan Yingqian with piercing eyes. "Eldest daughter-in-law, what else do you have to say?!"

"Mother... please calm down..." Pan Yingqian wiped away her tears. She knew that Old Madam Yao wouldn't believe her anymore at this point. It was better to downplay the seriousness of the crime and take the blame. She looked at Old Madam Yao pitifully. "Mother, you have also been a wife. Can't you understand my little thoughts? Since my husband wants to take concubines, I don't dare to stop him. As a wife, I just hope that my husband will only have eyes for me and not be lured away by those seductive women outside. That's why I believed Mudan's words and used this recipe..."

Pan Yueqing watched Pan Yingqian's performance expressionlessly and secretly sighed that she had really learned from Concubine Liu. Her words were so sincere and affectionate that Yao Zhen, the Earl of Pingnan, was already extremely reluctant to part with her.

"This is nothing but heresy!" Old Madam Yao was a tough character who had fought her way through the inner courtyard. How could she not see that Pan Yingqian's pitiful appearance was just an act? She softened her tone and said, "But it can't be entirely your fault. I imagine you've been working hard managing the household. It's better for you to stay by Zhen'er's side and be a virtuous wife who adds charm to his life."

When Pan Yingqian heard this, she gritted her teeth in hatred, but on her face, she put on the appearance of an obedient and filial daughter-in-law and smiled and agreed. Just like that, she reluctantly handed over the power of managing the household that she had好不容易 acquired. Her gaze towards Liu Ya was as fierce as that of a hungry wolf or a tiger, as if she wanted to devour Liu Ya alive.

"Escort Miss Liu and Young Master Liu out!" Old Madam Yao heavily knocked the teacup on the table. The ceramic made a crisp sound when it hit the wooden table. Old Madam Yao looked at Liu Ya kneeling on the ground and Liu Yang standing aside without saying a word with a solemn expression. "Don't come again unless there's something important in the future!"

"Since it's all Mudan's fault, in front of Miss Yue, gag Mudan and beat her to death!" Old Madam Yao glanced at Pan Yingqian. "As for you, from today on, you don't need to manage the household anymore. Study the 'Lessons for Women' carefully!"

Mudan's screams were choked in her throat. The dull sound of the wooden board hitting her flesh echoed in the air above the Pingnan Bo's Mansion. Pan Yingqian took a deep look at the faint smile on Pan Yueqing's lips and finally realized: Liu Ya's sudden betrayal was because of Pan Yueqing!

"It's getting late. I should go now." Qi Simeng suddenly spoke up and looked at Li Shuran and Pan Yueqing gently. Pan Yueqing also stood up and took her leave from Old Madam Yao. She took a deep look at Pan Yingqian with a venomous gaze and the corner of her mouth curled into a smile.

Pan Yingqian, who had lost the power of managing the household, should be able to behave herself for a while. What was this? Those who had bullied her would not be spared one by one. This was just an appetizer!