Chapter 5: Being Blamed

After calming her daughter down, Lady He returned to her own courtyard. She had just taken two sips of her tea when a servant hurriedly reported, "Madam, the old lady has ordered the tonic being stewed in her kitchen to be sent to the Youzhu Courtyard."After the servant left, Lady He could no longer suppress her anger. She threw the teacup in her hand forcefully to the ground, shattering it into pieces. Clenching her teeth, she said with ice-cold words, "This little wretch is really tough to kill off. Didn't they say she wouldn't live for more than a few days? Wouldn't it have been cleaner if she had gone with her parents? But she had to come back and be an eyesore!"The maid Sun Mama, who was standing beside her, quickly stepped forward to console, "Madam, please calm down. This matter needs to be considered carefully, and you must not upset your health.""How can I not be angry!" Lady He said indignantly, her eyes filled with almost overflowing malice, "If it weren't for that group of jinxes from the second branch, my Ru would not have suffered such humiliation!" Clearly, she had completely shifted her anger onto the entire second branch.Sun Mama cautiously said, "Madam, think carefully, the Huo family might not have truly favored Miss San in the first place. If they really liked her, why would they easily agree to a marriage exchange? In my opinion, they only wanted to use Second Master's influence to climb up to Prince Jin's mansion. Now that Second Master is gone, the Huo family has turned their backs on us, which is actually a good thing. If Miss San really married into the Huo family and then discovered their true colors, she would be in a sea of suffering." She deliberately pointed out the opportunistic reason for the Huo family's withdrawal of the marriage proposal, trying to console her mistress.Originally, the eldest son of the Huo family, Huo Jinxiang, was about to be appointed as an official and was supposed to take his wife, Xiao Yunru, back to his hometown after their wedding. Now that both the second master and his wife had died, the leverage of their influence was gone. The Huo family then used the excuse that Xiao Yunru needed to mourn for her uncle and aunt, and that the young master's future could not be delayed, to break off the engagement today.Hearing this, Lady He slammed her hand heavily on the hard wooden armrest of her chair, making a dull sound. "Why did they have to die just before Ru's wedding? It's all that little jinx's fault!" She blamed all the misfortunes on Yunyi.Sun Mama stepped closer and lowered her voice, "Madam, rest assured, I have already 'taken care of' the servants in the Youzhu Courtyard..."Lady He narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, "Make sure it's done cleanly, don't let those kids from the second branch catch any evidence."Sun Mama's face showed undisguised contempt, "Madam, rest assured, it will be done flawlessly, without any flaws." She thought to herself: The second branch doesn't even have an adult in charge now, a bunch of kids who don't know anything. Besides, which servant in this mansion isn't a cunning opportunist?In the Youzhu Courtyard.After the old lady and the lady of the house left, the younger sister Xiao Yunshan slowly approached and casually paid a perfunctory greeting, "Third sister, my lessons are not finished yet, so I won't stay for long. Take good care of yourself." Before Yunyi could respond, she turned and left without waiting.Yunyi looked at her retreating figure and slightly frowned, almost imperceptibly.Her younger brother Xiao Chenrui's eyes flashed with disgust, "Sister, you must be wary of Xiao Yunshan. I've noticed she has been hanging around the first branch a lot recently, and the contempt in her eyes just now, I saw it clearly!"Yunyi's lips curled into a cold smile, and she said lightly, "She's just a clown, let her jump around."Seeing his sister looking tired, Xiao Chenrui quickly said, "Sister, the porridge should be here soon. Have some before you rest, okay?" His young face was full of concern.Yunyi nodded. Her body had not been properly fed for many days, and if she didn't eat something soon, she might really not be able to hold on.The little maid Siqin walked in briskly with a food box, her face full of joy, "Miss, the old lady is so good to you. She specially ordered the kitchen to send you her tonic for today first. I'll serve it to you right away." She was about to step forward to serve.Yunyi waved her hand to indicate that she didn't need to be fed. She knew clearly in her heart: Although the original body was indeed weak after this ordeal, the nearly fatal "illness" before was probably related to the first branch.