3336 All Spent

In grand family compounds like theirs, who didn't have a few secret passages?

The secret passage under the willow tree wasn't dug by Madam Hua; it was already there, for goodness sake.

"What a fool," the Old Madam's face was extremely displeased as she glared at Mu Dongni, then turned to Madam Hua, her gaze sharp.

"Madam Hua."

Madam Hua's heart skipped a beat. She quickly prostrated herself, crying mournfully and kowtowing repeatedly, "Your daughter-in-law deserves to die; I regret deceiving Second Miss. Please forgive me, Mother, please forgive me."

With the secret tunnel exposed, there was no point in denying it now.

Madam Hua quickly admitted to it, but her resentment towards Mu Qingya grew significantly.

That Eldest Madam was far too meddlesome. If she hadn't ordered the digging of the tree, the secret tunnel wouldn't have been exposed. If she had just stubbornly denied it and claimed the gold-planting talisman had swallowed Second Miss's money, no one could have done anything to her.

Now that the matter had reached the Old Madam, she naturally had no choice but to honestly confess her mistake and beg for forgiveness to secure a sliver of hope.

The Old Madam slammed her hand on the armrest and coldly demanded, "Where's the money? Return the money to Dongni, copy the family rules a hundred times, and be confined for seven days. This matter will then be considered settled."

The punishment wasn't overly severe, and it even saved Madam Hua some face.

But Madam Hua's face turned green then white, then white then green, her lips trembling for a long time before she could utter a single word.

"You hussy, didn't you hear what Mother said?! Hurry up and return my money!" Mu Dongni knelt forward a few steps, forcefully slapped Madam Hua's arm, and cursed.

The Old Madam glared fiercely at Mu Dongni, "Shut up! Kneel properly!"

Mu Dongni pouted, reluctantly closed her mouth, and knelt timidly to the side.

"Fifth daughter-in-law, do you have some difficulty? Speak." The Old Madam, with her sharp insight, immediately knew the money might no longer be in Madam Hua's possession when she saw the Fifth Madam's cowering demeanor.

"I, I, that money, that money has been spent."

"What?!" Mu Dongni nearly spat water onto the Fifth Madam's face.

"My million spirit coins were all spent by you, you wasteful woman??" Mu Dongni wailed and screamed, her hands fiercely slapping Madam Hua's arm, shrieking, "I hardly spent anything on my Honglang, and now it all went to benefit you, you slut!"

"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back, give it back!!" Mu Dongni punched Madam Hua in the face, repeatedly hitting her.

The two were already bruised and swollen beyond recognition from their fighting, a sight everyone found difficult to witness.

The Old Madam was so enraged that she threw a teacup.

With a crisp crash, both Mu Dongni and Madam Hua were startled, instinctively flinching.

"Are you still not telling the truth?" the Old Madam roared.

Madam Hua quickly pressed her head to the ground, trembling as she pleaded, "Mother, your daughter-in-law knows her mistake. Mother, please calm your anger, Mother."

"This money, I will definitely return it to Second Sister in two days."

"Why in two days?" Mu Dongni looked suspicious, patting her arm, and shouted to the Old Madam, "Mother, don't believe her. Make her return it now, she must return it immediately! Who knows if she's given all the money to her lover?"

Madam Hua cried out with an enraged expression, "Second Sister, don't just spout nonsense!"