Page 467

Jin Lingling bit her lip and ignored her.

Lady Ruan clutched her daughter’s hand tightly across the small tea table, knowing her worries about the consequences if their actions were exposed, and comfortedly patted her hand.

She had to think thoroughly before acting to ensure nothing went wrong; this was another lesson she intended to impart to her daughter today.

Time passed quickly, and soon Mother Feng and the others returned.

Mother Feng brought several plugs, found at Lin Ershuan’s shop, for Old Lady Jin and Lady Jin to see. There were finished ones, semi-finished ones, and even a few defective products that had been discarded.

Lin Ershuan swept his eyes over them and was astonished—these people had been extremely thorough in their search, even turning up several pieces of waste that he had thrown away at the beginning of the month.

After comparison, it was clear that the broken plugs from the wheelchair were not made by Lin Ershuan, thus easily clearing him of the suspicion.

With Lin Ershuan out of the picture, the allegation that he conspired with Jin Yuyu to harm Old Lady Jin also became groundless.

Old Lady Jin’s gaze towards Jin Yuyu returned to its former affection as she sighed, "Yukyuk, you have been wronged. Your grandmother is old and no longer competent."

Such an indifferent remark meant little to Jin Yuyu. With a slight bow, she replied without emotion, "What is Grandmother talking about? As long as Grandmother is safe, Yukyuk is at ease."

Having cleared some people of suspicion, it was now time to find the real culprit.

How dare they plot against Old Lady Jin—they must have the audacity of a leopard! Lady Jin, furious, stood up sharply and demanded, "Who normally takes care of this wheelchair?"

Since the buyer was not at fault, they had to start with those who were responsible for its day-to-day custody.

After Lady Jin spoke, a maid emerged from the crowd, trembling with fear. Before she reached the center of the hall, her legs gave way, and she fell to the ground with a thud, her voice quivering as she said, "To, to answer Mistress’s question, it, it was me who was in charge of looking after it."

"Speak, what’s the deal with these plugs?"

The maid buried her head in the floor, her shoulders shaking, her voice betrayed her fear: "I, I don’t know, Mistress, it really wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!"

Lady Jin, in a fit of rage, swept her teacup to the ground; the shattered porcelain fell right in front of the maid, causing her to whiten her fingers in fright.

"Still saying it wasn’t you! Who else could have touched this wheelchair, if not you? Is there anyone else? Well? Speak up!"

The maid fell silent; indeed, there was no one else, but she couldn’t confess, for admitting it would leave her with no way out.

Her eyes furtively glanced toward Lady Ruan, who sat elegantly on the side; the maid’s eyes brimmed with tears, full of pleading.

Jin Lingling’s lips quivered with nerves, almost biting through them. Did that maid look this way, were they about to be exposed?

Lady Ruan hummed coldly in her heart, yet she advised earnestly, "Xiao Nini, you’ve been with the mansion for so long, and your parents have been here for many years. Have you ever thought about your parents when doing such things? Xiao Nini, in doing this, were your parents involved?"

The maid called Xiao Nini’s face turned pale instantly. When she had agreed to carry out Lady Ruan’s schemes, this wasn’t what had been said.

But now, where did she dare to betray Lady Ruan? Her mother working in the kitchen was one thing, but her father was on duty in the vinegar workshop of the second branch. If she ratted out Lady Ruan, would not Lady Ruan make sure her parents suffered?

And she had no confidence that Old Lady Jin would believe her word.

"Are you not speaking up?"

Xiao Nini bit her lip, and in an instant, her face, which was filled with fear, shifted as she sneered coldly, "Yes, I did it! I just want Old Lady Jin to die sooner so I can live a good life!"

Old Lady Jin was both furious and shocked, slumping into her chair, unable to utter a word.

"Well, well, after serving Old Lady Jin for ten years, you dare to utter such words! Out with it, what exactly is your motive?" Lady Jin said as she flopped into the chair, feeling that today’s anger surpassed the entire month’s worth.

Xiao Nini scoffed in misery, "Why? Hah, my lady, I have served Old Lady Jin for ten years as if she were my own grandmother, never once faltering in my duties. But what about Old Lady Jin? She had promised that once I turned fifteen, she would find a match for me, let me marry off and live a happy life. Yet, just last month, she suddenly called me to her room and said, as the master only has the eldest daughter and a concubine’s son, the family lacks sufficient heirs.

Therefore, she wanted me to become the master’s concubine! "

Xiao Nini laughed bitterly and snorted, "Old Lady Jin, oh Old Lady Jin, is this how you fulfill your promise after my years of dedicated service? Didn’t you say you would let me go once you found me a suitable man?

Why now am I to become the master’s concubine?

There are so many maids around you, some even wishing to become the master’s concubines. But why choose me? Why?"

Old Lady Jin, never expecting such a reason for someone to harm her, stared wide-eyed in shock, "If you disagreed, you could have told me."

Xiao Nini scoffed, "Told you? And what good would that do? Even the eldest miss can’t make her own marriage decisions. Would you really care about the wishes of a mere maid like me?"

Jin Yuyu had not expected the day’s events to spiral this far. Contemplating her grandmother’s overbearing way and her own impending union with a man she disliked, she momentarily bowed her head, the sorrow fleeting across her face.

Even more shocked, and possibly angry, was Lady Hong, the wife of the eldest son.

The mother-in-law had arranged for her husband to take a concubine without consulting her, and it wasn’t the first time.

She hadn’t expected the last lesson to be insufficient—here was the old lady targeting their branch again!

Jin Lingling, however, breathed a sigh of relief. Lucky to have her mother, otherwise she would have been terrified. Glancing at Lady Ruan, she finally smiled, relieved.

Xiao Nini was born into the Jin Mansion and could have been disposed of by anyone within it. But there was Lin Yuan, an outsider present, and handling it privately wouldn’t look good. Hence, Lady Jin had someone take Xiao Nini straight to prison, leaving her fate to Li Chang.

Lin Yuan coolly watched the drama unfold, realizing she’d gained an insight into the filthy intricacies of a large household.

However, she also believed that Xiao Nini wasn’t the mastermind, that the true culprits likely hailed from the second branch. But such matters were no longer pursued. After all, to these high and mighty individuals, a mere maid was as inconsequential as an ant.