Old Madam Ning nodded repeatedly and said, "Alright, alright, we'll do as Physician Liu says. Quickly, let's go with Physician Liu to get the prescription."
Someone immediately ushered Physician Liu out. Ouyang Zhide hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed. Physician Liu hadn't gone far, remaining at the doorway. He didn't seem surprised to see Ouyang Zhide emerge, as if he had been waiting for him. Ouyang Zhide hurriedly said, "Physician Liu, my mother is..."
Physician Liu pondered for a moment and said, "I couldn't say for sure before, but the old lady in General Ouyang's mansion has the strangest pulse I've ever felt in all these years."
"This... why is this?" Ouyang Zhide knew nothing about medicine, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest.
Physician Liu stated frankly, "Your Madam has very little vital energy, and I have discovered that her internal organs appear to be damaged."
"Huh? What does this mean?" Ouyang Zhide was even more surprised, and he was even more confused by what he heard.
Physician Liu sighed and said, "To put it bluntly, the old lady is missing something in her body. For example, she is missing half of her stomach and half of her heart. You would say that a normal person is completely whole, but your old lady is missing something compared to others. How can she be as healthy as a normal person?"
"This...this..." Ouyang Zhide felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. He couldn't fully understand what Physician Liu meant, but it was pretty much it. It was like killing a chicken or hunting; if you just hold the chicken down by the neck and let it spit water, or directly cut open its belly and cut off its internal organs, could it still survive? But what was equally horrifying was that if they didn't cut open Old Ning's belly, how else could they destroy her, unless she was born lacking something in her body?
Physician Liu frowned and said, "In all my years of medical practice, this is the first time I've taken the pulse of someone like this. I'm quite surprised. Judging from the old lady's pulse, she should have been perfectly healthy before, and it's only in the last two years that she's gradually become like this. But what surprises me even more is that, despite her condition, she's still so healthy; it's truly a miracle." Ouyang Zhide understood Physician Liu's words. Old Madam Ning was practically already dead; the fact that she could live for so long was something no one could explain. "Alas, I'm just doing my best to give the old lady some nourishment to see if it can help her gradually recover. General Ouyang, you don't need to overthink it. At times like this, you should be more accommodating to your esteemed lady and try to minimize her unhappiness."
Ouyang Zhide's body stiffened. The Imperial Physician Liu's words were clearly pointed; Old Madam Ning probably didn't have much time left. Let her do whatever she wanted before she died; no matter how much she caused trouble, she wouldn't amount to anything. Ouyang Zhide stood frozen in place, his expression indescribably gloomy.
Inside Anhe Hall, everyone remained quiet. Old Madam Ning, upon hearing this, clutched her chest and groaned in pain. She hadn't felt pain before, but after Physician Liu's words, she felt pain all over her body. Seeing this, Madam Ning had no choice but to have the servants attend to her, and then sent Ouyang Yue and the others away. However, as she left, a smile played on her lips as she looked at Old Madam Ning. Truly, heaven was helping her! She had been planning how to completely seize control of the General's Mansion, and the only way to do that was for Old Madam Ning to suddenly relinquish control—this so-called peaceful relinquishment, of course, meant her death. But she hadn't even done anything yet, and Old Madam Ning was already like this. Heh, serves her right!
Upon hearing Physician Liu's words, Rui Yuhuan's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she had a bad feeling, but this intangible feeling was immediately replaced by anger. She left Anhe Hall with the others, but as soon as she stepped out, she suddenly rushed forward, twisted her body, and blocked Liu Yiniang's path, her face indescribably cold: "Wait!"
Aunt Liu was not surprised to see Rui Yuhuan blocking her way. She simply said, "Miss Rui, what's the matter that you've stopped me?"
Rui Yuhuan sneered, "You don't know what's going on? You don't know what's going on!"
Aunt Liu looked at Miss Rui in surprise: "Miss Rui, is it because the old lady is unwell that you are worried about her and your mind is not clear? I really don't know why Miss Rui suddenly pulled me here. If Miss Rui has nothing else to say, then I will take my leave."
Rui Yuhuan stretched out her arm and blocked Aunt Liu's way: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"I don't understand what Miss Rui means," Aunt Liu said, her expression remaining calm.
"I don't understand, haha, you wouldn't understand." Rui Yuhuan gritted her teeth and looked at Aunt Liu as if she wanted to devour her alive. "Don't try to fool me. Tell me, why did you betray me? Why did you change your mind halfway through and suddenly cooperate with Ouyang Yue?" Rui Yuhuan lowered her voice, but it was even colder and more terrifying.
Aunt Liu smiled faintly at this moment: "Miss Rui is indeed clever. She thought of all this in just a short while. I admire her."
Hearing Aunt Liu say this, Rui Yuhuan's face turned even more ugly. She stared at Aunt Liu in disbelief, gritting her teeth and saying, "You actually betrayed me! How dare you!" When the incident first happened, Rui Yuhuan only had time to push everything onto Ouyang Yue and didn't think it through. However, when Physician Liu came to the mansion and said that he couldn't find any poison, but instead mentioned that Old Madam Ning was weak, Rui Yuhuan felt that something was strange. When everyone was kicked out of Anhe Hall by Madam Ning, Rui Yuhuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
No, absolutely no!
Her plan was absolutely flawless; Ouyang Yue had no chance of escaping, and she was doomed to die today. There was no way Ouyang Yue could escape punishment. But why wasn't poison found in Old Ning's body? Moreover, she herself had given Old Ning the poison, personally fed it to her; there was no way she hadn't been poisoned. Furthermore, Ouyang Yue's unexpectedly angry demeanor had completely lowered Rui Yuhuan's guard. Therefore, she had forgotten one crucial element: Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu played a significant role in this matter; she needed her to restrain Ouyang Yue. Only with Aunt Liu could Ouyang Yue temporarily lower her guard, allowing her plan to be executed more effectively.
Why did the plan fail? Could it be that Aunt Liu leaked some information? Rui Yuhuan glared at Aunt Liu with venomous eyes, but Aunt Liu looked up at her and smiled coldly: "What? You think Miss Rui can convince me, but Miss Liu can't convince me in the same way?"
Rui Yuhuan sneered, "Aunt Liu, don't forget Ouyang Yue's nature. She's the most ruthless. You were originally cooperating with me, didn't that make her suspicious? Once this matter is over, given Ouyang Yue's character, she'll probably think you, this traitor, are useless. You'll be the first one she gets rid of. After all, you were involved in this, but the less you know, the better, don't you think?"
Aunt Liu looked at Rui Yuhuan with a leisurely expression and said indifferently, "Oh, Miss Rui, are you so sure? Aren't these facts that you deliberately exaggerated to convince me?"
“Aunt Liu is a smart woman, but I never thought she could be so foolish. Do you think I would lie to you?” Rui Yuhuan’s sarcastic tone became even more obvious.
Aunt Liu smiled faintly: "Miss Rui, I mean, are you so sure that everything you said is true? How do you know that I've been persuaded by you and that I'm not just playing along to lure you in?"
Rui Yuhuan was taken aback and exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean by that!"
"Because Aunt Liu is a clever woman; she knows who to befriend and who not to. Rui Yuhuan, don't you think about it? You even poisoned someone as genuinely kind to you as Grandmother. Your heart is so wicked; no one would associate with you. You're a vermin covered in poison; anyone who touches you will suffer and eventually die. A clever person naturally wouldn't cooperate with you." A light, cheerful voice interrupted. Rui Yuhuan looked up, and her face darkened when she saw Ouyang Yue. Now she understood perfectly well: Aunt Liu and Ouyang Yue had been secretly colluding, ultimately leading her into a trap. How hateful!
"you!"
Ouyang Yue walked over leisurely, and when she saw Rui Yuhuan, she first showed a charming smile and said, "You're right. From the very beginning, when Aunt Liu agreed to your cooperation, it was all part of our plan. You've always been a turtle in a jar, just putting up a desperate fight."
Rui Yuhuan's face was colder than ever before. She glared fiercely at Aunt Liu, her heart filled with overwhelming rage. Yes, since Old Madam Ning hadn't been poisoned, there must have been something wrong. The most likely explanation was that Ouyang Yue had known about this all along and had made preparations. She naturally suspected that Aunt Liu had betrayed her, but she never imagined that it was all a conspiracy between Ouyang Yue and Aunt Liu to frame her.
"Aunt Liu, I never expected you to betray me, but I guarantee that your future will be worse than anyone else's. This bitch is no pushover; just wait for her to kill you to silence you later." Rui Yuhuan said to Aunt Liu with a sinister and malicious look. At this time, they were some distance from Anhe Hall, and there were few people around. Since she had already gone so far as to show her true colors, Rui Yuhuan had nothing to fear and said angrily.
Aunt Liu glared coldly at Rui Yuhuan: "You're wrong about one thing. My choice of the Third Miss was predetermined from the very beginning. You only wanted to bribe me, but your evil intentions are not hidden at all. From the beginning, I never intended to cooperate with you, because you are the ungrateful wretch. I will never expose my weaknesses to you. Otherwise, I will end up with no place to bury my body."
Actually, what Aunt Liu didn't say was that when Rui Yuhuan approached her, she had indeed been persuaded by Rui Yuhuan. She had witnessed Ouyang Yue's methods more than anyone else. This girl didn't look like a fourteen-year-old at all; she seemed like someone who had spent her entire life fighting her way up in the inner quarters of the household. Not only was she intelligent, but she was also ruthless and decisive, showing no mercy to her enemies, yet leaving no room for any evidence against her. Aside from Ouyang Yue's scheme to have her seize Ouyang Tong, she knew that everything that happened in the mansion was related to Ouyang Yue, but she had no evidence to prove that Ouyang Yue was responsible. She acted with extreme caution; if you dared to oppose such an opponent, you would likely gain nothing.
However, this kind of girl also frightened Aunt Liu. She had considered Rui Yuhuan's words, wondering what would happen if Ouyang Yue eventually tried to take advantage of the situation. But in the end, she suppressed this thought, which was also Rui Yuhuan's suggestion. In the General's mansion, Ouyang Yue and Ouyang Zhide were naturally very close, and she was also very kind to Ouyang Tong. Rui Yuhuan, observing this, thought of having Aunt Liu hold Ouyang Tong to gain Ouyang Yue's favor, using Ouyang Tong as bait to lure Ouyang Yue in.
Aunt Liu could agree to any of the other suggestions, but using Ouyang Tong as bait was unacceptable. This child had suffered greatly from childhood; she had even nearly lost him once. Aunt Liu cherished Ouyang Tong dearly and would risk her life for him in any danger. Rui Yuhuan's suggestion was utterly reckless, disregarding Ouyang Tong's life or death. This completely crossed her bottom line, because the matter was extremely risky. If they couldn't directly eliminate Ouyang Yue, both she and Ouyang Tong would die.
So, Aunt Liu's mind wavered for a moment before she made her decision. She couldn't betray Ouyang Yue; on the contrary, this was a perfect opportunity to get rid of Rui Yuhuan. Therefore, she pretended to cooperate with Rui Yuhuan and, as Rui Yuhuan requested, stalled Ouyang Yue. In reality, she had already secretly coordinated with Ouyang Yue and was waiting for this day. As for why the poison in Rui Yuhuan's possession failed, Rui Yuhuan overlooked one thing: since the numerous incidents in the mansion a year ago, Aunt Liu had been in charge of managing the household affairs. Even though she kept a low profile and didn't make any changes to the personnel, everyone remained on the same side. The mansion was so peaceful that people forgot that Aunt Liu was now in charge of the household affairs.
The maid that Old Madam Ning gave to Rui Yuhuan came from Anhetang. Wouldn't the servants of Anhetang be transferred? Moreover, there is someone in Anhetang who hates Rui Yuhuan. Wouldn't it be easy to bribe someone who wants to be with Rui Yuhuan?
Rui Yuhuan gave a cold smile: "Ouyang Yue, you only won this once. Don't think you're out of the woods. You've offended me. Even if you don't die, I will never let you get away with it."
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly, her eyes full of smugness: "But now it seems that you are no match for me at all, and you have lost to me time and time again."
Rui Yuhuan laughed menacingly, then snorted and turned back to Anhe Hall.
Ouyang Yue and Aunt Liu exchanged a glance, said nothing, and then turned and returned to their respective courtyards.
As soon as Rui Yuhuan returned to her room, she was furious. She smashed the teacups and other items on the table and sat down in front of it, her face contorted with rage.
"Damn it, damn it, damn Ouyang Yue, damn Aunt Liu!" Her plan had been ruined. She was furious. She could hardly find such a perfect plan again, and it had been completely destroyed by Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu, I will make you suffer a terrible death.
Rui Yuhuan gritted her teeth, a sense of fear creeping into her heart. Old Madam Ning's health was failing, and Ouyang Yue had escaped unscathed this time. Even Rui Yuhuan herself found Ouyang Yue's behavior at Anhe Hall somewhat strange. What if Ouyang Zhide sought revenge later? This wouldn't do. She had to think of a way; things absolutely couldn't continue like this. She had to seize this opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to Ouyang Yue, otherwise, she would be in danger. But how?
Wait, take advantage of this moment... this moment...
Rui Yuhuan suddenly narrowed her eyes, a sinister smile playing on her lips. Right now, Ouyang Yue was basking in the glory of her successful collaboration with Aunt Liu. She must be feeling incredibly pleased with herself, and this was the perfect time for her to let her guard down. Ouyang Yue would never guess what she was about to do. A wise person knows that a good plan should never be used twice; it becomes stale and unsuccessful. But for Ouyang Yue, who had just gained some advantage, this was the best possible solution. Ouyang Yue would never expect to use this plan a second time, but this very lack of expectation would be her downfall. This time, without Aunt Liu, things would be much easier for her. Even if Ouyang Yue and Aunt Liu wanted to accuse her, they wouldn't be able to, because the evidence would be laid bare, and no one would believe them.
Brilliant plan!
The next day, Rui Yuhuan served Old Madam Ning's meal as usual, and then calmly watched Ouyang Yue come to Anhe Hall to pay her respects to Old Madam Ning and establish rules. Old Madam Ning was not in good spirits today and simply dismissed Ouyang Yue and left. The same thing happened for three consecutive days. The General's Mansion seemed to have suddenly become quiet, but no one expected that this would be the prelude to a storm.
On the morning of the fourth day, Rui Yuhuan was the first to attend to Old Madam Ning. Seeing that Old Madam Ning still looked listless, she couldn't help but comfort her, "Old Madam, you can't completely trust what Physician Liu says. I think that although Physician Liu is highly skilled, he can't necessarily cure every disease. Besides, I've noticed that Old Madam's health has been quite good recently, which is nothing like what he said. Old Madam, think about it, you used to often stroll in the garden with Yuhuan, and your legs and energy were even better than Yuhuan's. I just feel that this is just Physician Liu's doing."
"Hmm, what do you mean?" Old Madam Ning's expression suddenly changed, and she sat up abruptly, but her face darkened, and she pursed her lips tightly without speaking. Seeing this, Rui Yuhuan immediately explained, "Madam, please don't overthink it. Yuhuan doesn't know anything, I was just saying it casually, please don't take it seriously."
Old Madam Ning, however, said with a serious expression, "No, we can't dismiss this. What you said makes perfect sense. Who is that Physician Liu? He doesn't know anyone in our household. He was only invited by De'er. Who knows what De'er did in the end? Could it be that Physician Liu is just trying to scare me?" Old Madam Ning sneered. This theory was absolutely plausible. Since Ouyang Zhide had invited Physician Liu, she was preoccupied with her health and had no time to care about anything else, including Ouyang Yue. These past few days, she hadn't allowed Ouyang Yue to come to Anhe Hall to sign any rules, which was a relief for Ouyang Yue. She couldn't help but think that her health had indeed been excellent before, without any illness, pain, or disaster. How could it be like what Physician Liu said? How could she still be so healthy if that were the case!
The more Old Madam Ning thought about it, the more convinced she became that Ouyang Shengzhi and Physician Liu were secretly communicating, with Physician Liu helping Ouyang Yue escape. "Hmph, what a fine son of his! He's even plotting against me!" she thought. "You want Ouyang Yue free? I'll show you how Ouyang Yue escapes my grasp."
Old Madam Ning said coldly, "Go and call Ouyang Yue over. From today onwards, establish new rules. Since I am about to die, I must make her a lady of high birth before I die. This way, I can not disgrace the General's Mansion. In the future, when I go to the underworld, I will have the face to meet the ancestors of the General's Mansion."
"Yes, Yu Huan will go and tell her right away." Rui Yu Huan's face flashed with coldness. Before long, Ouyang Yue was dragged into Anhe Hall. This time, Old Madam Ning didn't waste any words with her and directly made her kneel down in the hall. If she didn't agree, Ouyang Yue wouldn't be able to get up. But this kneeling lasted for a whole day. After a day of this, Ouyang Yue's legs couldn't even walk anymore. This continued for two days in a row. Ouyang Yue simply claimed to be sick and didn't come. But Old Madam Ning directly sent people to carry Ouyang Yue over. This time, she wouldn't listen to anyone. No one understood why Old Madam Ning, who was about to die, was doing these things again.
That day, Old Madam Ning was sleeping in bed. Rui Yuhuan stayed in the room watching over her. Ouyang Yue had no servants with her and knelt directly in the outer hall. Rui Yuhuan smiled coldly, took out a paper packet from her bosom, walked to the table, and poured white powder into it. Then she picked up the teapot, poured in some tea, stirred it, and wore a cold smile on her face. But when she turned her head, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Old... Old Madam... you're awake."
Beside the bed, Old Madam Ning leaned against the headboard, staring wide-eyed at Rui Yuhuan with disbelief: "Yuhuan, what were you pouring in just now?"
Rui Yuhuan immediately calmed down and said, "Madam, this is a nourishing prescription. I specially obtained it for you. Now that you're awake, you must be thirsty. Have some of this tea to moisten your throat." As she spoke, she immediately took the teacup and walked towards Old Madam Ning, stroking Old Madam Ning's neck and bringing it to her lips.
Old Madam Ning's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly turned her head away, saying, "What kind of tonic recipe is this? I've never heard you mention it before. What is this thing? What did you put in it?"
Seeing that Old Ning was not cooperating, Rui Yuhuan immediately frowned: "Old woman, drink it quickly, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Old Madam Ning was startled. She had never seen Rui Yuhuan speak to her like that before, with the same resentment she felt towards an enemy: "You... what exactly do you want to do?"
"What are you doing? I'll kill you!" Without another word, Rui Yuhuan pressed down on Old Ning's head and poured the teacup into her mouth.
Ouyang Yue knelt in the outer hall, completely unaware of what was happening inside. For some reason, she was looking at the hall with her eyes half-closed, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Inside the general's mansion, a dignified man was rushing towards Anhe Hall, accompanied by a plump old nanny. The man couldn't help but ask, "Mama Xi, did Mother say she wanted to see me? Why is she in such a hurry? Is something wrong with her health?"
Madam Xi said very respectfully, "Master, this servant is not quite sure why the Old Madam has summoned you, but she seemed a little off today, and this servant is worried about her. Please hurry, Master, the Old Madam's health has been fluctuating wildly lately; even if she were to die, this servant would be afraid..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Ouyang Zhide immediately scolded, but a sense of inexplicable annoyance welled up inside him. He knew Physician Liu; such a highly respected old physician wouldn't speak carelessly. His mother's health was probably truly failing. Thinking this, Ouyang Zhide quickened his pace. Could it be that something was wrong with his mother's health? This was…
The more Ouyang Zhide thought about it, the more anxious he became. His already quick steps quickened again, until finally he seemed to be flying as he ran towards Anhe Hall. Seeing this, Madam Xi's face flashed with coldness, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace as well. If Ouyang Zhide hadn't been so worried about Old Ning, he would have noticed that Madam Xi's steps were incredibly fast, so fast that it didn't seem like that of a woman, an old woman, or an ordinary person. Anyone with eyes could tell at a glance that Madam Xi knew martial arts.
The two hurried towards Anhe Hall. Upon entering, Ouyang Zhide saw Ouyang Yue kneeling on the ground and said, "Quickly help the Third Miss to rest." The servants in Anhe Hall immediately helped Ouyang Yue up. Ouyang Yue was exhausted and let them pull her away.
Ouyang Zhide had no time to care about Ouyang Yue at this point. After all, this had been a common occurrence lately. He couldn't persuade Old Madam Ning at all, so he could only come here whenever he had a reason to, and take Ouyang Yue away in advance. Therefore, he didn't take it seriously. Instead, he rushed into the inner hall because he was worried about Old Madam Ning.
"Drink it quickly!"
"You, you actually want to hurt me? I've been so good to you, and you still want to hurt me."
Unexpectedly, just as he stepped into the inner hall, he suddenly heard the two arguing. Ouyang Zhide's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ran towards the inner hall.
With a "bang!" Ouyang Zhide kicked the door open and saw Rui Yuhuan on the bedside table, holding a teacup and forcing something into Old Ning's mouth. Old Ning shook her head repeatedly, trying to resist, but she was no match for Rui Yuhuan. He immediately remembered the argument from before and shouted angrily, "You wretch, stop!"
☆, Chapter 122, The Death of Rui Yuhuan (Monthly Tickets!)
Rui Yuhuan never expected Ouyang Zhide to suddenly appear. In the short time she was stunned, she felt her body turn around quickly, and then she was kicked hard by Ouyang Zhide into the corner of the wall.
With a loud "bang!", her body slammed into something, then rolled over. She screamed in pain, collapsed to the ground, and vomited a mouthful of blood.
Rui Yuhuan raised her head and looked at Ouyang Zhide with trembling eyes. At this moment, Ouyang Zhide's face was indescribably cold. He rushed to the bedside, where Old Ning Shi had been pressed down by Rui Yuhuan. Because of her lack of cooperation, Rui Yuhuan eventually started choking her neck. Although Rui Yuhuan was driven back by Ouyang Zhide, Old Ning Shi still looked to be in great pain.
"Mother, how are you? I'll go get the doctor," Ouyang Zhide said anxiously.
Old Mrs. Ning clutched her neck, her face flushed, and shook her head frantically, seemingly unable to recover for a while. After a long while, Old Mrs. Ning's complexion improved, but she lay on the bed panting, looking as if she had just survived a disaster, her expression somewhat dazed.
Ouyang Zhide stared coldly at Rui Yuhuan, who had just gotten up and was thinking of a way to rescue him. When she saw Ouyang Zhide's appearance, she was immediately frightened and had a bad feeling. At this moment, she could not care about anything else and said, "General... what are you doing? I was serving the old lady tea. Why did you hit me as soon as you entered the room..." She looked aggrieved and helpless.
Ouyang Zhide stared coldly at Rui Yuhuan, his heart filled with rage. He had never felt anything for her from the start. As a border general, Ouyang Zhide wasn't the type to be blinded by lust. Even if he took a fancy to a beautiful woman, he was rational and would never be tempted by the daughter of an enemy who plotted to kill him. He brought Rui Yuhuan back to find out who Rui Huaicheng was colluding with to harm him. However, he hadn't expected that after getting to know her, he would find Rui Yuhuan even more mysterious and strange than Rui Huaicheng. He brought her directly to the general's mansion, simply wanting to observe her closely and try to extract the reason for Rui Huaicheng's drastic change in personality.
He hadn't expected Old Madam Ning to fall for Rui Yuhuan, nor had he imagined Rui Yuhuan could be so malicious. Since entering the manor, Rui Yuhuan had repeatedly stirred up trouble, determined to wreak havoc on the General's residence before she would stop. Even without witnessing it firsthand, Ouyang Zhide could at least guess what was going on, but he hadn't expected Rui Yuhuan to be so audacious and so vicious. Everyone in the manor had seen how good Old Madam Ning had been to her; if it weren't for Old Madam Ning's protection, Ouyang Zhide would have already harbored murderous intent because of her disruptive behavior. Could she still remain peacefully in the General's residence? Whom did she intend to harm? It shouldn't be Old Madam Ning; how ungrateful she was! Ouyang Zhide simply didn't know how to describe his feelings.
Outrage! Unbelievable rage!
"Mama happy".
"Master." Madam Xi looked coldly at Old Ning, who was lying on the bed, seemingly exhausted from the earlier ordeal, and Rui Yuhuan, whose face was pale and who seemed to be injured in the chest, clutching her chest.
"This bitch hasn't said a word yet. Bring out all the torture methods in the General's Mansion and see if she'll talk or not." Ouyang Zhide said to Rui Yuhuan expressionlessly. Mama Xi immediately sneered, "Yes, sir."
Rui Yuhuan's expression changed, and she hurriedly explained, "General, please listen to me! I really was just trying to serve the old lady. You must have misunderstood. I absolutely had no intention of harming the old lady." Her plan had failed just like that, and it just so happened that Ouyang Zhide discovered it. Rui Yuhuan was now panicking. It turned out that she had a way out for this plan, but the premise was that no one knew that she was the one who led the plan.
Ouyang Zhide merely smiled coldly and suddenly walked over. Rui Yuhuan's heart tightened. Suddenly, Ouyang Zhide grabbed Rui Yuhuan's hair and yanked it upwards violently. "Ah!" Rui Yuhuan cried out in pain, quickly covering her hair with her hands. Ouyang Zhide was a military officer; his strength was not to be underestimated. He stared coldly at Rui Yuhuan, directly pulling her by the hair and dragging her outside. Rui Yuhuan had a bad premonition, her face turning pale with fright. She immediately cried out, "Madam, Madam, wake up! Please save me! The general has misunderstood me!"
Rui Yuhuan reached out to grab the ground, but Ouyang Zhide stepped directly over her hand. Rui Yuhuan cried out in pain, instinctively raising her hand, but Ouyang Zhide grabbed her hair and pulled her away. All the hairpins in Rui Yuhuan's hair fell to the ground, and her black hair fell loose, which frightened Rui Yuhuan even more. She hurriedly reached out to grab Ouyang Zhide's leg to beg for mercy, but Ouyang Zhide seemed to have been prepared. Just as she reached out, Ouyang Zhide kicked her directly in the face. Rui Yuhuan only felt a dull thud and her face was in great pain. She screamed and cried in pain, her body tilted to the side, and Ouyang Zhide pulled her hair, dragging Rui Yuhuan to the ground and directly into the hall.
"Bang!"
"Guards, bring the torture!"
Ouyang Zhide flung her away, and Rui Yuhuan landed heavily on her back, inevitably letting out another cry of pain. However, Ouyang Zhide's next order startled her. Rui Yuhuan coldly retorted, "General, what do you mean? Just because the Old Madam doesn't like the Third Miss, are you going to take your anger out on me? This matter has nothing to do with me. It's the Third Miss's own fault for not being able to win the Old Madam's favor. I don't know how many times I've tried to mediate, but the Old Madam is the most respected person in the General's mansion. How could she listen to me? This matter really has nothing to do with me. General, you can't take your anger out on Yuhuan just because you're feeling frustrated. Yuhuan is completely innocent."
Rui Yuhuan was quite eloquent, but Ouyang Zhide didn't listen at all. He just glared at happy Mama and said angrily, "What are you standing there for? Make your move!"
"Yes, General." Madam Xi's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Rui Yuhuan with a half-smile. Rui Yuhuan was shocked and said urgently, "Madam Xi, you can't treat me like this. Otherwise, when the old lady wakes up, she will definitely not let you off. You've all misunderstood. You've all misunderstood what happened just now. It was definitely not something that would be detrimental to the old lady. You can't treat me like this."
Rui Yuhuan kept trying to defend herself, but Mama Xi waved her hand, and servants brought in two trays. Rui Yuhuan didn't know what was on them, but her heart skipped a beat for no reason; it definitely couldn't be anything good. During her time in the General's Mansion, Rui Yuhuan had learned quite a bit. Back then, the Old Madam had gone to great lengths to establish her authority in the General's Mansion, and she had even devised some punishments, all for the women in the inner quarters. They looked ordinary, but only those who were actually subjected to them knew that they were no less severe than the harsh punishments of the Ministry of Justice.
As the servants approached with a tray, Xi Ma sneered at Rui Yuhuan, saying, "Miss Rui, you dared to do something to harm the Old Madam, so you will not be let off easily today. However, Miss Rui is all alone, and the Old Madam is your savior in the General's Mansion. Who would directly attack someone so powerful? This is highly illogical. Perhaps Miss Rui has someone else behind her. If Miss Rui reveals this person, the General might spare your life. Miss Rui is a smart woman, so please speak."
When Xi Mama was in the Ning family mansion, she was the most favored person by Old Madam Ning's side. After coming to the General's Mansion, the Old Madam trusted her even more, entrusting her with all matters. She continued to benefit and enjoy prestige within the General's Mansion. Even Ouyang Zhide, the undisputed master of the house, respected her greatly because she had served Old Madam Ning for many years. However, Rui Yuhuan always found her an eyesore and frequently devised wicked schemes to get rid of her. It was fortunate that Xi Mama originally held a high position in Old Madam Ning's heart; otherwise, Xi Mama would have been dead countless times over.