Therefore, she coldly shook Nian Ge'er awake.
"Look carefully, who am I!" Qingping said coldly, "Young master has a good memory, forgetting his wife so quickly and recognizing someone else as his mother."
Nian-ge'er pouted as if he was about to cry, but when he saw that it was Qing-ping, he quickly held back his tears.
"Don't call her 'Mother' anymore, do you hear me!" Seeing that Nian Ge'er still seemed unrepentant, Qingping took advantage of Jinping going to get medicine for Nian Ge'er. Her voice was low and fast, yet laced with threat and intimidation. "Did you remember?"
Although Nian-ge'er was afraid of her, he gritted his teeth and didn't immediately agree. He whispered his protest, "My mother is very good to me, she—"
Qingping was already holding back her anger, and when she heard Nian Ge'er speak up for An Ran, her anger flared up. She reached out and pinched Nian Ge'er's uninjured arm hard, and without letting go immediately, she demanded, "Did you remember that?"
Nian-ge'er was in pain and couldn't help but start sobbing.
Thinking that Qingxing and Jinping were still alive, Qingping hurriedly covered Niange'er's mouth to stop him from crying out loud.
Anran, who was standing under the eaves, heard the crying and quickly walked in.
Hearing footsteps, Qingping assumed it was Qingxing and Jinping arriving, never expecting Anran to come so early. She hastily dressed Niange'er, afraid that the bruises from pinching him would be noticed.
"Nian-ge'er, what's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?" An Ran hurriedly went into the inner room and saw that Qing Ping had already dressed him, while Nian-ge'er was still sobbing softly, with glistening tears hanging on his long eyelashes.
When he saw An Ran come in, Nian Ge'er cried even harder. He ignored the pain in his arm and Qing Ping's desperate attempts to wink at him, and opened his arms for An Ran to hug him.
"Where does Nian-ge'er feel unwell? Tell your mother!" Nian-ge'er's pitiful appearance broke An Ran's heart. She quickly and gently coaxed Nian-ge'er, and then repeatedly told someone to go and fetch a doctor.
Qingping was anxious. If she called a doctor, she might reveal her secret. She had pinched Niange'er until he was bruised, and the marks wouldn't fade anytime soon.
"Madam, the young master's arm is a little sore, and he's a bit grumpy in the morning, but he'll be fine in a little while!" Qingping said obsequiously.
An Ran gave Qing Ping a cold look.
For the first time, Qingping realized that the seemingly gentle and weak lady could also be so frightening.
"Let Mother see where it hurts?" An Ran said, reaching to unbutton Nian Ge'er's clothes. Her gaze fell on Nian Ge'er, and she said to Qing Ping in a deep voice, "Why did you dress Nian Ge'er in clothes with such tight sleeves? Don't you know that his arm is injured?"
After saying that, she was about to change Nian Ge'er's clothes.
Qingping was terrified and, without thinking, stepped forward to stop Anran.
Qingxing and Qingmei quickly grabbed Qingping, preventing her from lunging forward. Qingping was quite annoyed to discover that despite their petite stature, Qingmei and Qingxing were surprisingly strong!
When Anran undid Niange'er's clothes, her arm, which had been injured in the fall, was indeed red from being rubbed raw when she had put on her clothes in such a hurry. No wonder Niange'er was crying; where else would Qingping take care of a child like this?
An Ran frowned, about to scold Qing Ping, but her gaze fell on Nian Ge'er's other arm.
When I examined Nian Ge'er yesterday, she clearly remembered that her little arm was clean and white like a lotus root, and had not been injured at all. How come it has a large bruise?
An Ran quickly grabbed his arm and examined it closely. She saw clear finger marks from the pinching, and An Ran was instantly enraged.
No wonder Qingping was so flustered and refused to call a doctor or let me change Nian-ge'er's clothes! So that's why!
"Kneel down!" An Ran pointed at the new wound on Nian Ge'er's arm and said angrily, "Did you pinch Nian Ge'er to inflict the wound on his arm?"
Qingping's knees buckled, and she knelt down. Qingmei and Qingxing, still not feeling safe, restrained her from both sides, preventing her from having a chance to harm Anran.
"This servant, this servant was just careless—" Qingping still tried to argue.
"Accidentally?" An Ran laughed angrily, her gaze as cold as ice as she looked at Qing Ping. "You dare say it was unintentional, pinching a boy like this?"
There was no reasoning with someone like Qingping. An Ran was so angry her liver ached, and her voice grew colder. "Tie up someone who dares to deceive her master and make her kneel in the courtyard!"
"Nian-ge'er, Nian-ge'er! I didn't mean it! Aunt Ping didn't mean it!" Qingping still called out Nian-ge'er's name unwillingly, "Quickly beg Madam for me! Nian-ge'er!"
Nian Ge'er looked at her with teary eyes.
"Nian-ge'er, have you forgotten what your mother told you? To listen to me!" Qingping shouted hoarsely.
"Gag her and find two strong old women to watch over her!" An Ran decided immediately.
Qingmei and Qingxing agreed, then wrapped two handkerchiefs around Qingping's mouth and pulled her out the door.
"Alright, Nian-ge'er, don't cry anymore. No one can hurt you anymore." An Ran patted Nian-ge'er's back and coaxed him, "Nian-ge'er, be good, don't be sad, Mother is here."
Nian Ge'er threw himself into An Ran's arms, but cried even more bitterly.
With great difficulty, Anran coaxed him to stop crying with kind words. She had Jinping bring over some medicine, applied it to Nian Ge'er's wounds, then took a cloak, wrapped Nian Ge'er up tightly, and carried him back to the main courtyard.
In a corner of the small garden, Qingping was bound tightly, kneeling on the cold bluestone slab, awaiting her fate. Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.
Chapter 141
The Third Miss...Prince Cheng's Heir...Is there something shady going on with her? (Anti-theft chapter)
Mingwei's heart skipped a beat, and she felt extremely depressed and uneasy.
How did Mingrong and Ronghao end up together? And Mingrong should be at the Marquis of Chengping's residence, so why is she visiting the Duke of Ying's residence?
Now, the second wife is "kept" on her country estate. Out of consideration for her status as the biological mother of Mingjue and his brother, she won't be mistreated, but she will no longer enjoy the prestige of being the second wife of the Marquis of Chengping. At this point, the second wife is no longer of any use to the Duke of Ying's mansion. Would the first wife of the Duke of Ying's mansion still show special care for the second wife's illegitimate daughter?
This is so strange!
Mingwei's brows were furrowed tightly, and she looked unwell.
It was the old lady who came to her senses first. She calmly stopped Mingwei and Rongzhen and said softly to Mingwei, "Your Highness, there is no need to see me off any further. After I get home, I will send someone to assure Your Highness of your safety."
The old lady's meaning was very clear; she made it obvious that she didn't want Mingwei involved.
"Grandmother!" Mingwei's face showed anxiety. Rong Hao was known for using underhanded methods, and Ming Rong was capable of anything to climb the social ladder...