Chapter 392 - 384: The End
Mrs. Dong tightly held Jingfu’s hand; she knew she couldn’t afford to panic now, for if she did, there’d be even less hope of saving herself.
"You two may go now." Mrs. Dong dismissed the two unfamiliar nannies, and seeing their hesitation, she sneered, "Rest assured, I won’t be difficult for you, but you must understand that I am still the Madam of this mansion. If I wish to deal with you, I doubt the Marquis would deny me that much courtesy. Since I’m to leave the mansion, I naturally need to pack some things."
The two nannies exchanged a glance, and before leaving, one of them said, "Madam, please don’t make it difficult for us maids; we’ll wait for you outside the courtyard."
Mrs. Dong snorted and only after seeing the nannies leave did she instruct Jingfu by her side, "Go call Sister Hui over and bring Brother Zong here; the Marquis disregards rules and only cares for the East Mansion, eager to drive me out. But I refuse to comply."
Jingfu knew giving this task to a young maid wouldn’t work, so she immediately went to deliver the message herself, exiting not from the main gate but through the small side gate, making her way to the courtyard of the third young lady. Sister Hui, upon hearing the message, didn’t dare delay and followed Jingfu back to the main courtyard.
When they arrived, Mrs. Dong was holding Brother Zong and sitting on the soft couch, "You might have already heard; your father plans to send me to the monastery. But your younger brother is still small, and you’re to be married next year. If I leave like this, what good days are ahead for you siblings? I called you here to tell you to go to your grandmother and ask if the Marquis Mansion has truly abandoned its rules. If your grandmother truly doesn’t intervene, then we’ll take straightforward action: I’ll take your brother back to the Dong Mansion and let the Dong Family handle it. You’ve seen for yourself how things are nowadays; is this mansion still a mansion? Your father has given his whole heart to the East Mansion, and your grandmother is biased towards it too. You should have seen clearly yesterday in Shi’an Garden; they speak of rules, but where are there truly any rules now?"
Sister Hui’s eyes reddened, "Mother, don’t worry, I’ll go to grandmother now."
Even though Sister Hui always blamed her mother for the chaos, her father’s anger and decisions made it pointless to blame her mother now.
Sister Hui left, but Jingfu was far from reassured. "Madam, it would be better if, while no one is paying attention, you take the young master to Mrs. Gu Sr. No matter what, causing a stir there, Mrs. Gu Sr. would not likely be firm in sending you away. For now, remaining in the mansion is crucial; then we can consider other options."
"No need, I won’t leave today. I want to see how forceful they can get. If it comes to it, I’ll die with Brother Zong right in front of them; they won’t dream of driving me out of the Marquis Mansion."
Jingfu saw the coldness on the Madam’s face and felt a heavy weight in her heart, "Madam, you need to consider this thoughtfully. The young master has hope. If the Madam can endure for a while, there will surely be a chance to rise."
"Rise? Look at what it’s come to now! What hope do I have left? At worst, I’ll fight them. Look at the years I’ve spent at the Marquis Mansion; have I had a single good day? I’ve watched over this mansion all these years, and what has it accomplished? He stayed at the border for seven years, and wasn’t the mansion left for me to manage? Now he’s given everything to the other side, forgetting who stood by him back then." Mrs. Dong spoke increasingly sorrowfully, "I know I’ve erred, I acted wrongly. But if the Marquis hadn’t pressured me into this, would I have ended up like this? I know I haven’t done well, but does the Marquis realize his own mistakes?"
Jingfu watched the Madam sob while holding the young master and was at a loss for what to do.
"Jingfu, over the years, you’ve been the only one kind to me. Rest assured, I know. If I really leave, you may go as well. I’ll have Sister Hui give you your selling contract and some silver coins, and you can find a good family to marry into. It’s my fault for holding you back."
Jingfu kneeled on the ground, "Madam, the Madam has always treated me well. Please don’t say things like that; it pains me to hear them. Even if it costs my life, I will earn the Madam justice."
With that, Jingfu knocked her head on the ground three times before standing up and leaving. No matter how Mrs. Dong called out, she didn’t turn back.
Mrs. Dong sat on the soft couch, watching someone leave the courtyard through the window. Only then did she quiet down, her eyes slightly squinting, biting her lower lip tightly. She knew that, apart from using Jingfu, she had no one left to rely on.
Meanwhile, at the East Mansion, the gatekeeper heard someone knocking at the door, and upon opening saw it was Jingfu from the Marquis Mansion. Without waiting for questions, Jingfu rushed inside, caught the attention of the guards who tried to stop her, but Jingfu managed to tear her own clothes and with such a move, it was difficult for them to step forward. Jingfu then sped towards the back courtyard.
She shouted as she ran, "I need to see the Madam, otherwise our Madam will have no life left."
Hearing it involved the Marquis Mansion’s Madam, the maids and servants hesitated to intervene.
Lin Youning was talking to Big Brother about Lin Qining’s visit earlier that morning, and about how Big Brother sold off the aunt beside Gu Chaoxuan, although the child itself hadn’t been dealt with, merely sent to the estate to await its birth before selling.
Lin Youning understood that ultimately, it was a life. Though the child couldn’t live under the Gu Family’s name, at least it could live.
The two were planning a visit to the estate as Mrs. Gu Sr. mentioned yesterday, when they heard commotion from outside. Suddenly, a disheveled and ragged Jingfu barged in.
Gu Yifeng’s face darkened instantly, "There’s simply no respect for order anymore. How is the gatekeeper doing his job? And how are you people functioning just letting someone barge in? Are you only here for free meals?"
The Marquis’s anger terrified the servants, who promptly knelt and admitted fault.
"Calm down, Marquis, it’s my fault. If you wish to punish, just punish me alone. But before receiving punishment, I wish to say a few words to the Madam." Jingfu caught her breath before speaking.
"Just a servant, what right do you have to speak? Take her away to be sold; the Gu Family doesn’t need such unruly servants." Gu Yifeng didn’t want to hear any more and directly ordered.
Outside, Li Si and Zhao Wu, hearing this, immediately came in. Jingfu anxiously looked towards Lin Youning, "Madam, please save our Madam. The Marquis plans to send our Madam to the monastery because of you. For the sake of your reputation, you must help her."