Chapter 393 - 385: Blocking Someone
Gu Yifeng’s eyes narrowed, as if he were about to eat someone.
Li Si and Zhao Wu, seeing this, immediately stepped forward to cover Jingfu’s mouth. Despite her being a woman, who would have thought she could almost break free from the grip of Li Si and Zhao Wu?
Shanmoi and Hailan’s faces didn’t look good either. Afraid of bumping into the young lady, they instinctively shielded her, causing the room to descend into chaos. Some young maids, witnessing this scene, cried out in surprise.
Lin Youning put away her smile, "Let go of Jingfu."
Her voice wasn’t loud, but as soon as she spoke, the room immediately quieted down. Zhao Wu and Li Si glanced over at the Marquis, and when he nodded, they finally let go.
Jingfu’s hair was so disheveled that she no longer looked like her usual self. She knelt on the ground, "Madam, I know that bursting into the mansion today won’t end well, but I can’t worry about that now. Only you can save our Madam at this moment. Please hear me out. If I’m wrong, you can punish me however you see fit, and I will have no complaints."
Lin Youning looked at her calmly, "Go ahead, since I’ve let you go, I want you to be clear about things. Say what you have to say. I’m curious how this involves my reputation."
"Madam, the Marquis wants to send our Madam to the temple. I know this isn’t your doing, but ever since he took on his new responsibilities, he’s been living at the East Mansion. Now he wants to send our Madam to the temple. Even as a servant, I feel like the Marquis is favoring your side. I’m privy to some inside information, and sometimes I can’t help but think this way, let alone outsiders. Outsiders who know nothing will think you are behind this. You’re wise and I know you don’t care about such things, but now you are pregnant, and you should accumulate good fortune for the little lord in your belly." Jingfu knew she couldn’t use any other reason, especially since the Madam didn’t care about anything, let alone what people might say behind her back.
"Our Madam said if the Marquis forces her to go to the temple, she will commit suicide with the little lord. Madam, please, for the sake of two lives, save our Madam." After Jingfu finished speaking, she continued kowtowing non-stop.
Although there were many servants in the room, there was no movement.
Only the sound of Jingfu’s kowtowing.
"Jingfu, you don’t need to keep kowtowing. Lift your head." Lin Youning finally spoke slowly. Jingfu lifted her head, her disheveled hair still stained with traces of blood. Lin Youning sighed, "You are loyal, and I understand your concern for your Madam, but you forget that this is a matter between two houses. You’re coming to us here; how can I intervene in your Marquis Mansion’s affairs? If you truly seek help, you should appeal to the Marquis. Not that I won’t give you a chance; seeing your loyalty, I’ll also give you an opportunity. The Marquis is right here in front of you. You should petition the Marquis. He is the one in charge of the Marquis Mansion."
Jingfu was in a daze for a moment, but soon understood, "Thank you, Madam."
If it weren’t for the Madam saying this and giving her this opportunity, the Marquis wouldn’t have listened at all. He would have just ordered someone to sell her off. Now she just needed the Marquis to say the word, and Madam would be fine.
When Jingfu rushed out, she didn’t expect a good end for herself. She straightened herself on her knees, "Marquis, both my Madam and I have disappointed you. In truth, my Madam is suffering internally. She has always admired you, but the rules she learned at the Dong Mansion have always told her to maintain decorum, so her interactions with you have been proper. Now seeing your close relationship with the Madam, she feels hurt, suffers from insomnia daily, and we see her with unstable emotions at times. I beg you, in consideration of Madam managing the household affairs for so long, give her another chance."
"I believe Madam truly might do something foolish with the little lord. The Marquis has always cherished the Madam, and he surely doesn’t want to hear outsiders criticizing her. For the sake of the Madam, please give Madam another chance." Jingfu’s forehead touched the ground.
The people in the room felt sorry for Jingfu and thought Mrs. Dong was truly fortunate to have such a maid. They also felt that Mrs. Dong was both hateful and pitiful, but there was nothing they could do.
Lin Youning lowered her head; it was only when Jingfu burst in that she realized her elder brother wanted to send Mrs. Dong away. In her heart, she understood that her elder brother wanted her to know this, to make her feel uncomfortable, so he kept it from her. But Jingfu still barged in.
"For the Madam’s sake, let’s leave it for today. Go back and tell your Madam to behave herself. This is the last time." Gu Yifeng waved his hand.
Jingfu wept tears of joy, repeatedly expressing her gratitude before leaving. All the servants in the room also exited, along with Shanmoi and Hailan, who also left with expressions on their faces.
Lin Youning reached across the tea table to hold her elder brother’s hand, "Thank you, elder brother."
"You silly girl, I didn’t tell you because I feared you’d feel guilty. Now with things like this, if I insisted on going through with it, you’d probably be thinking about it for months. Having her go to the temple was meant as a lesson, for her to stay there for a few months and then bring her back. Now she has scared herself; she can never return to the mansion for the rest of her life." Gu Yifeng shook his head.
Lin Youning could see her elder brother’s disappointment and smiled, "Actually, I quite agree with what Jingfu said. Mrs. Dong must feel this way because she hasn’t received a response from you. Perhaps I would feel the same way if it were me."
Lin Youning thought Mrs. Dong was quite pitiful and felt guilty, feeling that it was because of her that things turned out this way. If she hadn’t taken on the responsibility initially, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.
But now that she had chosen to be with her elder brother, she couldn’t avoid facing this.
Gu Yifeng patted her hand, "I also wanted to have things work out with Mrs. Dong, even tried to change our relationship. Then I found it too difficult. Perhaps it’s destined to be this way; you don’t have to feel guilty. Whatever I owed Mrs. Dong I’ve already repaid. Now that we’ve come to this point, there’s no blame on her part."
Not waiting for her to speak, Gu Yifeng said, "This morning, Wang Wen sent a message saying he wants to visit the mansion as a guest. What do you think? I’ve been holding off on replying. I think he’s coming regarding Dong Boyun."