Chapter 203: The People Besiege the General’s Manor
After leaving her father’s room late at night, Ye Qianning had only been lightly asleep for a short while when she was woken by a commotion at the gate. At first, she paid it no mind, but as the crowd grew larger, she sensed something was wrong.
"Eldest Miss, the commoners have completely surrounded the General’s manor! They’re all shouting for us to hand over the Old Madam and the second branch to the authorities."
"Let them shout."
"But with everyone surrounding the manor, we can’t just keep the gates closed forever. It’s not a solution," the butler said anxiously.
"What’s the alternative? Open the gates and throw the Old Madam and the second branch out for them to beat up?"
"Er... that’s not what this servant meant..."
"Right now, the Old Madam and the second branch don’t even dare show their faces, Father is too severely injured to get up, and there’s no one in the family to take charge. We can’t very well open the gates and have a little kid like me go out and reason with them, can we?"
We’d be a laughingstock.
The butler felt she had a point, but he didn’t know when all this clamor would end.
"How are the Old Madam and the second branch?" Ye Qianning asked.
"The Old Madam seems to have recovered her spirits, it’s just..." The butler glanced at her cautiously, his words trailing off.
"Just say it."
"The Second Master was beaten severely by the General and even had his fingers broken. The Old Madam is throwing a tantrum, demanding we call a doctor for him, or else she won’t eat. Eldest Miss, what do you think we should do...?"
’A tantrum?’
Ye Qianning knew that this ’tantrum’ likely included a slew of vile curses. "Has she asked after Father at all?"
"N-No, she hasn’t." The butler didn’t dare say it, but last night, the Old Madam had been cursing the General, wishing for his early death. The sight had been chilling to all who witnessed it.
He had been with the Xiang family for so many years, and on a daily basis, the Old Madam had always seemed quite amicable toward the General. He never expected she would curse him like this. What kind of mother would do such a thing?
Seeing the look on the butler’s face, Ye Qianning knew what had happened without even needing to ask.
’Vicious old hag. If she loves the second branch that much, then she can go live with them for all I care.’
"What about Mrs. Wang and the two children?"
"The Second Madam was beaten by the Madam and a few others yesterday, but her injuries aren’t serious. Young Master Si Yan wasn’t hurt, but Miss Zhenzhu was rather frightened."
"Later, take some nourishing supplements to the kitchen and have them sent to Mrs. Wang and the children." Ye Qianning hadn’t met Mrs. Wang many times, but she seemed like the quiet type—a calculating woman.
She was mostly sending the supplements for Xiang Zhenzhu’s sake. The girl was only five years old, and Ye Qianning wasn’t so petty as to hold a grudge against a child.
The adults should bear the consequences of their own mistakes; the children were innocent.
"Yes, miss," the butler replied, then added, "And about the Second Master’s injuries?"
"Let them out. Stop watching them. Just go tell her that the manor will not be calling a doctor for the second master. If the Old Madam is truly that heartbroken, she can take her son out of the manor to seek treatment herself." ’I’d like to see just how much the Old Madam truly dotes on this son of hers.’
The butler broke out in a cold sweat. The manor was sealed tight by the mob outside. If they were to leave now, they would very likely be beaten to death—
"Aiyo, little girl, do you have any idea how chaotic it is outside?" Old Man Gu hurried over.
"The noise is deafening even from the Yuehua Small Building. It’d be hard not to know."
Old Man Gu had slept soundly yesterday and was still a bit dazed from being so abruptly woken up today. He raised a hand to pour some tea, only noticing it was completely wrapped in bandages when he reached for the pot.
Ye Qianning took out a cup, lifted the teapot, poured him a cup, and placed it beside him.
Unable to use his hands, Old Man Gu leaned over and slurped from the cup on the table. "What in the world is going on in the Capital City? How did so many people end up surrounding this place?"
"Who knows?" Ye Qianning said nonchalantly.
’Whatever’s going on, the tide is turning in our favor for now. It seems someone in the Capital City is intentionally fanning the flames, directing all the heat toward the Old Madam and the second branch.’