Chapter 259: Granny Sent Back to the General

Que'er: "If the Qu family also, when it comes to this point, stubbornly refuses to cancel the marriage without any shame and has ulterior motives, we'll make the whole world know!"

Speaking of breaking off the marriage, Li Qingluo gets a headache.

She broke off the Zhongyi Hou Fu, and now the Qu family appears.

Moreover, this arrangement with the Qu family was privately set by Li Chao Jing and his wife while she and her grandmother were away, for Li Qingluo and Qu Dao Xun.

Li Qingluo feels nauseated just thinking about it.

"Since we're going to cause a scene, let's make it bigger. Also spread the rumor that Li Kechuan had an affair with Qu Dao Xun."

"In the next two days I'll have Zhang Mama return to Jiangjun Fu, retrieve some of my old belongings and my grandmother's, then obtain the marriage contract and deliver it to the Qu family to break off the engagement."

Que'er worries: "What if the Qu family really refuses?"

Li Qingluo: "Refuse? Then let them die."

If they die, the marriage contract naturally becomes void.

Treat it as a grand gift back to the Qu family for daring to plot poisoning my grandmother!

Que'er smiles: "Your attentiveness is good, servant will go right away."

Li Qingluo calls out to Que'er: "Hold on. Do you know where Chang Mama's family's servitude contracts are?"

Que'er truly doesn't know, so she asks Deng Mama.

Deng Mama is still recuperating and can't investigate herself, so she has someone summon Zheng Mama.

"Lao Zheng, I've been bedridden these days and can't attend to the lady's matters, so I'll ask you to run errands for her—whether you investigate personally or liaise with Lao De outside, just give the lady the most accurate information as soon as possible."

De Shu, after all, cannot enter the inner residence, so many matters require a Mama to act on his behalf.

Zheng Mama cheerfully agrees.

The next day she comes to Li Qingluo with the news.

"Lady, when Chang Mama went as a dowry, she took her whole family to Jiangjun Fu. Over the years, they have thrived in the rear quarters and even acquired a two‑hall small residence outside."

"However, only her own servitude contract is in your mother's hands; the rest of her family's contracts are all with the Qu family."

Li Qingluo, as if already suspecting the truth, asks: "Can we obtain those servitude contracts?"

Zheng Mama startles: "That... that is indeed difficult, but not impossible."

Li Qingluo smiles faintly: "Then I trouble Zheng Mama to handle this; I await your good news."

Zheng Mama, with a somewhat fluttering heart, goes to find Deng Mama.

"Lao Deng, these days following the lady are quite thrilling, though the tasks are arduous..."

Deng Mama: "What's wrong, don't want to do it? Then help me up..."

Zheng Mama let out a "hee hee" laugh, rushed over and promptly pinned Deng Mama down: "Do it, do it, do it! When did I ever say I wouldn't? You old thing, always busy here and there; I ask why you're always so full of vigor. Following the lady is more interesting than fighting, you see, what I do won't be any worse!"

"What if, in the future, I also have a place by the lady's side?"

Deng Mama rolls her eyes: "You go dream first."

Zheng Mama suddenly whispers mysteriously: "By the way, there's a pair of men's shoes in the lady's room."

"When we were at the Pei family mausoleum, I saw the lady wearing those men's shoes; the brocade on the upper isn't ordinary."

"She even lied, saying she just picked them up to wear, but I saw them washed spotless and hanging to dry… clearly they're treasured."

"It's odd, whose shoes could these be… do you have any idea?"

Deng Mama instantly guessed who the owner might be.

But she doesn't dare to say.

She even frightfully covers Zheng Mama's mouth.

"You're blabbing this? About the lady's affairs, don't speak recklessly, got it? Including the Old Lady's part, if you haven't asked, don't mention it!"

"Although the lady is polite to us, her methods should now be clear. If you wrong her, she won't forgive you!"

Zheng Mama then shivers.

"No, no, I'll go attend to it now."

Li Qingluo is also fretting over the huge shoes before her.

She thinks she should return the shoes to Prince Su.

Even if others might not care, and given his obsessive cleanliness, perhaps because she wore them, even if she hurried to give them back, he might just toss them into a corner and never look at them again?

But even so, what does it mean to keep them for herself?

While Li Qingluo is conflicted, a gate attendant reports: "Lady, people from the Pan residence have arrived with gifts, saying they came to thank you for rescuing Miss Pan."

Pan Li has arrived?

Li Qingluo immediately gets up, carefully wraps the shoes in a beautiful package, then personally goes out to welcome them.

Meanwhile, rumors of an affair between Li Kechuan and Qu Dao Xun have already spread throughout Jinling City.

It is also said that Swift Cavalry Great General Li Chao Jing, unable to endure his eldest son's scandalous behavior, was provoked into madness.

Everyone doesn't believe it.

"Is it true? That's a great general; what storms hasn't he seen? Would he go mad over such a thing?"

"What's strange about that? Yesterday someone truly saw him being tied and taken back to the General's residence; he was still crying and causing a scene in the carriage, even kicking a servant out of the carriage."

"Is this something a normal great general would do?"

"It certainly doesn't look fake."

"Heaven, isn't the General's residence too wicked? After the whole fake‑gold‑daughter incident, the eldest son broke his leg, then the eldest son's engagement was cancelled—now he's severely hit and does such inhumane things, driving his own father mad. How can such a rebellious son still live in this world?"

"These two are still cousins, right?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, how disgraceful, to do such depraved acts, truly shameless!"

"What's this? The most disgusting part isn't it that the Qu family's young master, who is already betrothed to the eldest daughter, is involved?"

"Heh heh heh, brother‑in‑law and brother‑in‑law, cousins. Indeed, it's the noble sons of great families who play such games..."

Zhang Mama, stepping on those sounds, led a massive group and loudly pounded the gate of Jiangjun Fu.

Qu Shi, upon hearing that Zhang Mama had returned, trembled all over in fright.

"What is she back for?"

Chang Mama: "She says… she says she's back to retrieve the things the girl and Old Lady left in the mansion. Also, also, she's here to ask you, Madam, for the girl's betrothal document."

Qu Shi shrieked, "Betrothal document? What are they trying to do?"

Chang Mama, wiping sweat from her forehead, said, "She says that earlier the girl and Old Lady were both absent, and our mansion privately arranged a marriage for the girl, but after Old Lady regained her senses she did not consent to this union."

"Moreover, now the news of the Eldest Son and our Qu family's Fourth Son has spread everywhere… so, therefore, this marriage cannot proceed with Old Lady's approval, and they have come to demand the betrothal document to return the marriage to the Qu family…"

Qu Shi flopped onto the chair.

"W‑what should I do? I worked so hard to arrange this match; if it's cancelled like this, how could my parents and my elder uncle and aunt possibly forgive me!?"

"No, I won't agree!"

Chang Mama was also at a loss.

Yesterday she went back to the Qu family and gave a detailed account of how the Lord looks now.

Yesterday Doctor Jiang also came to confirm, and indeed the Lord has been shocked and is now essentially mad.

At this rate, how could he possibly still serve as Great General?

Being stripped of his rank is only a matter of time.

Just like the Eldest Son before, it ended as soon as a decree of dismissal was delivered.

The future of Jiangjun Fu is utterly, completely finished…

Nevertheless, even so, the Qu family truly has no intention of breaking off the marriage.

The Jiangjun Fu turning out like this isn't because they are sentimental or righteous.

It's what they covet… Chang Mama glanced at her own Madam, feeling tangled inside.

Madam still hasn't realized that what the Qu family seeks isn't the girl herself, but the wealth behind Old Lady and the girl!

Yet at present, it seems Old Lady and the girl's side won't settle peacefully.

"Madam, if this matter escalates, what will our son do?"

Qu Shi burst into tears, "I have only this one son! What can I do? The Lord is useless now, and Jiangjun Fu is utterly finished."

"Our Qu family is still willing to take the child, which is already the utmost benevolence; what more could she possibly be unsatisfied with?"

"Even if Xun Ge'er and Chuan Er did that kind of thing, they were also set up, victims of a plot. It wasn't genuine affection; this whole affair can be treated as if it never happened."

"Why can't she understand?"

While crying, the gatehouse hurried in to report, "Bad news, Madam, Zhang Mama has broken in with her men!"

Zhang Mama quickly made it to Chunzai Hall.

"Madam, our girl said: if you still refuse to hand over the betrothal document, we will expose the scandal of you poisoning your mother‑in‑law and colluding with the Qu family to plot against Old Lady's estate. Then, seeing you as a poisonous woman, how will the authorities judge you?"

Qu Shi was terrified, her whole body went limp.

"I—I didn't… you have no evidence; how can you slander and frame me? Would the authorities even heed only your one‑sided words?"

Zhang Mama let out a cold laugh, "Whether it's slander or framing, doesn't your own heart know?"

Qu Shi was on the verge of fainting, but Chang Mama ran to fetch the marriage‑cancellation document and then respectfully handed it to Zhang Mama.

"Zhang Mama, we give it, all that happened before was just a misunderstanding…"

Zhang Mama, expressionless, took it, glanced to confirm, then tucked it into her bosom.

"Misunderstanding? That may not be so."

After saying that, she said no more, turned and went to Hongfenguan and Jingci Tang to pack things up.

Qu Shi grabbed Chang Mama, questioning bewilderedly, "Why? Why give them that? Do you know that once we give it, the child will be completely out of my control, and I can never hold her again!!"

Chang Mama, crying, urged Qu Shi, "Madam! Do you think I wanted this? I do this for you as well!"

She this time will inevitably incur a punishment from the Qu family, yet she still took the risk to do so.

"Madam, I feel sorry for you. Do you know that you have long since lost the girl…"

"What you're doing now is already too late… Moreover, the more you act like this, the more the girl hates you; don't you understand?"

Chang Mama felt a bitter pang inside.

The Madam is the one she watched grow up.

But regarding the Qu family, she cannot break free.

So for many things, Chang Mama can only act against her heart.

"As for the Qu family, I will share the burden with you."

"But think about Old Lady and the girl's methods; aren't they even more frightening than the Qu family?"

Only then did Qu Shi cry again.

But before she could catch her breath, Qing Yi rushed in hurriedly.

"Madam, it's bad. They say Prince Yun's Mansion has driven Madam Zhu out!"