Chapter 35: That Little Wretch

"My lord, it is not as you think!"

Jiang Ping bypassed her and walked straight to Fang Mei, helping her up with his own hands. "Did you hurt yourself in the fall?"

Fang Mei turned her face away. "My lord, please do not look at me. I look hideous now."

Jiang Ping sighed and ordered, "Go fetch a physician!"

Jiang Nian exchanged a glance with Fang Mei and said, "Father, although Nanny Zhao has received the punishment she deserves, Fang Mei has suffered for so many years—it should not go uncompensated..."

Jiang Ping nodded. "You are right. There should be some compensation. Someone, clear out the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion and have Concubine Fang move in."

Concubine Fang?

The crowd was stunned. Was he granting her status just like that? Did he even skip the tea ceremony?

Fang Mei wept, her expression pitiful and moving. "Thank you for your mercy, my lord."

Jiang Nian said happily, "Congratulations, Concubine Fang."

Fang Mei smiled shyly, then let out an "oops" and fell into Jiang Ping’s arms. "I... I think I just twisted my ankle."

Jiang Ping hurriedly helped her to a seat.

Madam Qiao’s fingertips trembled with rage. Whether Fang Mei became a concubine or not was irrelevant; what mattered was the change in Jiang Ping’s attitude toward her.

Who was it that brought him back?

When Fang Mei ran out of the courtyard, how could there have been no one to stop her? It was as if someone had known she would find a chance to target Concubine Su and had deliberately orchestrated Fang Mei’s outburst.

And Fang Mei’s illness—even if she had stopped taking those medicines, she could not have recovered so quickly after being bedridden for years. Was someone helping her? But even if the Third Madam, Madam Cheng, had long arms, she could not have reached into the First Household.

She turned her head sharply to look at Jiang Nian.

"Was it you?"

"Me?" Jiang Nian met Madam Qiao’s gaze, covered her lips, and let out a short laugh. "What about me?"

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Jiang Nian suddenly withdrew her smile, her gaze turning cold and sharp. "I want you to die..."

Madam Qiao was startled.

Jiang Nian chuckled. "Mother, why did you believe that? Are you asking about Fang Mei, or about Father’s sudden return?"

She took a step forward, her smile fading away, and stared coldly at Madam Qiao. "What if it was me? Did I do anything wrong?"

Madam Qiao looked at her in shock. This girl was a madwoman!

Just then, Jiang Ping returned to them. "What are you two talking about?"

Jiang Nian instantly resumed her obedient demeanor. "Father, Nanny Zhao was beaten, and Mother is quite shaken. Please, comfort her."

Jiang Ping looked at Madam Qiao with dissatisfaction. "Shaken? You didn’t do anything wrong, so what are you afraid of?"

Madam Qiao’s face turned pale.

Jiang Nian said understandingly, "Even if Mother was wrong, it was only because she was too anxious for your sake, Father."

Jiang Ping looked at the face that so closely resembled Madam Chen, and his gaze softened. "Did you help Fang Mei?"

Jiang Nian nodded. "My mother once told me that Fang Mei was very kind to her. After returning to the capital, I went to visit Fang Mei and discovered that her food was being poisoned. I didn't dare to speak up for fear of alerting the culprit, so I secretly went to a pharmacy to get medicine for her."

Madam Qiao, standing with her back to Jiang Ping, glared at her with murderous intent.

Jiang Nian was not afraid; instead, she pointed it out directly. "Mother, why are you looking at me with such a murderous gaze? Did I do something wrong? Are you harboring resentment against me because you lost Nanny Zhao? But Nanny Zhao brought this upon herself."

"You!"

Before she could finish, Jiang Nian turned to her father, a hint of ruthlessness in her eyes. "Father, you are the most important person in this household. No matter who Nanny Zhao targeted, she should never have targeted your people. She deserved to die!"

Listening to Jiang Nian’s chilling tone, Jiang Ping looked at her deeply for a long time before saying, "You are right. She actually dared to harm my people; she must have had the guts of a bear and a leopard, forgetting who the true master of this house is."

Jiang Nian was delighted, her eyes filled with adoration. "I knew Father would think the same! I knew you wouldn't blame me!"

Jiang Ping replied, "Hmm. You did nothing wrong, but if this happens again, you must tell me first."

Jiang Nian nodded without hesitation. "I will listen to everything Father says!"

Hearing the exchange between father and daughter, Madam Qiao felt as if ice water had been poured over her, chilling her to the bone. *Forgetting who the true master of this house is...*

Was he saying that to her? Was he telling her that this house was surnamed Jiang, not Qiao?

The next moment, Jiang Ping’s gaze turned to her. "Come with me. Yu’er, you come too."

Jiang Yu had a bad premonition. She stiffly tugged on Madam Qiao’s sleeve. "Mother... why does Father’s expression look so strange?"

Madam Qiao felt a strange sensation herself, but she was not a woman without foundation or backing. After a moment, she regained her composure. "It is nothing. Nothing will happen."

Before she left, she glared at Fang Mei, only to find that the look in the other woman’s eyes was even more vicious than her own, which made her heart skip a beat. *This Fang Mei, she cannot be allowed to stay!*

Jiang Yu looked toward Chunfen and Dongzhi. The two maids remained silent. They had faked their deaths earlier, and Nanny Zhao had already gone to the magistrate to cancel their registrations; their contracts of servitude were naturally void. The Third Madam had found some of her own relatives to re-register them. From this day on, they would have nothing more to do with the Fourth Young Miss.

Jiang Yu snorted and flicked her sleeves as she left.

With the matter of Fang Mei dealt with, the topic returned to Fu Lan. Concubine Su maintained a low profile, admitting her failure to discipline her servants and expressing her willingness to accept punishment. The Old Madam did not demand Fu Lan’s life, after all, Concubine Su had given birth to a precious grandson for her.

"Concubine Su failed to discipline her servants. She is to be grounded for one month and copy the *Book of Virtuous Women* one hundred times."

"Yes, I accept the punishment."

Everyone left the Wuhua Garden one after another.

The forty strokes for Nanny Zhao were drawing to a close. In truth, she was already dead; the Third Madam was merely venting her anger. Jiang Nian watched the mangled corpse of Nanny Zhao with cold, expressionless eyes before walking away.

Indeed, everything she had planned over the past few days was aimed at Nanny Zhao. With that layer of defense gone, the subsequent plans against Madam Qiao would be much easier to execute.

...

Qihua Pavilion.

Jiang Ping stood with his back to Madam Qiao. "The matter in Luzhou—it was your doing."

It was not a question, but a statement.

Madam Qiao’s heart hammered in her chest. So, the change in Jiang Ping’s attitude was indeed because of this.

Madam Qiao pressed her lips together. "And what if it was? You would blame me for the sake of that woman Chen and her daughter? Then what I did was even more justified! I will never tolerate them coming back to step all over me!"

She did not believe Jiang Ping would do anything to her, considering how much he had benefited from the Qiao family over the years.

Jiang Ping’s voice was heavy and solemn. "I told you long ago that Nian’er will enter the palace; she is the opportunity for our Jiang family to rise further. Even my mother has stopped targeting Nian’er because of this. How could you be so unable to tolerate her?"

"She is just a little girl who has never seen the world; what capability could she possibly have? Moreover, as a junior, she shows me no respect! She is always stirring up trouble! Am I supposed to wait on her and coddle her?"