Chapter 48

The Estate of the Defender of the Nation.

For reasons unknown, Lady Qiao felt her heart beating violently against her chest this evening.

Yet, glancing around to find all her family members present, everything seemed to be in proper order.

Her anxiety subsided slightly, the next moment, she heard Qiao Xian complain with boredom, "Didn't Uncle say he would be back in a month? It has been over twenty days now, why is there still no news at all?"

Lady Qiao froze for a moment, a sudden thought darting into her mind. As her thoughts spun through countless possibilities, she gave a violent start.

Her expression shifted instantly. She turned on her heel and strode swiftly out of the room.

This startled Qiao Xian immensely. "For goodness sake, what has come over Mother?"

Lady Qiao had always been a dignified and composed matron, and had never done anything so absurd as rushing off to someone else's residence in the dead of night for no apparent reason.

Yet, she had never felt such restlessness before!

It was as if some hard-won treasure was slipping away from her. Her heart felt hollow and unsettled, telling her that if she did not make a trip to the Marquis of Huainan's residence, she would lose her daughter!

Though the Defender's estate was brimming with family, her daughter, Changlao, was currently staying at the Marquis of Huainan's residence!

No matter what, she simply had to go and lay eyes on her to set her mind at ease.

Arriving in a flurry at the main gates of the Meng estate, the doorkeeper recognized her as the Lady of the State and let her pass without further questioning.

Lady Qiao walked the familiar path straight to the main courtyard.

Only to find no one there.

Puzzled, she stepped back out and, after a moment's thought, headed toward the inner courtyards of the Marquis's estate.

Keeping her wits about her, she headed in the direction of the brightest candlelight.

"My dear wife, it's not that I want to scold you, but no matter how angry you are with Qingyue, she is still going to marry the Heir of the State. If you really do something to her... how are we supposed to explain this to the Defender's estate?"

As Lady Qiao reached the doorway, her footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

She furrowed her brows in bewilderment, trying to fathom what the Marquis of Huainan meant by these words.

What does doing something to her mean? What explanation do they owe the Defender's estate?

She pressed her ear closer, only to hear Meng Changlao's voice ringing out in the dark night, exceptionally clear and abrupt.

"Father, younger sister has committed such a monstrous crime, why are you still hesitating and worrying so much? If you ask me, Mother did the right thing... We should just kill her to eliminate all future trouble once and for all!"

Lady Qiao was so startled that her heart leaped into her throat.

***

With a careless slip of her hand, Lady Qiao nudged the latch, and the door swung wide open.

Their eyes met in an awkward silence.

Then came a deep, profound shock as Lady Qiao caught sight of Meng Qingyue lying half-dead on the floor, her voice trembling so badly she could barely speak. "What... what on earth has happened here...?"

A flash of panic crossed the Marquis of Huainan's face.

Good heavens! Why on earth did Lady Qiao have to rush over at a time like this?

If she were to truly discover the inside story and call off the marriage with the Meng family, then before Madam Meng even had a say, he would be the first one unwilling to spare Meng Qingyue!

Right now, he had to gather his wits to salvage the situation. "My esteemed in-law, what a welcome surprise... whatever brings you here at this hour...?"

Without a word, he cast a stern, warning glance at Madam Meng, signaling her not to pull any more foolish stunts.

Madam Meng had been driven half-mad by a sudden surge of blind rage earlier, rushing mindlessly to kill Meng Qingyue only to be intercepted by the Marquis. Now, struck as if by a heavy blow, she remained frozen in place, utterly drained of her resolve.

She simply could not believe that she had actually raised her hand against her own daughter!

This was the daughter she had raised like a precious pearl for fifteen years!

Even if the sky were falling, they could have talked it through! Yet why was her very first instinct to get rid of her?

How could she call herself a mother after behaving like this?

Madam Meng was consumed by a tidal wave of agonizing regret. Ever since her husband stopped her, she had sat silently in the same spot, bitter tears streaming endlessly down her face.

It was only the arrival of Lady Qiao that slowly pulled her back to reality.

"My dear in-law."

She spoke with a sluggish tone, her voice laced with hoarseness, asking, "What brings you here?"

Lady Qiao did not know how to answer, but she felt deeply that today's events were far from simple. Looking at the chaos filling the room, she felt all the more certain that making this trip was the right choice.

Deliberating for a moment, she slowly began, "What monstrous crime... has Qingyue committed?"

...

Meng Changlao wore an expression of grievance and stepped forward as if to speak, but was harshly cut off by Meng Xingzhou, who had been sitting silently in his seat the entire time.

Lady Qiao looked over to see that the child, usually the most gentle and well-mannered of all, now wore a somewhat feral and unruly expression. "Meng Changlao, if you don't know how to speak, then shut your damn mouth! This is the Meng estate; since when is it your turn as an outsider to run your mouth?"

Not only Meng Changlao, but even Lady Qiao was utterly stunned.

Meng Xingzhou had always projected an immaculate impression. When had he ever spoken like this? And to his own younger sister, no less?

Meng Changlao's eyes turned red, feeling both humiliated and mortified to have lost face in front of Lady Qiao.

Lady Qiao, however, instantly took offense. "Young man, it is not my place to lecture you, but Changlao is such a fine girl. How can you possibly use such unseemly language toward her...?"

A fine girl?

Meng Xingzhou no longer retained a shred of his usual composure. He spoke coldly to Lady Qiao as well, "Lady Qiao speaks with remarkable ease. Had you witnessed her treating human life like mere dirt just moments ago, I daresay you would no longer consider her such a fine girl!"

Lady Qiao frowned.

Only then did she belatedly recall the words she had overheard from outside the door.

Her intuition told her that this matter was undoubtedly linked to Meng Qingyue once again.

Thus, her words inevitably took on a sharp edge. Shielding Meng Changlao behind her, she let out a cold laugh and said, "Though I know not what has transpired within your household, one thing I do know! I know Changlao's character better than anyone! If she believes someone deserves to die, then that person truly deserves death!"

Lady Qiao paused, and for the first time since entering the room, cast a direct, assessing gaze upon Meng Qingyue.

Seeing her lying on the floor at death's door, with clear bruises around her neck, Lady Qiao's sneer grew even colder. "Besides, some people are simply never good at heart from birth, accustomed only to turning the entire household upside down! Furthermore, if she has indeed committed a heinous crime, beating her to death with clubs would be of no consequence! Where was our Changlao in the wrong?"

Under normal circumstances, Lady Qiao rarely meddled in other families' internal affairs.

Yet Meng Xingzhou's furious reprimand toward Changlao had deeply offended her eyes.

Changlao was the daughter she had cherished for over a decade, the legitimate flesh and blood of her State Defender's house, born to be a noble personage of the highest order. How dare she suffer such indignity in the Meng household?

Lady Qiao had always been fiercely protective of her own, and naturally refused to let Meng Changlao suffer such bullying.

Hence, she had momentarily lost her usual discretion.

"Milady..." Meng Changlao called out plaintively, leaning instinctively into Lady Qiao's embrace with such delicate fragility that it melted Lady Qiao's heart completely.

"Good child, weep no more. This is not your fault, be good." With gentle movements, she wiped away Meng Changlao's tears, her gaze never once falling upon Meng Qingyue again from that moment on.

"Esteemed in-law, I have a matter I wish to discuss with you." After a long silence, it was Madam Meng who spoke up hesitantly.

"In any case, Qingyue is destined to marry your family's heir. She is unruly and lacks proper upbringing, repeatedly clashing with her parents and throwing the entire household into turmoil."

"If you do not mind, might I ask if you could take her back to your estate to be properly disciplined? It would set both our families at ease, and ensure that when she finally enters your household, she will possess the proper deportment and dignity of a matron."