Chapter 33: When have you ever had a child? It is a complete fabrication.

Besides, what if the marriage engagement were to change? It is common for engagements to be called off or for unexpected circumstances to arise after the betrothal is set. Who would have thought that someone as shrewd as Lady Qiao would have done something so foolish! Could it be because she had been married before that she felt a broken engagement would have no impact on her?

If that were the case... did she have other men before she married the Master of the House?

Lady Qiao looked around, trembling, feeling as though everyone’s gaze toward her had shifted. Women are most adept at whispering in their husbands' ears, and men, when caught in the heat of passion, will blurt out anything if they are pleased. That accursed Jiang Ping! To think he actually told someone else about this!

Seeing her look as if she had swallowed a fly, Fang Mei laughed heartily. She scanned the expressions of the people around her and said, "What? Nothing to say? So much for a noble upbringing and being a legitimate daughter; the things you’ve done are hardly glorious! To have the audacity to accuse others of being seductive here—is that not a joke?"

"You..." Lady Qiao was filled with anger and resentment, her face turning leaden. She had never expected Fang Mei to strike so suddenly and could not think of a rebuttal for the moment. She stammered "you" for a long while without managing to finish a complete sentence.

Fang Mei gave a contemptuous laugh, spat toward her, and turned to look at the shocked and mortified Jiang Yu. "I advise the Fourth Young Lady to keep your distance from your mother in the future, lest one day her scandals spread and implicate you sisters. Her life is already set in its ways, but you have long lives ahead of you!"

Jiang Yu, a young girl just coming of age, understood everything. Hearing Fang Mei’s words, her face alternated between flushing red and turning deathly pale.

Having her shortcomings exposed in front of her daughter was more than Lady Qiao could bear. "You wretch! How dare you say such things to my daughter! Nanny Zhao, slap her face for me!"

Nanny Zhao hesitated, then urged in a hurried voice, "Madam, Fang Mei has no proof. She is merely slandering you. If you act now, you will be falling right into her trap!" The Madam had not been so easily provoked in the past, but ever since the Old Madam returned to the estate, the Madam had become like a firecracker—ready to explode at the slightest spark.

Hearing this, Lady Qiao broke into a cold sweat and instantly regained her senses. "Fang Mei, you deliberately provoked me—what exactly is your goal?"

Jiang Nian glanced at Nanny Zhao, feeling a slight pity, yet she was not in a hurry. If Lady Qiao were that easy to deal with, she wouldn't be Lady Qiao. Regardless, the seeds of doubt had been sown, and they would sprout sooner or later.

Fang Mei looked at Lady Qiao and accused her coldly, "You kept it from the Master and drugged my food so that I would never recover. And to think I was always grateful to you! I thought you had kindly looked after me for all these years! Lady Qiao, you are truly vicious!"

*Hiss!*

The crowd couldn't help but gasp. Even if one were to commit murder, it wouldn't go beyond a simple death; yet the Head Madam had left Fang Mei to rot in a tiny courtyard for so many years. No wonder her resentment was so deep!

Fang Mei turned to the Old Madam, her demeanor suddenly becoming respectful, and she knelt before her, choking back sobs. "Old Madam, this servant pays her respects." Few people knew that Fang Mei had originally been the Old Madam's maid before being given to the Master, which was why the Old Madam still held some affection for her.

"Is everything you said true?"

Fang Mei bowed to the Old Madam. "Old Madam, this servant lay in that room for over a decade, feeling such despair that I wished to starve myself to death. But I never expected that once I stopped eating, my mind actually cleared. That was when I realized there was something wrong with the food."

In her previous life, Jiang Nian had accidentally wandered into the courtyard where Fang Mei was recuperating. At that time, Fang Mei was near death; seeing how pitifully Jiang Nian was being bullied, she offered her own food to the girl. Fang Mei’s meals had always been quite good—as a maid, she was served two dishes and a soup every meal, which was why Fang Mei had always been grateful to Lady Qiao.

But after Jiang Nian tearfully ate a full meal, she suddenly began to feel weak, sweating all over, and unable to summon any strength. It was only then that Fang Mei realized the food Lady Qiao provided had always been tainted. But by then, it was too late; Fang Mei passed away the very next day.

This time, Jiang Nian had secretly saved Fang Mei, effectively repaying the debt of that meal from her past life. Fang Mei’s claim that she discovered the truth while starving herself was naturally a cover for Jiang Nian.

"The food was tainted?" The Old Madam’s gaze shifted to Lady Qiao.

Lady Qiao sneered, "Old Madam, this girl must be possessed by something to say such wild things to slander your daughter-in-law! It is highly likely someone is behind this!" She cast a look at Concubine Su, the implication clear.

Concubine Su remained unmoved, lowering her eyes as if she hadn't heard Lady Qiao at all. She had only been in the estate for a few days; as long as she didn't admit to anything, Lady Qiao couldn't implicate her. Seeing that she wouldn't take the bait, Lady Qiao gritted her teeth and turned back to Fang Mei. "What evidence do you have that it was I who tampered with your food?"

"We can provide proof."

Everyone turned to look toward the courtyard entrance. There stood Chunfen and Dongzhi, who had supposedly "died."

"Chunfen? Dongzhi?" Jiang Yu’s head buzzed. "Weren't you two dead?"

The two did not answer her, but instead began to speak about Fang Mei’s situation. Dongzhi said, "The meals for Fang Mei’s courtyard were always prepared in the Madam’s private kitchen. When I accompanied the Fourth Young Lady to see the Madam, I accidentally saw Nanny Zhao putting medicine into her food."

Chunfen nodded in agreement, "I saw it too."

Nanny Zhao broke into a cold sweat instantly.

The Third Madam let out a curious "tsk-tsk." "Sister-in-law, did you know about this?"

Lady Qiao kept her face cold and ignored her. The Third Madam didn't mind. "The medicine in Fang Mei’s food wouldn't kill anyone, but it would drain a person's vitality. If it had to be taken frequently, Nanny Zhao must have kept a steady supply on hand. We should be able to find it in her room."

This time, Lady Qiao reacted. Seeing her eyes burning with rage, the Third Madam covered her lips with a handkerchief and let out a soft laugh, making no attempt to hide her schadenfreude.

Lady Qiao clenched her fists. It seemed that the matter of her plotting against the Third Madam’s daughter would not be easily brushed aside!

Jiang Nian watched from the side, a faint smile on her lips. That's right—if you scheme to ruin someone’s daughter, how could they possibly let you off easily? In her previous life, Jiang Yan had been schemed against and became the young mistress of the Xue family. The Third Madam had to grit her teeth and endure it for the sake of her only daughter, constantly being manipulated by Lady Qiao, while Jiang Yan was tormented by Xue Shoucheng until her life was miserable. For the sake of the bond she had shared with Jiang Yan in her past life, she would help her vent this spite!

Fang Mei spoke up at the right moment: "Old Madam, I am your servant. The Madam could not tolerate me, and besides, back then..." Her face was filled with sorrow. "Back then, I was already pregnant, but because I ate that drugged food, I couldn't keep the child..."

"What did you say? A child?" The Old Madam might have overlooked other things, but when it came to a child, she could not tolerate it! She pointed at Lady Qiao, too angry to speak for a long while.

Lady Qiao retorted furiously, "Fang Mei, when were you ever pregnant? That is a completely baseless fabrication!"