My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 122 Bribing the Wrong Target

Because of what happened last time, Aunt Hua was disliked by the Duke of Wen.

On the surface, Madam Wen did nothing, but in reality, she cut back on Hua's food, clothing, and daily necessities, making Hua's life very difficult.

Fortunately, she had the money Wen Shuyao had given her, which she used sparingly, thinking about both taking good care of Wenzhu and saving more money for Wenzhu's wedding.

"How despicable! Three taels less in our monthly allowance this month!" Aunt Hua said bitterly. "My daughter and I only have twenty taels of silver between us, and she just casually deducts three taels! She clearly doesn't want us to survive!"

As she spoke, she spat towards the corner.

But then, a dignified figure came into view.

"Husband...wife"

When Aunt Hua saw Madam Wen, her heart skipped a beat.

Mrs. Wen looks remarkably different today.

However, she had limited knowledge and skills, and only her face could be considered outstanding. Even though she hated Madam Wen to the core, she could only cautiously ask, "Madam, what brings you here?"

"I've come to see you." Madam Wen smiled. "I think I just heard something about the monthly allowance from Aunt Hua?"

Aunt Hua quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said with an embarrassed smile, "Madam must have misheard."

“You’ve served the master for so many years, you’re one of the elders in the household. I really shouldn’t have treated you like this.” Madam Wen sighed softly, shaking her head. “But who told you to follow the wrong person?”

“Look at you, insisting on hanging out with Wen Shuyao.” As Madam Wen spoke, her gaze kept drifting towards Aunt Hua. “If it weren’t for Wen Shuyao, you and your daughter would still be living a good life.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hua gritted her teeth inwardly.

If it weren't for the young lady, her pearl would probably have been sold off to Jiangnan long ago.

What an auspicious day that was! If it was truly a perfect match, why didn't Madam Wen allow her daughter to marry him?

It's utterly disgusting to say such high-sounding things in front of her now!

"Aunt Hua, haven't you realized your mistake after all this time?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hua tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy.

Know your mistake?

She was filled with panic. What exactly did Madam Wen want to do after coming here?

"Do you really think Wen Shuyao can help you forever?"

"She is now in a precarious situation herself."

Madam Wen's few words brought a look of terror to Aunt Hua's eyes.

She naturally didn't believe Madam Wen's so-called gesture of goodwill, but she thought of the rumors circulating in the capital these past few days.

The rumors spread like wildfire, and even she, living in this secluded little courtyard, heard about them.

Could it be that... something really happened to Wen Shuyao?

Panic flashed in Aunt Hua's eyes. She lowered her head, pondering the meaning behind Madam Wen's words.

Having survived under Madam Wen's rule for so many years, Aunt Hua was certainly no fool.

She knew that Madam Wen must have had ulterior motives for coming to see her today.

After a moment of silence, she asked cautiously, "Madam, what would you like me to do?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen smiled and said, "You don't need to worry, it's nothing serious."

“I know your capabilities,” Madam Wen said, shaking her head. “You’re naturally not capable of handling those important matters.”

"But I just want you to recall one thing..." As Madam Wen spoke, she took a few steps toward where Aunt Hua was.

By this time, the two were already very close.

Looking at Madam Wen's exquisite makeup, Aunt Hua felt a chill run down her spine.

Dealing with Mrs. Wen was the thing she feared most in her life.

"What does Madam wish to do?" Aunt Hua pondered for a moment before making her decision. "What do you want me to do? Just say it."

"Just tell me what Chu Wanqing buried in Tingquan Garden back then," Madam Wen asked with a smile. "You heard about the commotion Wen Shuyao caused that day, didn't you?"

Aunt Hua was completely bewildered: "Back then, Madam only buried three jars of Daughter's Red wine at Tingquan Garden..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen showed impatience.

"This is something everyone in the manor knows. You should understand that what I want to know is not these three jars of Daughter's Red wine."

Madam Wen's tone was already sinister and cold, and Aunt Hua shrank back a step.

"Think carefully again," Madam Wen said coldly. "Before she passed away, did she leave any words? Any clues? Was it about those things beneath Tingquan Garden?"

She absolutely did not believe that Chu Wanqing had only left behind three jars of Daughter's Red wine, and that Wen Shuyao's grand trip to Tingquan Garden was solely for those three jars.

Aunt Hua shook her head frantically: "This servant truly does not know."

Madam Wen's eyes turned cold: "Do you not know, or are you unwilling to tell me?"

"Don't forget, Wen Shuyao is also in a precarious situation in the Prince Jing's mansion!" Madam Wen said coldly, then turned and left.

Before leaving, she gave Aunt Hua a cold look: "I'll give you three more days. If you still can't remember... hehe."

She didn't say it directly, but the threat was obvious.

Aunt Hua clenched her fists tightly in resentment.

"Auntie!" Wenzhu walked over in small steps. "Are you really going to betray my eldest sister?"

"How could that be!" Aunt Hua shook her head frantically. "I would never betray Miss!"

Her eyes were incredibly firm as she spoke: "Even in the most difficult times, I never betrayed Miss! Besides... she doesn't necessarily have any leverage over Miss!"

“But there are rumors in the capital…” Wen Zhu hesitated, “You shouldn’t spend that money. If my eldest sister encounters difficulties, she might need this money to help her in an emergency.”

Aunt Hua nodded, but that wasn't what she was thinking about.

What she was thinking about was the tense and urgent feeling beneath Madam Wen's aggressive exterior.

It seems that the commotion the young lady caused in Tingquan Garden last time made Madam Wen very uneasy.

His unease lingered until, after all this time, when the young lady's reputation was damaged, he came to interrogate him again.

……

"Rumors in the capital?"

At the same time, Xie Jinghan's handsome face turned slightly cold as he stared at Granny Qi.

Why didn't the nanny explain this before?

Granny Qi sighed, "At that time, the princess was still missing. What was the point of worrying about these things? Besides..."

At this point, her face turned serious: "You don't know, this old servant had already sent people to stop these rumors, but not only did it have no effect, the rumors only got worse! They were even unbearable to hear!"

At this point, Granny Qi said indignantly, "Your Highness, you must find the person behind this and clear the Princess's name!"

"The Princess Consort has suffered this undeserved calamity entirely because of you." She frowned. "You must not forget your roots!"