These two madams are highly respected in virtue and conduct themselves with integrity and fairness on a daily basis. With them serving as witnesses, credibility is further enhanced.
They had not spoken before because Mrs. Li’s words were indeed true, and the other women had seen it as well.
People would not believe their words anyway; on the contrary, they would think they were shielding Tang Qingning and Liu Xu.
Whatever they said afterward, others would not believe.
But now that the Second Master had spoken, whatever they say would only attest to the innocence of Tang Qingning and Liu Xu.
This was also what Pei Shu’er had arranged with them beforehand.
Pei Shu’er had anticipated this scene would happen today.
"I don’t believe it!"
Mrs. Li shook her head and shouted in collapse.
Her hair was disheveled, one cheek was swollen and bruised, and as she spoke, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Since Liu Xu and Tang Qingning had not been disgraced, her scheming had yielded nothing, and she ended up being beaten so severely.
Doesn’t that mean she lost both the woman and the soldiers!
She tried to say more insulting things about the third house but was hit with a stone on the other cheek, causing another tooth to fall out.
Others took advantage of her inability to speak and grabbed Mrs. Li to beat her severely.
After being beaten up, Mrs. Li finally broke free and suddenly pointed at Pei Shu’er, speaking indistinctly.
"Pei Shu’er, was it you who caused our disgrace?"
Pei Shu’er sneered, wondering how stupid Mrs. Li could be in her anger.
The other women hadn’t expected to have such a foolish teammate.
In fact, of the people captured this time, only children and women were left, and no one knew they had been stripped and humiliated.
With what Mrs. Li said, people would think even more that they were all compromised.
Pei Shu’er laughed, "Aunt, wasn’t it your big house that was disgraced?"
Pei Shu’er had deliberately placed the big house and some vicious women at the forefront at that time.
As for the other women, they were not really mistreated at all.
The bandits were so drunk, and combined with other factors, they had no interest.
Mrs. Li frowned, "You’re talking nonsense, there are other women too."
At this point, one madam sighed.
"Mrs. Li, if you don’t care about your reputation, that’s one thing, but how can you slander others’ reputations?"
"Exactly. I didn’t know Pei Shu’er’s identity before, but now that I do, I realized her actions of serving wine to the bandits were clearly to get them drunk so they couldn’t humiliate us."
"How can you say Pei Shu’er deliberately caused our disgrace? She clearly saved us."
With such enlightenment from these wise women, other women looked at Pei Shu’er with gratitude, nodding in agreement and acknowledging her.
Some even blamed Mrs. Li: "You’re ungrateful. If it weren’t for Pei Shu’er, you might not be pure now."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone laughed scornfully.
"Of course, she only wants people to sink with her as she’s already compromised."
"This is biting the hand that saved her."
Now, Mrs. Li became the public enemy of all the women.
People from the second and fourth households were also implicated by the big house and almost couldn’t return, and they were deeply resentful of the big house.
They too knelt down and cried to Old Madam Tang.
"Mother, please separate the big house from us. We don’t want to be harmed anymore. The enemy’s knife is not scary, but our people’s knife is."
Old Madam Tang hesitated, and Tang Peiyi said hatefully, his neck taut.
"Mother, if you can’t bear to part with the big house, then our fourth house will separate and fend for ourselves."
The second household’s Tang Peixiao knelt down and gave Old Madam Tang a loud kowtow, speaking slowly and firmly.
"Mother, the same goes for our second house."
Old Madam Tang’s eyes turned red with disappointment toward the big house and felt a bit heartbroken toward the second and fourth houses.
Yet she realized, without Pei Shu’er, only Tang Peilin would have survived among her children.
And this was all caused by Tang Peilin.
Old Madam Tang felt both anger and disappointment toward the big house.
Old Madam Tang heavily tapped her cane on the knees of everyone in the big house.
The people of the big house were in a weak position now and did not dare to go against Old Madam Tang; even with reluctance, they knelt down.
Of course, they believed they would not be separated.
Old Madam Tang was someone with such a strong family concept.
In such a dire environment, if they were separated, they almost had no way to survive.
Old Madam Tang said, "Do you know where you went wrong?"
Tang Peilin said coldly, "How can I know my mistake when I did nothing wrong?"
Mrs. Li also anxiously said, "Yes, mother, you cannot just listen to their side of the story. Your heart cannot be so biased."
Aunt Lin and Tang Qingrou were crying and asserting their innocence.
Old Madam Tang took a deep breath.
"How have I taught you since you were young? I told you to be harmonious with your siblings. We are united under the Tang name!"
"What have you done? You repeatedly harmed family members, making a laughingstock for all the relatives and friends on this journey!"
At this point, she seemed utterly exhausted, leaning on her cane, her face pale as she announced.
"Since you don’t acknowledge your mistakes, you will go out and live independently."
Hearing these words, the people of the big house were shocked.
How could Old Madam Tang, who always protected them, possibly separate them!
How would they live? Now they were either crippled or disabled, the remaining ones being weak and delicate.
The big house finally realized fear, hurriedly kneeling and begging for forgiveness, kowtowing to Old Madam Tang, even trying to pull people from the second and fourth households.
"Quick, tell mother not to separate us. If we’re split off, how will we survive?"
Old Madam Tang turned her face away, determined to proceed with the separation.
Even the silver money previously demanded from the big house was divided back to them.
The big house ran out of excuses and failed in changing Old Madam Tang’s mind.
The big house held the three hundred taels of silver notes and dozens of fragmented silver pieces, unable to feel any joy.
Now, though it seemed like a lot of silver, it was practically useless.
With everyone lacking grain, their three hundred taels of silver couldn’t buy much.
Mrs. Li no longer hid her resentment toward Tang Peilin, sarcastically mocking him.
"I told you not to rush, but you didn’t listen; you just had to act at this critical moment."
Tang Peilin gritted his teeth, wanting to strike Mrs. Li but realized his two hands had already been chopped off next to his shoulder blades.
He said hatefully, "Who knew these people would survive? I thought they were dead for sure."
Everyone thought so, which is why even Aunt Lin acted, not expecting the people of the third house to be so resilient, leading to their capture by government officers.
The big house remained silent for a long while before Tang Peilin suddenly spoke.
"My hands are still bleeding. Why don’t we let Pei Shu’er come and treat it?"