Mrs. Wang was still furious; it was better for her not to speak, as anything she said would surely make Mrs. Wang even more disgusted.
Sang Wan could not afford to talk back to Mrs. Wang at this moment, but she also couldn’t just swallow this insult silently. So she lifted her eyes and glared fiercely at Xiao Que’er, who was standing by with her hands down, without caring if Mrs. Wang saw her do it.
She believed that as long as Mrs. Wang saw it, she would definitely harbor some doubts and would inquire about it.
Xiao Que’er did not expect Sang Wan to be so bold as to glare at her in front of Mrs. Wang. Feeling guilty, she averted her gaze and involuntarily shrank back.
Mrs. Wang’s expression did indeed falter for a moment, and she glanced at Xiao Que’er before sniffing dismissively. She stopped scolding Sang Wan and waved her hand to dismiss her.
Even if she sensed something was off, as a mother-in-law, there was much she could not ask in front of Sang Wan. If there truly was something else going on, what did her scolding of Sang Wan amount to? Was she the one who was wrong?
"Yes, Miss Wan shall take her leave! Please calm your anger, Mother. Miss Wan will not dare to do so again!" Sang Wan seized the opportunity to retreat, respectfully bowing to Mrs. Wang.
Seeing that she harbored no resentment, Mrs. Wang felt somewhat better, though she still stubbornly snorted: "Next time? There better not be a next time! Alright, you may go!"
"Yes!" Sang Wan gently bowed and turned to leave.
"I told you to go summon the elder mistress. What exactly did you say to her?" Mrs. Wang immediately glared at Xiao Que’er and demanded coldly.
Xiao Que’er inwardly groaned in misery, "This slave, this slave..."
"Speak the truth!" Mrs. Wang said coldly: "It’s easy to cross-check the stories! If you dare to lie, first think about whether you can worm your way out of it!"
Xiao Que’er’s heart trembled with regret. She had not anticipated Sang Wan’s boldness, thinking she had to swallow this injustice silently. Alternatively, she could have resisted on the spot and talked back to Mrs. Wang! Either outcome would have allowed her to avoid the brunt, but now she was at the forefront.
"This slave deserves death, this slave deserves death!" Xiao Que’er knelt down with a thud, crying on the ground: "This slave was in a hurry, fearing Mrs. Zhuang would get impatient if she had to wait too long. I only told elder mistress to come quickly, forgetting the words you, the great lady, had entrusted me with! This slave deserves death, this slave deserves death!"
"So it was you, this little wretch, causing trouble!" Mrs. Wang spat towards Xiao Que’er, "You seem clever enough yet you’re so useless; you can’t even pass on a message properly. I almost wronged Miss Wan for nothing! Keeping you here—"
"Auntie!" Before Mrs. Wang could finish her sentence, Gu Fangzi came in, flipping her handkerchief with grace. She glanced around and said with a smile, "Who is being so foolish to anger Auntie again? Oh, it’s you, girl! Auntie has just managed to cheer up, and now what have you done? If you damage Auntie’s health, can you bear the responsibility?" While speaking, she gently massaged Mrs. Wang’s shoulders, softly coaxing with a smile: "Auntie, calm down, it’s not worth spoiling your health over a little maid! It’s just like cats and dogs having a fight! Tell me what happened, let me judge for you!"
Gu Fangzi massaged her with just the right pressure, and Mrs. Wang involuntarily relaxed back to enjoy her ministrations, the soothing voice and gentle laughter cutting her anger in half. Upon hearing her words, Mrs. Wang hmphed and recounted the incident, adding: "Can you believe this girl? She can’t even relay a simple message! What’s the use in keeping her?"
Gu Fangzi was one of Mrs. Wang’s own people and didn’t need to beat around the bush. She immediately asked after hearing the story: "So, Mrs. Zhuang didn’t get the better of you, didn’t take advantage of the situation, did she?"
A smile unconsciously surfaced on Mrs. Wang’s face, her mood greatly improved as she nodded and laughed: "Not at all! Oh, I do feel so relieved today! That woman is always so aggressive and unforgiving, but today she left here swallowing her own anger! Haha!"
Gu Fangzi scoffed, disdainfully saying: "How could she compare to you, Auntie! You have been magnanimous in the past by not holding grudges against her! But she never learned to quit when she’s ahead, presumptuously trying to gain the upper hand. Auntie did not need to be polite with her, teaching her a small lesson is you being generous!"
With Gu Fangzi’s praise, Mrs. Wang appeared magnanimous for not holding past grievances against Mrs. Zhuang, letting Mrs. Zhuang take the upper hand. Now a swift counter-attack had left Mrs. Zhuang unable to cope. Clearly, she was not at Mrs. Wang’s level!
Mrs. Wang clearly enjoyed such flattery, her smile growing even more satisfied.
Taking advantage of the moment, Gu Fangzi continued with a laugh: "I think Xiao Que’er is normally quite clever, or Auntie wouldn’t have sent her with a message! How could she slip up today of all days? It must have been unintentional! Auntie, show your generous spirit and forgive her this once!"
Since Mrs. Zhuang had failed to gain any advantage today, that fact allowed other things to be overlooked. Mrs. Wang was no longer so concerned about Xiao Que’er’s mistake. Plus, Gu Fangzi had just complimented her on being forgiving, so she had to demonstrate her generosity right then to validate her words. She stared at Xiao Que’er and said, "Did you hear that? I’ll spare you this time for my niece’s sake! But if there’s a next time, I’ll settle both new and old scores at once! Let Mrs. Jiang remember to tell Aunt Wu, deduct one month’s allowance from her! Go now!"
This was the lightest punishment; if Xiao Que’er was really driven out to do laborious chores, that would be the true shame! Xiao Que’er quickly knocked her head in thanks and scrambled up to leave.
Gu Fangzi stayed with Mrs. Wang for a while longer, joking and coaxing until she truly became happy, then took her leave. In her heart, Gu Fangzi couldn’t help but feel disheartened—the side of Sang Wan that appeared so simple was indeed not so straightforward!
Sang Wan left the main courtyard with her heart in turmoil. As she walked and the breeze blew, her mood gradually calmed down. After all, she had made her stance very clear, and Mrs. Wang had seen it. As to how Mrs. Wang would question Xiao Que’er and whether she would henceforth harbor suspicions about Sang Wan, that was no longer within her control.