More than ten concubines either took their own lives or died of illness, and now only two or three remain.
And these few, either were gifts from the Grand Madam to the Marquis, or were maids from Mrs. Zhang’s dowry.
They were all her confidants, and unless it was absolutely necessary, Mrs. Zhang would not dare to give up on them easily.
The concubine who was manhandled by that soldier was none other than Mrs. Zhang’s most trusted maid, who had also borne a daughter for Marquis Pingnan.
It was not just Mrs. Zhang, even the Grand Madam, who was tormented to within an inch of her life, could not stand by and watch her be abused.
So, the women of the Marquis Mansion who had been very cooperative all this while burst into action, going so far as to fight and pull at the soldier.
When Captain Qian, who was in charge of the escort, saw this scene, he was first shocked, then became enraged and used force to suppress them.
At this time, Emperor Chengtai had not yet condemned Marquis Pingnan’s Mansion, so Captain Qian did not dare to seriously harm dignitaries such as the Grand Madam, Mrs. Zhang, and others.
He wielded a whip to drive them off and intimidate them.
In the chaos, Captain Qian’s whip actually struck the face of Wei Yuanniang, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis Mansion.
A mere child, only four or five years old, who had followed her grandmother, mother, aunts, and sisters for thousands of miles, was barely holding on to life.
The once plump and rosy Marquis Mansion’s young miss had already been tormented to skin and bones.
Suddenly struck by the whip, she was flung away.
From her forehead to her chin, a wound as thick as a thumb split open, skin torn and flesh gaping, blood flowing freely.
And what was more desperate, they were in the wilderness, where not to mention finding a doctor or applying medicine powder, even rinsing the wound with clean water was impossible.
Captain Qian, realizing he had almost killed the legitimate eldest daughter of Marquis Pingnan, was also startled and consequently lowered his aggression.
Mrs. Zhang, shocked, did not dare to argue with Captain Qian any longer.
Thus, a tumultuous scene came to a quiet end with both parties backing down silently.
Captain Qian did not pursue the "rebellion" of the Marquis Mansion’s women, nor did Mrs. Zhang insist on fighting with Captain Qian with Wei Yuanniang, who was at death’s door.
It was as if both sides had formed an unspoken agreement, nobody spoke, they silently packed up and continued on their way.
Everything seemed to have returned to normal, except for Wei Yuanniang, whose face was covered in blood, unconscious.
"Husband, Eldest Miss is the Marquis’s legitimate eldest daughter, and also the only child of the lady, she has suffered such a severe injury and still has to keep on suffering. I am afraid she will not be able to endure it!" He Tiantian mentioned Wei Yuanniang, her eyes filled with worry.
This time, it was not pretense, but genuine indignation.
Wei Yuanniang was still just a child.
If it had been Mrs. Zhang’s own child, could she have made "a big issue small and a small issue smaller"? Have a silent "reconciliation" with Captain Qian?
After all, Mrs. Zhang had struggled against the soldiers for her favored maid before.
But when it came to Wei Yuanniang, the little girl was on the verge of death, and Mrs. Zhang had become a quail!
Indeed, it’s different when the child is not of one’s own flesh and blood.
Of course, Nanny Zhao was also an oddity.
Although she picked up Wei Yuanniang after she fainted and carefully tore her own inner garment to dress the child’s wounds,
Was that really enough?
Others might not know the truth, but was Nanny Zhao herself not clear?
Wei Yuanniang was her own granddaughter, the only bloodline of her son!
But Nanny Zhao did nothing, she neither tried to stuff Wei Yuanniang into the broken cart nor secretly order Feng Zhongliang to seek a doctor or prepare medicine.
Yet a few days ago, when Mrs. Zhang caught a cold, Nanny Zhao both kowtowed to Captain Qian and urged Feng Zhongliang repeatedly, finally managing to get medicine soup for Mrs. Zhang. The most update n0vels are published on NoveIꜰire.net
"Heh, Nanny Zhao is truly a loyal servant, her eyes only see her master, her son takes a back seat, not to mention a cheap granddaughter!" He Tiantian sneered to herself.
"Eldest Miss?" Feng Zhongliang was taken aback again.
Perhaps it was because Mrs. Zhang and Nanny Zhao both did not place much importance on Wei Yuanniang, so in Feng Zhongliang’s mind, there was hardly a place for such a little girl.
"Yes, Mrs. Zhang has been greatly benevolent to our Feng Family, and out of gratitude, Mom had the opportunity to return home to be honored but still stayed to serve by the lady’s side!"
"Now, the Marquis’s whereabouts are unknown, and the lady has only Eldest Miss as her sole bloodline under her knees!"
"If we are to repay our debts and fulfill Mom’s loyal and virtuous wishes, then we should take good care of Eldest Miss."
Feng Zhongliang scratched his head, his wife’s words, though different from what Mom usually taught him, made some sense.