Longxiang Garden.
Ru Yan's face was full of triumph. "My intention was to disgust the other side and plant a seed of doubt in the Marquis's heart."
Qi Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows slightly. "And the cook is willing to risk her life for you?"
Ru Yan pursed her lips and smiled. "Madam Qin has no children of her own, so she dotes on her distant nephew. Her nephew is not a good person; he indulges in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. Miss Er, why do you think the cook married him? Wasn't it through coercion? The cook has a younger brother, whose leg was broken by Madam Qin's nephew. I heard that her younger brother is very intelligent and was praised by his teacher, who said he had a bright future."
With a broken leg, he became a cripple, naturally losing any future prospects.
Ru Yan continued, "I happened to learn of these matters and promised her that I would help her get revenge and look after her younger brother and daughter in the future."
"What are your plans?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"After some time, I will bring her daughter to serve me, and I will treat her well. As for her younger brother, I will give him some money to sustain himself." Ru Yan said.
"So, the revenge is just something you told her to appease her?"
Ru Yan seemed a little embarrassed. "It's not appeasement, but it's not possible now. Not to mention that I have no one to rely on to deal with that scoundrel, Madam Qin is currently favored by the Madam. I can't afford to offend her."
This meant that the revenge she promised was essentially just casual talk.
"Where is the cook's younger brother?"
"He is working as a handyman at the Orphanage outside the city."
Qi Zhenzhen asked for his name and kept it in mind, intending to help him if the opportunity arose.
Ru Yan's actions this time had caused some trouble for the other side, which was good for her. She felt indebted to the cook and wanted to repay her.
"There's one more thing, Miss Er, would you like to hear it?" Ru Yan said mysteriously.
Qi Zhenzhen looked at her calmly, neither expressing a desire to hear nor a disinterest.
Ru Yan couldn't contain herself, wondering why she always felt completely exposed in front of Qi Zhenzhen. It wasn't about being undressed, but rather a feeling of being seen through.
"I saw Madam Qin throw away a pair of pants, dirty pants," Ru Yan said with some excitement. "Pants stained with blood!"
What was so special about that? Qi Zhenzhen didn't understand.
"The material of those pants is excellent, from the last batch sent from the palace. Ordinary people can't get to wear them," Ru Yan said.
"So what?"
Madam Qin was favored by Madam Xiao Qin, so it wasn't impossible for her to wear a pair of pants made of excellent material. What was the big deal if it was a gift from the palace?
"Madam Qin is rather plump. Her intimate undergarments are made loose for comfort. If those pants were worn by Madam Qin, they might not even fit. As for the serving maids, they don't have such privileges."
So Ru Yan meant that the pants belonged to Madam Xiao Qin.
Madam Xiao Qin was pregnant, so how could she have pants stained with blood?
"I suspect Madam is not pregnant at all," Ru Yan whispered!
"Just one pair of pants doesn't prove anything," Qi Zhenzhen said calmly, suppressing her surprise.
"I've already had people watching. If there's any movement from their side, we'll surely know," Ru Yan said confidently. "I was wondering earlier why she found out about her 'good fortune' just after me. Now that I think about it, she clearly feared I would steal the Marquis's favor and used this trick. She is ruthless and cruel, and surely she's thinking that when I give birth, she will also give birth, and then..."
Ru Yan's face contorted. "How can I let her have her way?"