Xu Miaoniang had thought a great deal. She was determined to have Gu Sinian, and believed her methods would surely succeed.
She could only blame Qi Zhenzhen. Without her, Xu Miaoniang wouldn't have had to go to such lengths, nor control the old madam to oppose the marriage. Yet, even with all that, the marriage couldn't be called off.
"Old Madam, although I used蛊术 (gǔ shù) on you, if you hadn't been unwilling for the young heir's marriage in the first place, the蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) would not have affected you so greatly," Xu Miaoniang said. "This蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) needs to be gradual. The longer you are affected, the deeper my control over you will become."
Xu Miaoniang knew Qi Zhenzhen was outside, so she wanted her to know that even if she drove her away, the old madam was still dissatisfied with her.
"Yes, I didn't watch over that Qi family girl properly and obstructed the marriage greatly, but—" the old madam said slowly, "she at least didn't harm Ah Nian."
"Not only did she not harm the young heir, but if not for Zhenzhen, it's debatable whether he could have returned from the border," Luo Wanqing said slowly. "Old Madam might not know yet, but Gu Sinian's trip to the border was fraught with danger. This danger, naturally, was caused by this Miss Xu. It's strange how, shortly after reaching the border, the蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) in Gu Sinian's body acted up. If Qi Zhenzhen hadn't received the news and rushed over, you would have been mourning your son."
The matter of Gu Sinian encountering danger at the border had not been told to the old madam. Luo Wanqing chose to reveal it at this time to make the old madam realize that she had no standing to look down on Qi Zhenzhen. Without Qi Zhenzhen, Gu Sinian would have died in the deep mountains and old forests long ago.
The old madam was greatly shocked, and her gaze towards Xu Miaoniang was no longer calm.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"The蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) I placed in Gu Sinian would not have acted up without my command. The border is thousands of miles from the capital, and I couldn't possibly operate the蛊虫 (gǔ chóng). Therefore, his蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) acting up has nothing to do with me," Xu Miaoniang said, frowning. She had been wondering how Gu Sinian had discovered it, as, unless one was a fellow practitioner, it was difficult to detect if the蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) wasn't acting up. Although Luo Wanqing's medical skills were superb, she hadn't practiced蛊术 (gǔ shù). It turned out the蛊虫 (gǔ chóng) had already acted up at the border.
Luo Wanqing and the others had no way to verify this. Now that they had left the border, there was no way to investigate even if they wanted to.
"But you are the source," Luo Wanqing said slowly.
Therefore, no matter what, Xu Miaoniang could not escape responsibility.
"It's useless for me to say anything now," Xu Miaoniang said after a moment of silence. "In your eyes, I am simply a vicious woman with ill intentions who uses wicked methods."
There was a hint of grievance in her tone.
Qi Zhenzhen, listening from outside, found this amusing. All these wicked deeds originated from her; what right did she have to feel wronged? Just as Luo Wanqing had said, this kind of person was a complete lotus-bitch. She committed evil deeds with a clear conscience, and when exposed, she acted as if she didn't know, didn't want to, or it wasn't her intention. It made one feel as if they had all wronged her. This level of manipulation was truly infuriating.
"Yes," Luo Wanqing said with feigned agreement. "It seems you have a rather clear understanding of your own positioning!"
Qi Zhenzhen almost burst out laughing upon hearing this. Luo Wanqing's personality was truly to her liking.
As expected, Xu Miaoniang's breathing deepened, clearly choked by Luo Wanqing's words. She glared resentfully at Luo Wanqing, "You are truly venomous."