The old woman, upon hearing Xiao Man's words, fixed her gaze directly on Liang Kuan.
It was Liang Kuan who had advised her to cause a scene at the General's mansion!
"You're slandering me!" Liang Kuan was flustered. "Aunt, how could I harm my cousin? If it weren't for the General's mansion being so inaccessible, we wouldn't have resorted to this desperate measure!"
Xiao Man, upon hearing this, looked surprised. "The General's mansion is inaccessible? Did you even send a calling card?"
Liang Kuan was taken aback. "No."
"You haven't even sent a card, so how do you know we're inaccessible? The Protector General's mansion's reputation was built on battlefield merits. Everyone in the household is straightforward and not adept at scheming. If you had sent a card, whether it was the Madam or my grandmother, they would have taken this matter seriously. But you neither sent a card nor reported it to the authorities. Instead, you incited Mr. Liang's mother to commit suicide in front of the General's mansion. What are your intentions?"
Liang Kuan took two steps back, looking at Xiao Man, who seemed to have transformed. His eyes darted around, and he didn't know how to refute. "It was clearly... clearly you..."
"Young sir, you should think carefully before speaking. The plaque of our Protector General's mansion was personally written by the late emperor. My grandfather died on the battlefield, my father served his entire life in the military, and my brother is guarding Cloud City. If you continue to slander our Protector General's mansion, I will strike the imperial drum and ask His Majesty to rule in our favor!"
Xiao Man's words were sonorous and powerful.
In contrast, Liang Kuan was speechless and his face turned pale. He looked at his mother, Liang Kuan, "Aunt, you have to believe me..."
"Ah Kuan, where is Zi Chu? Tell me, where is he?" The old woman grabbed Liang Kuan's collar and yelled hoarsely, "Are you jealous that Zi Chu is more talented than you, so you harmed him and framed this young lady?"
"Aunt, I didn't, I didn't!" Liang Kuan's face flushed red with anxiety.
The old woman, having struck her head and overcome with emotion, suddenly couldn't catch her breath and fainted on the spot.
Ye Qing, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to provide aid. Liang Kuan seized the opportunity to escape, but the butler, with sharp eyes, spotted him. "Arrest that man and send him to the authorities!"
Liang Kuan panicked upon hearing this and bolted. However, he was no match for the guards of the General's mansion.
The guards of the General's mansion were all veterans from the battlefield, and they quickly apprehended Liang Kuan.
"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me, I didn't kill Liang Zi Chu..."
"Muzzle his mouth and send him to the yamen. The yamen must investigate the truth and give our Protector General's mansion an explanation!" Steward Lu immediately ordered. The guards bound him, gagged him, and escorted him to the yamen.
Ye Qing was applying needles to the old woman. The old woman slowly regained consciousness and saw Xiao Man squatting beside her, weeping. "Miss, it was my fault. I was provoked and was rude to you. I was just worried about my son, my... my son... where is my son..."
"Madam, please don't worry. We've already reported it to the authorities. Your nephew is likely involved. Once the officials investigate, everything will be clear. Please don't fret, go back and rest well. The authorities will surely give you justice." Xiao Man comforted her gently, then asked Yin Zhu for two taels of silver for the old woman. The old woman refused to accept it, but eventually, unable to refuse Xiao Man, she left with profuse thanks.
"This matter has been clarified. Everyone, stop crowding around here." Madam Yan ordered people to disperse the onlookers. "Eldest Miss, you have reached your coming-of-age. You should avoid being in public too much. If you didn't frequently go out, how would you have gotten into such trouble?"
Xiao Man glanced at Madam Yan, her expression indifferent, but she said nothing. She then turned to Ye Qing. "Thank you, doctor, for your assistance. Otherwise, if that madam had died at the General's mansion's doorstep, our mansion would have been unable to defend itself."
Ye Qing smiled. "It is my duty."
"Duty..."
"Eldest Miss, this is the new resident physician, Ye Qing," the butler immediately introduced. "Doctor Ye, this is our Eldest Miss, and this is the Madam."
Madam Yan narrowed her eyes and stared at the butler. The butler had introduced Xiao Man first, and then her. As the mistress of the household, she had been placed after Xiao Man. She resented this inwardly, but her face showed no emotion as she invited them in.
"Eldest Miss, Madam."
"In the future, I will rely on Doctor Ye's care." Xiao Man said with a slight smile.
"It is my duty, and I will spare no effort." Ye Qing followed them with a composed demeanor, a glint flashing in his eyes.
No wonder that person was so concerned. Her demeanor was far from the rumors. Facing accusations, she was calm and refuted them methodically. One had to admit, the Eldest Miss of the Protector General's mansion was truly cunning.
Nangong Yu sat in the pavilion, playing with the teacup in his hand, a faint smile on his lips.
Facing such a situation, Xiao Man handled it with ease. She was likely prepared for it. Liang Zi Chu was clearly killed by her, yet she showed no emotion in front of the victim. One could not tell if she was heartless or skilled at deception.
"My lord, this Eldest Miss Xiao is truly silver-tongued," Si Chen grumbled. "With just a few words, she resolved the matter and left Liang Kuan speechless!"
Nangong Yu glanced at Si Chen. "Go to the yamen and interrogate Liang Kuan. Find out what happened. How to proceed after the investigation, I don't need to teach you, do I?"
"Your subordinate understands." Si Chen was a man of considerable steadiness and reliability, whom Nangong Yu trusted greatly. He looked again towards the entrance of the General's mansion.
Just as Xiao Man's figure was about to disappear inside, she suddenly stopped and looked in his direction.
Nangong Yu was startled. Xiao Man was indeed sharp. No wonder she always discovered his presence.
"Eldest Miss, what is it?" The butler saw Xiao Man stop and followed her gaze, but saw nothing.
Xiao Man withdrew her gaze. "It's nothing. Please take care of settling Doctor Ye in. I'm going to the upper courtyard to report this to grandmother, so she doesn't worry."
"Yes, Eldest Miss."
Ye Qing looked at the butler, who was respectfully bowing to Xiao Man, and then at the General's Madam, whose smile was strained. He curved his lips into a meaningful smile. This General's mansion was truly interesting. The status of the mistress of the household was inferior to Xiao Man, the legitimate daughter!
"Since this matter has been handled, there is nothing more for this madam to do. Doctor Ye, if you need anything, please do not hesitate to seek me out."
"Thank you, Madam."
Madam Yan turned around, and the smile on her face disappeared. Her fingers clenched into fists.
She had toiled for over ten years, yet she couldn't shake Xiao Man's position in the slightest.
And Xiao Man now increasingly disregarded her. Very well, she would see how arrogant Xiao Man could be.