CHAPTER 183: CHAPTER 183 PROVOCATION

Qihao Hall, the main hall.

The Old Madam sat on the Arhat Couch, her brow furrowed tightly.

The Second Madam and the Third Madam sat to her left and right respectively.

After the maid reported the incident of Xie Jinyu falling off the ladder while climbing over the wall and landing on the cactus, the Second Madam hurriedly asked, "Where’s the Third Miss? Was she hurt?"

The maid quickly shook her head, "No, neither the Third Miss nor the Second Miss climbed the ladder."

The Third Madam let out a sigh of relief, as long as her daughter was unharmed.

"I wonder how badly Yuyu is hurt; I’ll go check," said the Third Madam.

"I’ll go with you," said the Second Madam.

The two of them left Qihao Hall together.

A short while after, they saw Xie Jinxiu and Xie Jinhuan running back.

Their charming faces paled with fright.

Xie Jinxiu ran to the Third Madam, her voice trembling, "Mother, the eldest sister-in-law is terrifying."

The Third Madam looked at her, "How terrifying?"

"The eldest sister-in-law planted cacti all around the spot where you can climb the wall into the backyard, leaving only one entrance and openly telling everyone that that’s the only spot to climb the wall," Xie Jinxiu said.

"The cactus thorns are hard and long, and the eldest sister’s face got pricked by them; I don’t know if it will leave scars," Xie Jinhuan added.

"...."

"The wall is surrounded by cacti, and the gate is locked, Mother. The eldest sister-in-law’s lock is the kind that can’t be opened even if you have the key," Xie Jinhuan said, holding on to the Second Madam’s arm.

"...."

They always suspected that the key wasn’t meant for that lock.

It was just Xingxing teasing the little maids.

But after the maids dismantled the gate and actually unlocked it, they had no choice but to believe it.

"The eldest sister certainly got trapped by that broken lock and the cactus this time," Xie Jinxiu said.

The Second Madam patted Xie Jinhuan’s hand, "Today, not only did the eldest girl fall into the hands of the eldest sister-in-law, but so did Duke Chong’s Mansion."

"Judging by today’s situation, Song’s Ice Shop is really going to close down, but Duke Chong’s Mansion really did wrong. How could they have Song’s Ice Shop buying ice from Conscience Ice Shop? Isn’t this treating others as fools? Such a crowd-offending act is just extremely stupid," the Second Madam said, shaking her head with a smile.

"...."

The Third Madam’s face darkened like charcoal, struggling to hold back, "Is the idea that stupid?"

"Not just stupid, but extraordinarily foolish," Xie Jinxiu said.

"...."

The maid standing behind the Third Madam almost suffered internal injuries holding back laughter.

Being called extraordinarily foolish by her daughter, the Third Madam’s face alternated between blue, red, and purple.

Noticing the Third Madam’s poor complexion, the Second Madam asked, "Why does my third sister-in-law’s face look so bad?"

Being scolded as foolish right to her face, what kind of good expression could she have?!

"I’m really curious about how the Eldest Young Madam managed to get so many ice blocks to sell. Everyone knows how ice is procured. Stockpiling so much ice right under Duke Chong’s Mansion’s nose, how could she do it?" the Third Madam said.

"I’m increasingly baffled by the depths of the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion," the Second Madam said.

She instructed Xie Jinhuan, "In the future, don’t provoke the Eldest Young Madam, stay away from her."

Xie Jinhuan nodded repeatedly.

With an eldest sister-in-law who brings misfortune to whoever provokes her, she wouldn’t dare approach her even with borrowed courage.

The group went together to Zilan Garden.

The Imperial Physician was pulling cactus thorns out of Xie Jinyu.

With each thorn removed,

Xie Jinyu let out a miserable cry.

The cry made the Imperial Physician’s hands tremble.

The Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion was truly ruthless.

First it was the beehive, now it’s cacti; her harmful tricks are truly impossible to guard against.

Looking at the three or four dozen cactus thorns placed on the small side table after being pulled out,

the Imperial Physician’s lips twitched.

Few are as continuously unfortunate as the eldest lady of Duke Zhen’s Mansion.

Thinking of Princess Shouning—

the Imperial Physician silently swallowed his words.

The Third Madam came over and asked, "Why is the injury so serious, will there be scarring?"

This question, even Princess Nanzhang dared not ask in front of Xie Jinyu.

The Imperial Physician replied, "The wounds are not large and shouldn’t scar. If you’re worried, you can apply some Bihun Ointment."

Xie Jinyu looked at Princess Nanzhang, tears shimmering in her eyes, "Mother, please ask the Empress for some Bihun Ointment for me."

Princess Nanzhang nodded, feeling heartache, "Mother will enter the palace tomorrow."

...

Duke Chong’s Mansion, the main hall.

The entire Duke Chong’s Mansion knew about the incident with the ice shop.

From the Old Madam down to the maids and servants, everyone was furious.

Duke Chong’s Mansion, with a simple stomp, could make the court tremble for days, yet they were rendered powerless by a gang of bandits.

Moreover, having Song’s Ice Shop buy ice from Conscience Ice Shop was utterly humiliating for Duke Chong’s Mansion.

The Old Madam harshly criticized the Duchess Chong for a few lines.

The Duchess Chong could not bear the grievance and sold out Princess Nanzhang, "This idea was suggested by Princess Nanzhang."

"Even if she gave the idea, you had to follow it," the Old Madam retorted angrily.

The Duchess Chong gritted her teeth in frustration.

The Third Madam responded, "Old Madam, calm down; a small ice shop is insignificant; it’s not worth getting upset over."

The Old Madam, of course, didn’t care about a mere ice shop; her concern was the reputation of Duke Chong’s Mansion.

The Heir of Duke Chong walked in, saying, "Grandmother, calm down. I’ll earn back the money lost by Duke Chong’s Mansion and give it to you twice over as a respect."

Seeing her grandson, the Old Madam’s anger subsided somewhat, "How are you going to earn it back?"

"Marquis Dongxiang and his band of ruffians won’t get away with it; don’t provoke them," the Old Madam instructed.

The Heir of Duke Chong sat beside the Old Madam, fanning her, "I won’t confront the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion directly. Using force against those barbarians is unwise; one must use wit."

"My grandson is indeed clever," the Old Madam proudly remarked.

...

Conscience Ice Shop opened with a boom, business was booming.

The second day’s business was even better than the first.

Princess NanAn’s heart trembled at the success, as her son made a promise of compensation, one tael of silver for every missing piece of ice.

The Prince NanAn Mansion was one of the guarantors.

Princess NanAn’s son had never done anything proper his whole life, so she was uneasy. When the shop opened, she had someone monitor it.

Additionally, the shop steward was poached from her own dowry shop by Prince NanAn...

Princess NanAn wasn’t clear on where the ice was sourced, but she was well-versed with the accounting records.

In just two days, the shop had taken in twenty-seven thousand taels.

Feeling unsettled, she discussed the matter with Marchioness Beining, Marchioness Jingguo, and the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Dingguo’s Mansion.

The Duchess Dingguo said, "I am worried."

Twenty-seven thousand taels, that’s a huge amount. If everyone paid deposits and later there is a failure in supply, that will be a significant issue.

The shopkeeper then went to Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

Chu Shun and others were in the bathtub discussing this issue, "Making ice is not a problem, but we forgot about the storage part," said Chu Shun.

"We don’t even have that much space to dig for ice storage," the Heir of Marquis Beining said.

"...."

"Perhaps we should consult the Eldest Young Madam?"