Chapter 4: Separation of Stewardship Rights

"How could a dead person come back to life? You are not Luo Er."

Madam Er trembled as she pointed at her.

She had personally gone to the girl's sickbed and confirmed that she had stopped breathing. How could she come back?

"Mother, Luo Er was just sick. How could she be dead?"

Luo Qianqian comforted the old lady and approached Madam Er.

Madam Er trembled and backed away, "It's impossible! You were dead, you had no breath."

"Mother, daughter has been sick for so many days and hasn't even seen a doctor. The doctor didn't say daughter was dead. How did mother know daughter was dead? Or is there something else that made mother think daughter would die?"

"No, no, no..."

Madam Er retreated to the corner, with nowhere else to go, and sat down, her face turning pale with fear.

She hadn't done anything, her death had nothing to do with her.

"Mother, those who do no wrong have nothing to fear. Why are you so afraid of me? Have you done something wrong?"

"Miss Er, no matter what, she is your mother. How can you treat her like this?"

Madam Er's personal nanny, Aunt Song, quickly stepped forward to shield Luo Qianqian.

Seeing that Madam Er was about to say something out of fear, she was interrupted by the old servant, and she didn't say it.

Luo Qianqian glanced at Aunt Song. Although she was old, her cloudy eyes revealed cunningness. In the original owner's memory, this Aunt Song, relying on being Madam Er's nanny, had been domineering in the mansion and had often scolded the original owner.

When the original owner was bedridden and couldn't get up, this old woman had forbidden the servants from secretly bringing her food.

"Smack!"

Luo Qianqian raised her hand and slapped Aunt Song.

"I am talking to mother. When is it your turn, a servant, to interrupt?"

She used all her strength in this slap, causing Aunt Song's mouth to bleed. She would collect her interest first before speaking.

"Aunt Song."

Madam Er hugged Aunt Song and, seeing the wounds on her face, couldn't help but get angry, "I'll kill you, you wretched girl!"

Aunt Song was her nanny, who had always loved her since she was a child. How could this wretched girl dare to hit her?

At the moment when Madam Er's slap was about to land, Luo Qianqian timely turned her head, and at the right moment, it appeared to others that the slap had landed on her face.

"Grandmother!"

Luo Qianqian covered her cheek and knelt in front of the old lady's bed, "Grandmother, you have to stand up for your granddaughter. All the servants in the mansion eat the rice of our Luo Mansion and receive the silver of our Luo Mansion. Granddaughter was just punishing a servant who made a mistake, but mother wanted to kill me. If this continues, the servants of the Luo Mansion will not obey the surname Luo in the future."

Seeing this, the old lady couldn't help but understand. Her guess was correct. Luo Er's death must be related to her. Glaring at Madam Er, the old lady spoke with a resounding voice:

"Xiuzhi, even as the mistress of the house, you must understand whose house this is. The surname in this mansion is still Luo. It's just punishing a servant, not worth taking the life of someone surnamed Luo. Those surnamed Luo are the rightful masters of this mansion."

"Cough, cough..."

The old lady said so much and couldn't help but cough.

At this moment, Aunt Song also recovered and quickly knelt down, saying, "Miss Er, please forgive me. I overstepped, but if Miss Er punishes me, I will have no complaints."

It had been many years since she had been punished. When Aunt Song said this, there was a strong sense of resentment on her face, and she glared fiercely at Luo Qianqian.

"Grandmother, Aunt Song's eyes are so scary. Granddaughter is scared."

Luo Qianqian timely snuggled into the old lady's arms.

"Song, let Luo Er rest. Don't scare her."

The old lady glanced at Luo Qianqian.

This granddaughter always kept her head down, even speaking cautiously. She didn't dare to get close to her, let alone be affectionate. Even though she wanted to protect her, she couldn't. What was happening today?

"Thank you, grandmother! Grandmother is the best grandmother in the world. Granddaughter will wash your face."

Luo Qianqian quickly took a handkerchief from the side and, looking at the old lady's heavy dark circles, she wiped her face while blaming herself, "It's granddaughter's fault. After being sick for so long, grandmother is worried about granddaughter."

"Good child!"

The old lady loved to hear sweet words the most, and now she was delighted.

"Luo Er, let mother do it."

Madam Er quickly took a wooden comb. Why was this wretched girl so eloquent today? If she continued like this, if she gained the favor of the old lady, what would happen to her daughter?

"Mother, let daughter do it. Don't worry, otherwise, if you get sick and no doctor comes, what if the servants in the mansion mistakenly think mother is dead?"

"What are you talking about?"

Madam Er was shocked and dropped the comb.

What did she mean by being sick without a doctor? What did she mean by being mistaken for dead?

"Mother, isn't it true? Daughter was sick for a while without a doctor, and was even mistaken for dead by the servants. You don't know, daughter climbed out of the coffin, how desperate she was. Fortunately, it rained heavily, and the servants didn't bury the coffin. If mother does this again, if it doesn't rain, and the servants accidentally bury the coffin, what will happen?"

"You... you're talking nonsense!"

Madam Er was shocked and couldn't speak properly.

Aunt Song had just walked to the door and heard this, then turned back and said:

"Miss Er, what are you saying? Madam is troubled by your illness, and she is the mistress of the house. Every child in the mansion calls her mother. How could she not be devoted to her own children? Even if there were oversights, the old madam and master are overseeing everything. Besides, everyone knows of Madam's virtue and reputation. Even if this were to spread, no one would believe it."

This was a very clever response. It shifted the focus from Second Madam not seeking medical help for her to her inappropriate criticism of the mistress of the house. In the strict rules of ancient times, criticizing the mistress of the house was a serious act of disobedience and disrespect.

Moreover, the implication that this matter should not be spread suggested that it would tarnish Second Madam's reputation and indirectly affect the Prime Minister's mansion.

"Song Mama, I'm not making this up. The coffin is still lying in the unmarked grave. If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself."

"Mother, I've been wronged!" Second Madam was so frightened that she hurriedly knelt down. At this moment, countless thoughts raced through her mind, but she dismissed them all and could only cry out that she had been wronged.

Song Mama glanced at Second Madam, signaling her to be quiet, and addressed the old madam, "Old Madam, Second Madam is usually diligent, and oversights are inevitable. Moreover, our master is now a high-ranking official, and we should learn from past mistakes and not bring up certain matters."

The mention of the master being a high-ranking official and the suggestion not to bring up certain matters referred to the disgrace of the ancestral family. When the old master's first wife died, he immediately promoted his concubine to the position of the legitimate wife to avoid being implicated.

What a formidable woman! With just a few words, she erased Second Madam's reputation for mistreating her children and shifted the blame to the disgrace of the ancestral family.

Can there be any hope for the family when the nest is overturned?

The old madam sighed and looked at Luo Qianqian, "Luo'er, you have been wronged. In the future, your grandmother will compensate you doubly. But in daily life, your mother is busy with many affairs, and oversights are inevitable. You must not speak out carelessly. The prosperity or decline of the Prime Minister's mansion is shared by all. As a member of the Luo family, you must understand this principle."

"Mother!"

At this moment, Second Madam also realized what was happening and quickly wiped her tears with a handkerchief, saying with a sense of grievance, "Mother, it's all my fault. It's because there are too many affairs in the mansion, and I'm overwhelmed, which led to neglecting Luo'er. I beg for your punishment, Mother."

"Yu Xiuzhi, as the mistress of the house, you have gone too far."

The old lady rarely called someone by their full name. Once she did, it meant the matter was serious, and she was angry. At this moment, not only did she call her by her full name, but she also raised her voice, showing how angry she was.

The many affairs being a reason for Second Madam's neglect was originally a way for the old madam to give her a way out, but she actually used it against her. It seemed she still didn't realize her mistake.

Song Mama quickly stood by Second Madam's side again, signaling her to stop speaking.

The matter of Second Madam not seeking medical help for the original mistress would probably be overlooked, so let's add some other pressure on her.

"Grandmother, please don't be angry. Your granddaughter has something to say, but I don't know if it's appropriate."

"What does Luo'er want to say?"

"Grandmother, since Mother is overwhelmed with affairs, why not transfer some of the management authority to Grandmother? You are in good health and surely can manage the mansion well."