Shao Caihuan gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hands. She struggled to suppress the panic in her heart and said anxiously.

Shao Jing frowned. He ignored her.

Old Madam’s expression became gloomy and she was about to lose her temper. Shao Hua’an was relatively calm. He looked at Shao Caihuan and asked, “Third sister, why do you say that? Is there any secret in it that could not be known by others?”

“Third Girl, what’s the matter?” Old Madam also heard something strange so she asked sharply.

Shao Caihuan’s hands were trembling, and then her whole body was trembling. She struggled to suppress the panic in her heart, gritted her teeth and said, “Grandma, what if the servants involve Mother in this matter? What should Mother do?”

Speaking of this, Shao Caihuan cried, “Grandma, my mother didn’t want to meddle in the affairs of the mansion at first. You know, she is in poor health, so she is not capable of managing these affairs. If it weren’t because you asked her to manage them again and again, my mother would only need to recuperate now. How could such a thing happen?”

When the Third Madam heard her daughter’s words and thought that she really didn’t want to take over these affairs at that time, she felt that she should not have faced this disaster. She felt so sad that she lowered her head to wipe her tears with a handkerchief.

She did refuse several times at that time though she pretended that she did not want to be in charge of the mansion. But now, she felt that she really didn’t want to take over the mansion at first. It was the Old Madam who forced her to do so.

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She felt that she had suffered the disaster which should not be endured by her. How could such a thing happen to her if she was recuperating in her own room?

“Three years ago, after I was hit by a carriage, I didn’t recover very well. So my health had long been ruined. If it was not that no one in the mansion took charge, I wouldn’t… wouldn’t interfere in internal affairs… Mother, I would rather die three years ago than stay alive now. After all, I could have a good reputation.”

The Third Madam sobbed.

Shao Caihuan turned around and hugged her. She cried with her.

The crying of them made all the people in the room frown, not to say Shao Hua’an who was getting married today. Now the mother and daughter cried as if someone was dead. It was impossible for him to be happy.

If it weren’t for his good manner, he would have lost his temper.

Shao Jing’s and Old Madam’s expression was very gloomy. The Third Madam got injured in the accident three years ago because of Madam Jiang’s plot. From this perspective, the second branch owed the third branch.

“Sister-in-law, we’ve told about my niece’s marriage!” Shao Jing couldn’t help coughing to remind the Third Madam not to forget that he had promised to give Shao Jie’er’s marriage to Shao Caihuan as compensation for the third branch.

The Third Madam lowered her voice of crying and turned to look at her daughter. Seeing that although her daughter’s face was covered with a veil, her eyes were red and swollen because of crying, she became sadder. “Mother, Second uncle, if you need someone to take responsibility for this matter, I… I would take it… But everyone knows my illness. If someone wants to hurt Prince Chen, he must have known this!”

For the sake of her daughter’s marriage, the Third Madam had to give in, but she also left ground for her to retreat. Everyone in the mansion knew that she was in poor health and it was impossible for her to manage everything with such a body. She had to let someone manage many things and later report to her.

The wedding banquet today was not over yet, and some things had not been reported yet, so she might not know something.

This was indeed a fact. If her daughter had not told her what had happened just now, she would not have known that such a disaster had happened in the mansion.

“Mother…” Shao Caihuan cried griefly, and her tears wet the veil on her face.

“Well, you two would better go back first. This matter must be investigated, but it has to be done according to the Emperor’s order. Our mansion can’t dominate it, and I can’t promise you that all is well!” Shao Jing waved his hand impatiently and said, feeling increasingly annoyed in his heart.

With so many things to deal with, he didn’t want to see the mother and daughter crying here.

Old Madam nodded and did not want the Third Madam to be here any more. She could not do anything right. Letting her stay here would not be a good thing!

Shao Caihuan still wanted to say something, but Old Madam’s servants had already helped the Third Madam up indisputably. So she had to go out with them.

After they arrived in the courtyard of the Third Madam and the servants of Old Madam also left, the Third Madam waved her hand to ask other servant girls and old maids to leave. Only the Third Madam and Shao Caihuan stayed in the room.

“Tell me, what has happened?” The Third Madam wiped her tears, looked at Shao Caihuan with red eyes and said seriously.

She was in poor health, but she was not stupid.

“Mother…” Shao Caihuan murmured to her, “I… I don’t know what you are talking about!”

“You don’t know? Fine… Well, you still intend to hold out on me now. Do you know that if something really happens to Prince Chen, all the people of Duke Xing’s Mansion would die with him?” The Third Madam was so angry that she said it with great rage. She was in poor health, so most of the arrangement was done by Shao Caihuan.

It was not that she wanted Shao Caihuan to deal with this matter, but that Shao Caihuan took the initiative to say that she wanted to learn how to manage these things. On the one hand, it could help her mother recover well; on the other hand, she wanted to practice.

Thinking that she would marry into Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion in the future, if she could learn to manage the mansion, she might obtain a higher status in Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion. It was even possible that because of Duke Xing’s Mansion, she could become the Princess of Commandery Prince Qing. Thus, the Third Madam let her do it.

She had asked her and Shao Wanru for help, but in fact, Shao Caihuan had taken charge of most of the important things.

Now that such a big mistake had been made, others might not know it, but how could the Third Madam not know it? If someone had plotted this matter, the first person would be Shao Caihuan. Moreover, her expression was very abnormal just now.

The reason why the Third Madam softened her attitude and took responsibility of this matter was also because of Shao Caihuan.

Now that there were no outsiders here, the Third Madam should ask her and make it clear.

“Mo… Mother…” Shao Caihuan started to stammer.

“If you don’t want to piss me off, tell me the truth!” The Third Madam patted the armrest of the chair heavily and said seriously.

Her words were so harsh that Shao Caihuan couldn’t stand still anymore. She knelt down with a thud and walked to the Third Madam on her knees. She put her hands on the Third Madam’s knees, and cried out, “Mother…”

As soon as she called out, she couldn’t help crying again. She cried and said, “Mother, I don’t want to marry into Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion. If I must marry into one mansion, I’m willing to marry into Prince Chen’s Mansion and serve him with Fifth Sister!”

These words had been suppressed in her heart for a long time. At this time, when she said it in front of the Third Madam, she choked with sobs and could not stop crying.

The Third Madam was stunned and even looked at Shao Caihuan in horror. Her lips trembled and she felt that she couldn’t breathe. She covered her chest hard with her hands.

Seeing that the situation was bad, Shao Caihuan hurriedly stood up, cried, and patted the Third Madam’s back while saying anxiously, “Mother, mother, don’t be anxious. Please relieve and relax yourself!”

Finally, the Third Madam got back to normal. When she recovered, she slapped Shao Caihuan hard, which made Shao Caihuan take a few steps back and almost fall down.

“Mother…” Shao Caihuan stared at the Third Madam with tears in her eyes.

“Do… do you want to piss me off? Is it so easy for you to marry into Prince Chen’s Mansion? You don’t want to marry into Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion? Your father even pleaded your Second Uncle for you. Otherwise, do you think that you could marry into Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion? In your current state, who is willing to marry you? Commandery Prince Qing even may not want to marry you, how could Prince Chen be willing to do so!”

The Third Madam was so angry that she almost fainted. She had never known that her daughter had such a delusion, and she even intended to turn this delusion into reality.

Who was Prince Chen? How could he be the same as Commandery Prince Qing? He was the beloved person of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. How could he be plotted against by others?

“Mother… as long as I serve Prince Chen well, he will be willing to marry me. Besides, I don’t want to be his Princess, and the Princess is my Fifth Sister. Fifth Sister has a good character and has always got along well with me. If… if we two serve him together… isn’t it better? Prince Chen is noble, and it is impossible for him to only marry Fifth Sister. Since he would also marry others, why can’t it be me? At least, Fifth Sister and I are on the same side!” Shao Caihuan cried and said.

The Third Madam took a deep breath, suppressed the rage in her heart, and then asked slowly, “When did you come up with this idea?”

“When I… I saw Prince Chen send betrothal gifts to Fifth Sister!” Shao Caihuan wiped her tears and said truthfully.

Since she had talked about the start, the rest was much simpler.

“You have fallen in love with Prince Chen for so long? Why… why don’t you tell me!” The third Madam said exasperatedly. She really wanted to knock her daughter’s head open to see what she was thinking.

If she could marry Prince Chen easily, even if he was in poor health, there would be so many girls striving to marry him. How could this opportunity fall on Shao Wanru?

Moreover, Prince Chen even gave her the betrothal gifts in person. Even if he did not love Shao Wanru so much, he must not dislike Shao Wanru, and he might like her.

None of the other girls had such status.

“Mother, I… I really don’t dare to say it…” Shao Caihuan cried loudly, and she cried so hard that she almost couldn’t speak clearly.

She really didn’t dare to say it. She could only flatter Shao Wanru secretly and wanted Shao Wanru to talk about this. She even thought about promising Shao Wanru that after they married into Prince Chen’s Mansion together, she would not fight for anything. She just wanted to accompany Prince Chen quietly and help Shao Wanru fight for his favor when she needed help.

As an elder sister and the daughter of the legal wife, she had made such a great concession and thought for her Fifth Sister considerately. Shao Caihuan felt that she was not wrong.

Even so, she didn’t dare to tell the Third Madam the truth explicitly.

Seeing that her daughter was still so stubborn, the Third Madam stopped beating around the bush. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said with a gloomy expression, “Now tell me the truth. Who came up with this idea for you? Who wanted to secretly do harm to our third branch and let us die? Is it your Fifth Sister?”