The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 50: Schemes

"Exactly! We didn't see anything, how can we testify for you, sister?" The other women nodded in agreement.

Concubine Feng felt a heaviness in her heart as she hurriedly looked towards the younger women standing beside these ladies—about ten in total, all of them concubine-born daughters who had previously fawned over her, calling her "Mother" as if she were their own. Now, they were quickly saying, "We went with the eldest sister yesterday..."

"Yes, we went with the eldest sister, so we witnessed the eldest sister bullying the third sister. Cai Lian didn't lie," one of them, the second daughter of the household, said immediately.

"Indeed, we saw the eldest sister bullying the third sister with our own eyes," another younger girl chimed in, nodding.

"Yes, the eldest sister was wrong. Side Mother, you should apologize to Father quickly. Father usually favors you the most; he will surely forgive you and the eldest sister," yet another girl softly advised.

Concubine Feng's eyes widened in disbelief as her body trembled, pointing at them, "You all..."

"What else do you have to say? Are you saying they were all bribed by Father and Xiaoyue? Hundreds of people in this estate, even your own servants have been bought off?" The Marquis shouted angrily, his grip tightening, veins bulging on his forehead.

Concubine Feng's shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes. She suddenly understood. Hahaha, she had toiled for years, believing she had complete control over the entire estate, not realizing that such a small matter could cast her into the abyss. All those who had called her "sister" affectionately, who had called her "mother" more sincerely than their own, had only done so because of her power. Now, these women had found their opportunity to turn against her. No wonder Xiaoyue remained calm when she learned that everyone had been called here. Even that foolish Xiaoyue knew what was happening, while she had only now realized how all had turned against her. She laughed loudly, not knowing whether she was mocking herself or others.

"What else do you have to say?" The Marquis looked at Concubine Feng with disappointment.

"I have nothing to say; you may handle it as you wish!" Concubine Feng ceased her laughter and silently glanced at the crowd.

All those years she had strived for nothing but to elevate herself to the position of the main wife, to make Xiang He the legitimate daughter of the estate, hoping one day to assume control of the inner court. But over the years, she had realized that no matter how hard she tried, she would still be a side consort. Her countless hints had been met with the Marquis's evasions; he had no intention of elevating her to the status of the main wife. She knew he still had his heart set on that dead woman. One could still compete with the living, but who could compete with the dead? So, she had given up on that. Instead, she turned her attention to Xiaoyue, confident that Xiaoyue's arrogance and the Marquis's favoritism would ultimately lead to her downfall. For her daughter had been meticulously groomed from a young age, receiving the finest education in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, far surpassing Xiaoyue, who knew nothing. The only thing her daughter lacked was the status of a legitimate daughter.

When Xiaoyue set fire to Wangchun Tower, resulting in hundreds of casualties, she had thought the opportunity had finally arrived. She had reveled in it all day, believing that no one could save Xiaoyue. But unexpectedly, the likes of Young Master Jing and Young Master Ran had appeared to protect her. As she considered her next move, her daughter had sought out Xiaoyue and had ended up getting hurt. While she was furious, she thought that sacrificing one hand in exchange for Xiaoyue's life and her daughter's legitimate status was worth it. So, she had gone to Xiaoyue's quarters early on, determined to kill her. Yet, the Marquis had given her hidden guards...

All of it had hinged on a single step—only one step away from success...

"Someone! Take this—" The Marquis would no longer look at Concubine Feng, speaking through clenched teeth.

"Uncle, although Concubine Feng is your side consort, she is also a member of the Yun Prince's residence. Now that Grandfather is still alive and the one who was harmed is Sister Xiaoyue, I believe it is better to ask Grandfather and Sister Xiaoyue for their opinions before disposing of Concubine Feng," Ye Tianqing spoke up again.

The Marquis fell silent.

Ye Qingran snorted coldly in his heart, thinking that he just wanted to see how Xiaoyue would want to handle Concubine Feng. He shot Ye Tianqing a glance before turning back to the house, wanting to see for himself.

Ye Tianqing fixed his gaze on Ye Qingran's back as he entered, narrowing his eyes before following behind him into the room.

The Marquis followed suit, tacitly agreeing to Ye Tianqing's suggestion.

Inside, the old Marquis was resting with his eyes closed, while Xiaoyue lay on him like a small cat, apparently asleep.

Ye Qingran paused, and Ye Tianqing was slightly taken aback as well.

The Marquis suppressed his anger and addressed the old Marquis, "Father, it has been confirmed that Xiang He bullied Xiaoyue first, and Xiaoyue acted in self-defense, resulting in her injury. As for Concubine Feng being thrown into the lake, it is also not Xiaoyue's fault, since she was attempting to kill her. How do you wish to deal with this matter?"

"She is your woman! You deal with it yourself!" The old Marquis replied without looking up.

The Marquis fell silent for a moment, fixing his gaze on Xiaoyue, "Xiaoyue, how do you think we should handle this?"

Xiaoyue breathed evenly, sound asleep, completely unaware.

"Xiaoyue! Wake up!" The Marquis raised his voice. With the Crown Prince and Young Master present, her sleeping on the old Marquis like this was utterly inappropriate! It was too rude. He had initially wanted to chastise her but, remembering how he had neglected this daughter over the years, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he softened his voice, "Wake up, and tell me how you want to handle this matter!"

Xiaoyue was awakened and felt annoyed, unable to sleep well. She shifted slightly, slowly raised her head, and glanced at the Marquis with bleary eyes, lazily saying, "She's your woman, so you should deal with her. I can't be bothered." After saying that, she lowered her head again, preparing to fall back asleep.

"You little brat, if you want to sleep, go back to your own courtyard!" The old Marquis pushed her away.

"Alright! You're just an old bone, digging into me!" Xiaoyue took the opportunity to sit up, stepping out toward the door.

"You dead girl!" The old Marquis swung his cane at her.

Xiaoyue didn't look back, gently grasping the cane. She yawned and said, "Grandfather, how old are you? Your temper is really awful. Shouldn't you cultivate your character? Ah, but I guess you can't change now, it's really worrying." Throwing down the cane, she yawned again and walked away.