diskusbooks Chapter 282: Manipulation
Chapter 282: Manipulation
The news that Granny Mei had been absent-minded for the past two days reached the ears of the Old Madam.
"Granny Zhang, I heard that Granny Mei hasn't left her room for several days..."
"Old Madam, could it be because she is reluctant to let Madam Wu leave the mansion?"
Granny Zhang guessed.
"Ha, how could she be reluctant? Her only hope has always been the Marquis's mansion. Wu Shi is just a thought!"
"Go and bring her to me."
Granny Zhang hurriedly replied, "This old servant will go and fetch her right away."
After the others left, the old lady fell into deep thought.
Soon, Granny Mei arrived.
"Meet the old lady."
Granny Mei looked at the dignified old lady sitting on the high seat.
In recent years, she could count the number of times she had interacted with the old lady on one hand. When the old lady suddenly summoned her, Granny Mei felt uneasy.
"Granny Mei, I've heard you've been quite absent-minded lately. What's wrong that's keeping you so restless?"
The old lady held a cup of tea in her hand, her brows and eyes filled with a stern look.
"Grandma, I was just feeling a little unwell recently and rested in my room for a few days. I'm much better now..."
Granny Mei couldn't fathom the old lady's thoughts, so she could only offer perfunctory responses.
The servants all knew that she had been taking tranquilizers these past few days.
It wasn't because she was feeling unwell, but rather because of the pressure that Consort Jing had put on her.
"Oh, really? Nothing else?"
Don't think she doesn't know that Ting'er has been neglected by the emperor recently, and she's probably getting anxious.
"Grandma, I'm really alright!"
Seeing that she didn't speak, the old lady gently put down the teacup in her hand.
But his expression changed instantly.
"Han Yumei, do you want to tell Ting'er about his true parentage?"
The old lady's words made Granny Mei's face turn pale instantly.
Seeing her panicked and uneasy appearance, the old lady thought to herself that it was indeed the case.
She only learned a few years ago that Ting'er was not of her family's bloodline.
However, the culprit was not Han Yumei, but Liu, the mistress of the Marquis's mansion.
If she hadn't had wicked intentions, the scheme to switch the prince with a cat wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
In order to keep her position as the Lady of the Marquis, Lady Liu replaced the stillborn baby she gave birth to with Ting'er.
Of course, Liu probably didn't know that the child she adopted was actually someone Han Yumei had deliberately arranged for her to adopt into the Marquis's mansion.
She simply thought it was good luck that she happened to find an abandoned baby left in the suburbs.
She only found out about this through connections.
Now that Ting'er has become the heir of their Marquis of Dingguo's mansion, that is an indisputable fact, and moreover, Ting'er is extremely well-suited to this position.
The baby Liu gave birth to was stillborn, so there's no point in investigating further.
Of course, the old lady had already tacitly approved of Lu Hanting's status as her grandson.
As for Liu, she naturally didn't need to worry about her taking the initiative to expose Ting'er's background.
After all, with Ting'er around, she wouldn't lose her position as the Lady of the Marquis.
On the contrary, it was Granny Mei who...
When she discovered this, she did want to get rid of her, but after thinking about it, she only made her sign a death contract.
Make her promise that she will never leave the Marquis's mansion for the rest of her life.
Although the old lady also wanted to know the true identity of her eldest grandson, Han Yumei kept her mouth shut, only saying that Ting'er's background would not harm the Marquis's mansion. After that, she was like a pouting gourd, and no matter how she asked, she could not get the truth out of her.
Even threatening to strip Ting'er of his title as heir was to no avail.
If it weren't for the fear that Ting'er would become estranged from their Marquis's mansion after discovering his true identity, the old lady would have executed Han Yumei long ago.
Granny Mei looked at the old lady in front of her, who represented the highest authority in the Marquis's mansion.
With Consort Jing's words in mind, she was indeed hesitant about whether to reveal the prince's true parentage.
But she was afraid that speaking out would cause a huge uproar.
Now that the old lady is watching her closely, if she were to reveal the truth, she fears she might lose her life.
"Grandma, that's not what I meant. I've just felt lonely these past few days because Aunt Wu left and I've had nothing to do!"
Granny Mei made excuses for her absent-mindedness these past few days.
"It really wasn't Ting'er's fault?"
"No."
Fearing that the old lady wouldn't believe her, Granny Mei raised her hand and swore an oath.
"The old matriarch should know that I wholeheartedly wish for the best for the young master; how could I possibly implicate him in something unjust..."
She hadn't even seen the prince get married, nor had she seen him have children, so how could she be willing to leave?
The old lady scrutinized Granny Mei.
After a long pause, he said, "Alright, I'll believe you for now."
However, speaking of your position, I noticed that the Chengde Manor on the outskirts of Beijing is short of a head nanny.
Why don't you go over there and keep an eye on those new guys for me?
Chengde Manor is an estate owned by the Marquis of Dingguo, which is under the jurisdiction of Qingjiang County in Beijing. Ting'er almost never goes there.
Sending Granny Mei over would essentially cut off any chance for her and Ting'er to meet.
If she dares to come back on her own, the people she has arranged will not be trifled with.
Hearing that the old lady had demoted her to that place, Granny Mei felt utterly dejected.
The old lady is trying to completely sever her connection with the crown prince.
Granny Mei's eyes were filled with sorrow.
"Yu Mei understands. I will go to Chengde Manor tomorrow."
She was unwilling to do that in the first place, and now that the old lady had sent her away, she had a reason to refuse Consort Jing's offer.
That's fine!
The old lady looked at Granny Mei and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Some things must be prevented from happening in advance.
She couldn't risk letting Ting'er know that she wasn't a descendant of the Marquis's family.
Of all her grandchildren, Ting'er is undoubtedly the most outstanding.
Chengping, the son, had very few capable offspring. As for the one born to Concubine Ping, well, forget about him!
He failed the imperial examinations several times, not even reaching the lowest level of scholarhood.
If they rely on him, their Marquis's mansion will be finished.
The fact that their Marquis of Dingguo's mansion can now have a foothold in the capital is all thanks to Ting'er.
She couldn't let anyone destroy that hope.
And so, the matter of Granny Mei was decided.
Mei Lane.
Wu Weiwei heard that Granny Mei had been sent to Qingjiang County by the old lady.
"Wanqiu, go and check on Granny Mei after she's settled in. Tell me when you get back if she needs anything!"
After all, Granny Mei had served her for a time and helped her a great deal.
Wu Weiwei could not forget this kindness.
Upon hearing Wu Weiwei's instructions, Wanqiu's lowered eyes flickered.
Her mistress remembered the kindness of Granny Mei, but did she know that Granny Mei might be a traitorous servant?
She and Lingfu analyzed it in detail.
In the past, every time the master and the prince had finished their intimate relations, the medicine the master drank was prepared by Granny Mei.
Not once missed.
But why didn't the mistress have her period this time? If she really is pregnant, could it be because of Granny Mei?
Furthermore, she asked Sister Chen if it was true that two or three ingredients were missing from the herbs used to prepare the contraceptive decoction during that period.
This happened right after the master and the prince had their intimate moments, and it's unknown whether Granny Mei, who was in charge of purchasing the medicinal herbs, had bought them in time.
So, could it be that she tampered with the contraceptive soup?