The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 14

With a heavy gaze, she took a few steps towards the inner room. She covered her mouth and whispered something in Fourth Miss Bai Jinzhi’s ear.

Bai Jinzhi’s reddened eyes brightened and she clenched the long whip behind her waist. Then she nodded and rushed out of the room.

“You go and see too, don’t let Fourth Miss get into trouble!” Bai Qingyan instructed Chunyan.

“Eldest Sister?!” Third Miss Bai Jintong stepped forward and looked at Bai Qingyan doubtfully, “What did you say to Fourth Sister? What’s she going to do?”

Bai Qingyan gripped the hand warmer tightly. She replied in a cold, icy tone, “Didn’t they say Second Sister was playing around with her sister-in-law? Since Second Sister’s sister-in-law enjoys playing so much and Fourth Miss has a reputation. She should go and have some fun, as it wouldn’t befit her reputation otherwise!”

Fifth Miss and Sixth Miss were gathered by the bed, their eyes filled with tears as they watched Bai Jinxiu.

“How is it Physician Hong?” Second Madam Liu-shi was twisting her handkerchief anxiously.

“She’s caught a cold, and the high fever won’t go down… Had she also suffered some impact on her head?” Physician Hong rolled up his sleeves and was about to examine Bai Jinxiu’s forehead.

Aunty Wu, who was the maid beside Zhongyong Marquis’ Madam, shouted at the top of her lungs, “Our Eldest Daughter-in-law is noble and respected. How can a country doctor like you touch her?!”

Bai Qingyan looked sharply at Aunty Wu.

Second Madam Liu-shi was also a fierce woman. She did not wait for her stewardess Aunty Luo to act. She personally pushed Aunty Wu aside, “My daughter, who was well when she married into your Zhongyong Marquis’ household, now lies here unconscious! Who on earth are you to obstruct Physician Hong from examining my daughter?! So vulgar and dirty…”

Without waiting for Second Madam Liu-shi to say anything else unpleasant, Bai Jintong already narrowed her eyes and retorted, “An honoured guest from the Zhenguo Duke’s residence is considered a country doctor at the Zhongyong Marquis’ household? The Zhongyong Marquis’ household has quite an inflated sense of importance!”

Aunty Jiang sensed something was amiss and discreetly glanced at the nervous Aunty Wu.

Aunty Wu, who was standing timidly to the side, sneakily glanced at the stern-faced Aunty Jiang. Her heart sank and she hastily put on a forced smile while saying, “Yesterday, when Eldest Daughter-in-law fell into the water, our Madam invited an imperial physician to examine her. Second Madam and Third Miss have misunderstood.”

“Where is your son?!” Second Madam Liu-shi was furious seeing that her daughter was in such a state and her son-in-law absent.

“Today, Eldest Daughter-in-law cannot return home, so our young master went to Fanxing Restaurant to participate in a poetry gathering with friends,” Aunty Wu replied, deliberately trying to sow discord.

“This… Should we send someone to fetch the young master back?” Aunty Luo looked at Aunty Jiang. After all, Aunty Jiang was representing the Princess Dowager.

Bai Qingyan knew that Qin Lang’s stepmother was not someone easy to get along with. She might be trying to provoke the Zhenguo Duke’s household to be dissatisfied with Qin Lang, so she deliberately sent him away. Suppressing her anger, she said, “Third Sister, let the servants from our Zhenguo Duke’s household go to Fanxing Restaurant and bring back Master Qin.”

“How can that happen? Our young master is participating in a poetry gathering today, a duty that befits a man… It’s not appropriate to bring him back for such a trivial matter!” Aunty Wu asserted, arrogant now that she was back in her home territory than when she was at the Zhenguo Duke’s residence.

Bai Qingyan fixed her icy, piercing gaze on the sly Aunty Wu and asked sharply, “Is this your own decision, or is it the intention of your Marquis’ Madam?”

Bai Qingyan’s sharp insight left Aunty Wu trembling with fear. She huddled where she was in silence. She was acutely aware that the eldest daughter of the Bai family had once gone to the battlefield with the Zhenguo Duke, decapitating the enemy generals with one hand. She felt very panicked. Each time she was met with Bai Qingyan’s gaze, Aunty Wu’s heart raced.

“I’m going now!” Bai Jintong said with a meaningful look at Aunty Wu. She picked up her skirts and walked out of the room.

Bai Qingyan sat down on the soft couch and held the hand warmer in her hand. She continued to watch Aunty Wu and asked, “Where are Second Sister’s dowry maids? Why haven’t any of them appeared?”

Aunty Wu shuddered, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Second Madam Liu-shi had been too preoccupied with worry over her daughter earlier, so she only just realised that none of Bai Jinxiu’s dowry maids were present.

Liu-shi pointed at Aunty Wu angrily and demanded, “Where are my daughter’s maids? Speak!”

“In response to Second Madam and Eldest Miss, Eldest Daughter-in-law fell into the water because her maids didn’t take good care of her. Our Marquis has strict rules and is not as generous as the Zhenguo Duke’s household. If something goes wrong with the master, then it’s because the servants didn’t serve well. So our Marquis’ Madam made the decision and sold them all off!” Aunty Wu explained with her head bowed, feeling guilty.

Bai Qingyan was nearly driven to laughter by anger. Her chest heaved and she almost crushed the hand warmer in her hand. What an exceptionally strict rule!

“What a grand attitude displayed by the Marquis’ Madam! She even extended her reach into her daughter-in-law’s dowry! My daughter’s dowry maids and their contracts were part of her dowry. Yet, your Marquis’ wife dared to sell them while my daughter was unconscious!” Second Madam Liu-shi’s chest ached with anger as she wondered what kind of devilish place her daughter had married into.

They had tampered with her daughter’s dowry. This kind of reputation was not something they wanted to have. Aunty Wu’s guilt escalated as she explained quickly, “It was all done with Eldest Daughter-in-law’s permission!”

Second Madam Liu-shi was even more frustrated, “Are you trying to take advantage of my daughter while she’s unconscious and fool me?!”

No sooner had Second Madam Liu-shi uttered these words than a maid stumbled into the room, her hair undone and a whip mark on her face.

“It’s no good! No good! The Fourth Miss from the Bai family has gone mad… She’s trying to beat our two Misses and our Marquis’ Madam to death!”

Aunty Wu’s eyes widened when she heard this. She hurriedly picked up her skirts and rushed out. As soon as she stepped out, she hurriedly turned back and curtseyed to Second Madam Liu-shi, “Second Madam, Aunty Jiang, you must take control of the situation! Is the Bai family’s Fourth Miss possessed? How dare she attack someone in the Marquis’ household?!”

Aunty Jiang stood with her hands folded in front of her. Hearing this, she looked at Bai Qingyan who was calm and composed.

Bai Qingyan looked at Aunty Jiang with clear eyes. At that moment, Aunty Jiang understood that Bai Qingyan was deliberately trying to escalate the situation. She nodded slightly to Bai Qingyan.

Second Madam Liu-shi sneered, “My daughter is lying here with her life hanging in the balance. I couldn’t care less about whether your two Misses and your Marquis’ Madam live or die!”

Aunty Wu looked at Second Madam Liu-shi’s response and froze. This Bai family was simply…. They were simply unreasonable. She could only turn to Aunty Jiang for help, “Aunty Jiang?! Aunty Jiang, please say something!”

Aunty Jiang looked at Bai Jinxiu who was pale on the bed and felt deeply concerned, “This old servant follows Second Madam’s orders.”

When they had left, the Princess Dowager had told Aunty Jiang that nothing was more important than the life of her granddaughter.

Bai Qingyan knew that in her previous life, the wife of the Minister of Civil Affairs was concerned about her daughter’s situation and had chosen to endure silently and avoid making a fuss. However, this had only laid the groundwork for future problems.

However, In this life, nothing mattered more than Bai Jinxiu’s life. Only when the situation escalated, would the Zhongyong Marquis’ household be afraid.

Bai Qingyan already had a plan in mind.

As the saying goes, nothing can be established without destruction. She hoped that Qin Lang would not disappoint her and could take advantage of this time… And truly stand up for himself.

If Qin Lang really would not stand up to it then even among the noble families with titles in the major cities, there would be no precedent for reconciliation. She also had to return before news from Nanjiang came… As long as the Zhenguo Duke’s household still held power, she would exert pressure on Qin Lang to divorce.

Divorce would be better than subjecting Bai Jinxiu to a life like the second daughter of the Minister of Civil Affairs in the previous life, enduring constant power struggles and suffering throughout her life.