The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 15

Physician Hong had also finished examining Bai Jinxiu. He touched his goatee and glanced at Bai Qingyan. Seeing her nodding slightly, he lowered his gaze and said, “Second Miss suffered an impact on the head and fell into the water! Cold water has entered her lungs. Coupled with a persistent high fever, I’m afraid…”

Second Madam Liu-shi felt her legs go weak. If it were not for Qingshu holding her, she might have collapsed on the ground.

Bai Qingyan approached Second Madam Liu-shi with a solemn face and curtseyed. Then she said, “Second Sister is in critical danger. Will you stay here to take care of Second Sister until she recovers, or take her back to the Zhenguo Duke’s residence for treatment? Second Aunt, it’s up to you!”

Aunty Wu’s eyes widened. It was forbidden for a woman to leave her husband’s house without permission from her husband’s family after marriage! If Second Madam Liu-shi from the Bai family took Bai Jinxiu, the two families would practically be severing ties, “Second Madam, you can’t! Our Eldest Daughter-in-law just married into the Zhongyong Marquis’ mansion. If you take her back, how will Zhongyong Marquis’ mansion be seen by others? Others might think our two families are breaking ties! Even the Princess Dowager wouldn’t agree, isn’t that right, Aunty Jiang?!”

“My daughter just entered the Zhongyong Marquis’ residence and she’s already on the verge of death! I don’t care how others see your Zhongyong Marquis’ family!” Second Madam Liu-shi tightly gripped her chest and turned to look at Aunty Jiang, “Aunty Jiang! Please go and inform Mother… Jinxiu was hit on the head and pushed into the lake. All the maids around her were sold off without leaving a single one! She doesn’t even have anyone to attend to her. I must bring Jinxiu back to the residence to take care of her! If Mother disagrees… I’ll take Jinxiu back to my parent’s home!”

Aunty Jiang nodded in curtseyed to Second Madam Liu-shi, “This old servant will go back and report to the Princess Dowager. Second Madam, rest assured, the Princess Dowager has always cherished Second Miss. She will never disregard her granddaughter’s life for the sake of something like friendship!”

Aunty Wu felt like the sky was falling when she heard this and almost fell to her knees. She never expected that Second Madam Liu-shi would disregard the face of both households and the Bai Jinxiu’s future in their Zhongyong Marquis’ residence just to protect her daughter.

“Qingshu, you are quick on your feet. Accompany Aunty Jiang back!”

After saying this, Second Madam Liu-shi leaned over the bed and held her daughter’s hand, unable to stop her tears from falling.

When Qingshu came and saw Bai Jinxiu’s condition, her eyes had already reddened. Upon Second Madam Liu-shi’s order, she immediately responded and supported Aunty Jiang out quickly.

“Aunty Jiang! Aunty Jiang, no!”

Aunty Jiang turned a deaf ear.

Aunty Wu could not stop Aunty Jiang, so she hurriedly knelt in front of Second Madam Liu-shi, “Second Madam mustn’t cause trouble involving the Princess Dowager!”

Second Madam Liu-shi still held onto her daughter’s hand. Seeing her pale and unconscious, she was already crying so much that she could not care less about anything else.

Chunyan rushed in and covered her lips, whispering in Bai Qingyan’s ear, “The Zhongyong Marquis’ guards have gone to the rear courtyard! Eldest Miss… what if they harm Fourth Miss?!”

“Jinzhao, Jinhua, stay here and accompany Second Madam,” Bai Qingyan, with a solemn aura, stood in place and allowed Chuntao put a white fox cloak on her.

She glanced at Second Madam Liu-shi, who was crying by her daughter’s bedside. Slowly and calmly, she said, “I’ll go over and take a look. Fourth Sister is impulsive… she may hurt the Marquis’ Madam.”

Seeing that no one stopped Aunty Jiang, Aunty Wu had to rush to inform the Marquis’ Madam. She looked around and quickly got up from the ground, “This old servant will guide Eldest Miss! This old servant will guide Eldest Miss!”

Chuntao assisted Bai Qingyan out of the newlywed’s room. They walked quickly towards the Marquis’ Madam’s courtyard. Aunty Wu tried to approach Bai Qingyan along the way, but Chunyan shooed her away with a handkerchief without any politeness.

Aunty Wu knew that Bai Qingyan had been raised by the Princess Dowager and that her words carried a lot of weight in front of the Princess Dowager. She carefully spoke to Bai Qingyan with a mournful face, saying, “Eldest Miss Bai, in fact, this matter can’t be blamed on our two young ladies. Originally, Young Master was engaged to you. However, later on, the one who married in was the Eldest Daughter-in-law. Our two young ladies just had a few words with the Eldest Daughter-in-law.”

Bai Qingyan’s footsteps paused, and she turned her head to look at Aunty Wu with a seemingly smiling expression…

No wonder in the previous life, after the second daughter of the Minister of Civil Affairs died of grief, the Minister’s wife could use thunderous means to deal with Jiang-shi. Even the personal maids beside the Zhongyong Marquis’s Madam turned out to be like this, unsatisfied with success until failure was imminent. The downfall of the Zhongyong Marquis’s Mansion was evident.

“You shrewd, if you continue to spout nonsense, believe it or not, I’ll tear your mouth apart! Are you trying to blame our Eldest Miss by saying your two young ladies did good deeds?!” Chunyan was immediately irritated.

“Chuntao, tie her up and hand her over to Second Madam! Tell Second Madam about what this aunty just said… The two young ladies of the Zhongyong Marquis’s residence quarrelled with our Second Miss and injured her!” Bai Qingyan glanced at Aunty Wu and continued to walk forward, “This is the personal aunty beside the Zhongyong Marquis’s wife… She said it herself. In the future if we go and see officials, this aunty can serve as a witness.”

Upon hearing the words “see officials”, the restrained Aunty Wu’s expression changed and her legs went weak. She immediately knelt down, “Eldest Miss Bai! This old servant is the personal maid by the side of the Zhongyong Marquis. You can’t tie me up! This old servant didn’t say that our two young ladies injured anyone! If our two young ladies’ reputations gets ruined, this old servant won’t be able to compensate even if I sacrificed my life!”

Bai Qingyan turned a deaf ear.

Before the group was close, Bai Qingyan heard the maids crying and wailing. The guards, led by a dishevelled maid, were rushing towards the Marquis’ Madam’s courtyard.

Bai Qingyan tightened her grip on Chuntao’s hand, and Chuntao, understanding, quickened her steps.

“Hand over those two little brats who harmed my Second Sister!”

Bai Jinzhi held a long whip in her hand, cracking it in the courtyard. The ground was covered in dry branches and remnants of snow…

The maids and servants all had some bloodstains from being whipped by Bai Jinzhi. Fearing Bai Jinxuan’s identity, they dared not retaliate and could only tremble and beg Fourth Miss Bai to spare them.

The young head guard from the Zhongyong Marquis’s residence hurried forward and grabbed the whip that Bai Jinzhi was swinging. His face was stern and he confronted Bai Jinzhi directly.

“Please, Fourth Miss Bai, restrain yourself. This is the Zhongyong Marquis’s residence, not your Zhenguo Duke’s residence! Fourth Miss Bai cannot be so presumptuous here!”

Bai Jinzhi gritted her teeth and exerted strength to retrieve her whip, but found it impossible to pull it back even an inch despite using all her strength.

For the first time, Bai Jinzhi had suffered a loss at the hands of others. Her eyes widened. She clenched her teeth and kept her feet firmly planted, but she still could not withdraw her whip.

“Little Four…”

Bai Qingyan called Bai Jinzhin’s nickname and only then did the guard finally release the whip from Bai Jinzhi’s hand.

Bai Jinzhi drew back her whip and looked deeply at the guard. Then she walked toward Bai Qingyan, “Eldest Sister…”

The young guard looked at Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi who were surrounded by a group of maids and servants. Walking along the corridor towards the main house, he turned to the other guards behind him and said, “Stay here and guard the place in case Fourth Miss Bai hurts people again.”

Inside the room, the Marquis’ wife, Jiang-shi, was trembling as she held her two daughters tightly.