Volume One, Chapter 11: Mu Wanwan: Housekeeper Lin Will Be a Sharp Blade-A Filha Abandonada Retorna, Toda a Família da Mansão do Marquês se Ajoelha a Pedir Perdão(novamente novamente é duplo)

"What? Zi Ling?" Nanny Gao froze, staring at Steward Lin with a look of utter disbelief.

"No, that’s impossible. Absolutely impossible." She shook her head slowly, her gaze dazed for a moment.

"How could it be Ling'er? How could it..." Her eyes landed on Mu Wanwan’s face, and she instantly erupted.

"You! It was you, it must have been you!" She pointed a trembling finger at Mu Wanwan, raving incoherently. "You killed her, didn't you? You murdered my daughter! You cold-blooded killer, give me back my Zi Ling's life!"

With that, Nanny Gao scrambled up from the ground and charged at Mu Wanwan like a madwoman.

Everything happened so fast that no one expected a servant like Nanny Gao to act with such insanity. For a moment, everyone stood frozen in place.

Seeing Nanny Gao lose her mind, Xiao Ruyan felt a surge of secret satisfaction: *Xiao Qingqing, let’s see how you get out of this one.*

Afraid that Mu Wanwan might have a chance to dodge the attack, she intentionally shifted her position to stand beside her.

"Oh, Sister, watch out!" Xiao Ruyan cried out, though her hands were firmly gripping Mu Wanwan, making sure she couldn't escape.

*Slap!*

Two crisp, resounding slaps echoed through the room.

The crowd was stunned.

"You mad dog! How dare you commit an offense against your superior? You deserve a beating!" Mu Wanwan scolded, her hand relentlessly striking Nanny Gao’s powdered face.

Bright red handprints stood out garishly against Nanny Gao’s heavy makeup.

Mu Wanwan blew on her hand with disdain and said coldly, "Ugh, you’ve dirtied my hand."

She then turned to look at Xiao Ruyan with a feigned expression of surprise. "Sister, what happened to your face?"

"It must be that you were standing too close to me and got caught in the crossfire of this wicked servant. Don't worry, I certainly won't spare her."

Without giving anyone a chance to retort, Mu Wanwan stared straight at Madam Fang. "Mother, look at this. Sister’s face was already injured, and now she's been hurt again. A woman’s appearance is of the utmost importance, and Sister is a delicate, golden treasure. If her face is ruined because of this, it would be a tragedy."

Madam Fang was fuming. Everything had shifted so rapidly that she hadn't even processed what was happening. Now, looking at Nanny Gao, who had been restrained by other servants, and then at the calm and composed Mu Wanwan, she felt a surge of rage.

*What a useless fool. Simply pathetic.*

She had hoped Nanny Gao would pull off something big—either taking the little wretch's life or ruining her face—but she hadn't accomplished a thing. Not only did she fail, but she had also dragged her precious Ruyan into getting slapped.

"Nonsense! Ruyan is cared for by the best physicians; how could her face be ruined?"

"Since Mother is so certain, then pretend I said nothing." Mu Wanwan sat down, looking completely indifferent.

When she had slapped Xiao Ruyan just now, she had added a little something extra to her hand. That idiot Xiao Ruyan wanted to scheme against her? She was asking for it.

"You!" Madam Fang’s brows knitted into a deep frown. "As the eldest daughter of the Marquis's estate, look at yourself! Where have your manners and upbringing gone? How could you act like a common shrew, disregarding propriety and dignity to strike Nanny Gao yourself? As the saying goes, one must respect the owner before beating the dog. Nanny Gao is a servant of the Old Matriarch’s quarters—how dare you strike her at will!"

"Mother is right to lecture me." Mu Wanwan stood up with a shallow bow and a faint smile.

Her humble demeanor left Madam Fang confused and secretly on guard.

After a long silence, seeing that Mu Wanwan didn't speak again, she let out a sigh of relief. "Since you know you were wrong, go to the ancestral hall and kneel to reflect on your mistakes."

Mu Wanwan didn't budge.

"What? Are you planning to be unfilial and disobedient?" Madam Fang snapped, irritated.

Mu Wanwan looked up, her expression filled with feigned innocence. Her next words made Madam Fang so angry she nearly coughed up blood. "Mother, who were you speaking to just now?"

"..."

"Mother surely wasn't talking to me." Mu Wanwan smiled with a mix of certainty and bashfulness. "I am so well-behaved and haven't done anything wrong. Mother is a compassionate parent, so why would you punish me for no reason?"

Madam Fang’s chest heaved violently, and her entire body trembled.

"Oh, I know! Mother must have been talking to Sister!"

Mu Wanwan’s words gave Xiao Ruyan a massive shock. "Sister, don't talk nonsense! What does this have to do with me?"

"How could it not? Zi Ling was your head maid, and those other two fools were from your quarters as well..." Mu Wanwan’s tone was laden with pointed implications.

"Stop spouting such baseless accusations!" Xiao Ruyan’s expression grew frantic.

Mu Wanwan chuckled, shook her head gently, and took a sip of tea. "Whether I am spouting nonsense or not, Sister knows better than anyone. Who would carry on a secret affair right in front of everyone?"

As Mu Wanwan finished, the crowd had a sudden epiphany, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Xiao Ruyan.

Steward Lin, standing among the crowd, felt a shiver run down his spine.

He suddenly remembered that when they returned to the estate, the Second Miss seemed to have whispered something to Zi Ling, after which Zi Ling left with those two maids.

Now that the Second Miss was acting so guilty, it was highly likely that Zi Ling’s death had everything to do with her!

As Zi Ling’s father, Steward Lin knew full well that Xiao Ruyan was a vicious and hypocritical woman.

He clenched his fists tightly. Having risen to the position of steward, he was not an impulsive man, nor was he as short-tempered as Nanny Gao. He knew that Xiao Ruyan was the mistress and he was a servant; if he confronted her rashly, he would have no chance of winning.

But he could not swallow this bitter pill!

He cast a subtle, fleeting glance at Xiao Ruyan before looking away. Mu Wanwan took all of this in, a faint smile playing on her lips.

*This Steward Lin is a man of depth. He will make a fine blade.*

"Sister, the government officials are highly experienced in handling cases; their words are naturally of high credibility." Xiao Ruyan, noticing the crowd’s gaze, harbored a deep hatred for the wretch Mu Wanwan for digging this hole for her. "Since you spoke that way just now, it seems you don't trust the officials? Could it be that you know something about the inside story?"

With a simple sentence, Xiao Ruyan easily shifted the crowd's focus back onto Mu Wanwan. Seeing this, she looked triumphant and continued, "Or perhaps it was you who set the fire? After all, everyone else gathered here early, except for you and Nanny Rong, who were delayed for quite some time. Thinking about it carefully, your suspicion is quite significant."

"Is that so?" Mu Wanwan looked at Xiao Ruyan and smiled. "Since both of us are under suspicion, I am willing to be questioned by the officials. Sister, are you willing as well?"

As Mu Wanwan finished, Xiao Ruyan’s face turned pale. "I haven't broken any laws, why should I—"

Before she could finish, Mu Wanwan interrupted her.

"Because out of the four people who died, three were from your quarters," Mu Wanwan said. "Sister, you are the one under the most suspicion in this entire estate, aren't you?"

Then, she stepped closer and closer to Xiao Ruyan, each word falling like the demand of an avenging spirit:

"Speak. Why did you order Zi Ling to go to the stables? What kind of shameful business were you planning? And my younger brother, where is A-Li? Why has there been no sign of him?"