Let's Go Into the Water Together

Qinghe's eyes instantly widened. She had thought that since she's been by her master's side for three years, even if she were to be punished, she'd only be sold off or beaten up. Never would she have thought that the Madam would be so ruthless as to want her to be beaten to death directly.

Panicked, she quickly crawled over, "Madam, Madam, you can't do this to me! You know that I'm innocent! The bliss powder was clearly-"

"What are you waiting for?! Drag her out, Nanny Li."

Liu-Shi immediately interrupted Qinghe's begging as she gave Nanny Li a meaningful look.

Nanny Li instantly understood her intentions and quickly went to grab a handkerchief to stuff Qinghe's mouth shut.

However, perhaps due to her old age and worsening eyesight, she stumbled as she bent over. This delay gave Qinghe a brief moment to act.

She looked at Mrs Liu in horror. 'Since you want to beat me to death, don't even think I'll let you off easily!' When Nanny Li finally came to shut her mouth, she began roaring, "You've wronged this servant as it was you who ordered me to use the drug! You're the one who clearly despised the Young Master for being scheduled to be appointed the Crown Prince and wanted him to die! Wuwuwuwu…"

Nanny Li couldn't care less about the pain her fall had caused as she quickly ran over to stuff Qinghe's mouth before fiercely saying, "What are you all just standing there for?! Hurry up and drag this lowly servant away! Even up to the brink of death, she's still so full of lies that she'd falsely accuse the Madam. Her crimes are unforgivable! Immediately beat her to death!"

Qinghe was then dragged out while whimpering, struggling fiercely until the end.

The crowd instantly burst into an uproar over Qinghe's allegation of who ordered her to do what she did.

Indeed, the waters of the rich and powerful run deep.

Everyone began looking at each other, as there definitely will be something to talk about after dinner tomorrow.

Suffice to say, Liu-Shi was so angry, she wanted to strangle Qinghe there and then. They were utterly useless.

She then hurriedly tried to explain things, saying that Qinghe was making things up and that they were probably just trying to make trouble for her before her death. She also said that even though she didn't really know her that well, she never thought that Qinghe would be so evil to even almost harm Cheng'er. Her words were mixed with disappointment, pain, and even joy. Her acting was very thorough.

However, even as she acted out her convincing performance, Shen Juncheng responded so shockingly fast, with rapid coughing spells and other much too quick reactions, and then directly 'fainting' and pretending that he couldn't hear anything further, made it all for naught, as he totally missed out on Mrs Liu's heartbreaking finale, with the two lines of tears she managed to squeeze out in her final lament of loneliness.

The servants had already carried the Young Master back to his room, with Doctor Lu in tow to treat him.

In order to further solidify her loving image, Mrs Liu had to continue to stay with the crowd and explain things further as they watched her show.

In the end, everyone who saw had an expression of understanding on their faces. Which family hasn't had a maidservant take the blame for the master's crimes?

She was the scapegoat. Everyone tacitly understood.

Some people even came to curry favor with her, in order to express their goodwill. 

Liu-Shi maintained a stiff smile all throughout. When she finally left, she also hinted that though today's incident was an accident, it could also be considered a private family scandal. A servant girl had wanted to murder her master. If it somehow spreads out, it might infer that the Marquis Fu's family management was lacking, and also that private family scandals shouldn't be spread out in the first place. She hoped that everyone could understand.

And everyone did understand. They were also afraid of damaging their own reputation by spreading private family scandals, so everyone was happy to give them face and expressly assured them that they would not spread it blindly.

Liu-Shi nodded her head in thanks before being supported back to her room by Nanny Li.

The moment she entered, she completely cast away her loving facade and angrily slammed the table.

'That Qinghe was utterly incompetent! She couldn't even handle a small matter properly and even ended up being framed by others, which in turn caused my own reputation to suffer!'

Although those people all expressed that they believed her, how could she, Liu-Shi, not understand what was really going on?! Wasn't it only because she was the Matriarch or the Chen Family that those people were feigning to not offend her?

The good reputation she had worked so hard to cultivate had almost been entirely lost at the hands of a single useless servant. Even caning her to death was letting her off too easily.

Nanny Li hurriedly came to console her. "Madam, please calm down. Although Qinghe was stupid, it wasn't all for naught."