Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-One: Ulterior Motives (2/2)

Mrs. Zhang wasn’t about to leave just following the guard’s word—her lifetime of face would be lost. She pointed to one of her bodyguards and commanded, “Go to Xinye County and call the county magistrate over. I want to ask him how he’s managing Xinye, letting such unruly people run wild. Have him come here promptly, or he can forget about his position!”

Mrs. Zhang had lost her temper; otherwise, she wouldn’t have spoken so rashly. Even if the county magistrate was ranked below the general magistrate, his dismissal required Imperial Court approval, not something within a general magistrate’s power, let alone Mrs. Zhang, a woman from the inner house, who should not meddle in Court affairs—a crime if seized upon by those with ulterior motives.

Mrs. Wang Sun grew increasingly uneasy, fearing those rumors could be true. Yet, the disrespect shown by the Su Mansion kindled her indignation. She wanted to harshly chastise the people of the Su Mansion and wasn’t prepared to let Mrs. Su get off easily. Thus, despite her unease and after some hesitation, she still didn’t share the rumors with Mrs. Zhang, suspecting the Su Mansion might be bluffing to scare them off—she couldn’t fall for Su Wenyue’s ploy.

Seeing Mrs. Zhang’s reaction and her intention to involve the county magistrate, the guard just looked at her with a hint of mockery.

“The Old Madam sent me to inquire, who dares to create a disturbance in front of the Su Mansion? Who came to make trouble at our doorstep?” The head maid Bai Lu, who was esteemed by the Old Madam, approached and assessed the people at the mansion’s gate.

“To the Old Madam,” she reported, “this old woman claims to be the wife of Yiyang Prefecture’s Magistrate, but this servant doubts her identity, fearing someone is using the name of the Magistrate’s wife to create a scene. Not to mention, the Magistrate’s wife should be in Yiyang at this hour, not in this countryside place. And would the Magistrate’s wife really lack such manners as to make an unwarranted scene at someone’s home and threaten to use the county magistrate? Clearly, only an ignorant village woman would behave so. Please, Old Madam, instruct us how to deal with these people.”

“What’s this? Daring to impersonate the Magistrate’s wife to cause trouble at our door? Truly outrageous. With such a matter, there’s no need for questions. Just seize them and take them to the county government for the county magistrate to decide,” suggested Bai Lu confidently. The Old Madam trusted her greatly, and in such a minor matter, she didn’t need to seek permission and could make decisions on the spot.

Acting upon Bai Lu’s word, the guard motioned to other bodyguards in the mansion, and a group flowed out, surrounding them and preparing to seize the Magistrate’s wife and her party.

“What do you think you’re doing? I really am the Magistrate’s wife; if you dare to mess around, I won’t forgive you,” Mrs. Zhang said, both irritated and panicked at the crowd converging upon her. She was truly the Magistrate’s wife, and to hear the guard accuse her of being an imposter was outrageous. Mrs. Wang Sun also grew fearful seeing the Mansion so full of people.

“Don’t mess around, my mother truly is the Magistrate’s wife, and if you dare lay a hand on her, you’ll be cursed. Besides, isn’t Mrs. Su back? She knows me, if you let her out, she’ll confirm we’re not impostors. Yes, have Mrs. Su come out. She must have eaten the courage of a leopard if she dares to conspire with her mother’s family to lay hands on me and my mother. When this is investigated, it won’t just be her who can’t afford the punishment—the very Mr. Han who shares her surname could lose his official position,” Mrs. Wang Sun demanded, clinging to the idea of Su Wenyue returning to her mother’s family as a lifeline, her attitude arrogant.

However, the Mansion guards paid no heed to Mrs. Sun’s intentions, “Our Miss is a person of importance, not someone you can simply summon. Looking for so many excuses and reasons, you must be plotting to deceive our Miss for some nefarious purpose—we won’t fall for your tricks!”

The Old Madam cherished her granddaughter Su Wenyue and sought to protect her. As the favorite maid by the Old Madam’s side, Bai Lu shared the same sentiment. Hearing Mrs. Sun’s demeaning remarks about Su Wenyue, Bai Lu was very displeased. Even though the Second House was independent and Wenyue no longer a daughter of the Marquis Mansion, she still held high esteem—it was disgraceful for her to be looked down on by an ignorant woman.

“No need to waste words with them, take them directly to the county government immediately, handing them over to the county magistrate for judgment. Such impudent offenders must be severely punished!”