Xue Wanrou’s quarters were certainly not short on funds; in no time, Hexiang had gathered ten thousand taels of silver.
Meng Yihuan counted the money, her brows arching with a hint of triumph. "From now on, any medical expenses or medicine for the Second Madam must come from the common family coffers or her own private savings. My dowry funds will no longer be used to subsidize her. Lan You, from this day forward, no one is permitted to enter my dowry storeroom without my express permission."
"Yes, Madam," Lan You nodded readily.
Xue Wanrou, meanwhile, clenched her fists tightly, her lowered face as dark as water. She could not understand why Meng Yihuan had suddenly changed so much. When Si Yunhui was alive, she had always been quite kind to her. Could it be that she had merely been feigning virtue and generosity all those years just to win Si Yunhui’s favor? And now that he was "dead," had she finally revealed her true colors?
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. She consoled herself with the thought that even if Meng Yihuan had put on such a good act, Si Yunhui had still abandoned her for her sake, hadn't he?
Having secured the silver, Meng Yihuan had no intention of lingering and turned to leave with her retinue. As she neared the door, she caught a glimpse of a small figure shrinking back into the shadows.
"Who is lurking there?" Meng Yihuan instinctively demanded in a cold voice.
The small figure finally stepped out, trembling.
"Is that... Chuchu?" Meng Yihuan looked in surprise at the frail little girl standing before her, dressed in coarse hempen cloth with her hair tied in messy twin buns.
Because Meng Yihuan had only ever seen Si Mengchu during the holidays, she had never seen her looking so disheveled. How could the dignified eldest daughter of an Earl’s Mansion be wearing clothes inferior even to those of a servant girl? A sharp, stabbing pain pierced her heart. She realized she had thought too highly of people; she never imagined that Xue Wanrou was treating her own daughter this way behind closed doors.
"Chuchu greets... greets First Madam." Si Mengchu knelt on the ground, her bright, watery eyes filled with terror.
Meng Yihuan fought back tears. Lan You immediately stepped forward and gently helped Si Mengchu up. "Eldest Miss, why are you standing here dressed like this? First Madam is not a beast; there is no need to be afraid."
Si Mengchu bit her lip, remaining silent as she glanced timidly back at Xue Wanrou. Sensing that the girl had something to say, Meng Yihuan crouched down. "Whatever you need to say to me, you can say it here. I am the First Madam of the Earl's Mansion; in these inner quarters, even your mother must answer to me."
Upon hearing this, Si Mengchu’s eyes fixed on Meng Yihuan, and she asked nervously, "Really? Then may I—"
Before Si Mengchu could finish, Xue Wanrou strode over and yanked her forcefully behind her. "You are being far too disobedient! Did I not tell you not to run around when there is nothing to do? Hexiang, take the young miss back at once and make her kneel for an hour!"
Xue Wanrou was already full of resentment, and now that this "little wild seed" had appeared, she intended to vent her frustrations toward Meng Yihuan on her own daughter.
Meng Yihuan’s anger surged. She shot a cold glare at Xue Wanrou. "Is this how you punish a child without rhyme or reason? She only came out to see her mother; what is wrong with that?"
"Sister-in-law, this is my daughter. Aren't you overstepping your bounds?" Xue Wanrou looked at her smugly.
"She is your daughter, but she is also of the Earl’s Mansion’s bloodline. As the eldest daughter of the house, how can you let her wear rags not even fit for a servant? Could it be that you have been embezzling Chuchu’s allowance to support your own family? If that is the case, Xue Wanrou, you have committed a grave offense. Even if I take this to the Matriarch, you would be the one in the wrong." Meng Yihuan chuckled coldly.
"You!" Xue Wanrou seethed.
"Chuchu, go ahead and tell me what is the matter. I am here now, so you have nothing to fear." Meng Yihuan turned her gaze tenderly toward Si Mengchu again.
Si Mengchu stole a fearful glance at Xue Wanrou, then, after a moment of internal struggle, she suddenly knelt down before her mother. She cried, "Mother, Little Brother is very sick! His forehead is burning, and he won't get better unless he takes medicine. Please, I beg you, send for a doctor for him!"
What? Her son was sick?
Meng Yihuan was shocked, her rage threatening to overwhelm her reason. This woman was actually leaving her own son ill without even calling a doctor?
*Slap!*
Unable to contain her fury, Meng Yihuan raised her hand and struck Xue Wanrou across the face.
Xue Wanrou was stunned, dazed, and then furious. "Sister-in-law, how... how dare you hit me?"
"How dare I? I dare because you nearly caused the death of the Earl’s Mansion’s descendant! My brother-in-law has been dead for only a year; is this how you take care of his children? Are you trying to kill his children and leave him without heirs? Someone, go and fetch Doctor Yue immediately!" Meng Yihuan roared.
Since she couldn't easily reprimand her based on her own status alone, she invoked the name of her deceased, simple-minded brother-in-law. Xue Wanrou, suspecting nothing, offered a pathetic defense: "I have been ill myself lately and lacked the energy, so I haven't been able to attend to them..."
"Hmph. If you cannot raise them, then do not raise them at all. The descendants of this house are not to be mistreated by you! To ensure you do not abuse my brother-in-law's children further, I will send a servant to care for them from now on."
Having said this, Meng Yihuan ignored Xue Wanrou and led Si Mengchu toward Si Tianque’s room. Xue Wanrou cursed under her breath before hurriedly following behind.
Si Tianque was six years old, a child who should have been vibrant and healthy, but like his sister, he was thin and frail. At this moment, he lay in bed, flushed with fever, unable to even open his eyes. Meng Yihuan watched him with a heart full of pain, wishing she could tear Xue Wanrou to pieces. In her past life, she had been so focused on Si Zhengyang and the other "wild seeds" that she had never noticed the wretched state the Second Branch lived in. Whenever she saw them during the holidays, Xue Wanrou always dressed them in decent clothes, and she had never suspected anything, assuming they were simply naturally thinner than the others.
But now, she realized the truth. In her past life, Si Tianque had suddenly been poisoned into a state of stupidity at the age of six—it must have been now! Her heart skipped a beat. Was he not just suffering from a fever today, but had been poisoned by Si Yunhui?
Meng Yihuan took the opportunity to tuck Si Tianque’s small hand into her sleeve and pressed her fingers against his pulse. She possessed profound medical knowledge, far surpassing that of the physicians in the Imperial Palace. However, her parents had taught her to hide her skills from a young age, so aside from her closest family, no one knew of it.
As she checked his pulse, her brows knit tighter and tighter. As expected, he had been poisoned! It was a toxin that even ordinary doctors would be unable to detect. It was not designed to cause immediate insanity; rather, it induced illness and persistent fevers that would not subside even with medication. Within half a month, without an antidote, the victim would be left permanently mentally impaired, and everyone would simply believe it was caused by the fever.
What a truly vicious scheme.