Good Ending: She Swears She Will Not Let Him Die!

Chapter 326: Chapter 325: The Determined

The gate of Shaohui Garden was being banged on loudly.

Mrs. Gu Fula had been waiting in the gatehouse and on hearing this, hurriedly slipped on her shoes and opened the gate.

”Oh, Mrs. Ma,” Mrs. Gu Fula exclaimed in wide-eyed surprise, ”weren’t you out on night patrol? Why are you back so suddenly?”

Madam Ma wiped the rain off her face and walked past Mrs. Gu Fula towards the main house. ”Something happened! Is the Madam inside?”

”The Madam has already gone to bed,” Mrs. Gu Fula followed her. ”Something happened? Is it urgent?”

Madam Ma’s expression was almost on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, Mrs. Gu Fula stopped asking questions and helped her knock on the room door.

”Miss Jin Rui, Miss Jin Rui!” Madam Ma called out.

The lights inside quickly turned on, and Jin Rui came to open the door. Upon hearing from Madam Ma that there was something urgent, she hurried back inside to call Du Yunluo.

Madam Ma was invited into the room.

Hong Jinbao’s family, wearing a robe, came over from the back room and whispered to Mrs. Gu Fula, ”It seems, they’ve been caught.”

”Nephew has an affair with the widow in Aunt’s room, and Aunt was aware of it, ha!” Mrs. Gu Fula sneered. ”This is going to be lively.”

Hong Jinbao’s family nodded, ”Our Madam really predicted it right. Before coming to the Marquis Mansion, the old madam and madam always told us to caution the Madam more. In my opinion, our Madam is quite formidable as well.”

”Indeed.”

Madam Ma stood in the east side room, not caring for the dripping water from her soaked clothes, her heart was on fire.

Du Yunluo came out wearing an outer garment, sat on the Arhat Bed, and said, ”Mrs. Ma, why are you looking for me in the middle of the night? What on earth happened?”

Madam Ma opened her mouth, hesitated at the sight of Jin Rui standing aside, but then thought better of it. The disgraceful matter was already known by more than a dozen people, so why keep it from the big maid by the Madam’s side?

”Madam,” Madam Ma quivered with voice, ”they caught someone. But that person is, it’s Mr. Si... and it happened in Madam’s room, Madam and Lady An and Mr. Si...”

Madam Ma couldn’t continue and tried to force a dry smile at Du Yunluo, as if saying, ”Madam, you understand.”

Of course, Du Yunluo understood. She had expected the tangled relations between the three, which is why she set a trap to expose the matter.

Mu Lianyu amidst an illicit affair with his widowed aunt and the widow by her side—such a scandal, even if it couldn’t entirely topple the second family, was enough to throw them into chaos for a while.

Jin Rui stood to the side, looking up in shock upon hearing this, unable to believe Madam Ma.

She had always assumed it was Mu Lianyu entangled with Lady An, thinking Mu Yuanjing was merely aware of it, but she did not expect Mu Yuanjing herself was involved.

Oh my! What kind of situation is this!

”Be specific!” Du Yunluo jumped to her feet. ”How could it be Mr. Si? How did he get caught in Aunt’s room?”

Du Yunluo’s expression of surprise deceived Madam Ma. Caught in her own confusion, Madam Ma blurted everything out without much thought.

”Mrs. Zhu was present too? She fainted? Has anyone reported to Second Aunt’s place? How about Grandma’s? Mother’s?” Du Yunluo asked in succession.

Madam Ma nodded repeatedly, ”They’ve gone to report at Baijie Hall, Jingshui Hall, and Fengyu Courtyard. They didn’t dare disturb Third Madam, Fourth Madam, and Second Aunt.”

Du Yunluo nodded, ”Let me get dressed, and I’ll be there shortly.”

Madam Ma retreated to the veranda outside, listening to the pounding rain, clenched her hand into a fist, and knocked on her forehead heavily.

Hong Jinbao’s family had already disappeared, leaving only Mrs. Gu Fula who came over curiously to ask what had happened.

Madam Ma let out a long sigh, ”Oh, sister, I wish I knew nothing at all.”

Inside, Jin Rui swiftly helped Du Yunluo with her hair.

Du Yunluo noticed Jin Rui’s unhappy expression and asked, ”What’s wrong? Did it frighten you?”

Jin Rui shook her head, ”I just didn’t expect Mr. Si and Madam too...”

”In this world of sordid affairs, there are only things that one dares not imagine, nothing that’s impossible,” Du Yunluo said hoarsely, with a hint of sorrow.

She’s witnessed such vile matters before. One more or less doesn’t make a difference.

Jin Rui’s eyelashes fluttered, she pondered for a moment, and said, ”I’ve learned something.”

Du Yunluo patted Jin Rui’s hand.

Jin Rui took a deep breath, ”But, Madam did predict it, didn’t she? She arranged for them to catch the people really, even though Madam Ma was trying to keep Madam in the dark.”

”Mrs. Ma is straightforward and diligent. Had it been someone more cunning, they might not have dared to go against Aunt,” Du Yunluo explained.

To break this thin facade, Du Yunluo made many preparations and had been setting up the scene for half a month before reaping the rewards.

As for tonight, she vaguely felt that things would work out, though she dared not be certain of hitting the mark with one shot.

Having achieved some results, her luck was quite favorable.

The ghost tales of the Qixi Festival night had left the maids worried. After some discussions, the night patrol was established.

In ten-odd days, with coming and going, sometimes there would be success, sometimes not. The matrons were not only weary from staying up but also mentally exhausted and irritable, yet there was no progress, which even angered the Lian Family.

Everyone was stewing in rage, wishing to snag that conniving individual and give them a thrashing.

Add some liquid courage, and with Nanny Zhu and Madam Ma leading, they all dared to burst into Manhe Garden.

And as for why Mu Lianyu and Mu Yuanjing were ensnared, it wasn’t that they were unaware of the increased personnel in the garden nor lost their heads over lust. It was because Du Yunluo had meticulously calculated against them.

The patrols were not just consistent in personnel but also in timing and route. It was arranged in advance when and where they would patrol.

The matrons who originally patrolled the rear yard had fixed routes, and the added personnel naturally followed the veterans, getting accustomed after a night or two.

Manhe Garden was situated on the western side of the rear yard.

When night patrols started at the first watch, they’d soon pass by Manhe Garden, and the next time they looped near would be at midnight; the last patrol through Manhe Garden at the end of the third watch or fourth watch marked the dawn.

As long as one knew the hour, Mu Lianyu could enter and exit Manhe Garden without encountering the night patrol matrons. He could come unnoticed, leave as if invisible.

Du Yunluo hedged her bets on tonight, stationing Mrs. Gu Fula near Manhe Garden because it had been raining since the afternoon.

As night patrols started, the thunderstorm intensified, the rain pattering in torrents.

A rainy night was the best opportunity for Mu Lianyu to visit Manhe Garden.

The rain would make the gatekeepers at the southwest corner hide indoors, and the sound of rain would cover Mu Lianyu’s noises while climbing the wall.

There’s not much work in Manhe Garden; Mu Yuanjing didn’t like seeing them either, so the maids and matrons favored idleness. On a rainy night, they would be asleep in the courtyard, oblivious to what happened in the main room.

Moreover, on a rainy night, the patrol matrons were mostly perfunctory, which is why Zizhu discovered the affair between Mu Lianyu and Lady An on a stormy night. Emboldened by the rain, Mu Lianyu even dared to rendezvous with Lady An outside Manhe Garden.

Most importantly, neither Mu Lianyu nor Mu Yuanjing would expect Nanny Zhu to dare to climb the courtyard wall to open the door and storm inside.

Du Yunluo curled her lips slightly. This is what ”Heaven helps those who help themselves” means.

Standing up, Du Yunluo called Jin Rui to follow. ”Let’s go, to Grandma’s place.”