On the other side, a maidservant rushed over in a hurry and whispered something into Churi Huaizhu's ear.
"The young master is having a tryst with someone by the lake?" Churi Huaizhu was full of doubts. She couldn't believe that he was such a person.
"Yes, madam. I heard it from others. Supposedly, several people saw it!" The maidservant told Churi Huaizhu what she had heard, though she wasn't sure if it was true.
Churi Huaizhu took two steps backward.
"It's impossible. You must have seen it wrong! He would never treat me like this! He said that he would only love me for his whole life!" Churi Huaizhu couldn't imagine who the woman he was meeting with was. Was she more outstanding and beautiful than herself?
"Could it be that he's tired of me? No, no." Churi Huaizhu murmured to herself.
The doubts in Churi Huaizhu's heart remained unresolved. She decided to go and see for herself. Seeing is believing. She couldn't doubt Wangquan Baye's sincerity towards her just because of someone else's words. "Which lake is he at now?"
The maidservant told Churi Huaizhu the specific location. Without a moment's hesitation, she set off in a hurry, looking a bit flustered. The last thing she wanted to see was what others had described.
Soon, Churi Huaizhu arrived at the lake they had mentioned. From afar, she saw a man and a woman together. She recognized their eyes and figures.
Yes, it was indeed Wangquan Baye. The other person was Liuxia Yun. Churi Huaizhu couldn't believe her eyes.
Churi Huaizhu turned around and left. Her heart ached unbearably, an indescribable pain as if countless knives were stabbing at her heart. Even the person she trusted most in Wangquan Villa was betraying her.
Until Churi Huaizhu left, Wangquan Baye didn't notice her arrival, nor did he know that he had been framed. This was a great test for their relationship.
Churi Huaizhu didn't tell anyone what she had seen, nor did she confront Wangquan Baye. They remained quiet, just like before.
However, during the meals with Wangquan Baye every day, she would often stare at him in a daze.
Wangquan Baye would also stare at her, thinking that it was still because of the loss of their child that she hadn't been able to get out of it.
In the following days, Wangquan Baye showed no signs of anything unusual. He still treated her as tenderly and considerately as before.
Churi Huaizhu stood in the courtyard, staring blankly at the small bamboo grove in front of her. She thought for a long time and felt that there was something strange about this matter. Based on her understanding of Wangquan Baye, he wouldn't like a woman like Liuxia Yun. He had always been disgusted with her.
"Maybe it's all a misunderstanding. It's not what I saw. I believe in Wangquan Baye's character. I can't have such a poor judgment of people." Churi Huaizhu comforted herself. Seeing might not be believing. It was all possible to be an illusion.
After Churi Huaizhu had sorted things out in front of the bamboo, she turned around and was about to go back into the house. Just as she passed by the garden, she heard some noise.
"Ah! No! Please spare me! I really know I was wrong!" A woman's cry sounded extremely miserable.
Churi Huaizhu listened carefully. Feeling sorry for the woman, she turned towards the direction of the sound.
As she walked in, she saw a maidservant kneeling on the ground, crying loudly. On the other side, the steward was whipping her mercilessly with a stick. There were bloodstains all over her body, seeping through her clothes.
Churi Huaizhu couldn't bear to stand by and do nothing when she saw this scene.
"Stop!" Churi Huaizhu shouted. Hearing her voice, the steward stopped what he was doing. Looking up and seeing Churi Huaizhu, he quickly bowed to her.
"Good day, madam! Why are you free to come here today?" The steward had an obsequious look on his face.
"What did she do wrong that you have to punish her like this!" Churi Huaizhu didn't answer his question but directly asked about the situation of the woman on the ground.
"Madam, her name is Xiao Qing. She's a maidservant from the next courtyard. Everyone saw her stealing food in the kitchen, so I'm punishing her!" The steward looked aggrieved.
Seeing someone coming to help her, Xiao Qing, who was kneeling on the ground, immediately crawled over to Churi Huaizhu's feet and hugged her thigh.
"Madam, I really had no choice. I have an elderly mother and a young son. I haven't eaten for several days. I was so hungry that I stole some food. Please save me, madam! I promise I'll never do it again!" Xiao Qing cried and kowtowed to Churi Huaizhu.
Seeing the maidservant on the ground in such a state, covered in wounds just because she had stolen a little food, Churi Huaizhu felt sorry for her.
"Steward, please let her go this time for my sake. It's just some food. There's no need to be so cruel to the maidservants." Churi Huaizhu helped the maidservant on the ground up.
The steward looked helpless. No rules, no standards. If everyone in the mansion behaved like this, it would be in chaos. How could they manage Wangquan Mansion in the future?
However, these were just things the steward could think in his heart. He didn't dare to say them out loud. The high - ranking masters never knew the hardships of the servants.
"Well, madam, I'll listen to you this time and let her go. But if there's a next time, I won't be so lenient!" The steward stammered reluctantly.
The steward picked up his stick and excused himself from Churi Huaizhu. Only then did the maidservant Xiao Qing dare to stand up straight. She looked up at Churi Huaizhu in front of her. She was extremely beautiful, with both good looks and a kind heart. No wonder she was the wife of the Wangquan family.
"Madam, thank you. Thank you for saving my life. If you hadn't come, I might have been beaten to death here by the steward!" The maidservant Xiao Qing knelt down again and kowtowed to Churi Huaizhu.
Churi Huaizhu was quite helpless when she saw her. People in this era didn't seem to have the concept of equality. They would kneel down to others at every turn. Churi Huaizhu felt that she couldn't bear it and quickly helped the person on the ground up.
"You don't need to thank me. I was just lucky to come across this and be able to save you this time. However, you must abide by the rules of Wangquan Villa in the future. Otherwise, if you're caught by the steward a few more times, I may not be able to save you." Churi Huaizhu looked at the maidservant in front of her and then turned to leave.
On the way back, Churi Huaizhu kept thinking about what the maidservant had said. She didn't know if the story of her poor family was true or if she was just using it as an excuse to steal food.
Churi Huaizhu sent several people to find out about the maidservant Xiao Qing.
Before long, the servants came back with a message. "Madam, regarding Xiao Qing from the next courtyard, I've found out about her family. She does have an elderly mother who is not in good health, and there's also a young son in the family."
"Thank you. You can go now." Churi Huaizhu waved her hand at them.
Churi Huaizhu no longer had any doubts about Xiao Qing's situation. It seemed that there were still people who told the truth around her.