A servant accompanying Madam Qin suddenly let out a strange cry, startling Madam Qin.
"What's wrong with you?"
The servant looked as if she had seen a ghost, trembling all over. She pointed a shaky finger at the person on the kang and stammered, "That, that's not Miss Li, that, that's the Madam of Iron Courage Mansion."
"What?" Madam Qin's eyes widened. She quickly leaned closer and took a careful look, gasping in shock. "How could this be?"
Madam Qian hurried forward. After looking, she was also greatly alarmed. "Isn't that Miss Li? How did she become Madam Li? And this man is her nephew?"
Madam Guo had already spoken with the two madams beforehand, so they were aware of Guo Yongzhang's identity.
"This..."
Lying with her nephew was a scandalous affair.
Madam Qin suddenly thought of something and quickly said, "Quick, close the door, station people to guard it, and don't let anyone in."
The servants also reacted and hurried to leave. Just as they reached the outer room, they saw Li Man'er, accompanied by two maids, escorting the temple priest.
The servants were startled and quickly tried to close the door, but it was too late.
Li Man'er kicked over the nearest servant, her whip striking precisely. She shouted, "Get out of the way."
The servant cried out in pain and fell to the ground, unable to get up for a long time. Seeing Li Man'er's fierce demeanor, the other servants dared not step forward. In a moment of stunned hesitation, Li Man'er entered the inner room with her companions.
When Madam Qin saw her holding a horsewhip and escorting the temple priest, a bad premonition immediately struck her. Before Madam Qin could speak, Li Man'er began to swing her whip. The maids and servants around her suffered the consequences, their clothes torn and faces scratched.
"Momma!"
"She's killing people, Madam, help!"
"Miss Li, what are you doing?" Madam Qin stepped forward angrily. "You're even hitting my people. Aren't you being too arrogant, young lady?"
Li Man'er sneered, "Don't you know what you've done? Do I need to remind you? If you push me too far, I'll whip you too."
Hearing this, Madam Qin almost spat out a mouthful of blood. "How dare you?"
Li Man'er reached out and pushed her. "See if I dare."
Madam Qin, caught completely off guard, stumbled and almost fell. Fortunately, her maid caught her. "Madam, is Madam alright?"
"You, Li Man'er, you're simply unreasonable."
"Am I unreasonable? Do you think I don't know what you gossipy bitches are plotting together?"
Madam Qian couldn't stand it anymore and said angrily, "Young lady, that's not how you should speak."
"Then how should I speak?" Li Man'er raised her whip. "Or should we talk while I whip you?"
Madam Qian flinched back. "How dare you? We are all imperial ladies."
"Imperial ladies? Don't insult those words. Would imperial ladies frame the daughter of a powerful official? Would imperial ladies make things up out of thin air? Do you dare to go before the Empress Dowager with me and distinguish yourselves? See who is guilty, you or I, Li Man'er." With a crack, her whip snapped, the sound of it tearing through the air startling both Madam Qian and Madam Qin.
Who didn't know that the Empress Dowager felt indebted to the Ning family and had always doted on Li Man'er? If this matter were brought before the Empress Dowager, they would be unable to explain themselves even if they had a hundred mouths.
"Ha, now you're scared? When Madam Guo found you and asked you to conspire with her, weren't you not scared? Instead, you were very happy to do so? Tell me, how much did Madam Guo bribe you!"
Madam Qian and Madam Qin exchanged glances and insisted that the matter had nothing to do with them.
"Young lady, I don't understand what you're saying."
"Yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Li Man'er's eyebrows shot up. She sneered, "Fine, I have plenty of means. Since the two madams won't speak, I'll just take you down too. Then I'll find an ox cart and parade you through the streets. The tale of three women and one man will surely spread throughout the capital, and then, how will the two madams comport themselves?"
"You..." This woman was simply a devil.
Madam Qian was frightened. Li Man'er would definitely do as she said. If she were paraded through the streets, let alone her husband's family, her own family would not tolerate her. Her children would likely bear the shame, and she would have no face to be a person.
Madam Qin almost gnashed her teeth. "How dare you?"
"See if I dare."
A maid in the corner, thinking herself clever, tried to escape. Li Man'er waved her arm, and the long whip coiled around the maid's neck like a snake.
"Cough, cough, Madam... save your slave." The whip tightened, making it difficult for the maid to breathe. Her face turned increasingly pale, and it seemed she was about to die.
Green Robe and Purple Smoke were terrified. They had never seen such a Li Man'er.
The sinister look in Li Man'er's eyes terrified Madam Qin into silence. Madam Qian now regretted it deeply, wondering why she had offended this terrifying figure.
Just as the maid was about to suffocate, Li Man'er suddenly released her grip. The maid felt a rush of air into her lungs, coughing from the pain. Then came a wave of terror, and her legs weakened, causing her to collapse to the ground. Tears streamed down her face, and her body trembled uncontrollably, clearly terrified.
She had almost been strangled to death.
Madam Qin was finally afraid. If Li Man'er dared to commit violence in public, what else wouldn't she dare to do?
Madam Qian also knew clearly that the maid was merely a scapegoat, a tool Li Man'er used to intimidate them.
A warning to others!
"Young lady, what do you want? Just say it directly," Madam Qin said, regaining her composure and finally relenting.
This matter could not be resolved peacefully today, but the impact could be minimized. Who cared about Guo Shi's life or death now?
"Wise people adapt to circumstances. Madam Qin is indeed capable of bending and stretching. I admire you," Li Man'er said slowly, retracting her whip. She took a pre-written confession from Purple Smoke and handed it over. "If the two madams sign and thumbprint this, you may leave."
Madam Qian and Madam Huang took the document and were so angry they trembled. "You treat us like criminals and ask us to sign this damn confession? Never!"
Li Man'er seemed to have anticipated this and was not angered. She smiled slightly. "You don't have to sign. You'll bear the consequences yourself. I advise the two madams, if you sign this, you can at least maintain some dignity. If you don't sign, the tale of three women and one man will be circulating throughout the capital tomorrow. At that time, the love-hate entanglement between you two and the Guo family aunt and niece will become a topic of discussion for the common people. By then..."
Madam Tie's face turned ashen.