Chapter 68 : Old Madam Gu’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

Regarding the art of turning the tables and making a fuss, Old Madam Gu was truly a master.

She knew that today’s situation was difficult to gloss over, so she began to throw a tantrum without hesitation.

She didn’t know what had happened last night; all she knew was that Gu Yinghong was missing, which provided the perfect excuse.

Sure enough, as soon as she spoke, Huo Tan’s expression darkened.

Old Madam Gu quickly shifted her gaze and was about to start shouting.

But at that moment, Huo Xinzhi suddenly interjected, “Grandmother, let the eldest brother speak.”

Old Madam Gu’s shout was caught in her throat, leaving her feeling uncomfortable.

Once the opportunity to stir up trouble was missed, it was hard to regain that momentum.

Huo Tan nodded slightly to Huo Xinzhi before he spoke: “Yesterday, Grandmother suddenly said she prepared soup for the younger generation, and I was quite grateful, so I ate it all up.”

“But when I returned to the east courtyard, I sensed something was off,” Huo Tan paused and said, “The soup had been drugged.”

As soon as these six words left his mouth, Lin Xiu Gu turned pale, and even Huo Xinzhi clenched her fists, looking at Old Madam Gu in disbelief.

Both women were not foolish, Huo Tan’s words were simple, but they understood the implications.

Lin Xiu Gu immediately said, “Mother, how could you…”

Recalling that Cui Yunzhao had not been home last night and Old Madam Gu’s first question about Gu Yinghong, Lin Xiu Gu’s expression grew even worse.

She trembled as she pointed at Old Madam Gu: “Mother, what are you trying to do?”

Old Madam Gu lowered her head, silent.

At this critical moment, saying anything further would be useless.

She only wanted to know if her scheme had worked.

But then, Cui Yunzhao’s words shattered all her hopes.

Cui Yunzhao took over from Huo Tan “The rest of the matter is not suitable for my husband to elaborate on, so I will speak.”

Cui Yunzhao didn’t look at Old Madam Gu, she merely lowered her eyes and spoke slowly.

“Last night, there was an issue at my uncle’s house, so I returned early. To my surprise, I found my cousin right outside the main door of the east courtyard, seemingly about to push the door open. As I approached, I heard my husband angrily telling her to leave.”

Cui Yunzhao paused for a moment, letting out an ambiguous laugh.

“At that moment, I understood something was wrong at home, so I immediately had my cousin taken to the woodshed to calm down. When I got back home, I finally discovered what had happened with my husband.”

Cui Yunzhao spun the tale into a flawless narrative.

By the time she finished, Old Madam Gu was left dumbfounded.

Her face changed drastically, covered in cold sweat.

The words “it’s over” echoed in her mind.

It was all over!

Lin Xiu Gu didn’t notice Old Madam Gu’s panic, she let out a sigh of relief “Thank goodness, thank goodness.”

Just moments ago, Huo Tan’s two sentences had drenched her in cold sweat, and she still felt a chill down her back.

Huo Xinzhi’s expression relaxed slightly, though the coldness in her eyes had not faded.

Huo Tan remained silent, but he pressed his lips tightly together, clearly showing his stance.

Cui Yunzhao continued: “This morning, I discussed this matter with my husband and realized something was amiss, so…”

Cui Yunzhao lifted her sharp gaze and looked at Old Madam Gu.

“Therefore, we’ve come to ask Grandmother what exactly is going on?”

What else could it be?

Old Madam Gu dodged everyone’s gaze, almost shrinking into her chair, desperately wishing others wouldn’t see her.

But things didn’t go as she wished.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her, filled with resentment, blame, and deep hatred.

Old Madam Gu felt fear wash over her.

Everyone understood her sordid plans, she had always wanted Gu Yinghong to marry Huo Tan, and now that the marriage was falling apart, she resorted to such despicable means to ensure Gu Yinghong entered the Huo family.

For the first time in her life, Old Madam Gu felt restless.

In that moment, she clearly realized that throwing a tantrum wouldn’t help, she had crossed Huo Tan’s bottom line, and based on that alone, Huo Tan wouldn’t spare her.

Old Madam Gu had been accustomed to wielding power for many years, and now faced with such a predicament, she was momentarily at a loss for words.

Cui Yunzhao didn’t need her to answer.

Their intentions were clear, the events of last night stemmed from Old Madam Gu’s actions, so there needed to be an explanation.

Cui Yunzhao continued, “Since Grandmother has nothing to say, let’s consider that as acceptance.”

However, at that moment, Old Madam Gu suddenly spoke up.

“This has nothing to do with me.”

As soon as she spoke, the room fell silent; everyone was stunned by her sudden declaration.

Old Madam Gu clenched her fists and, deciding to go all out, directly stated, “I know nothing about this. I didn’t understand what you were saying, and it’s only now that I’m vaguely coming to my senses.”

Cui Yunzhao couldn’t help but mentally applaud Old Madam Gu.

Old Madam Gu closed her eyes, avoiding everyone’s gaze, and continued, “It’s all because that girl Yinghong acted recklessly, what does it have to do with me?”

Upon hearing this, Huo Xinzhi couldn’t help but snicker.

Huo Tan cast a deep look at her before waving toward the door “Bring Gu Yinghong and the maid over.”

Old Madam Gu’s eyes flashed with panic, but she quickly regained her composure.

She had prepared for this.

Before long, Gu Yinghong was brought over by Wang Huzi.

Having been frozen in the woodshed all night and beaten, she appeared haggard, her clothes disheveled, and she looked very disheveled.

Especially her clothes, which were covered in dust, clearly indicating that she had a terrible night.

However, she didn’t cry or make a scene.

As Gu Yinghong was sent into the hall by Wang Huzi, her expression was numb, but her brows relaxed slightly, the warmth in the room was comforting.

However, after just one day apart, Cui Yunzhao felt that she was different from before.

Gu Yinghong was soon followed by Qiao Pozi, who was brought in with her hands bound.

Wang Huzi bowed slightly and left without lingering.

Gu Yinghong stood alone in the hall, her head lowered, not looking at anyone.

Qiao Pozi had a soft cloth stuffed in her mouth, her hands tied behind her back, and she looked very panicked, trembling behind Gu Yinghong.

Huo Tan didn’t even glance at the two of them, merely stating blandly, “Grandmother, please continue.”

Old Madam Gu’s expression twisted momentarily, but she quickly composed herself.

“I truly know nothing about what happened last night. I don’t understand your talk of drugs and whatever plans you have,” she said, shifting all responsibility onto Gu Yinghong.

“However, since my granddaughter said she saw Yinghong, let’s ask her,” Old Madam Gu’s gaze fell on Gu Yinghong, her tone serious. “Yinghong, you must speak the truth.”

Cui Yunzhao felt a certain admiration for Old Madam Gu.

Though she often caused trouble and seemed lacking in depth, when it came to serious matters, she remained calm and clear-headed.

Gu Yinghong stood there, initially numb, but she began to tremble as Old Madam Gu spoke.

She blinked, and tears immediately flowed down her face.

Crying, she looked at Old Madam Gu, her eyes filled with pleading and earnestness.

“Auntie, please save me.”

Old Madam Gu sighed.

Her eyes were heavy with unspoken threats: “Yinghong, if you’ve done something wrong, you must bear the consequences.”

Gu Yinghong’s eyes widened in shock.

“Auntie, it was you who told me to come here yesterday! I didn’t want to, and you used my brother to threaten me.”

Gu Yinghong clearly understood Old Madam Gu’s intentions and immediately spilled everything.

“Auntie, I was fine at home. It was you who insisted on bringing me to the Huo family, claiming you wanted me to be my cousin’s wife.”

At this point, Gu Yinghong didn’t care anymore.

She cried out, “I said my cousin was already married, and I couldn’t be so foolish. You insisted that you didn’t like my cousin’s wife and only wanted me to be the granddaughter-in-law.”

Old Madam Gu’s expression grew darker. She tried several times to interrupt Gu Yinghong’s cries, but Gu Yinghong wouldn’t give her that chance.

She spilled everything out.

“I’m young and inexperienced, so of course, I believed everything my aunt said. Today, my aunt claimed everything was arranged for me to bring soup to my cousin. I had no idea what was happening.”

Gu Yinghong portrayed herself as a victim forced into a dire situation.

But she avoided looking at Huo Tan.

She knew exactly what she had said last night, but in front of so many people, she refused to admit it.

Crying, Gu Yinghong said, “Fortunately, my cousin is a gentleman, so I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Auntie, just give up. My cousin and his wife are in perfect harmony, there’s no room for anyone else.”

“Even if you dislike my cousin’s wife, you can’t break them apart.”

With just a few words, Gu Yinghong managed to turn the focus back to Old Madam Gu’s dislike of Cui Yunzhao.

Cui Yunzhao was once again surprised.

This pair of grandmother and granddaughter from the Gu family truly had some skill, it was clear that Gu Yinghong had thought through her strategy last night in the woodshed.

She understood Old Madam Gu well enough not to let her push all the blame onto her.

Old Madam Gu was clearly not expecting Gu Yinghong to resist her and stared at her with wide eyes.

Furiously, she pointed at Gu Yinghong, her hand trembling.

“You, well, you’re very good.”

Old Madam Gu cried out in anguish “What sin have I committed to have given birth to such a shameless child?”

Old Madam Gu’s words were harsh and unpleasant.

Now, Gu Yinghong was no longer the obedient and gentle niece she used to describe.

“I saw you suffering at home, tormented by your mother and sister-in-law. Out of kindness, I brought you back to the Huo family, and this is how you repay me?”

“You live well here, indulged and pampered, and this is how you repay the Huo family?”

Old Madam Gu’s cries drowned out Gu Yinghong’s weeping.

Instantly, the once quiet hall was thrown into chaos.

Huo Tan and Cui Yunzhao, who had hardly slept the previous night, couldn’t help but darken their expressions at the commotion.

Old Madam Gu was deliberately causing a ruckus.

No one in Bole could compare to her ability to create a scene through tears and tantrums.

“What kind of fate is this for me, dealing with such an ungrateful wretch, forcing me to take the blame for your dirty deeds?”

“Gu Yinghong, do you even have a conscience?”

Gu Yinghong was left stunned by her words.

She looked at Old Madam Gu in disbelief, tears streaming down her face.

“Tia, how can you say such things?”

Seemingly unable to bear it, Gu Yinghong took a step back, quickly looking at Qiao Pozi.

“Qiao Pozi, please testify for me. It really wasn’t my idea.”

Qiao Pozi was terrified.

Her face was wet with tears, and with her mouth stuffed, she could only whimper helplessly, unable to say a word.

Cui Yunzhao glanced at her and then said to Gu Yinghong, “Help her take the cloth out of her mouth.”

Gu Yinghong, who had been crying out of grievance, suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

She sniffed, but still walked over to Qiao Pozi and removed the cloth from her mouth.

Only then did Qiao Pozi take a deep breath.

Standing beside her, Gu Yinghong looked at her with tearful eyes “Qiao Pozi, tell me the truth. Who ordered you to do this?”

Gu Yinghong’s voice was gentle.

She seemed to still be that naive girl who would follow Qiao Pozi around helping her with chores.

But Qiao Pozi avoided her gaze.

Gu Yinghong furrowed her brow and was about to speak when Qiao Pozi interrupted her.

Sure enough, Qiao Pozi immediately spoke up, “It was the young lady who instructed me to do this.”

Gu Yinghong’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Qiao Pozi, you…”

Qiao Pozi didn’t even look at her, focusing solely on Old Madam Gu.

“A few days ago, the young lady often came to the kitchen, helping me with tasks and expressing concern for how busy I was. I appreciated her kindness.”

“Later, when she heard that Lady Cui would be staying at her uncle’s for a night, she got an idea and sought me out, saying that her cousins worked hard and she wanted to make soup for them. She asked me to help her with the recipe.”

Qiao Pozi continued in one breath, “I felt sorry for her and agreed, but who would have thought that in a moment of inattention, she added medicine to the soup?”

Qiao Pozi was even bold enough to say that the soup wasn’t her doing.

At this point, Gu Yinghong’s face turned ashen.

Cui Yunzhao noticed that everyone in this situation had ulterior motives.

However, Gu Yinghong was still young and inexperienced; she lacked the audacity to stand up to the two older women.

In the end, she was the one who benefited from the whole affair, so it was reasonable for all blame to fall on her.

Gu Yinghong stepped back two paces, clearly realizing this, and fell silent.

She seemed too drained to fight back anymore.

Qiao Pozi had been caught from the start; she sensed things were going badly and had thought through many possibilities. Now, being brought to the hall and given a look by Old Madam Gu, she understood what she needed to do.

Gu Yinghong had no worth at this point, while Old Madam Gu had money to spare. As long as Qiao Pozi followed her orders, even if she was expelled from the Huo family, she could earn some hush money.

That’s why Qiao Pozi had taken this route.

Cui Yunzhao noticed Old Madam Gu relax and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

She calmly looked at Qiao Pozi and asked, “When the young lady added the herbs to the soup, did you see it?”

“As a cook, if you can’t even manage your own kitchen, you’re truly useless.”

Qiao Pozi’s expression stiffened. After hesitating, she cautiously said, “I saw it, but I thought it was…”

She hurriedly tried to explain, but Cui Yunzhao waved her hand, signaling her to stop.

There was a brief silence in the hall, with no one speaking.

Cui Yunzhao finally took a sip of tea and then said indifferently, “Qiao Pozi, you have been employed by the Huo family as a cook for three years. During this time, your monthly salary has been three strings of coins, with no expenses for food or clothing.”

“You have two daughters and a son at home, and you visit them during holidays, giving them some support. Am I right?”

Qiao Pozi’s face paled in response.

She hadn’t expected that Cui Yunzhao knew about these matters.

Cui Yunzhao withdrew her gaze and glanced at Old Madam Gu.

“Given this, the money you have on hand likely doesn’t exceed ten taels, assuming you’ve been frugal and minimized support for your children.”

“But this morning, Uncle Ping searched your back room and found over twenty taels with you.”

Cui Yunzhao’s words suddenly became sharp “So I want to ask you, where did that extra money come from?”

Qiao Pozi was sweating profusely.

She trembled uncontrollably.

Even Old Madam Gu sat up straighter, looking at Qiao Pozi.

It was clear that Old Madam Gu was completely unaware of what Qiao Pozi had done.

Cui Yunzhao’s lips curled into a cold smile “Uncle Ping’s investigation reminds me of something my sister mentioned before, she said that there were quite a few trophies from my late grandfather that had gone missing.”

Huo Xinzhi’s face became even uglier. She said “I thought it was missed when moving, but I didn’t expect…”

Qiao Pozi hurriedly argued “It’s not me, it’s really not me, don’t slander me.”

Cui Yunzhao smiled “Qiao Pozi, you may not know that the spoils of war given by the army are recorded. If we take the records to the pawnshop to check one by one, do you think we can find evidence?”

 Qiao Pozi was stunned for a moment, then her legs softened and she fell to the ground.

She cried and said “I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me, old lady, old lady…” Her hands were still tied, and she couldn’t crawl. She could only twist on the ground like a bug, which looked very funny.

“Old lady, please save me. I have done everything you said, old lady…”

Old lady Gu shouted in a cowardly voice “Shut up!”

She shouted directly “Come here, come here, take her away and hand her over to the government for punishment.”

Stealing the master’s money is a serious crime. If Qiao Pozi is sent to the government, she will not be able to escape twenty boards.

Qiao Pozi was so scared that she burst into tears and was full of disbelief.

She may not have expected that the old lady would treat her like this.

“I say, I say, it was the old lady who instructed me.”

She looked at the old lady with resentment and shouted directly “The old lady said that she wanted to let the cousin be the concubine of Master, but Master would definitely not agree. It is better to make it a done deal.”

Qiao Pozi was afraid of being arrested and said quickly:”I can testify that it was the old lady who wanted to harm Master!”

Harm between relatives is often handled by the family itself.

Generally, it will not go through the government. One is that it is difficult for an honest official to judge family affairs, and the other is that family disgrace should not be made public.

And most of the time, the younger generation cannot report the elders.

So even if Huo Tan wanted to deal withOld Madam Gu, he couldn’t go through the government, but he didn’t want to let her go easily this time.

Everything she did annoyed Huo Tan.

Old Lady Gu was betrayed by Qiao Pozi, and her face turned red with anger. She jumped up and shouted “You old bastard, you stole the money yourself, and you want to frame me, grandson you can’t believe it!”

She yelled, but she didn’t know how to defend herself, and finally she could only sit down panting.

Qiao Pozi looked up at her and suddenly laughed.

“Hahaha, you have come to this day?”

“I would rather be beaten than give you up,” Qiao Pozi cursed angrily, “You ungrateful villain, if it weren’t for me, could you have been so domineering at home for so long?”

It can be seen that many of the old lady’s previous stupid things were instigated by Qiao Pozi. Old Madam Gu was so angry that she couldn’t speak, and she didn’t dare to speak.

Because since Qiao Pozi reported her, everyone present, except Gu Yinghong, looked ugly.

Especially Huo Tan’s face, which was as cold as ice, was frightening.

Old Lady Gu knew that Huo Tan was really angry this time.

She took a look and then looked away, not daring to look again.

Cui Yunzhao’s ears hurt from the noise of Qiao Pozi, she frowned and said coldly “Huzi, Su Er.”

At her command, the two of them immediately pushed the door open and stood quietly behind Qiao Pozi.

When Qiao Pozi saw this scene, she immediately wanted to crawl away.

But Wang Huzi held her shoulders and made her unable to move.

Cui Yunzhao didn’t look at Old Madam Gu, but said “Qiao Pozi stole the property of the master’s family, and sent her directly to the government to let the Boling government handle it.”

Once a servant is sent to the government for disposal, basically no one will hire her in the future, which basically cuts off Qiao Pozi’s retreat.

Besides, there are still twenty big boards. Qiao Pozi cried and was about to make a fuss, and Wang Huzi cleverly stuffed the handkerchief back into her mouth.

Cui Yunzhao watched as Qiao Pozi struggled desperately and then spoke again, “Isn’t that charge too light? What if we add poisoning the master’s family to it?”

The Huo family didn’t want to make this public, as it was a family disgrace and would harm their reputation. Moreover, since this involved Old Madam Gu, it made it even more difficult to take to the authorities.

But at this moment, Cui Yunzhao’s expression was very cold. Her beautiful phoenix eyes looked at Qiao Pozi with an icy intensity that was quite intimidating.

In a daze, Qiao Pozi thought she saw Huo Tan. The two of them looked increasingly alike.

She suddenly shivered.

At that moment, Qiao Pozi was filled with fear. She no longer dared to cause trouble in the Huo household, feeling as meek as a stunned quail, no longer struggling.

Cui Yunzhao waved her hand, and Su Er easily grabbed Qiao Pozi by the collar and took her away.

Once the door closed, only family remained in the room.

Old Madam Gu finally forced a stiff smile.

“Master, you see… it was the grandmother who was wrong,” she said, rarely lowering her head to Huo Tan. ” I truly want what’s best for you. Isn’t it good to marry another wife? With another person to serve you, your life would be more comfortable.”

Old Madam Gu had transformed back into a loving grandmother.

“I truly care for you.”

Huo Tan coldly interrupted her, “Grandmother, after all these years, we both know how things are between us.”

“There’s no need for more words, no one will believe them anyway.”

Old Madam Gu’s expression froze, and this time, she could no longer find the words to respond.

She was filled with anxiety, unsure of how Huo Tan intended to deal with her.

Her small eyes darted around, realizing no one cared about her or paid her any mind, making her fear even greater.

The sensation of a blade hanging over her neck was unbearable. It felt like a living hell.

Old Madam Gu had never felt such pain and torment; each breath was a struggle, as if she might suffocate at any moment.

“Huo Tan, I’m your grandmother, you can’t hit me, you can’t scold me, and you certainly can’t throw me out.”

With her last ounce of strength, she gritted her teeth and spoke.

Soft and hard tactics weren’t working, so in the end, she had to resort to her status and the concept of seniority.

“Your father passed away early, you need to think about his reputation.”

As she said this, her teeth began to tremble.

Cui Yunzhao suddenly found this amusing. This old woman had been causing trouble for years, yet she was sharp enough to know exactly what to say and what not to say.

It was clear that all her antics had just been for show.

Impressive indeed. No wonder Huo Zhan was so outstanding; it seemed the family didn’t have a single fool.

Once Old Madam Gu finished speaking, she fell silent, heavily gasping for breath, waiting for the final outcome.

But Huo Tan had remained silent all along.

Cui Yunzhao understood that Huo Tan had already decided how to deal with Old Madam Gu, but he pretended to be enigmatic and said nothing, just to prolong her suffering.

When Old Madam Gu’s face turned red from holding her breath, Huo Tan finally spoke in a calm tone, “Grandmother, I will set up a Buddhist altar in the house. From now on, you can eat vegetarian meals and recite scriptures there in memory of Grandfather and Father.”

Old Madam Gu’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”