Chapter 343 An Incident Caused by a Set of Molds
“Grandma, why are the pastries so exquisite? I heard that Nanny Yu has deliberately asked about the pastries in father’s study!”
Qin Wanru asked with a smile, popped out her head, picked up a piece of pastry and looked at it carefully. “I didn’t take a closer look at it when eating it!”
“Nanny Yu asked about the pastries?” Madam Dowager said with her expression changing slightly.
Qin Wanru nodded and said with a little surprise in her eyes, “Grandma, is there anything special about the pastries?”
Madam Dowager took the pastry from her, looked at it and frowned. She suddenly turned to Nanny Duan and asked, “The set of pastry molds belonging to Zhuozhuo. Go and have a look!”
“Which one?” Nanny Duan didn’t understand at first. Hearing Madam Dowager mention Qin Wanru, she instantly opened her eyes wide and said, “Madam Dowager, you mean the set belonging to the Second Miss?”
“Yes, that’s the set. We have no other mold more exquisite than the set!” Madam Dowager nodded and said.
“Okay, I’ll go and have a look right away!” Nanny Duan seemed to think of something, glanced at Qin Wanru, and hurriedly turned to leave.
“Grandma, what do you mean by saying that? Which set belongs to me?” Qin Wanru raised her bright face, reached out to swing Madam Dowager’s sleeve and asked with puzzlement.
Madam Dowager looked very hesitant, looked at Qin Wanru’s face, was about to speak but said nothing. After a long while, she sighed. “Zhuozhuo, the set of molds have belonged to you since your childhood… They have always been in our mansion before. When you were a kid, you liked them very much. So I kept them for you, and then put them away. Why does the kitchen suddenly serve the pastries made with this set of molds?”
“I liked them. They belong to me?” Qin Wanru looked confused!
“Yes, they belong to you!” Madam Dowager said with certainty this time, reaching out to touch Qin Wanru’s hair with slight bitterness in her eyes.
With her long eyelashes fluttering, Qin Wanru hid a trace of deepness at the bottom of her eyes. As she expected, the set of molds were not originally in the hands of Madam Di. Even if she secretly took them away, she didn’t dare to let Madam Dowager find it. Otherwise, she would definitely have presented them long ago to increase Qin Yuru’s leverage!
This time, Madam Di had to do that in desperation. She probably thought that Madam Dowager had forgotten it.
In the last life, Qin Wanru had not seen this set of molds, but had heard of such exquisite pastries. It was said that Qin Yuru was particularly fond of them and would definitely serve them every time there were visitors.
Qin Wanru originally thought that the pastries were excellent, but had never thought Qin Yuru did that because this set of pastry molds were unusual. At that time, even if Qin Yuru wasn’t officially identified, everyone might secretly consider her the biological daughter of Qin Wanru’s mother!
Yesterday Qin Yuru was grounded again, so Madam Di had to increase Qin Yuru’s leverage. Qin Wanru exactly needed to know how many cards and leverage Madam Di had…
Nanny Duan came back very quickly in a hurry and looked very anxious with her face turning slightly white. As soon as she entered the room, she said, “Madam Dowager, the set of molds are gone!”
“Go and check where the kitchen got this set of molds,” Madam Dowager said with her face darkening.
“Madam Dowager, I’ve sent someone to inquire about it, and I just asked the supervisor old maid in charge of bringing your belongings to the capital. She said that they were gone before we moved to the capital. At that time, our mansion was about to move to the capital. When she sorted things out, they were still there. But they were gone later. At the thought that it was just a set of molds, the supervisor old maid didn’t report it to you and just recorded a loss!”
In Jiangzhou, before they moved to the capital, Madam Dowager had her belongings checked. Because there were numerous items, it took several days to check them at that time. Some needed kinds of stuff were sent to the capital, and some unwanted kinds of stuff were sent back to the hometown of the Qin family.
That set of molds were also recorded in the account book. Nevertheless, it was just a set of molds anyway. Although they were exquisite, they were not something valuable. Finding that they were gone, the supervisor didn’t care much about it, but just crossed them out on the account book and reported a loss.
When Nanny Duan left, she had thought that they might be gone, so she deliberately asked someone to call the supervisor old maid over.
“They were gone before we moved to the capital?” Madam Dowager said in rage and shock, “How dared Madam Di secretly take them away!”
It was almost unnecessary to check again. Madam Dowager had been sure that the set of molds were taken by Madam Di. It meant that Madam Di had intended to take Qin Wanru’s stuff or had plotted against Qin Wanru since long ago.
When they were in Jiangzhou, Madam Di was in charge of the backyard of Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion with not a few henchmen. Only Madam Di was likely to send someone to take this set of molds in such turmoil in great secrecy. What was more, neither no one else knew the meaning of this set of molds, nor that this set of molds were included in Qin Wanru’s luggage at that time and related to Qin Wanru’s family background.
“Go, I’ll ask Madam Di personally!” Madam Dowager stood up angrily.
“Madam Dowager!”
“Grandma!” Nanny Duan and Qin Wanru stopped her on each side.
“Grandma, don’t get angry now. You are in poor health and can’t get angry. We can handle it after checking it out. Even if Madam Di took them, we can get them back slowly!” Qin Wanru advised softly.
She would certainly not allow her grandma to go to meet Madam Di. Madam Di was crazy at this time and dared to do anything. If grandma went to meet Madam Di and Madam Di brought the sachet with Qingqu Grass inside again, it would do harm to grandma’s health which she had struggled to build up.
In the past, perhaps Madam Di didn’t dare to do this blatantly, but now Madam Di must be daring. She was now locked up in the yard and desperately struggled to get out. Madam Dowager was a big mountain overwhelming her, so she should be desperate to make Madam Dowager collapse.
“Madam Dowager, the Second Miss is right. Don’t be angry now. We should think over it. Even if you go to ask Madam Di now, I don’t think you can get the answer. The molds were gone, and no one saw them taken by someone working for Madam Di. At this moment, even if we go to ask those working in the kitchen, they might only say that this set of molds just showed up there and no one knows who brought them. There are many servants working in the kitchen, and nothing is missing. No one can explain why this set of molds showed up there!”
Nanny Duan was indeed Madam Dowager’s henchman, knowing a great deal about domestic affairs of the Qin’s Mansion. She talked Madam Dowager out of it with only a few words and helped her sit down again.
A little maid came in and said a word to Nanny Duan in a low voice. Nanny Duan nodded, waved to motion for her to leave, and then said to Madam Dowager, “Madam Dowager, the supervisor of the kitchen said that no one knows who brought the set of molds and when they showed up in the kitchen. They were placed at the corner of the kitchen. The old maid, who has recently come here to cook, intended to make pastries. So she went through various molds and found the set of molds from below!”
Qin Wanru blinked her watery eyes, not surprised by this result. Of course, Madam Di would not directly confront Madam Dowager. She made it seemingly have nothing to do with her by doing that.
The old maid, who had come here recently, found the pastry molds recently and made exquisite and excellent pastries with the molds. Qin Yuru had just been locked up yesterday, and Duke Xing’s Mansion hurriedly sent someone to come over. At the sight of such exquisite pastries, the person from Duke Xing’s Mansion would inevitably take another glimpse at them.
If she didn’t guess wrong, this set of molds should originally belong to Duke Xing’s Mansion, and Nanny Yu was obviously familiar with them.
This set of stratagems was almost all linked with one another. Madam Di plotted so precisely that she even guessed that when the rumor of Qin Yuru beating and cursing Qin Wanru on the street came out, Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion would inevitably be anxious and send someone to force Qin Wanru to take the blame. She had used all sorts of intrigues and wiles.
Of course, the old maid in the kitchen should have done more than that.
It was an old maid who had been deployed since long ago!
“Madam Di… Does she know what she’s doing?” Madam Dowager said angrily in hatred with her face turning pale.
“Madam Dowager, don’t be angry. What should we do now? Would you like to take this set of molds back and put it away again?” Nanny Duan walked behind Madam Dowager, patted her gently on her back and said.
“Take them back, wash them clean and place them in Zhuozhuo’s yard.” Madam Dowager beat the corner of the table and said angrily.
“Grandma, since they have been placed in the kitchen, just leave them there.” Qin Wanru smiled and stopped her. “The pastries are very exquisite indeed.”
“Leave them in the kitchen?” Madam Dowager looked at her little granddaughter with puzzlement.
“Yes, leave them there. The pastries are very fragrant and delicious, and the molds are so exquisite. They make each other look even better. When there are visitors, we can serve the pastries which are decent.” Qin Wanru continued saying with a smile, “Moreover, if you put away the molds at once, Madam Di will know that you’ve noticed it!”
On hearing her words, Madam Dowager fell silent, nodded and said after thinking, “Okay, just leave them there. Nanny Duan, ask someone to keep an eye on this set of molds and see who uses them!”
“Madam Dowager, rest assured. Those whom I just sent someone to ask are trustworthy and won’t tell others about it. I’ll ask them to keep an eye in secret!” As Madam Dowager’s henchman, Nanny Duan immediately understood what Madam Dowager meant and nodded repeatedly. Glancing over Qin Wanru’s childish face, she had to admire Qin Wanru.
The Second Miss really was different from the average young Miss. She was more intelligent!
Able to keep calm at such a young age, she really was an unusual child. If Madam Dowager didn’t guess wrong, the Second Miss should be the child of the Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua, daughter of Rui’an Great Elder Princess. Madam Dowager drew the conclusion based on the news that Madam Shui sent someone to inquire.
This was what baffled Madam Dowager. If it was true, she must identify the Second Miss as the granddaughter of Duke Xing’s Mansion and told what had happened at that time. The reason why Madam Dowager had kept the secret for so many years was that she was worried that the Second Miss had no other relatives. She would rather keep the secret and raise the Second Miss as her biological granddaughter.
Now that the Second Miss had her own relatives, Madam Dowager should certainly tell the truth. However, the problem was that it was related to the First Miss. The First Miss had got involved in it and made Duke Xing’s Mansion mistakenly consider her the daughter of Infanta Qinghua. If Madam Dowager told the truth, it would ruin the First Miss’s reputation. Although the First Miss had done something wrong, she was Madam Dowager’s granddaughter anyway.
Madam Dowager was in a dilemma now. Because of the First Miss’s involving in it, Nanny Duan didn’t know how this matter would end either. She involuntarily sighed secretly!
A maid came in breathlessly and almost fell in panic when entering the room. She began to report upon arrival at the entrance of the main room, “Madam Dowager, the Empress Dowager sent someone here!”
Her words panicked everyone in the room. Madam Dowager stood up suddenly…