Empress’ Game: Make-up Master Chapter 18 - Blunt or Still Foolish

“Ask what? Stop arguing. That was Chuntao and me taking pity on you, specially bringing you-” Wu Jinghua suddenly covered her mouth. Had she blurted it out?

Concubine Meng truly wanted to faint. How had this daughter of hers not inherited even one of her strengths? In just a few words, Wu Sheyue had baited the truth out of her.

“Eh? So Second Sister did bring me food. Then was the food you brought me rotten? No, surely not.” Wu Sheyue knelt on the ground and seemed troubled.

“It seems that yesterday afternoon, I was still properly foolish. I actually treated rotten food as something delicious and made Second Sister eat it… What should be done about this?”

The Old Madam’s chest rose and fell. She had not been this angry in a long time.

What angered her was not that Wu Jinghua had bullied her foolish younger sister like this, but that after
bullying someone, Wu Jinghua was too brainless and exposed herself.

A girl like this, once married out in the future, how could she bring wealth to the family? It would be a blessing if she did not bring disaster.

Wu Liuyun let out a mocking laugh. “So it seems Second Sister wanted to tease someone and deliberately brought bad food, only to be teased in return. Now she came here to accuse first?”

Once Wu Liuyun exposed the matter, the room became awkward.

First Madam turned her head and lightly scolded her. “Enough.” Although it was a reprimand, her face looked rather pleased.

Wu Jinghua did not know what to do. Wu Sheyue suddenly shuffled forward on her knees.

“Grandmother, it seems I must have done something bad yesterday afternoon. Although Yue’er doesn’t know whether I did it, Second Sister is so angry. Why not punish Yue’er so Second Sister can vent?”

Concubine Meng truly wanted to go up and kick her twice. She had actually volunteered to be punished. Was this not forcing her daughter into a corner?

The Old Madam lowered her eyes and looked at Wu Sheyue’s tender little face, so delicate it almost seemed it could melt. The more she looked, the younger and softer it seemed.

“Ah… get up. Punish what? It is enough that you’ve recovered.”

Wu Sheyue let out a breath. At last she could stand and speak.

Wu Jinghua was still too young.

Seeing that the Old Madam had “pardoned” Wu Sheyue, she could not keep her expression together and burst into tears with a loud wail. Concubine Meng quickly came forward to pull her back.

The old woman said helplessly, “Jinghua, what is Grandmother supposed to say about you? By rights, you should be punished, but seeing you look so pitiful, Grandmother cannot be ruthless. Let it go this time.” As she spoke, she turned her eyes to Wu Hantian. “Chancellor, what do you say?”

Since his own mother had spoken to protect her, Wu Hantian could only nod indifferently.

Concubine Meng knew deeply that the Old Madam not punishing Wu Jinghua was already protecting her out of the affection she usually held for her.

Even if Concubine Meng felt dissatisfied, this was not the time to speak. She could only think of another way later.

But Wu Sheyue was unhappy. She had knelt for soo long, accompanying this group of people in their grand drama, and after they had sung enough, it was over?

Was the curtain closing?

Thinking back, she had not complained from the beginning.
It had been this group of people doing all the complaining.

So Wu Sheyue turned her head and sweetly said to Wu Jinghua, “Second Sister, don’t use Chuntao later. She looks down on you.”

“Such a thing happened?” Not only the Old Madam and the Chancellor frowned; even Wu Jinghua was stunned, not knowing why she would suddenly say such a thing.

Only Concubine Meng smelled a conspiracy. She opened her mouth to interrupt, saying awkwardly, “Didn’t Third Miss say she does not remember anything before today?”

Wu Sheyue laughed inwardly. If I want to complain, can you stop me?

“But Yue’er vaguely remembers that when Chuntao came to bring food, she seemed to say something like… ‘giving face to the Chancellor, giving face to the Old Madam,’ and something about First Madam… and the like. I don’t know if I remembered wrong. When my mind was muddled, I did not feel there was anything wrong. Now that I’m clear-headed, I keep feeling something about it was improper.”

The Old Madam’s face turned cold at once. “Meng Ruxue!”

Before Wu Jinghua could understand exactly what was wrong with Chuntao’s words, Concubine Meng dropped to her knees with a thud. “Yes…”

Afraid his mother would be angered into illness, Wu Hantian quickly scolded Concubine Meng.
“Look at you! You can’t teach your child properly, and you can’t teach your servants properly either!”

Wu Jinghua quickly argued back, “Father! That may not have been said by Chuntao. Even if Chuntao said it, then-” So what? Before the last words could leave her mouth, Concubine Meng
hurried to cover her mouth.

Concubine Meng truly wanted to cry. Wu Jinghua was really about to confess every real and imagined thing.

Wu Sheyue shook her head. Ah, a pig-like teammate. Even when nothing was wrong, she could create trouble.

Truly impressive. Winning gave Wu Sheyue no sense of accomplishment at all.

The Old Madam was so angry that her chest heaved violently. “You… you think I don’t know what kind of temper you have? If Chuntao dared say such a thing, it cannot be unrelated to you. Didn’t you say you couldn’t eat? Then don’t eat!”

Wu Hantian slammed the table. “Don’t stand here like a post. Go back and reflect behind closed doors.”

Wu Jinghua was frightened into trembling. Then she covered her face and ran out crying. Concubine Meng bowed repeatedly and chased after her.

Seeing Wu Jinghua run away, the Old Madam was both angry and pained. In her heart, she muttered that back when Third Girl had been foolish, she had felt the second girl had always been clever, no worse than the eldest. Now that the third girl’s mind had suddenly cleared, why was the second girl the one making one stupid mistake after another?

(To be continued)