HLnovel Chapter 051 Breaking the Wrist
Chapter 051 Breaking the Wrist
Madam Lu only knew that the shop was closed, but she didn't know that the shop was gone, let alone that it was gambled away by Ji Wanwan's younger brother.
No wonder everyone around her, including Lu Huai, hesitated when the shop was mentioned earlier. They were conspiring to fool her because they knew she was getting old. She was so angry her heart ached, and she wanted nothing more than to kick that unfilial son out of the mansion. But then she thought that her son had been deceived by Ji Wanwan. She must have used some tricks to coax her son into transferring the shop to her.
The thought of all that hard-earned money going into the gambling den made Old Madam Lu so angry she could hardly breathe, wishing she could skin Ji Wanwan and her brother alive. She asked the nanny who served her and learned that Ji Wanwan was still half-dead in bed. Gritting her teeth, she changed Ji Wanwan's three meals a day to one.
It was called understanding, but it was actually revenge.
Xie Chaoyun listened from the side and couldn't help but sigh. She had thought that she was being treated badly because she had given birth to a daughter, but now it seemed that Ji Wanwan, who had given birth to a son for the Marquis's family, was treated the same way. Anyone who threatened the interests of the Marquis's family, whether it was the inheritance of their descendants or the expenditure of money, was not treated like a human being by the Marquis's family, and yet she had lived in such a family for ten years.
Adjusting her emotions, she adopted a self-reproachful and helpless expression: "It's not that Yunniang is unfilial or intentionally disobeys her mother, but given the current situation, Yunniang has no choice but to take care of the shop first. Let's talk about managing the household later."
When Madam Lu came to her senses, she called Xie Chaoyun over and took her hand, saying, "Look at you, child. How can your mother blame you? Just go and take care of your shop. The Marquis's mansion has Huai'er and me. How can I let you worry about everything? Once the shop is settled, I will hand over the power of managing the household back to you."
Xie Chaoyun curtsied and said respectfully, "Thank you for your understanding, Mother!"
Madam Lu sighed, and just as she was about to say something more, Xie Chaoyun withdrew her hand and stood to the side.
After Xie Chaoyun left, Old Madam Lu stared at her retreating figure in a daze: "Do you think that Ji Wanwan is a jinx to our Marquis's mansion? Ever since she came back with Huai'er, there has never been a moment of peace in this mansion."
The old nanny had learned her lesson from Xie Chaoyun and Lu Zhiyuan. Since being beaten last time, she had become smarter and knew that the Xie family was in charge of the Pingnan Marquis's mansion. Hearing the question from Old Madam Lu, she squeezed her shoulder, observed her expression, and followed her lead, saying, "In my opinion, this young lady is indeed not as good as Madam."
"How can this humble family compare to the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion?" Old Madam Lu patted the nanny's hand. "Xie Chaoyun is good, but no matter how good she is, she only gave our Marquis's Mansion a useless sickly son. If she had taken the initiative to find a concubine for Huai'er, there would be no Ji Wanwan. Do you really think I wanted my dear grandson to come from that woman's belly? I had no choice! It's all Xie Chaoyun's fault for being so useless, unable to win Huai'er's heart and unable to give birth to a son."
“What the old lady says is true, but for now…”
"We still have to rely on Xie Chaoyun." Old Madam Lu sighed. "Go and call Huai'er here for me. If he continues to be so confused, the Marquis's mansion will be finished."
Passing through the front courtyard, I saw Granny Jiang from the palace reprimanding someone with a ruler. Standing before her, Lu Jinyao appeared respectful, but was actually disdainful, constantly rolling her eyes whenever Granny Jiang demonstrated. Before, I only thought Lu Jinyao was sweet-talking and good at pleasing the old lady. But seeing her from this distance today, I realized the difference between her and my young mistress.
Some things can't be faked.
"Miss Lu, have you remembered the key points I just mentioned? If you have, then do as I said."
Lu Jinyao walked around reluctantly, her posture stiff. Not to mention Jiang, the palace maid, even the one who served the old lady frowned. Sure enough, Jiang began to hit Lu Jinyao with a ruler.
“Raise your head higher, I mean your head, not your chin.”
"Tuck your chin in. Look at where your chin is sticking out of place."
"Raise your hands up a little, relax them, and let them overlap naturally. What are you doing? My stomach hurts, I need to go to the toilet urgently!"
"Take smaller steps, watch your skirt! I'm telling you to take smaller steps, not to step on ants."
"Enough! You're just deliberately tormenting me because you don't like me." The ruler landed on her calf, and Lu Jinyao exploded, snatching it away and throwing it on the ground: "Her Majesty the Empress sent you to teach me, not to cause trouble. You old hag, if you can't teach me, then get lost."
Lu Zhiyuan, carrying the osmanthus candy Han Ting had brought her, came to watch the commotion. She had just entered the courtyard when she heard Lu Jinyao call her "old thing." She stopped, frowned, and looked at Lu Jinyao, saying, "Sister, watch your words!"
Lu Jinyao was already furious, and hearing Lu Zhiyuan's voice only made her angrier. She sneered, "Stop pretending with me!"
"Pretend? I don't understand what you're saying, sister."
Lu Jinyao glared at her fiercely and snorted coldly, "This old hag came straight into your yard. Do you really think I don't know what you two are up to? She's making things difficult for me because she's doing this on your orders."
Lu Zhiyuan pressed her temples, her good mood from eating candy completely gone. She patiently asked, "Sister, do you know who this nanny is? Her surname is Jiang, and she is from the same family as the Empress. Apart from His Highness the Crown Prince, all the princes and princesses in the palace were taught by her. It is a blessing for you, Sister, to be taught by Nanny Jiang."
"Blessing? If it's a blessing, how about I give it to you?" Lu Jinyao gripped the ruler, rolled up her sleeve to reveal the red welts on her arm from the ruler's whipping: "Does she dare treat a prince or a princess like that? She doesn't dare! She only dares to bully me. Why? Because my mother is bedridden, because I have no one to protect me, because I'm not the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingnan!"
“You’re wrong, young lady.” Granny Jiang said sternly, “The ruler I use to discipline the princes and princesses is thicker and longer than this. Besides the fact that the Emperor and Empress trust me, it’s also because the princes and princesses must adhere to etiquette and rules, and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. You are just a concubine of Prince Yue, and I have been extremely lenient with you. Otherwise, just those three words, ‘old bastard,’ would have earned me thirty slaps.”
"A reward? You're nothing but a dog by the Empress's side, how dare you slap me!"
Before she could finish speaking, she received a slap on her right cheek. It wasn't Jiang Mama who hit her, but Liu Ying.
“My young lady said, watch your words!” Liu Ying cracked her knuckles. “You really don’t learn your lesson. You eat the Marquis’s rice and take advantage of the Marquis’s family, yet you cause trouble for the Marquis’s family at every turn. This slap is to wake you up and remind you what it means to have trouble come from your mouth.”
Another slap landed on Lu Jinyao's left cheek. Symmetrical, as if she had applied blush.
Lu Jinyao covered her face and stared at Lu Zhiyuan with a murderous look.
"You heartless, sickly little brat, first you instigated this old man to bully me, then you had your maid beat me. Do you really think I, Lu Jinyao, am easy to bully?"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Lu Zhiyuan's face, but before he could reach out, Jiang Mama grabbed his wrist and snapped it with a "crack".
“Miss Lu has truly broadened my horizons. How dare an adopted daughter bully the legitimate daughter with such vulgar manners and foul language.” Granny Jiang twisted Lu Jinyao’s wrist, causing her to wail in pain. “I came from the palace, and I cannot tolerate such unruly behavior as yours.”
Lu Jinyao was frightened by the fierce look in Jiang Mama's eyes and dared not speak despite the pain.