Chapter 28: Asking for Punishment _1

The parents of the five maids beside Bai Jinxiu hated Mrs. Marquis of Loyalty and Courage deeply, but due to her power, they could only stand aside timidly, heads down and not daring to speak.@@novelbin@@

Mrs. Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, Mrs. Jiang, with rich gifts, grandly arrived at the Duke of Zhen Mansion, saying she came to greet the Eldest Princess and also wanted to take Bai Jinxiu back to the Marquis Mansion for care.

The Second Lady, Mrs. Liu, unwilling to see Mrs. Jiang, asked Mrs. Dong, the wife of the Princely Heir, to deal with her, while she herself stayed firmly in the Green Bamboo Pavilion to accompany the injured Bai Jinxiu.

Mrs. Jiang entered without being welcomed by the masters and was instead invited in by a rough maid in the Duke of Zhen Mansion. Though she came to show submission, she still felt resentment for being neglected and couldn’t hide her malicious intentions, revealing them on her face. She planned how she would vent her anger once the news of the Duke of Zhen Mansion’s men being killed came back.

Nanny Wu supported Mrs. Jiang as they walked into the Duke of Zhen Mansion, with her mouth pursed, saying, “This Duke Mansion is too neglectful of the madam.”

Hearing Nanny Wu’s grievance on her behalf, Mrs. Jiang’s mood calmed down. She said with a smile, “Yesterday you still advised me, how come today it’s you who can’t hold your temper? After all, Bai Jinxiu is my daughter-in-law. If their Duke Mansion disrespects me, can I give Bai Jinxiu a good face? As long as I can take Bai Jinxiu back today and keep Qin Lang from moving out of the Marquis Mansion, the Marquis’s face will look better! Anyway, the days are still long… let’s just wait and see.”

“Madam is wise!” Nanny Wu said with a flattering smile, supporting Mrs. Jiang as they walked towards the inner courtyard.

Nanny Wu had followed Mrs. Jiang for many years and understood her temperament well. If she hadn’t complained earlier, Mrs. Jiang would have been unable to hold her anger when she met the wife of the Princely Heir of the Duke of Zhen Mansion later. By complaining first, Mrs. Jiang would feel she possessed great tolerance and would manage to hide her emotions deep inside.

Just as they walked into the Duke of Zhen Mansion through the Chuihua gate, Mrs. Jiang saw the steward nanny beside the wife of the Princely Heir, standing there. When Mrs. Jiang approached, Nanny Qin smiled and bowed, saying, “Greetings to the Marquis’s wife, the Eldest Princess just sent a maid over, saying she doesn’t feel well today and won’t be seeing the Marquis’s wife! The Second Lady is busy taking care of our Second Young Lady, and can’t come either. Our wife of the Princely Heir, along with the Eldest Young Lady and the Third Young Lady, are waiting for the Marquis’s wife and sent me to greet you.”

Upon hearing that Miss Bai was also present, Nanny Wu’s old face twitched in fear. It should be known that Miss Bai had been on the battlefield, having seen blood and killed people!

Mrs. Jiang’s face did not look much better. It was understandable that the Eldest Princess would not see her, but what position did Mrs. Liu hold to act haughty? Did she think she could look down on her?

Although being received by the wife of the Princely Heir was not considered a disgrace, that Miss Bai was entirely unruly; she seemed gentle and polite but exuded a murderous aura when speaking. That day at their Marquis Mansion gate, even their Marquis was speechless, how could Mrs. Jiang not feel frightened meeting her?

Though she was unhappy, Mrs. Jiang still had to put on the demeanor of an elder, saying, “Miss Bai is weak, how can she not rest well, making me feel uneasy.”

Nanny Qin led the way, hearing Mrs. Jiang comment on Bai Qingyan’s health, she rolled her eyes internally but did not show it. Without responding, she straightened her back and led the way.

Mrs. Jiang felt slighted, waved her handkerchief, and said no more.

Nanny Qin led Mrs. Jiang into the house, where Mrs. Dong and Bai Qingyan, along with Bai Jintong, were laughing and talking, showing obvious signs of neglect, which immediately enraged Mrs. Jiang.

Mrs. Jiang walked in with a smile, saying, “I must have come at the wrong time today. I wanted to greet the Eldest Princess, but she is unwell! Even my in-law has to take care of Jinxiu and can’t come!”

Mrs. Dong, hearing the sarcastic remark, glanced at Mrs. Jiang with her phoenix eyes, recalling what Fourth Miss Bai Jinzhi had said. That day at the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage’s mansion, Mrs. Jiang had ridiculed Bai Qingyan’s health and age. Mrs. Dong, now full of hatred for Mrs. Jiang, gave her no pleasant look.

Mrs. Dong withdrew a handkerchief to press the corner of her lips, looking at Mrs. Jiang with a stern face, saying, “Hearing the Marquis’s wife, it sounds as if my mother’s illness came at an inconvenient time just when you arrived. And my second sister-in-law has no sense of priority, leaving such a distinguished Marquis’s wife unattended to take care of her dying daughter.”

Mrs. Jiang’s throat tightened, humiliated and unable to maintain her smile.

Known for her virtuous and kind reputation, Mrs. Dong had always been a matronly model. But Bai Qingyan knew her mother was formidable and fiercely protective. For anyone who bullied her children, Mrs. Dong would fear nothing.

Bai Qingyan and Bai Jintong still adhered to the formalities, and they stood up to greet Mrs. Jiang with a brief salute.

Bai Qingyan sat down and asked with a smile, “The Marquis’s wife visits today, is it to have the Duke of Zhen Mansion welcome you at the main gate to show off your noble status? Upon arrival, you immediately start questioning the faults of my grandmother and second aunt?!”

Hearing Bai Qingyan’s words, Mrs. Jiang felt a rush of fear, remembering the fright Bai Qingyan had given her at the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage’s mansion gate that day.

Mrs. Jiang’s palms were sweating. She knew that today was different from the past. The Marquis of Loyalty and Courage had made mistakes, and they had to lower their faces and submit to ease the Duke of Zhen Mansion’s anger. But the way Mrs. Dong and Miss Bai spoke was infuriating.

Mrs. Jiang’s nails were about to dig into her skin when she finally conceded, saying, “How dare I question the Eldest Princess!”

“So, the Marquis’s wife blames my second aunt…” Bai Jintong’s face turned cold immediately, “I thought the Marquis’s wife visited today to apologize, but it turns out you came to find fault!”

Mrs. Jiang, already narrow-minded, felt insulted by a mere concubine-born girl challenging her, her face turned black: “A concubine-born dares to shout at me, Mrs. Dong, don’t you manage your daughters? Aren’t you afraid of others questioning your family upbringing if this gets out?!”

Mrs. Dong heavily placed her teacup down and glared at Mrs. Jiang in displeasure: “The Marquis’s wife should worry more about your own family’s upbringing! Your two legitimate daughters even plan to harm their new sister-in-law’s life over small disputes! You extend your hand into your daughter-in-law’s dowry, selling off her maids when she was gravely injured and unconscious. This has spread all over Dadu City, and all the noble families are laughing about it! Instead of thinking about how to recover your family’s reputation, you have the gall to judge the Duke of Zhen Mansion’s upbringing, truly shameless!”

Mrs. Dong’s words trampled Mrs. Jiang’s dignity deep into the mud.

“You!” Mrs. Jiang’s chest heaved violently, trembling with anger, unable to utter a word.