Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Main Hall of the Outer Courtyard.

Even though Liu Baozheng’s family was just a servant of the Zhen family, Tanchun still remained polite when she spoke to them, still calling her Aunt Liu, and did not scold her harshly.

But the words he used to explain the reasons were sharp and merciless.

Liu Baozheng was a cunning and eloquent person, but Tanchun’s words exposed her true nature, and she was shocked.

However, every word the other party said was the truth, which made it difficult for her to refute and she was speechless for a moment.

Mrs. Wang, who was standing by, was filled with anger, her face flushed red, and she tried hard to resist the urge to curse.

Liu Baozheng’s wife actually lied to her in person. This old woman had clearly gone to the West Mansion to look for Feng Yatou, but was kicked out by her, so she came to the East Courtyard to ask for her help.

She just said that she disliked Feng girl because she was young and unreliable, and was unwilling to go far away to find a respected person like her. It turned out that she was just lying.

I have become someone else’s substitute. How ridiculous! This woman is really blind!

In the eyes of these wealthy families, even though she had been the mistress of Rongguo Mansion for more than ten years, she was not as good as the younger daughter-in-law like Wang Xifeng.

It’s ridiculous that people in the world have lost their vision!
……

Mrs. Wang hated being looked down upon by Liu Baozheng’s family, and she hated Tanchun even more for not caring about her own face and exposing the matter in person, making her, as the legitimate mother, lose all face!
Once this matter gets out, it will become a laughing stock among the nobles in the capital, and I will never be able to face people.

The third girl knew very well that Liu Baozheng’s family had been to the West Mansion, and they pretended to pay a visit to me in the morning, but she didn’t say a word, allowing me to fall into such a bad trick. It was really despicable!

Now he was trapped in this small and uncomfortable East Courtyard, and could only step into the threshold of the West Palace if he wanted to visit Baoyu or pay a visit to the old lady.

However, this girl worked openly as a lady in the East Palace, wearing fine clothes and eating delicious food, living a decent life, and could come and go freely in both the East and West Palaces.

She is just a lowly concubine’s daughter, but she is a hundred times more glorious and proud than her mother, the mistress of the second room. She really has no idea of ​​the difference between superiors and inferiors and has no idea what’s the point.

She clearly knew the background of the East and West Palaces, but she never revealed a word to me. Girls are extroverted and their elbows are not outward.

He must have seen that his biological mother had lost power, and he looked down on and ridiculed him in his heart, so he didn’t even take him seriously.

She hangs out with Cong’er every day and treats his cousin as her own brother. She has never been seen wholeheartedly supporting and caring for Baoyu, her real brother.

Since she was so proud in front of Cong’er, she didn’t speak up for her brother in front of Cong’er when Feng wanted to lay off the people around Baoyu.

If she had said a few nice words, Baoyu would not have been so embarrassed.

He was a noble and honorable young man, the direct descendant of the Rongguo Mansion, but he had only five or six maids to serve him and ended up in such a shabby state.

I have always been kind-hearted and tolerant to the third girl since she was a child, but I ended up with an ungrateful person who disrespects her mother and her brothers. I am really raising a tiger to cause harm!
……

Mrs. Wang was born with a paranoid and narrow-minded personality. She was the eldest daughter of the Wang family in Jinling and was spoiled since childhood.

After Jia Min got married, she became the top young female in the Ning and Rong mansions. As the mistress of the Rong family for more than ten years, she was used to being high and mighty.

Ever since the second branch of the Jia family lost its position as the legitimate wife and was forced to move out of the Rongguo Mansion, it has been a setback that Mrs. Wang could not accept.

She could not accept the decline of the second house and its inability to recover, but she was unwilling to blame herself.

If he is unwilling to admit that it was his own viciousness and narrow-mindedness that caused the Second House to fall into such a state, then he can only find fault with others…

After the second wife lost her title, Baoyu became more and more frustrated. It was all because of Jia Cong’s insidiousness and cunningness that he snatched away the second wife’s power and Baoyu’s luck.

She never objected to her concubine Tanchun settling in the East Palace, so that the second house could plant a wedge in the East Palace and she could get involved in the affairs of the main palace.

Tanchun would be grateful to her and be loyal to her, always telling her the details of the two mansions’ internal affairs and Jia Cong’s daily private behavior, so that she would have an excuse to abuse her power.

If Tanchun didn’t do this, she would be unfilial, disrespectful to her stepmother, and she would be the ungrateful person she had raised…

In short, the second wife had fallen into such a state that she had lost her status as the head lady of the Duke’s Mansion, and her Baoyu was not even worthy of the daughter of an official.

All these evil consequences were caused by persecution from others. She and her Baoyu were so innocent.

She and Baoyu must be praised and sympathized by everyone. All the happiness in the world should be theirs. How can a bastard or a child born out of wedlock be their match…

……

Liu Baozheng’s wife was speechless after hearing Tanchun’s words. She felt extremely ashamed and angry, thinking that today’s events would most likely be ruined by this damn girl.

She has lived in the mansion all her life and is cunning and good at observing people’s words and expressions and pleasing her master, otherwise Madam Zhen would not have assigned her to do such an important task.

She saw that Mrs. Wang’s face was ashen and full of anger. Although she looked annoyed with herself, the look she gave the girl seemed even more unfriendly.

She understood the thoughts of wealthy wives the best and always valued her reputation and dignity more than her own life.

I lied to her in front of her. At worst, she would kick me out and she wouldn’t lose face.

But this damn girl exposed the matter on the spot, which made Mrs. Jia feel a little embarrassed. It seemed like she was being seen as a fool…

She knew in her heart that the matter had been interfered with by someone else. Even if Mrs. Jia was greedy for money, she would not agree to this matter, otherwise she would have a hard time explaining herself in the Jia family.

She couldn’t help but get angry when she thought about this. Even if she couldn’t accomplish the important task of becoming a wife, she couldn’t let others humiliate her in vain.

I have to disgust this bad girl and vent my anger before I can leave. Otherwise, she will think that the Zhen family is easy to bully!
After a brief thought, he said in a sarcastic tone, “This girl is so rude. I have been to the West Mansion and met Second Madam Lian.

It’s just that she is young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, unable to take on responsibilities, so she comes to Mrs. Jia, an experienced person, for help. How could the girl be so casual and mean?

May I ask, Mrs. Jia, who is this girl from?

……

Although Mrs. Wang was angry at Liu Baozheng’s deception, if Tanchun hadn’t exposed it to her, the matter would have been ruined and she would have lost a way to make money in vain…

She said in a cold voice: “This is my concubine’s daughter Tanchun!”

After hearing Mrs. Wang’s cold words, Tanchun shuddered slightly.

She could tell that Mrs. Wang emphasized the word “concubine’s daughter” with endless anger and contempt. Her bright eyes became moist involuntarily and she bit her lips tightly.

When Liu Baozheng heard Mrs. Wang’s words, he knew Mrs. Wang’s mind and felt a little gloating.

She spent a lot of time and effort, disregarding her dignity, traveling back and forth between the east and west mansions of the Jia family, just to get this done, but it was ruined by Tanchun’s words.

With resentment in his heart, he sneered and said, “Mrs. Jia is really a kind-hearted person. Most of the concubines of wealthy families cannot be raised.

Mrs. Jia not only raised this girl, but also made her so beautiful that she could even correct her stepmother’s actions, which was rare.

Mrs. Jia is really generous, which is rare among the wealthy families…”

Every word Liu Baozheng said touched upon Mrs. Wang’s taboos, which was extremely sinister.

Cui Mo’s face turned pale when she heard such strange words.

She grew up in the second house, so she knew Mrs. Wang’s temper very well. She always took her position as the mistress and the biological mother very seriously.

This damn dirty woman said these words in front of the lady, she wants to kill the girl!

After hearing what was said, Mrs. Wang felt as if someone had added fuel to the fire. She was so angry that her whole body was shaking slightly and she seemed about to go crazy.

After hearing the sinister words from Liu Baozheng’s wife, Tanchun’s face turned pale instantly. She had not expected that the old woman from the Zhen family was so vicious.

……

Mrs. Wang suppressed her anger, not wanting to lose her composure in front of outsiders. She picked up the teacup and said coldly, “Caixia, send the guest away!”

Caixia was also indignant when she saw her wife being humiliated, so she stepped forward and said, “Madam Liu, please come in!”

Liu Baozheng’s wife knew that the plan would not work out, and although she was still unwilling, she had no choice but to bow slightly to Mrs. Wang and turn away.

But before she could take a step, she heard Tanchun say coldly, “Aunt Liu, stop, take your box and leave, so as not to be involved!”

Liu Baozheng’s family froze in their tracks. That box was worth several thousand taels of silver. How could she forget it?

She originally wanted to leave some excuses so that she could talk to Mrs. Wang later, but she didn’t expect that this damn girl was so shrewd and didn’t leave her any room at all.

Tanchun signaled to Cui Mo beside her, and Cui Mo walked to the table, bowed slightly to Mrs. Wang, picked up the box and put it into Liu Baozheng’s hands.

When Mrs. Wang saw this scene, she felt a pang of pain in her heart, and she could hardly hold the teacup in her hand steady…

……

As soon as Liu Baozheng’s family left, Mrs. Wang threw the teacup in her hand hard to the ground, smashing it to pieces!

He pointed at Tanchun and cursed, “How dare you! I was entertaining guests in the main hall today and you barged in without permission and spoke wildly. How dare you show any manners at all!

You’ve made a fool of our Second Branch by letting outsiders watch us like this. You’ve lost all face!

Didn’t you hear what the old woman said just now? It’s all because of me that I spoiled you and made you so disrespectful and lawless!
Tanchun turned pale and said defensively, “Madam, I would never dare to be disrespectful to you in the slightest.

I was worried that Mrs. Liu was cunning and might deceive my wife for the time being, and that our family would really accept the silver box from the Zhen family.

Not only will it give the master a handle, I’m afraid it will also implicate my third brother…”

When Mrs. Wang heard her third brother address her like that, she became even more furious and scolded, “You shameless girl, kneel down in front of me!” In the backyard, the legitimate mother was the most important, and although Tanchun felt unfair, she dared not say much at this moment and could only kneel down with anger.

Mrs. Wang continued to scold, “You keep an eye on that boy every day and scheme for him in everything.

I thought you still had some filial piety, and your actions today were somewhat for the master.

It turns out that in the final analysis, it was all for the boy’s safety!

He is just your cousin, not your biological brother. Who do you think you are? You are so worried about him. You are shameless!”

After hearing what Mrs. Wang said, Tanchun couldn’t help shaking all over, as if someone had pried open her heart. She felt ashamed and a blush appeared on her pale face.

When Mrs. Wang saw Tanchun’s strange expression, her red cheeks, and her unusual beauty, she couldn’t help but feel a little gloomy in her heart…

She said grimly: “You are an ignorant and shameless girl. If you are not punished today, what kind of family education will the Jia family’s second branch have?

Caixia, bring me the family rules!”

……

Caixia’s face changed color when she heard this. The third girl had been favored by the old lady since she was young, and now she was loved by the third master Cong, and the lady had never hit her.

Now that we are talking and getting angry, we are in a hurry to start fighting, so please don’t make any trouble…

Seeing Caixia hesitate, Mrs. Wang became even more furious and shouted, “Are you rebelling too?”

After hearing this, Caixia turned pale with fright and quickly took the family rules from the altar on the side of the hall.

Mrs. Wang accepted the family rules and walked step by step to Tanchun. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely solemn.

Although Tanchun was a concubine’s daughter, she had outstanding appearance, was smart and capable, and had eloquence since childhood.

Apart from Yuanchun who entered the palace in her early years, Tanchun was the granddaughter that Grandmother Jia valued the most. No servants in the two mansions dared to disrespect her, and no one had ever heard of her being punished or beaten.

Caixia, who was standing by, felt a chill in her heart when she saw Mrs. Wang raising the family rules.

If the mistress really hit the third girl, the master would be fine with it, and even if the old lady complained, it would not matter.

If the Third Master of the East Mansion knew that he loved the Third Miss so much and was not a soft-hearted person, I’m afraid he wouldn’t give up easily…

At this time, the maid Cui Mo saw Mrs. Wang’s ferocious face and felt scared.

She immediately knelt down and begged, “Madam, please spare my life. My body is so delicate, how can it withstand this? What if it gets hurt?”

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she felt a little startled, thinking of her own Baoyu getting married at the end of the year, and also thinking of the money allocated by the Duke of Xifu.

If I offend that kid, and he starts to do bad things…

But she had just said something harsh. If she let Tanchun off so easily, wouldn’t she, as the housewife and stepmother, become a joke?
Mrs. Wang said coldly, “Stretch out your hand!”

Tanchun felt aggrieved, and tears filled her bright eyes.

Seeing her hesitation, Madam Wang shouted sternly, “How dare you disobey and resist the family rules? Could it be that this was also taught by your third brother? He is a good head of the family!”

When Tanchun heard this, her face turned pale and she stretched out her hands without hesitation. Her palms were white, tender and translucent, and her fingers were slender, like the buds of Lancome, extremely beautiful.

……

When Mrs. Wang saw that the little girl acted as if she had been bewitched and didn’t care about her life at all when she mentioned that boy, how could she be so attentive to her own Baoyu!

She became more and more jealous, and raised the family law high, and slapped Tanchun’s little hand hard.

A scream was heard in the hall, and Caixia and Cuimo’s legs went weak. They had never heard the third girl scream like that before.

Tanchun’s hands were slender and beautiful, with thin skin and tender flesh. How could she withstand the beatings? After just five or six consecutive beatings, her two delicate palms were already red and swollen.

She only screamed subconsciously when Mrs. Wang whipped her for the first time, but then she became silent, with tears streaming down her face and only suppressed groans coming out of her mouth.

Seeing that she was so stubborn and refused to beg for mercy, Mrs. Wang became even more furious. She was like a possessed person and could not stop, her heart overflowing with cruel pleasure.

With the crackling sound of the whipping, Tanchun’s pretty face turned pale as paper and sweat broke out on her beautiful forehead due to the pain.

The whole person was a little shaky, and Cui Mo beside him was crying with fear.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, and a figure rushed into the hall like the wind!
Before Mrs. Wang could see who was coming, she felt a pain in her hand, and the family law in her hand had been taken away by someone else.

Cui Mo cried with joy and shouted, “Third Master!”

……

Just now, the secretary went to the East Palace to pass on a message to Jia Cong. After passing Ningrong Street, he had to go through two more palaces. When he ran to Jia Cong’s yard, he didn’t see anyone and was sweating in a hurry.

Although today is a day off for officials, they are not required to report to the yamen as usual.

But the secretary knew that Jia Cong was dedicated to his work and sometimes even on his days off, he would go to the workshop outside the city to work.

If the Third Master was not at home today, and my daughter had to deal with things alone, it would probably be bad…

Later, when they met Qingwen and Lingguan coming back from fetching water, they said that the Third Master was practicing martial arts in the open space under the Dengxian Pavilion. Only then did the secretary finally find him.

Jia Cong knew the situation in the East Courtyard and was worried that Tanchun would not be able to handle it alone.

He didn’t even have time to change his clothes as he hurried over with his secretary, but in the end he was still a step too late.

When Tanchun saw Jia Cong, the strength in her heart suddenly weakened and she was about to fall down, but Jia Cong held her shoulders.

Jia Cong glanced at Tanchun’s red and swollen palms. The skin on the palms was broken and bleeding, and he felt a twitching pain in his heart.

His face turned ashen, and the look he gave Mrs. Wang was sinister and frightening.

When Mrs. Wang saw his ferocious look, she couldn’t help but tremble in her heart.

Jia Cong asked coldly: “What on earth did Third Sister do wrong that Madam would do such a cruel thing to her?”

Seeing that he was so rude and didn’t take her, his elder, into consideration, Mrs. Wang felt angry and a little scared…

But when she thought of her husband Jia Zheng, she regained some courage.

He said coldly: “Brother Cong, even though you are the head of the family now, according to the etiquette of the family, you should not interfere with the second wife’s teaching of your own daughter!
“Don’t forget the master’s kindness. How can you speak so rudely in front of the old lady?”

……

Jia Cong handed Tanchun to the secretary behind him, his face as gloomy as water, and said coldly: “Since Madam wants to talk about the rules, Cong will talk to you about the rules!

The maid from the eldest wife of the Zhen family came to the West Mansion yesterday to complain. She wanted to hide the silver box of her eldest wife’s family in our house.

The Zhen family is now involved in the private manufacture of muskets and has been investigated by the imperial court. Their property will be confiscated and they will be charged with crimes.

Anyone who dares to hide other people’s private silver is violating the law and should be punished according to the law. I rushed back home after receiving the news, and my second sister-in-law also rejected the matter in time.

This matter concerns national law and involves the safety of the family!
Madam, you know that I am the head of the family. I have made the decision on this matter. If anyone dares to disobey, wouldn’t that be disobeying the family rules?
The maid had already explained the whole story on the way just now. That old woman from the Zhen family was cunning and abominable. It was difficult to accomplish anything in the West Mansion, so she came to the East Courtyard to stir up trouble.

The third sister knew the root of the matter and was worried that her wife would be deceived by others, so she spoke out to dissuade her in time. What was wrong with that?
The wife said that this was the second wife’s private matter of disciplining her daughter. This was too ridiculous. This matter concerned the safety of the entire family. It was not a private matter of one wife, but a major family affair!

The third sister had made great contributions in protecting the family, but she did not receive praise from the elders and was beaten by the wife for no reason.

How can it be considered family rules and regulations for the second wife to discipline her daughter in this way?
Madam is so angry about the third sister’s dissuasion of this matter, could it be that there is something wrong with the Zhen family’s private money? As the head of the family, how can Cong sit back and watch!”

……

After hearing Jia Cong’s last few words, Mrs. Wang felt a little flustered as she had heard Jia Cong’s greed and distracting thoughts exposed.

Mrs. Wang knew that Jia Cong inherited the title and became the head of the two Jia family mansions, but he always kept his dignity and courtesy to her.

I didn’t expect him to speak so harshly today. He didn’t even give his elders any face. He is truly lawless!
But he relied on his status as the head of the Jia family, and his words were always in accordance with the state laws and etiquette, and he was arrogant and upright.

Although Mrs. Wang felt ashamed, annoyed and angry, she could not find any fault with his words.

She is also a shrewd and strong-willed woman, but she has been confined to the inner court for half her life. No matter whether she is cunning or eloquent and quick witted, she can never compare with Jia Cong.

Under Jia Cong’s sharp words, he wanted to find words to fight back and defend himself, but he couldn’t find any handle. He became speechless for a moment, and his situation became very embarrassing.

Jia Cong said coldly: “Third sister’s hand was seriously injured, I took her back to the East Palace for treatment. Third sister is a junior, so let’s not talk about the grievances she suffered.

But as for the etiquette of the family and the right and wrong of the matter, I will report everything to you when you return home, so that we can discuss the right and wrong!”

When Mrs. Wang heard this, her face changed again. She knew that the master had always valued this boy and she thought everything he said was right.

This kid is always cunning and eloquent, and I don’t know what he will do…

Just as Mrs. Wang was feeling somewhat confused and uneasy because of Jia Cong’s words.

But Jia Cong personally supported Tanchun, and took Shishu and Cui Mo with him, and left the hall and went far away.

When he left, he didn’t even say goodbye, just like his second wife was just a decoration. (End of this chapter)