Chapter 355

“This is…”

Xi Que had no intention of indulging these two. When it came to her mistress, Jiang Xinyue, she would not yield an inch.

Jiang Yulin had been waiting for Xi Que to arrive. Today, outside the Su residence, she had seen Jiang Xinyue and Xi Que, the mistress and maid, looking so formidable that jealousy had bubbled up inside her.

Why?

They were both daughters of the same father. Why did Jiang Xinyue's maid seem more imposing than her own? Even daring to strike a young lady of noble birth, while she herself had to waste away in some remote village, flirting with a smelly butcher?

With her greasy hands, Jiang Yulin swung toward Xi Que's face.

Xi Que's reflexes had been honed, and she quickly stepped back. But halfway through, she remembered her mistress was behind her, so she quickly returned to her original position, shielding Jiang Xinyue.

In that instant, she understood. Jiang Yulin's true target was her mistress.

She dared not strike openly, so she used the excuse of disciplining a servant, waiting for Xi Que to dodge, so she could slap Jiang Xinyue instead. Then, she could blame Xi Que for not standing her ground.

Who told her to move?

Xi Que closed her eyes, ready to bear the revolting slap, determined not to let a single drop of oil touch her mistress.

“You lowly servant, what do you think you are, daring to shout at me…”

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

The expected pain did not come. Instead, a gust of wind swept by, followed by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Qing Yu, a guard of the emperor, slowly retracted his long, straight leg from beside Xi Que's arm, his face reddening as he glanced at her.

Then, Qing Yu knelt with one knee and clasped his fist toward the emperor: “Your servant is guilty. I acted on my own, fearing that Your Majesty and the Lady would be caught in the crossfire.”

No, it was more accurate to say he acted with his foot.

The emperor waved his hand, and Qing Yu immediately retreated into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

“Wife!”

The greasy man, who had been enjoying his meal, was startled, bits of pastry flying from his mouth as he rushed toward Jiang Yulin: “Wife, you can't die! You promised that as soon as I brought you back to the capital, you'd let me touch you and marry me, taking me to live a good life. I even sold my pork stall. If you die, I’ll be ruined!”

The noblemen in their fine garments all looked intimidating, and he lacked the courage to curse at them. So, he could only hug Jiang Yulin and shake her desperately.

“You… let go of me!”

Jiang Yulin struggled to push him away, her venomous gaze fixed on Jiang Yankun: “Father, didn't you say that your daughter was sent to the countryside to recover from illness? Look, I’m better now. Can I come home now?”

Jiang Yankun frowned: “What madness are you spouting?”

Even on New Year’s, she couldn’t keep still. Acting so deranged in front of the emperor, how would he view the Jiang family’s vicious upbringing?

He wished this disobedient daughter had gone with Lady Zhou…

But she was his own flesh and blood. Sending her to the countryside and ignoring her was already the harshest punishment he could think of.

Why hadn’t she changed at all? Instead, she seemed worse than ever.

Jiang Yulin chuckled, rising from the ground and rubbing her stomach: “I’m not mad, Father. I’m too clear-headed.”

She then smeared her greasy hands all over her clothes: “Is my room still the same one? Father wouldn’t have given it to someone else just because I was ill, would he?”

Concubine Lin, shielding the nine-year-old Fifth Lady behind Lady Ruan, timidly said: “Zhaohua Courtyard is now where Fifth Lady and I reside. If Fourth Lady wishes to return, she can stay in the courtyard I used to live in.”

When Lady Zhou was alive, to prevent Lady Ruan and Concubine Lin from getting close to Jiang Yankun, she had arranged for them to live in remote, damp quarters.

Later, when Jiang Junze was born and Jiang Yankun personally ordered them to move to the main courtyard, Lady Zhou had reluctantly complied.

As for Concubine Lin, with only the Fifth Lady to her name, Lady Zhou had refused to allow her to move.

It wasn’t until Jiang Yutong died, Jiang Yulin was sent to the countryside, and finally Lady Zhou herself passed away that Lady Ruan took charge, arranging for Concubine Lin to move into Jiang Yulin’s former Zhaohua Courtyard.

It was one of the top three courtyards in the Jiang household. If not for Jiang Xinyan’s refusal to live in Jiang Yulin’s old room, it wouldn’t have fallen to them.

When Jiang Yulin was in power, she had often mocked them for living in what she called “dog kennels,” making faces and claiming they were infested with fleas, urging everyone to stay away.

Now, it was her turn to live in such a place. How did she feel about that?Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The air was oppressive. Suddenly, Jiang Yulin turned to Jiang Dalang, her voice sharp: “Brother! You coward, are you just going to stand by and watch while your own sister is being bullied like this?”

Jiang Dalang flinched at her shout, his eyes wide with fear: “You come back and start acting all crazy. Did you even give anyone a chance to speak?”

“Then speak now!”

Wasn’t her own brother supposed to stand up for her?

“You should go back where you came from! If my classmates at the National Academy of Learning find out my sister married a butcher, they’ll mock me to death.”

He was slow, not stupid.

Since his second sister was a favored concubine in the palace, his classmates had all been fawning over him, treating him as the center of attention, vying to be his friend.

This was good for him, advantageous.

But his own sister married a butcher?

His not-so-bright mind pondered. That wasn’t the kind of profession a proper young lady should marry into!

Besides, Jiang Dalang had never been close to this sister. Growing up, his sisters had always found him dull and avoided talking to him, so there was no real bond between them.

Not a single member of the family welcomed Jiang Yulin, not even her own brother, who wished she would just disappear.

Jiang Yulin laughed, tucking her disheveled hair behind her ear, her eyes gleaming with an eerie light: “Father, Brother, I’m tired. I’ll go rest now. Concubine Lin lives in Xiwu Courtyard, right? I’ll go there.”

Jiang Yankun’s brow furrowed. He felt something was off about Jiang Yulin, but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.

Jiang Xinyue’s eyes flickered as she smiled at Jiang Yulin: “Go ahead! I’ll send a few maids over to serve you later. If there’s anything you need, just let them know, and I’ll have it sent to you.”

Jiang Yulin, whose chest had been heaving with anger, calmed slightly at these words. She cast a dark glance around the room before retreating to the back courtyard.

The butcher followed her: “Wife… wife, wait for me!”

“This troublemaker, why can’t she just keep still?”

Concubine Lin twisted her handkerchief: “Your Majesty, letting her return… it might lead to…”

“She’s gone mad.”

Not just acting out of anger, but truly mad.

“Mad?”

Lady Ruan worried: “She looks… fine. It’s just… her spirit seems a bit too high.”

After ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‍a long journey from the countryside, evading the butcher all the way, she should be exhausted.