"Xu Yuqing, have some shame!" Zhu Jiayi glared at Xu Yuqing, scolding her.
"You're the one who needs to have some shame! It's clearly all your fault, and instead of admitting it, you want to blame me. You're so shameless!" Xu Yuqing glared back fiercely, pointing at Zhu Jiayi and yelling.
"Both of you, shut up," Concubine Dowager Zheng said angrily, her voice booming. "How can you two argue like this in front of so many servants? What kind of behavior is this! Where is the dignity of the Prince's Mansion!"
"It's all her fault!" Zhu Jiayi and Xu Yuqing pointed at each other's noses simultaneously, blaming the other. Just as they were about to launch into a tirade, they were silenced by Concubine Dowager Zheng's eerie and terrifying gaze.
"Although the Prince of Dai's Mansion has declined, it still bears the surname Huangfu. It is the imperial family, the heavenly clan! As daughters-in-law of the Prince of Dai's Mansion, I expect you both to constantly remember your identities and not do anything that would tarnish its reputation or make it a laughingstock." Concubine Dowager Zheng stared coldly at Zhu Jiayi and Xu Yuqing, admonishing them with a stern expression.
Zhu Jiayi and Xu Yuqing nodded together. Concubine Dowager Zheng then said to Xu Yuqing, "Xu Yuqing, I hope this is the last time you stir up trouble. If there is a next time, I will not be lenient."
Hearing Concubine Dowager Zheng's words, it was clear she intended to let Xu Yuqing off the hook this time and not punish her. Madam Song, who had been worried about Xu Yuqing receiving severe punishment, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to bow and express her gratitude to Concubine Dowager Zheng.
"Thank you, Old Madam, for your grace. Rest assured, Old Madam, the Second Young Madam will absolutely not dare to do this again."
Xu Yuqing quietly glared at Madam Song, very displeased that she had stepped forward to speak, making it seem as if she had intentionally caused trouble and that it was entirely her fault. Xu Yuqing felt wronged and wanted to scold Madam Song, and also wanted to speak up in her own defense to Concubine Dowager Zheng, to let her know that Zhu Jiayi was in the wrong and that she was an innocent victim. However, after a moment of hesitation, she held back. She wasn't entirely brainless and understood the current situation. It was better to nod for now, lest Concubine Dowager Zheng change her mind and punish her.
Xu Yuqing hesitated, then nodded, "Understood. Thank you, Grandmother."
She nodded, but someone was displeased.
Zhu Jiayi spoke up, "Grandmother, you cannot let Xu Yuqing off so easily without punishment. She went too far this time. Not only did she try to hit me, but she almost caused the servants from both our branches to fight... Speaking of which, the coachman who drove her earlier, Jiang Shangyun, injured several of my servants. Please punish Jiang Shangyun as well." She turned and pointed at Jiang Shangyun, who was standing about ten feet behind, and loudly lodged her complaint.
The servants who had been injured by Jiang Shangyun and had just managed to get up, still groaning, immediately endured their pain and came before Concubine Dowager Zheng to complain, describing how violently Jiang Shangyun had attacked them.
Seeing this, Feng Maoyuan quickly glared at Jiang Shangyun and scolded him loudly, "Jiang Shangyun, how dare you! Hurry up and go apologize and accept punishment from the Old Madam and the Eldest Young Lady." Feng Maoyuan then rushed forward to kneel before Concubine Dowager Zheng and Huangfu Yue to beg for forgiveness, "Please forgive us, Old Madam and Eldest Young Lady. It is my fault for not disciplining my subordinate properly, allowing him to be so audacious and..."
"It has nothing to do with Jiang Shangyun. Jiang Shangyun was saving me," Xu Yuqing loudly interrupted Feng Maoyuan, speaking up to protect Jiang Shangyun.
"Yue'er, since you know what happened, you should know how that slut Zhi Shuang treated me earlier!" Xu Yuqing looked at Huangfu Yue. "That slut Zhi Shuang tightly gripped my hand and wouldn't let go, causing me to tear up, yet she still refused to release me. The servants in my chambers tried to save me, but she deliberately had people from the first branch block them. Ying'er was desperately calling for her to release me, but she turned a deaf ear. Poor Ying'er, such a small child, trying to save me, jumped desperately to try and open her hand holding mine, but because of her small size, no matter how high she jumped, she couldn't reach this slut's hand. This slut was openly humiliating us, mother and daughter, and Zhu Jiayi, as Zhi Shuang's mistress, turned a blind eye, tacitly allowing her to humiliate us."
Speaking of this, her hatred for Zhi Shuang intensified, and she glared, grinding her teeth, at Zhi Shuang, who was wiping the blood from her mouth.
"Eldest Young Lady, Old Madam, even if the Second Young Madam has a thousand faults and ten thousand faults, she is still a mistress of the Prince of Dai's Mansion, her status is incredibly noble. How could Zhi Shuang, as a mere servant, treat her like this, and treat Miss Ying like this, in front of so many people?" Jiang Shangyun seized the opportunity to speak, striding forward and kneeling before Huangfu Yue and Concubine Dowager Zheng. He clasped his fists and said, "I struck Zhi Shuang and these maids. Old Madam, Eldest Young Lady, I have no complaints no matter how you punish me. But I do not regret striking Zhi Shuang and these maids to save the Second Young Madam."
Hearing these words, Xu Yuqing's heart warmed, and she was filled with a strong sense of emotion, gazing at him with ardent eyes. Huangfu Yue and Concubine Dowager Zheng both narrowed their eyes slightly, staring at Jiang Shangyun and appraising him carefully.
Jiang Shangyun met their gaze calmly, without fear, and continued, "As the Old Madam said earlier, although the Prince of Dai's Mansion has declined, it still bears the surname Huangfu, it is still the imperial family, the heavenly clan. The heavenly clan is sacred and inviolable. We, as servants of the Prince of Dai's Mansion, should fully uphold the nobility and dignity of the Prince of Dai's Mansion's mistresses, letting outsiders know that the people of the Prince of Dai's Mansion are inviolable. How can subordinates act disrespectfully and humiliate their mistresses in front of so many people and injure them? If the Second Young Madam is in the wrong, it is for the Old Madam and the Eldest Young Lady to handle, not for a servant to punish the Second Young Madam." He spoke with righteous indignation.
"If Zhi Shuang and the others treated the Second Young Madam and Miss Ying in this way today in front of so many servants, and they are not severely punished, so that everyone knows that the Second Young Madam and Miss Ying are mistresses, sacred and inviolable, and subordinates must never act disrespectfully, then in the future, who will fear the Second Young Madam and Miss Ying... Who will respect them as mistresses? Everyone will bully the Second Young Madam and Miss Ying like Zhi Shuang and the others. What then?" He spoke while subtly observing the expressions of Concubine Dowager Zheng and Huangfu Yue, and also stealing glances at Xu Yuqing's expression, wanting to see their reactions.
Concubine Dowager Zheng and Huangfu Yue both showed expressions of surprise, seeming to regard him with new respect, while Xu Yuqing was already deeply moved, almost to tears. He secretly rejoiced, "Very good! I have achieved what I wanted..." However, he had not intended to attract the attention of Concubine Dowager Zheng and Huangfu Yue so soon, but now there was no other way. It was all Xu Yuqing's fault for stirring up trouble. Speaking of this woman, Xu Yuqing, she was truly exasperating. How could she cause so much trouble! Truly a foolish, brainless idiot!