Panic flickered in Granny Liu’s eyes. “I always thought there was something strange about the Eldest Miss’s return.
She was clearly dead, so how did she come back a year later? We’d better be careful.”
Granny Wu scowled. “What’s there to fear? Second Madame holds the household management of the mansion.
How dare we defy her wishes? Unless you don’t want to stay in the Prime Minister’s Mansion anymore.”
Granny Chen thought her words made sense. After all, she hadn’t been in the Prime Minister’s Mansion for long, so it was better to avoid trouble. She fell silent.
Feng Qianqian listened to their conversation in the courtyard, her eyes icy.
The scar she used to deceive others seemed even more hideous.
Her voice was cold. “These dogs won’t learn their lesson unless they’re taught a thing or two.”
Carrying a stick, she kicked open the kitchen door.
Inside the kitchen, steam swirled, and the aroma of meat filled the air.
Granny Liu was startled. “E-Eldest Miss!”
Feng Qianqian, wearing a short, old dress, walked straight to the stove.
She lifted the lid of one pot, revealing a simmering chicken that emitted a tantalizing fragrance.
She opened another lid, and inside was steamed fish.
“So there is food here.”
“Don’t touch that! This is prepared for Madam,” Granny Liu protested.
Fury filled Feng Qianqian’s eyes. “I wasn’t aware that Second Concubine had become Madam.
A mere concubine gets to eat chicken and fish, while I, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, am fed pig slop.”
The grannies exchanged uneasy glances, unsure what to do.
Wasn’t it said that the Eldest Miss was weak and incompetent, with a voice as faint as a mosquito’s? This didn’t seem like her at all!
Feng Qianqian snapped sharply, “Who’s the person in charge here? Step forward!
Who gave you the nerve to serve me moldy food?”
Leaning against the doorframe and eating melon seeds, Granny Wu glanced sideways at Feng Qianqian. “Well, if it isn’t the Eldest Miss who didn’t die. What wind blew you here?
This is the kitchen, an important place. It’s not for just any stray cat or dog to wander into. Get out!”
These words only added fuel to the fire. Feng Qianqian strode forward and slapped Granny Wu’s plump face.
Her voice was icy. “Who are you telling to get out? How dare you!”
“You little bitch, you hit me!” Granny Wu saw stars.
“Keep cursing. Let’s see if it hurts more to curse or to be hit!”
With that, five distinct finger marks appeared on the other side of Granny Wu’s face.
Both sides of her face immediately swelled and turned red.
Having suffered, Granny Wu covered her swollen face with one hand and pointed at Feng Qianqian with the other, shouting angrily, “You little bitch, how dare you hit me!
Do you know who I am? I’m Madam’s distant relative. You must have a death wish!”
Looking at Feng Qianqian’s slender figure, Granny Wu’s eyes gleamed.
Relying on her own bulk and strength, she spread her arms and lunged at Feng Qianqian, intending to crush her to death.
Feng Qianqian dodged, and the table was knocked over. Bowls and plates crashed to the ground with a crisp clatter, as if the earth itself trembled.
Granny Wu landed with a thud, making intimate contact with the ground.
“Ouch, that nearly killed me!” she said, her words slurred from the impact.
Seeing her two front teeth on the ground, she wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes blazing with fury. “You little bitch, I’ll kill you!”
She scrambled to her feet, mustered all her strength, clenched her fists, and charged fiercely at Feng Qianqian.
Feng Qianqian brandished the stick and began fiercely beating her lower body.
“Ah! You little wretch!”
Granny Wu clutched her legs, letting out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
“You little wretch, you’ll die a terrible death. Madam won’t let you get away with this.”
Feng Qianqian struck several more blows with the stick.
“Ah!”
As she beat her, Feng Qianqian vented her anger: “You old, wicked servant who bullies others by flaunting your master’s power—you deserve a beating.”
After several loud thwacks, Granny Wu was already cowering there like a stray dog.
The pain in her legs made cold sweat pour down her forehead, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
“Eldest Miss, this old servant was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. Please spare me!”
“Ah…”
Tears streamed down Granny Wu’s face: “Ancestor, my living ancestor, this old servant was blinded by greed. Please let me go.”
Granny Wu began pleading incessantly, completely changing from her earlier arrogance.
Feng Qianqian kicked her out the door.
Granny Chen and Granny Liu simultaneously gaped, their mouths wide enough to fit an egg.
They were utterly shocked: Granny Wu was heavier than a pig, so when did Eldest Miss become so strong?
Normally, it took two people to lift Granny Wu, yet Eldest Miss had sent her flying with a single kick.
Seeing the situation turn sour, Granny Liu quietly slipped away to fetch reinforcements.
Granny Chen stepped forward to plead: “Eldest Miss, please spare her.
Steward Wu is also getting on in years. If you keep beating her, it could cost her life.”
Feng Qianqian grabbed a nearby stick and smashed it forcefully against the stove.
With a loud clang, the large pot instantly shattered into pieces. The meat broth spilled into the fire, causing the flames to sizzle and crackle.
“If you make me eat spoiled food, then none of you will eat either.”
Feng Qianqian casually picked up a stack of bowls and plates, hurling them violently to the ground, then proceeded to smash everything else she could.
In an instant, fragments flew everywhere, leaving the floor in such a mess that there was no place to even step.
Seeing the result, Feng Qianqian smiled with satisfaction: “If I can’t eat well, then no one else will either.”
She knew that in the mansion, apart from Second Concubine, all the other concubines had their own small kitchens.
…………
Second Concubine returned to her courtyard, furious. She cursed, “Such a large Treasury—how could everything just disappear all of a sudden? How was it all moved out?”
Just then, Granny Liu hurried in, bowed hastily, her voice trembling: “Madam, it’s terrible! Eldest Miss went to the kitchen and beat Steward Wu. You must go and see.”
Upon hearing this, Second Concubine flew into a rage. With pent-up anger and nowhere to vent it, her eyes gleamed with malice. “How dare she! That wretched girl thinks she can defy the heavens?
Come, this Madam will see for herself how much courage she has, daring to lay a hand on my people.”
Second Concubine led a group of servants, storming toward the kitchen with an imposing air.
Granny Wu sat on the ground, her face swollen like a pig’s head. Seeing Second Concubine, she looked as if she had spotted a savior.
“M-Madam, you must save me.”
Third Concubine and Fourth Concubine were strolling in the courtyard when they saw Second Concubine marching forward with a look that seemed ready to devour someone alive.
Third Concubine Su Xiaoxiao spoke up: “What’s wrong with Second Concubine? Is she going to kill someone? Let’s go and see.”
The two of them also headed toward the Main Kitchen.
Seeing Feng Qianqian, Second Concubine glared with malice in her eyes: “You little wretch, what mischief are you causing here? You just came back from the dead and still won’t settle down!”
Tears welled in Granny Wu’s eyes: “Madam, Eldest Miss smashed all the pots and bowls in the kitchen.
It’s fine if us old servants go hungry for a meal or two, but you and the young misses are of noble stature and cannot afford to starve!”
Feng Qianqian wore an expression of utter indifference.
Second Concubine, upon hearing these words, erupted in anger: “How dare you smash the kitchen? You truly have no regard for law or order!”
Feng Qianqian glanced at Second Concubine: “This old servant deserved a beating. She ordered someone to send me spoiled food, claiming it was on your instruction. Shouldn’t she be punished?”
Feng Qianqian held a stick in her hand, radiating killing intent as she glared at Second Concubine: “Was it you who gave the order?”
Seeing Feng Qianqian’s demeanor, which seemed poised to give her a beating, Second Concubine felt a tremor in her heart: [This little wretch hasn’t stopped causing trouble since she returned!]