Early the next morning, Zhaixing opened the door, rubbed her eyes, and couldn’t believe what she saw.
Her young mistress, who was usually fond of poetry and romance, was in the courtyard with her sleeves rolled up, practicing swordplay with a tree branch. Her steps were swift, and each move was exceptionally graceful.
After finishing her practice, Xie Zhaoshen calmly tossed the branch aside and adjusted her breathing.
Chu Yun’s body was still weak. After just half an hour of practice, she was panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
Zhaixing cautiously approached and handed her a handkerchief. “When did Young Mistress learn swordplay? Who taught you?”
Xie Zhaoshen replied, “I learned it from Xie Zhaoshen years ago. After vomiting blood yesterday, I reflected deeply on my pain. I need to be strong and healthy to slowly deal with those despicable people.”
Xie Zhaoshen wasn’t entirely lying. In the past, when Chu Yun was weak, he had wanted to teach her martial arts to improve her health, but the young girl couldn’t endure any hardship.
One moment, she complained that the horse stance was too ugly; the next, she grumbled that holding a sword would callus her delicate hands.
In short, she never learned anything substantial.
Zhaixing sighed with emotion. “It’s good that Young Mistress thinks this way. No matter what, health is the most important.”
Xie Zhaoshen hummed in agreement, then heard a commotion outside.
Zhaixing opened the courtyard gate, and a haughty Mama walked in. Upon seeing Xie Zhaoshen, she gave a rather disrespectful bow. “Since Young Mistress has recovered, you should go pay respects to your mother-in-law and serve her breakfast. Being so lazy—those who know might say Madam is lenient, but those who don’t might think you lack upbringing.”
Zhaixing was furious and stepped forward to argue.
Xie Zhaoshen sneered. “Does she have no hands or no brain? Does she need someone to feed her for a meal? Those who know might say it’s a small household with no manners, but those who don’t might think a den of beasts has gained sentience and doesn’t even know how to use chopsticks.”
Nanny Liu was stunned by the insult. Yesterday, when she saw the young master injured and claiming it was Young Mistress who did it, she thought he was just acting up under Liu Sisi’s influence. Who would have thought Young Mistress had truly gone mad, daring to say such things?
Nanny Liu exclaimed in shock, “How can Young Mistress speak such nonsense! Aren’t you afraid…”
Xie Zhaoshen turned and sat on the courtyard railing, one leg crossed and an arm resting on it, looking every bit like a bandit.
She raised an eyebrow at Nanny Liu. “Afraid of what?”
Nanny Liu sensed the coldness in her eyes and felt inexplicably uneasy. But then she thought, this was Meng Mansion, and Chu Yun was just an orphan living under someone else’s roof. As Madam’s confidante, why should she be afraid?
Nanny Liu straightened her back and mustered her courage. “Aren’t you afraid Madam will blame you and throw you out of the mansion?”
Xie Zhaoshen burst into laughter as if she had heard a joke. “I’d welcome it.”
Nanny Liu’s face instantly darkened. How had Young Mistress become a different person after getting married?
Seeing Nanny Liu’s shocked expression, Xie Zhaoshen said coldly, “Take my words to Madam Meng. Over the past three years, Meng Mansion has taken so much of my dowry. Return every last coin to me. Otherwise, when Xie Zhaoshen arrives, I’ll smash this Meng Mansion!”
With those final words, Xie Zhaoshen threw the handkerchief in her hand at Nanny Liu’s face.
The handkerchief slid off Nanny Liu’s face. Just as she was about to erupt in anger, she saw Xie Zhaoshen’s stern expression and icy gaze. For some reason, Nanny Liu felt her legs go weak, as if she wanted to kneel before Xie Zhaoshen.
Why had Young Mistress’s aura become so terrifying today?
Nanny Liu dared not linger, scurrying back to report to Madam.
Zhaixing’s astonished eyes held admiration: “That Mama always puts on airs in front of you, relying on Madam Meng’s backing. Yet just now, you actually scolded her away.”
Xie Zhaoshen was unimpressed: “This is nothing. There are still many scores to settle—no rush, we’ll deal with them one by one.”
Unable to sleep last night, he had flipped through the dowry list in the room and discovered that most of Chu Yun’s dowry was missing. There was no need to guess—it was the Meng Family’s “handiwork.”
Zhaixing nodded excitedly, but soon she realized: “But if you’re really driven out of the mansion, what will you do?”
Xie Zhaoshen replied matter-of-factly: “Naturally, come with me, with Xie Zhaoshen, back to the capital.”
Zhaixing said: “Huh?”
Xie Zhaoshen said: “What ‘huh’? Go and find out where Xie Zhaoshen has reached.”
But Zhaixing said: “Based on the time, he’ll arrive in at most three to five days. Young Mistress, you’re covered in sweat—hurry and take a bath.”
Hearing the first half, Xie Zhaoshen felt utterly comfortable. When Chu Yun arrived, he’d make sure she saw clearly how he avenged her.
But at the latter half, Xie Zhaoshen’s delicate frame trembled. He had completely forgotten about bathing.
General Xie, past the age of twenty and having galloped across battlefields, was still a genuine virgin. The most risqué thing he had ever done was secretly looking at erotic illustrations at night.
“No bath! Absolutely no bath!”
Zhaixing widened her round eyes: “Huh? Young Mistress, you usually love cleanliness the most. It’s been two days without a bath, and you just worked up a sweat—won’t you feel uncomfortable?”
Xie Zhaoshen clutched his collar tightly as if facing a great enemy: “Xie Zhaoshen will be here soon. I need to quickly settle matters with the entire Meng Mansion. Time is tight—no bath. I’m going to confront that old hag.”
As for sweat, what sweat? A gust of wind would blow it away.
With that, Xie Zhaoshen returned to the room, threw on an outer robe, and went to “pay respects” to Madam Meng.
In Songhe Courtyard, Nanny Liu wept and sniffled: “The Young Mistress knows General Xie is coming and seems to think she has someone to back her up. She suddenly changed completely, hitting and scolding this old servant.”
Madam Meng’s eyes darkened: “That fickle little slut! Since she married my son, she still thinks of other men!”
Originally, she had been hesitating whether to use that despicable method against Chu Yun. Now it seemed she was inherently restless!
Nanny Liu continued crying: “It doesn’t matter if this old servant loses face. What matters is she cursed the entire Meng Mansion, saying everyone here is a pack of beasts turned spirits, along with many other unspeakable words this old servant dares not repeat.”
Madam Meng looked at Nanny Liu in surprise: “How could she possibly curse like that?”
Chu Yun, a well-bred lady and Grand Tutor Chu’s daughter, cursing so vulgarly—unless the sun rose from the west.
Nanny Liu was almost ready to swear an oath: “This old servant wouldn’t dare utter a single false word.”
Madam Meng still felt Nanny Liu was exaggerating. Just then, a maid outside announced: “Madam, the Young Mistress is here to pay her respects.”
Madam Meng’s slightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, a composed smile on her face: “I told you, she doesn’t have the ability to cause trouble. See, she’s come obediently to pay respects, hasn’t she?”
Remembering the Young Mistress’s earlier reaction, Nanny Liu felt as if facing a great enemy: “Madam, you must not let your guard down. The Young Mistress really is different from before.”
Madam Meng shook her head disdainfully: “No matter how different she is, I am still her mother-in-law. How could she possibly turn the world upside down?”