Cuiyue Courtyard.
Amidst the seemingly enthusiastic guidance of the servants, Liu Rumei first arrived at her main room.
No sooner had she entered than her son and daughter were surrounded by a large group of servants and whisked away to their own rooms in the side courtyard before she could even exchange a word with them.
“Mother, wait for us in the room. My sister and I will come back shortly to help you settle in.”
Ji Wenbo was practically shoved out of the room by the crowd of servants. Helpless, he hurriedly turned his head and called out to his mother.
As he finished speaking, Ji Yunsu, also encircled by servants, added through the thick veil of her weimao, “Mother, wait for us.”
“Alright…”
Watching her daughter and son being escorted away by the large crowd, a faint unease flickered in Liu Rumei’s gentle, expressive eyes.
She responded instinctively, and in the blink of an eye, the main room was empty and silent, leaving her alone.
Having endured the fatigue of the long journey, Liu Rumei’s gentle gaze swept around the room.
The furnishings and decor were exquisitely arranged.
A complete set of black sandalwood furniture, intricately carved, clearly the work of skilled artisans.
Taking in the scene before her, a mistiness welled up in Liu Rumei’s tender eyes.
She felt as if a stone had been thrown into the calm lake of her heart, stirring ripples of emotion.
For sixteen years, she had raised her two children alone. During every hardship, every moment she felt she couldn’t go on, Liu Rumei had repeatedly prayed to the heavens, wishing her Ji Lang could return from the dead.
Yet each time, she had relied on her own hands and willpower to grit her teeth and persevere.
Over the years, Liu Rumei had grown accustomed to solving problems on her own.
But she never imagined life could be so unpredictable. Suddenly, one day, the Ji Lang who had vanished without a trace all those years ago had actually come back to life.
Not only that, but he had also become a high-ranking official, an important minister in the court.
And, as if his conscience had finally stirred, he had come to fetch her and their two children.
Liu Rumei tread carefully on the bluestone-paved floor, step by step, making her way to the inner chamber.
She reached out and gently stroked the soft bedding on the bed, a faint glimmer of tears appearing in her gentle eyes.
Years of labor had left her hands with calluses, and as her rough skin brushed against the smooth silk cover, it caught and pulled a few fine threads.
Seeing this, a look of tension unconsciously crossed Liu Rumei’s weary face, and she quickly withdrew her hand.
Afraid that she might accidentally damage such fine bedding with a mere touch.
Gazing at all the luxurious and precious items around her, Liu Rumei felt utterly out of place. Instinctively, she started to move, wanting to leave the room to find her daughter and son. Only when she was with her children did she feel at ease.
But just as she reached the doorway, she collided head-on with a woman dressed in splendid, vibrant attire.
Su Yiniang, bumped squarely, immediately raised her meticulously drawn eyebrows and sharply scolded without hesitation.
“Concubine Liu, why are you deliberately bumping into me? What are you trying to do?”
“I… I didn’t…” A flash of fear crossed Liu Rumei’s gentle eyes as she stammered in response.
“Slap!”
A crisp slap resounded abruptly through Cuiyue Courtyard.
Without giving Liu Rumei any chance to explain, Su Lihua immediately slapped her across the face!
Thud.
Weakened by chronic poisoning, Liu Rumei couldn’t withstand such a forceful blow. She lost her balance and collapsed onto the ground.
Instantly, five bright red finger marks appeared on her already pale, gentle face.
Her neatly styled hair bun was also disrupted by Su Lihua’s slap, leaving a strand clinging to her reddened cheek.
Su Lihua’s meticulously painted eyes clearly reflected Liu Rumei’s pitiful state.
She gritted her teeth secretly, the jealousy in her eyes intensifying.
Initially, Su Lihua had thought Liu Rumei was merely a village woman, worn down by poverty into a haggard middle-aged crone.
But she never expected that this abandoned wife—a “chaff and husk” cast aside by their lord—would possess the face and figure of a woman in her twenties.
Not only that, but her sorrowful, delicate demeanor could evoke pity not just in men, but even attract the sympathy of women!
Su Lihua stared down at Liu Rumei from above, a thick sense of crisis surging through her like a tidal wave.
Almost simultaneously, a ruthless glint flashed in Su Lihua’s spoiled eyes. She bent down abruptly, gripping Liu Rumei’s thin, pointed chin, and hissed coldly:
“Liu Rumei, don’t think that just because the lord needs you now to restore his official reputation, you can presume on his favor.”
“Let me tell you, I, Su Lihua, am the lord’s most beloved concubine. You, a mere country woman, are nothing!”
Upon hearing this, a faint, almost imperceptible stubbornness flickered in Liu Rumei’s rippling, gentle eyes.
She turned her face away, breaking free from Su Lihua’s grasp, and replied with neither humility nor arrogance: “Concubine Su, we are both women. Why must you make things difficult for me?”
“If you fear your favor being divided, you should focus your efforts on the man, not act like a shrew and trouble me.”
After years of raising her children alone, Liu Rumei possessed not only a woman’s gentleness but also a mother’s resilience.
In her view, it was utterly unnecessary for a woman to become vicious and distorted over a man.
However, Liu Rumei’s sincere words of turning the other cheek only enraged Concubine Su on the spot.
“Liu Rumei, who do you think you are? A lowly village woman daring to mock me? You’re asking for death!”
A sinister murderous intent surfaced on Su Lihua’s pampered face.
As she roared, Su Lihua directly raised her palm, adorned with crimson nail polish, and swung it fiercely at Liu Rumei, who was struggling to rise from the ground!
Damn country woman! You’re still useful to the lord, so I can’t kill you outright.
But I can ruin this seductive face of yours. Let’s see how you’ll charm the lord and compete with me then!
Su Lihua was originally a servant from a disgraced official’s household. Before becoming Grand Tutor Ji’s favored concubine, she had been stranded in the Jiaofangsi.
In places like the Jiaofangsi, which catered to high-ranking officials and nobles for entertainment, women frequently resorted to deadly schemes out of jealousy over each other’s looks.
Thus, Su Lihua was well-versed in how to destroy a woman’s beautiful face with just one slap.
That slap, carrying a force not to be underestimated, went straight toward Liu Rumei’s weary yet gentle and resilient face, striking down fiercely!
“Ah—”