Only then did the Wei family notice Jiang Lanyue and the other two. Wei’s mother, with her triangular eyes, glanced at them, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face.
“Jiang, you still know how to come back! Where have you been gallivanting off to this time? Even at the estate, you’re not behaving yourself. My son was right to abandon you, a shameless whore like you…” *
Slap! Slap! Slap!*
Three crisp slaps rang out, and Wei’s mother was knocked to the ground. She braced herself against the ground, glaring at Jiang Lanyue in disbelief.
“You! You! You wretch! How dare you! I am your mother-in-law! One lawsuit and you’ll be imprisoned!”
Jiang Lanyue ignored the shouting Wei’s mother and went back to her room. Sure enough, the room was in chaos.
Wei Wan’er and Granny Wang, hearing the commotion, stormed out. Seeing Wei’s mother lying on the ground groaning, Wei Wan’er looked at Jiang Lanyue in shock.
“Are you crazy? How dare you hit your mother! Your brother will never let you get away with this!”
Facing Wei Wan’er’s powerless roar, Jiang Lanyue didn’t take it seriously. Instead, she quite enjoyed the disheveled appearance of the mother and daughter.
“Is that so? I’d like to ask Wei Chi, under the emperor’s nose, how can he disregard the law like this, sending his servants to break into people’s homes and rob them of their property, and wantonly injuring innocent civilians just because he’s an official? Could it be that Wei Chi wants to change the dynasty and establish himself as the ruler?”
“You’re spouting nonsense! When did we break into people’s homes? This is my Wei family’s estate. I can take whatever I want. Even these two servants, I can kill them if I want!”
Wei’s mother, already helped up by the old woman, stood with her hands on her hips, exuding an imposing aura.
“You shameless woman, you’re also a member of the Wei family! You don’t know how to respect your mother-in-law, so it’s only right that I, as your mother-in-law, teach you a lesson!”
The more Wei’s mother spoke, the more confident she became, completely oblivious to the fact that she and Wei Chi had already divorced.
Perhaps she knew, but she simply thought Jiang Lanyue was just an orphan with no family to rely on, so she could bully her without fear of retaliation.
Looking at Wei’s mother’s ugly face, Jiang Lanyue’s eyes grew colder, her fist poised to strike. However, someone was faster than her.
“You old hag, who do you think you are, daring to bully my young lady? Let’s see if my big knife agrees!”
Ruyi had somehow gone to the kitchen and brought out a wood-chopping knife, and even the timid Shanhu had grabbed a cleaver. The two of them flanked Jiang Lanyue.
They swung their knives at Wei’s mother and the other two, forcing them back several steps, their eyes filled with fear.
They had a premonition that if they said another word, the little brat in front of them would really come at them.
“I… Jiang, look at the servants you’ve trained! Do they even respect me, their old lady?”
Jiang Lanyue was so angry she laughed, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
“Old lady? If it weren’t for me, you’d still be selling tofu on the street! Have you been pretending for so long that you’ve forgotten you’re just a worthless old hag?”
Normally, Madam Wei was most averse to anyone mentioning the Wei family’s past before they rose to prominence; it was a painful memory for her. She had toiled from dawn till dusk, enduring countless scornful looks from others, and each mention of it brought her renewed pain.
Madam Wei rolled her eyes in anger, knowing she could only stand by relying on others. Wei Wan’er, who had also suffered hardship since childhood, felt a pang of resentment seeing her mother like this.
Seeing that Jiang Lanyue remained unmoved and showed no pity for her mother, she angrily retorted, “Sister-in-law! My mother is still your mother-in-law. You know how hard it was for her to raise my brother and me, yet you still rub salt in her wounds like this.”
“As expected of someone without parents and proper upbringing, who doesn’t know how to be filial to elders. When we get back, I’ll have my brother beat you to death!”
Jiang Lanyue’s eyes narrowed, a hint of murderous intent flashing across them. “Say that again!”
“I said it! Without parents…”
*Slap slap slap*…
The familiar three-part slap caught Wei Wan’er off guard, and a small trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.
It was clear how much force Jiang Lanyue had used.
“Wei Wan’er, I’ve always thought of you first when I have something good. Look at your conscience, have I ever wronged you? But what about you? You eat my food and use my things, and now you’re pointing your finger at me and cursing me. These slaps aren’t enough for me.”
Jiang Lanyue pressed on relentlessly, and Wei Wan’er, frightened, retreated, her eyes darting away.
Admittedly, Jiang Lanyue, as her sister-in-law, had indeed treated her sister-in-law very well. But wasn’t it only natural for her to treat her well after marrying her brother?
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell my brother you beat me and Mother? If he finds out, he’ll never forgive you!”
“Pfft…” Jiang Lanyue was amused by her silliness: “Do you think I care about that ingrate Wei Chi? Even if he begged me on his knees, I wouldn’t even glance at him.”
Everyone present was shocked by the disdain in her words…
For six years since their marriage, the two had been inseparable, their love as sweet as honey, envied by all, becoming a model couple admired in the capital.
For a moment, everyone doubted they had heard correctly.
Wei Chi, who was stepping into the courtyard, paused, his eyes dark and unfathomable, a slight pain in his heart.
He blamed himself for being busy developing his power these past few days and neglecting Lanyue; otherwise, she wouldn’t have said such hurtful things.
Wei Wan’er, unable to find a reason to continue attacking Jiang Lanyue, was feeling aggrieved when she saw Wei Chi approaching. She pouted and ran crying into his arms.
“Waaah… Brother, why did you take so long? My mother and I were bullied terribly by my sister-in-law! Look at my face, it’s all swollen!”
Seeing her son, Wei’s mother also dropped her ugly facade, adopting a pure and innocent act, and tearfully complained to Wei Chi.
“My son! I thought I’d never see you again. Your sister and I were almost beaten to death by that vicious woman, Jiang Shi. You must stand up for us and punish her severely, preferably breaking her hands…”
Everyone who witnessed this looked at Jiang Lanyue. Shanhu and Ruyi’s cheeks were puffed up with anger, their eyes red, feeling sorry for her. Even the guards showed pity.
Only Jiang Lanyue calmly watched the scene. In the six years since marrying into the Wei family, the mother and daughter had inflicted countless transgressions on her. If nothing unexpected happened, Wei Chi would make her bow her head and apologize without explanation.
Wei Chi frowned, his gaze sweeping over Wei Wan’er’s bloodshot lips, while his mother’s face remained unmarked.
He knew his mother; though sharp-tongued, she wouldn’t falsely accuse someone.
In a moment, Wei Chi had condemned Jiang Lanyue.
He commanded unhappily, “Lanyue, this was your fault. Quickly kneel down and apologize to your mother.”
“Master, that’s not how it is, Madam…”
Shanhu’s voice trailed off as Wei Chi looked at her with the eyes of someone looking at a dead woman.
“You both kneel down and apologize to my mother!”
With her son’s support, Wei’s mother felt even more emboldened, her triangular eyes squinting arrogantly at Jiang Lanyue.
Jiang Lanyue smiled contemptuously, then suddenly clapped her hands: “Wei Tanhua is truly impressive! Trespassing into someone else’s residence to show off his power—I wonder when this world will change to the Wei family name, so I can prepare my white silk to end my own life.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Wei Chi frowned, his eyes flashing with displeasure. The current emperor was capricious; if he heard such audacious words, he would surely punish the Wei family.
“When did you become so sharp-tongued? I only asked you to apologize to our mother.”