Uncle Zhong opened the gate, and the old woman, caught off guard, fell to the ground. She stood up, cursing and pointing at Jiang Lanyue, demanding, “Jiang, how dare you! I’m from the old lady’s courtyard. Aren’t you afraid of being punished by her for not opening the gate?”
Jiang Lanyue, clutching her handkerchief, looked bewildered and helpless, puzzled as she looked at the old woman.
“I’ve already fulfilled Wei Tanhua’s wish, signed the divorce papers, and left the Wei residence, allowing him to be with Miss Shen. Why is Old Madam Wei still holding me captive?”
The old woman, unaware of who Miss Shen was, felt her vanity satisfied by her former mistress’s humble plea and arrogantly cursed.
“Our master is now a third-ranked scholar, and you, a helpless orphan, are naturally unworthy of him. It’s perfectly normal for him to divorce you, but you shouldn’t have run off with the Wei family’s money!”
“The old lady sent me to reclaim the Wei family’s things, so hurry up and get out of the way!”
The old woman suppressed her inner elation. Once inside, she could easily steal a thing or two without the old lady noticing.
This was a golden opportunity to make a fortune!
Seeing the old woman’s greed, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Lanyue’s eyes.
In her past life, this old woman had fed her spoiled food for amusement when she was down on her luck; it was time to reap some interest.
Jiang Lanyue clutched her handkerchief, tearfully recounting the injustices she had suffered and exposing all the unknown dirty secrets of the Wei family.
She even brought up her mother’s nagging, seemingly venting all the grievances from her past life.
“Waaah… Over the years, most of my dowry went to Wei Tanhua and the Wei family. What’s left is barely enough for my living expenses, and now Old Madam Wei wants to take away what little dowry I have left!”
“Is…is the Wei family trying to force me to my death?”
With the last sentence, Jiang Lanyue cried out in despair, her body swaying as if she might faint at any moment.
Shanhu, already in tears, held Jiang Lanyue and wept bitterly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the neighboring estate and saw a noblewoman who had come out at some point, watching from afar.
The soundproofing in the estate was poor, and Madam Meng inside heard Jiang Lanyue’s overwhelming grievances.
Every word was like a knife to the heart; as a woman herself, she understood the hardships women faced most deeply.
She never imagined that she would witness the story of Chen Shimei being sung on the stage.
That day, when the newly appointed scholars paraded through the streets, she caught a glimpse of Wei Tanhua from afar. He looked respectable, but behind the scenes, he was a heartless and ruthless man.
Indeed, appearances can be deceiving. Madam Meng wiped away her tears and angrily boarded the carriage back to the city.
Jiang Lanyue, witnessing this scene, smiled silently.
“Waaah…Madam, I didn’t know you had suffered so much these past years. Wei Tanhua is too arrogant! My poor lady is powerless and helpless, forced to endure such humiliation from that heartless man…”
Shanhu continued to sob, her almond-shaped eyes glaring angrily at the arrogant and domineering Granny Wang.
The fire in her eyes was almost burning.
Uncle Zhong and his wife were already waiting with brooms; if it weren’t for Madam’s plan, they would have already chased them away.
Jiang Lanyue’s shoulder was wet with Shanhu’s tears; she felt both helpless and moved.
This girl knew she was acting, yet she still felt so wronged for her.
She silently remembered this sincerity.
Madam Meng had left, and Jiang Lanyue saw no need to continue the charade. She gestured to Uncle Zhong to drag Granny Wang into the courtyard.
Granny Wang trembled with fear: “You! What do you want? I’m the old lady’s woman!”
Aunt Li spat in Granny Wang’s face and, before she could react, quickly subdued her.
“Murder! Help!” Granny Wang screamed, and Coral grabbed a dirty handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth.
Granny Wang shook her head in terror at Jiang Lanyue, her body trembling. She saw the aura of the King of Hell emanating from the timid Madam.
The air reeked of urine, and Coral glanced at Granny Wang with disgust.
“Madam, this scoundrel is so audacious as to bully her master! Why not give her a good beating and then send her to the authorities?”
Zhongbo and his wife were also looking forward to seeing her. Jiang Lanyue’s lips curled into a half-smile, a half-smile playing on her lips. “No rush,” she said. “This old woman has a foul mouth. Zhongbo, go and scoop up a spoonful of cow or horse dung and feed it to her.”
Hearing this, Zhongbo immediately went to do so. Wang Pozi struggled fiercely, but she was no match for Li Shenzi.
Shanhu was still not satisfied and stepped forward, slapping Wang Pozi twice, making her see stars.
At the Meng family residence in the capital.
Around dusk, Imperial Censor Meng arrived home on time.
Madam Meng, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately sent someone to invite him. In a few words, she berated Wei Chi from head to toe.
At the height of her anger, tears streamed down her face, as if she were the abandoned Jiang Lanyue.
Imperial Censor Meng was furious and slammed his fist on the table. Madam Meng, who usually only tried to calm her husband down, now added fuel to the fire.
“After returning today, I specifically inquired with the neighbors of the Wei family and learned that the old lady of the Wei family is extremely domineering. She uses her daughter-in-law’s money to buy jewelry for herself and has been harassing her daughter -in-law behind her back.”
“Not only that, but I heard on the estate that the old woman even had the audacity to go to her divorced daughter-in-law’s house and demand her dowry…”
Enraged, Censor Meng went to his study and angrily wrote a thick stack of impeachment memorials.
Inside the Wei residence, in the Ciyuan courtyard, Granny Wang, heavily pregnant, returned to the Wei residence and immediately went to complain to Madam Wei.
However, her breath reeked of stench, nearly causing Madam Wei to faint. She ordered Granny Wang to wash herself ten times before allowing her to approach.
Suddenly subjected to such humiliating treatment, Granny Wang felt wronged and hurt, daring not to provoke Jiang Lanyue.
“Waaah… Madam, you must stand up for this old servant! Jiang is causing chaos on the estate and doesn’t respect you, her mother-in-law, at all…”
A fire blazed in Wei’s mother’s eyes, her expression chilling: “Outrageous! You are my woman. Jiang’s treatment of you shows her dissatisfaction with me. Tomorrow I will personally lead people…”
“Mother? Why are you so angry?” Wei Chi returned from his social engagements and heard his mother’s outburst, so he rushed over to find out what was going on.
Recently, he had been the target of jealousy from his classmates, who had been criticizing him behind his back. With his entry into the Hanlin Academy imminent, he couldn’t afford any trouble at home that might cause gossip.
Seeing her son, Wei’s mother’s anger subsided slightly, and she embellished the story of what happened at the estate that day.
Social engagements outside were tiring enough, and now he had to solve a case at home; Wei Chi felt utterly exhausted. He also harbored some resentment towards Jiang Lanyue, who was far away at the estate, but his guilt lessened somewhat.
No matter how wrong his mother was, as her daughter-in-law, she couldn’t provoke her mother’s anger.
Wei Chi frowned and comforted her: “Mother, didn’t I tell you not to go to Lanyue during this time?”
“I… I was just worried that Jiang would take our money and run away. I was in a hurry, that’s why…” Wei’s mother turned her head away, feeling wronged.
Mentioning money, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Wei Chi’s face. As a scholar, he knew propriety and shame; even from the distant past, he remembered the impoverished life of his youth.
Back then, Wei’s mother was the only one in the family, selling tofu on the street to make ends meet…
Due to the high tuition fees, he had to drop out of school several times. After meeting Lan Yue, she secretly supported him, allowing him to continue his studies.
After Lan Yue married into the Wei family, Wei’s mother began to retire, leaving the burden of supporting the family entirely on Lan Yue’s shoulders.
Wei Chi tried hard not to recall those memories, covering his ears and deceiving himself that he would repay Lan Yue’s kindness someday.
He would one day become the Grand Secretary again and petition for her to be granted an imperial title.