Upon hearing this, Cui Anru quickly descended from the carriage and hurried toward the entrance.
The voices inside came through with exceptional clarity.
"You Xiao Family, you bunch of heartless monsters who devour people without spitting out the bones—utterly devoid of conscience! How dare you commit such shameless acts? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning and meeting a miserable end?"
"Ask around all of Jingdu—which respectable family would have the gall to take a concubine while their father-in-law and brother-in-law's bodies are still warm? Yet your Xiao Family goes even further by marrying an Equal Wife and even pleading before The Emperor! Aren't you afraid your ancestral graves will explode, leaving your descendants unable to hold their heads high?"
"Let me tell you, Zhenguogong Mansion still has my son holding the fort. Even if there were no male heirs left, I, a widow, would fight with my life to demand justice for my sister-in-law!"
Cui Anru felt a warmth in her heart—the backbone of her maternal family was actually provided by her sister-in-law.
How could the pressure her sister-in-law had endured these days be any less than her own?
"Fortunately, I came today, or I wouldn't have caught you trying to forcibly seize my sister-in-law's dowry to marry that shameless woman from the Lin family. Did you think that with the backbone of our Zhenguogong Mansion gone, you could bully her to death?"
"Lang'er, remember these people's faces—they are the ones who bullied your aunt. When you grow up, if they are still fortunate enough to be alive, make sure they kneel before your aunt and apologize! Especially that Annan Hou—ungrateful, despicable, and shameless. If you ever stoop to his level as a person, don't call yourself my son, and don't say you bear the Cui surname!"
The eldest daughter-in-law, Liang Ziyu, continued to berate them relentlessly, but no voices from the Xiao Family could be heard.
Cui Anru quickly walked over and called out, "Sister-in-law…"
Liang Ziyu, who was about to continue her assault, turned around. Seeing Cui Anru, her tears fell before she could speak.
"Anru, your sister-in-law came too late. These damned scoundrels actually dared to do such shameless things."
The six-year-old Cui Lang also ran over and hugged Cui Anru's leg. "Auntie, Lang'er is the only man left in the Duke's mansion. I will protect Auntie…"
Despite all the absurd things the Xiao Family had done, Cui Anru had not shed a tear. But now, she could hardly hold back.
"With Lang'er here, Auntie isn't afraid of anything."
Cui Anru gently stroked Cui Lang's face and whispered these words.
Seeing the concerned expression on her sister-in-law Liang Ziyu's face, Cui Anru felt even more touched.
"Sister-in-law…"
"No need to say much. Pack your things and come back with me first. We can't stay in this place—it's filled with foul air. From the old to the young, not a single one of them is decent. They're all heartless monsters."
Liang Ziyu spoke bluntly, without a single wasted word.
Cui Anru looked inside and only then noticed that Old Madam was sitting on the ground in a disheveled state, Xiao Xueling's hair was tousled, Xiao Rang's face bore a strikingly clear slap mark, while Lady Yang remained unscathed.
"What happened…?" she asked.
"I hit them. If these people aren't taught a lesson, they'll really think our Zhenguogong Mansion has no one left and that they can bully you at will. I have my noble title anyway, and I didn't hesitate to hit that old hag either."
Cui Anru calmed the visibly still-agitated Liang Ziyu before turning her gaze to the members of the Xiao Family.
"Cui Anru, first you defy the imperial decree, then you allow this shrew to cause trouble at the Xiao Family. If you admit your mistake now, our Xiao Family might still reluctantly allow you to retain your position as Madam."
Old Madam covered the face that had just been slapped by Liang Ziyu, speaking in a sinister tone.
Those from humble backgrounds simply lack grace and cannot hold their own in proper society.
Xiao Rang’s expression was even more frighteningly dark. If not for the many commoners watching, he would have already taken action.
"Shameless old hag, don’t forget how your Xiao Family came to have its present standing!"
Liang Ziyu was furious, her words cutting straight to the point.
"Sister-in-law, there’s no need to argue with such people. Just now, I heard you say they were trying to seize my dowry?"
"Yes, when I arrived, the Xiao Family’s servants were restraining Danxuan and Dan Bai, trying to forcibly search them and take the keys to the storeroom."
Danxuan and Dan Bai quickly ran over, letting Cui Anru see that they were safe and sound.
"Who laid hands on them?" Cui Anru demanded.
The Xiao Family’s servants all silently retreated a step, none daring to admit it.
"If you don’t dare to step forward now, Danxuan and Dan Bai will remember. If my people make mistakes, I will punish them myself. But if they have done nothing wrong, and you still dare to bully them, I promise every one of you will regret it!"
The face of the Xiao Family was being ground into the dirt, over and over.
Finally, one servant grew fearful and knelt on the ground, admitting his wrongdoing.
"Madam, this humble servant knows his mistake…"
Soon after, several others also knelt, pleading for mercy.
Seeing the state of these servants, Old Madam’s face was filled with rage.
"Scoundrels! Don’t forget this is the Xiao Family. You are the Xiao Family’s servants, not hers!"
Cui Anru asked directly, "Then tell me, why is the Xiao Family trying to take my dowry?"
"Hmph, isn’t it because of the trouble you caused? The Lin family stirred up such a big incident. Lin Mansion sent word to Xiao Rang that if there is no sincerity, this marriage alliance might as well be called off. They must receive sufficient compensation from you."
Old Madam’s tone was particularly self-righteous.
"So, they went after my dowry?"
Cui Anru sighed inwardly once again. Indeed, families without principles always manage to sink to new lows.
"What’s yours or mine? Since you married into the Xiao Family, all of that naturally belongs to the Xiao Family. The Lin family’s young lady is a marriage bestowed by The Emperor. In the future, she will be a lady of the house just like you. You spoke recklessly without regard for the consequences. Isn’t it only right to compensate her?"
Old Madam gritted her teeth, uttering shameless words.
Xiao Rang also said, "Don’t forget, it was I who sought to marry her, not she who insisted on marrying me! Since you are so stubborn, I, as the Marquis, have decided to give half of your dowry to her. What of it?"
Cui Anru laughed instead of getting angry. "Do you dare to be any more shameless? Have you reached your limit yet?"
Xiao Xueling, who had been dealt with the most harshly, finally spoke up. "Cui Anru, don’t forget it was you who stole the marriage alliance from Sister Lin back then. You’ve owed her from the start."
Cui Anru sneered. "What, didn’t your grandmother and birth mother tell you? Back then, it was she herself who looked down on the impoverished An Nan Bo Manor, unwilling to marry into hardship, and thus rejected the already arranged marriage?"
Old Madam and Lady Yang both looked embarrassed and said nothing.
Xiao Rang retorted indignantly, "Cui Anru, there’s no need for you to sow discord here. Back then, she was also pressured by her parents’ orders. Didn’t she later gather the courage to follow me to the borderlands?"
Cui Anru almost felt like applauding him. With such a pure dog’s brain, he actually managed to survive at the border.
"These past two years, you've been eating my food and using my things, and you really think you can control me? Starting today, the over seven hundred thousand taels of silver you've taken from me must be returned in full, down to the last coin."
"Seven hundred thousand taels!" Old Madam immediately shouted, "Cui Anru, have you gone mad?"
"I am not mad! I should thank Old Madam for reminding me to enter the palace, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to request His Majesty's grace!"
As soon as Cui Anru's words fell, a sharp voice rang out from outside once more.
"Imperial decree has arrived!"