Zhuang Mingxiang, Zhuang Hui, and Zhao Jingzhi—mother and daughters—all came forward with their grievances. With none of the many female guests behind them stepping forward to refute their claims, it was clear that what they said was true.
To see one’s wife and daughters treated so unjustly would be unbearable for any man with a shred of dignity. Even though Marquis Changping was a civil official, he was so enraged that he rolled up his sleeves. Seeing that his brother-in-law Tang Shinian remained silent and clearly had no intention of intervening, and noticing that his eldest son Zhao Changting also made no move, he followed his heart and charged forward with a clenched fist.
Naturally, he did not strike Second Madam Tang, nor did he hit Tang Wei, who was being held back by servants. His target was Tang Jinnian.
Tang Jinnian, knowing he was in the wrong and seeing that Tang Shinian did not stop Marquis Changping, dared not fight back.
But Marquis Changping’s punches landed hard and without mercy. The pain became unbearable, and Tang Jinnian eventually fled, hiding behind Second Madam Tang and Old Madam Tang, pushing the two women toward Marquis Changping.
Marquis Changping could not bring himself to strike women, so he merely snorted coldly and withdrew his fist.
However, with matters having escalated to this point, the Zhao family could no longer stay. Marquis Changping ignored Old Madam Tang, turned to Tang Shinian, and clasped his hands in apology. “Elder Brother, I have already met with Father-in-Law and offered my birthday wishes. Given the commotion today, I hope you will forgive me for taking my family and leaving first.”
Tang Shinian had never approved of Old Master Tang hosting a banquet for his sixty-seventh birthday. Now, knowing that Old Madam Tang and Second Madam Tang each had their own schemes, he felt even more disgusted. The Guogong Mansion in Jingcheng was in utter chaos due to his father’s incompetence. If not for being temporarily unable to leave, he would have set off for Mobei immediately.
Thus, he was not angered by Marquis Changping’s actions. He nodded faintly and said, “Jian’an, please do as you see fit. But regarding today’s matter, the Tang Family will certainly give you an explanation.”
Marquis Changping, Zhao Chengping, courtesy name Jian’an.
Without saying more, he clasped his hands in another salute, then turned to support Zhuang Mingxiang. “Let’s go, we’re going home.”
Seeing this, Zhuang Hui, Zhao Jingzhi, and Fourth Madame quickly followed with their servants.
Zhao Changting, however, did not move. Although one side was his father and the other merely his uncle, his heart leaned more toward his uncle. With the Tang Family’s mess left unresolved, if he did not help clean it up, his uncle would be left to deal with the headache.
Moreover, it was he who had Tang Wanying locked in the small courtyard, and he who had his uncle and Peng Shi notified. He still needed to stay behind and explain the situation to his uncle.
…
On the way back to the mansion, not knowing the exact details of what had happened, Zhuang Mingxiang sent Marquis Changping to another carriage and called Zhuang Hui and Zhao Jingzhi over to question them.
Zhao Jingzhi recounted the first half: how a Tang Family maid had soiled Zhuang Hui’s skirt, how Tang Wanqiao had ostensibly taken them to change clothes but actually trapped them in a room, and how Zhuang Hui had seized the opportunity to jump out the back window to chase Tang Wanying.
Zhuang Hui then recounted the latter half: how she was pushed into a courtyard by two matrons, only to find Tang Wei inside.
Fearing that Zhuang Mingxiang might fall ill from anger if she learned the full truth, Zhuang Hui downplayed it as much as possible. “Fortunately, Tang Wei is mentally impaired, with the intellect of a five- or six-year-old, so he was easy to deceive. Not only was I not harmed, but I also managed to kick him while climbing the wall to escape. Then, I happened to run into A Zhi and Zhao Changting, so I left the matter to him and hurried off with A Zhi to change clothes.”
Why didn’t Sister Hui mention that the Tang Family servant cursed Mother, and that she tore the servant’s mouth apart?
Zhao Jingzhi blinked, catching the hint in Zhuang Hui’s eyes, and understood—Sister Hui didn’t want Mother to get too angry.
Then she wouldn’t mention it either.
But even so, not only Zhuang Mingxiang but also Fourth Madame was furious.
“Truly a family of rotten-hearted scum!” Fourth Madame cursed angrily. “They actually used our fear that Ting Ge’er might be schemed against to plot against Ah Hui! I suspect soiling Ah Hui’s skirt wasn’t just to delay her but to give her an opportunity to chase after Tang Wanying!”
After meeting Tang Wei, Zhuang Hui had also realized this: “It must be so. I only blame myself for being too careless.”
Fourth Madame: “How can it be your fault? There are only those who scheme day after day, not those who guard against schemes day after day. Besides, with the Tang Family being such rotten-hearted scum, we all thought they were targeting Ting Ge’er. Who knew they’d also plot against you?”
“Truly rotten-hearted creatures! That Tang Wei is a fool!” What family would willingly marry their daughter to a fool? Especially someone as clever and beautiful as Ah Hui, who is also recognized as the young lady of the Marquis’s household—how could Tang Wei ever be worthy?
Zhuang Hui also felt rather speechless: “I’ve never even met that Tang Wei!”
The book hadn’t mentioned him either, so she truly never imagined she would become Second Madam Tang’s target.
Fourth Madame: “Fortunately, Ting Ge’er appeared in time, otherwise today…”
Fourth Madame abruptly stopped speaking and glanced cautiously at Zhuang Mingxiang, who had remained silent.
Although Zhuang Hui had described it lightly, the situation at the time must have been quite dangerous. After all, she had been pushed into the small courtyard by two servants, so she couldn’t escape through the gate.
And that Tang Wei, even if he was a fool, was tall and strong. Zhuang Hui, a delicate young girl, couldn’t fight him off, nor could she outrun him. That must be why she had to unexpectedly kick and injure him, right?
But climbing the wall—Fourth Madame didn’t even dare to imagine it. She felt she certainly couldn’t have managed it herself.
So it was truly fortunate that Ting Ge’er appeared and saved Zhuang Hui. Otherwise, even if she hadn’t been harmed by Tang Wei, being discovered alone with him in a locked small courtyard would have completely ruined her reputation and destroyed her life.
If Fourth Madame could think of this, Zhuang Mingxiang naturally could as well.
“Yes, we were truly fortunate to have him today,” she said, but couldn’t hold back large tears from rolling down her cheeks. Pulling Zhuang Hui into her arms, she held her tightly, filled with both hatred and regret. “I shouldn’t have come to the Tang Family, I shouldn’t have…”
To hell with reputation! No reputation is more important than my daughter!
Zhuang Hui quickly comforted her: “Mother, don’t be upset. I’m perfectly fine, nothing happened.”
But what if—what if Zhao Changting hadn’t appeared in time? Then you would have been in trouble! Even if you could have climbed the wall, it was so high—jumping down would surely have caused injuries.
Even if you were lucky enough not to get hurt, there were people waiting outside. A young girl in an unfamiliar Tang Family estate—how could you outrun their rough servant women?
If you had been caught, if Zhao Changting hadn’t appeared in time, Zhuang Mingxiang didn’t dare imagine the consequences.
So she cried through gritted teeth: “Ah Hui, from now on, we will never go to the Tang Family again!”
So what if they disrespect the first wife? I don’t need the Tang Family’s approval anyway. If Marquis Changping dares to force me to go for the sake of the families’ relationship, then I might as well divorce him again!
She was just a merchant’s daughter, she didn’t understand these damn rules of noble families, and she could no longer endanger her Ah Hui for the sake of so-called reputation!
“Alright, we won’t go, we won’t go anymore,” Zhuang Hui comforted her. “From now on, we’ll only interact with General Tang. As for the rest of the Tang Family, we’ll ignore them all!”
No wonder Tang Wanying ended up so tragically in the book—it turned out her parents, her grandparents, none of them were good people!
After finally coaxing Zhuang Mingxiang to stop crying and returning home, because she was physically exhausted and emotionally distressed from the morning, Zhuang Hui and Marquis Changping took turns comforting and persuading her to rest first at Yi’an Hall.
The others went to Old Madam’s Fushou Hall.
With Zhuang Mingxiang absent and the servants dismissed, Zhuang Hui and Zhao Jingzhi recounted everything that had happened at the Tang Family in detail.
Not only was Old Madam furious, her eyes reddening as she pulled Zhuang Hui close, but even Marquis Changping, who had already beaten Tang Jinnian once, was so enraged he couldn’t sit still, wishing he could rush to the Tang Family and beat Tang Jinnian again.
It was at this moment that Zhuang Hui said, “My mother is terribly upset. She says she never wants to go to the Tang Family again.”
Old Madam and Marquis Changping were both furious, already utterly disgusted with the Tang Family. Since Zhuang Hui was the victim, when she mentioned Zhuang Mingxiang’s unwillingness to visit the Tang Family again, the mother and son didn’t even exchange a glance before agreeing in unison.
Marquis Changping said, “We won’t go! That whole family is a bunch of wretched people. What’s the point of going?!”
Old Madam glared at him and said, “The Tang Family in Jingcheng is rotten from top to bottom, behaving so despicably. It’s indeed no longer appropriate to associate with them. Since so many people witnessed what happened today, even if our family severs ties with the Tang Family from now on, I doubt anyone will say anything.”
“But Tang Shinian is different. He is not only Ting Ge’er and A Zhi’s maternal uncle, but he has also raised Ting Ge’er and taught him over the years, enabling Ting Ge’er to achieve the rank of a third-grade military officer at such a young age. Our family must remember this kindness for a lifetime, so we cannot sever ties with him.”
Marquis Changping rubbed his nose, somewhat awkwardly saying, “Of course, I didn’t mean to sever ties with him either.”
Old Madam then said, “Then from now on, our family will only interact with the Tang Family in Mobei. As for the Tang Family in Jingcheng, aside from sending condolences for funerals, we won’t attend any other events or send gifts!”
The so-called sending condolences for funerals actually meant they would send them if Old Master Tang died in the future.
But if Madam Peng died, they would not.
After finishing the serious discussion, Marquis Changping was sent to accompany Zhuang Mingxiang, while Old Madam and Fourth Madame took Zhuang Hui into the inner room. Removing her outer robe, they found one shoulder red and swollen, the other bruised. Further down, both arms, including her palms, had abrasions, and her legs were even more injured, with multiple bruises and scrapes.
Putting herself in Zhuang Hui’s shoes, Old Madam shed tears directly.
She thought that if Zhao Jingzhi had encountered such a thing, she would have wanted to tear Second Madam Tang apart alive.
Fourth Madame, who had no daughters of her own, had always liked her two nieces, Zhuang Hui and Zhao Jingzhi. Now, wiping her tears, she cursed angrily, “Those damn Tang Family members, they deserve to die!”
Zhao Jingzhi also cried, “No wonder Sister Hui was limping in the courtyard—she had suffered so many injuries!”
After crossing over to ancient times, Zhuang Hui was doted on and cherished by Zhuang Mingxiang, growing up pampered all along. She truly had never suffered so many injuries before. But now, seeing the three of them all in tears, she thought that in this lifetime, besides Zhuang Mingxiang, she actually had so many others who loved her. Instantly, she didn’t feel much pain or grievance anymore.
So she smiled and said, “It just looks scary, but they’re all minor injuries. They don’t really hurt.”
The more she said this, the more upset Old Madam became. She was too sensible, probably because she wasn’t the Tang Family’s biological daughter. Otherwise, why would she still be comforting them at a time like this? Clearly, she was the one who most deserved comfort.
Old Madam helped Zhuang Hui put on her clothes and patted her head, saying, “It’s my fault. I’m the one who caused you to suffer this.”
It was because she worried that the Tang Family would scheme against Ting Ge’er and asked Ah Hui and A Zhi to pay more attention to Tang Wanying that they ended up being targeted. If she hadn’t instructed them to do this, Ah Hui clearly wouldn’t have had to suffer this.
Zhuang Hui shook her head. “Grandmother, the ones who did wrong are clearly others. How can you blame yourself?”
“I’m really fine. These minor injuries will heal in a couple of days. Please don’t take it to heart. Besides, I didn’t lose out either. I kicked that Tang Wei so hard he’s probably half-crippled. And Zhao Chang… uh, Big Brother, Big Brother also helped me vent my anger. Even Father beat up Second Master Tang. I feel so vindicated now!”
Zhuang Hui spoke sincerely. She hadn’t expected Zhao Changting to lock Tang Wanying in the small courtyard. After all, that was his maternal family. Even if not for the monk’s sake, one should consider the Buddha’s face. She had thought he would spare some consideration for Tang Shinian’s sake.
But unexpectedly, he didn’t.
Thinking of Second Master Tang and Second Madam Tang being beaten one after the other, Zhuang Hui truly felt vindicated!
So at this moment, she was both grateful to Zhao Changting for appearing in time to save her and thankful that he helped her vent her anger.
Even if he did it because he saw her as a substitute and loved the crow for the rook’s sake, she was the one who benefited, so she owed him gratitude.
In the future… no matter what he does, she won’t call him a pervert anymore!
She hoped she could keep that promise.
Old Madam was somewhat comforted after all. Not wanting to let the young girl suffer grievances and still have to console her, she forced a smile and said, “That’s what your father and Big Brother should do. They ought to protect you.”
But their actions alone weren’t enough. That old hag Peng—the unsettled score from seven years ago should be settled now!
Old Madam decided to personally visit the Tang Family to confront Peng, so she asked Zhao Jingzhi to accompany Zhuang Hui back first.
…
After leaving Fushou Hall, Zhuang Hui first went to Yi’an Hall to see Zhuang Mingxiang.
Marquis Changping had already had lunch with Zhuang Mingxiang. She was truly exhausted today and had already fallen asleep.
Zhuang Hui didn’t stay long. She instructed Liu Mama to take good care of her and to inform her if anything happened, then left first.
Zhuang Hui and Zhao Jingzhi returned to Lanyuan together. The two sisters didn’t discuss the Tang Family matter further. They happily had lunch, waited for their food to digest, and because they had been waking up early recently to learn etiquette and manners, they felt sleepy and decided to take a nap together.
After falling asleep, she didn’t know how much time had passed when Zhuang Hui began to dream.
In the dream, she was back in that small courtyard of the Tang Family. The courtyard gate was locked from the outside, and she and Tang Wei were locked inside.
She first pretended to propose marriage and then pretended to hold a wedding ceremony to stall Tang Wei and pass the time. After going through the fake proposal and wedding process, when Tang Wei tried to pull her into the room to sleep, she managed to coax him into agreeing to play hide-and-seek.
The Upper Chamber in the small courtyard had only three rooms. She checked all three, and likely to prevent her from jumping out the window, the back windows of all three rooms were completely sealed shut. There was no way she could escape.
After the inspection, Tang Wei grew impatient with their game of hide-and-seek and tried to drag her into the room again.
She was truly at her wit’s end, so she tricked Tang Wei by saying she would agree to go with him only if he closed his eyes.
Tang Wei, unaware of her lie, closed his eyes, and she seized the opportunity to kick him hard in his vulnerable spot.
After that, Tang Wei realized she had lied and, while enduring the pain, came after her.
Facing the tall and burly Tang Wei, she indeed had no way to defend herself, so she could only try her best to dodge while taking the chance to kick him a few more times.
Tang Wei cried out in pain, and she had thought it would attract the old woman at the door, but it didn’t.
So she seized that moment to run toward the wall, stepped on the diamond-shaped window opening, and climbed onto the top of the wall.
This was what had truly happened today and what was now replaying in her dream.
But there was a difference between the dream and reality: in the dream, Zhao Jingzhi and Zhao Changting were absent. After she climbed onto the wall, Tang Wei grabbed her foot. Even though she managed to kick him down, she also fell back herself.
She was dazed from the fall, and before she could react, Tang Wei was already looming over her.
His face, smeared with dirt and marked with red injuries, was as large as a basin, right in front of her. He grinned at her with a foolish and lecherous smile, then opened his mouth wide like a bloodthirsty beast, ready to bite her.
“No—!” Zhuang Hui could no longer hold back and screamed, sitting up abruptly.
“Hui Sister!” Zhao Jingzhi had stayed behind to accompany her out of concern. Seeing her wake from the nightmare, she quickly sat up as well and hugged her tightly. “It’s alright, it’s alright. It was just a dream, Hui Sister, just a dream!”
Zhuang Hui gasped for breath, her temples drenched in sweat and clinging tightly to her face.
But after looking around, she felt relieved. This was her room, not the Tang Family.
“Hui Sister, it’s alright. You just had a nightmare,” Zhao Jingzhi said softly, gently patting Zhuang Hui’s back.
Zhuang Hui regained her composure and replied weakly, “Yes, it’s alright now.”
Zhuang Hui hugged her back. “A Zhi, you mustn’t tell my mother about this.”
Zhao Jingzhi nodded. “I know, Hui Sister. I won’t tell Mother. But can I tell Grandmother?”
Zhuang Hui initially wanted to shake her head, but she suddenly thought: she had previously asked Zhuang Mingxiang to help find maids or old women skilled in martial arts, but there had been no news. Could this be an opportunity to ask the Old Madam for help?
She never wanted to experience something like today again, nor did she want Zhao Jingzhi to face such a situation.
Even if the Old Madam didn’t have connections for finding such people, Marquis Changping might.
Previously, her mother might have felt it inappropriate to trouble Marquis Changping with such a trivial matter, but now the trivial matter had become serious. With the Old Madam and Marquis Changping both searching, perhaps they could find someone more quickly?
Zhuang Hui nodded in agreement. “A Zhi, when you speak with Grandmother, could you also mention for me that I’d like to find a maid or an older woman who knows martial arts. You should have one too, so we’ll be safer when we go out in the future.”
After what had happened today, Zhao Jingzhi also felt this made sense. “Alright, I’ll speak with Grandmother after my afternoon rest.”