Snap! Jiang Yunxu forcefully closed the brocade box and lifted her chin. “Convey my thanks to your master.”
She would remember this favor.
Jiang Yunxu eagerly took Hong Qiao and Hong Fei to Yi’an Bo Fu. The steward did not recognize them, and seeing Jiang Yunxu arrive in such haste, he could not stop her.
“Young lady, who exactly are you? How can you barge in like this?”
Jiang Yunxu halted her steps when she suddenly caught sight of a small figure in a corner of the garden. A rope was looped around his neck, and he knelt on the ground, reaching into the grass to search for something. Several people, both adults and children, stood around him.
“This little idiot, after starving for three days, he’ll eat anything—even this spoiled food that even pigs wouldn’t touch!”
“Haha!”
“Not just spoiled food—he’d even eat dung if we gave it to him. Don’t believe me? Let’s get some and see.”
“Great, great! We want to see if the little idiot is really that stupid.”
The group burst into raucous laughter. The small figure knelt on the ground, his hair disheveled, his face so filthy it was impossible to tell whether it was dirt or wounds. His mouth was stuffed full, and his innocent, simple eyes were filled with fear and grievance. Both his hands were scraped raw.
At that moment, Jiang Yunxu’s rationality vanished. She rushed forward, grabbed the hair of the woman holding the other end of the rope, and slapped her hard twice across the face. “You wretched little wench! Who are you calling names? Who gave you the nerve to bully my nephew!”
“Ah! Help!” The woman, terrified by the sudden blows, looked nothing like the arrogant and domineering figure she had been moments before.
Everyone was stunned by the scene.
“Stop!”
“Stop right now!”
Not satisfied, Jiang Yunxu pinched and kicked the woman, finally sending her flying into the nearby lotus pond with a final kick.
Splash! The woman fell into the pond, screaming for help.
Without pause, Jiang Yunxu then grabbed the little boy who had suggested feeding the child dung. The boy cried out in terror, “Someone, help!”
Seeing his fine clothes and the exquisite red jade pendant around his neck, Jiang Yunxu guessed he must be a legitimate young master of the household. She immediately took a pill from her sleeve, pinched the boy’s jaw, and forced it into his mouth. At the same time, she scooped up a handful of filth from the ground and shoved it into his mouth.
“You like eating this, don’t you? I’ll let you have your fill, you ill-bred creature with parents but no upbringing!”
At that moment, she resembled a shrew, cursing and shouting without a care for her image, terrifying the others into wailing on the spot.
The courtyard descended into chaos.
Cries filled the air.
After calming down, Jiang Yunxu took off her outer robe, knelt on the ground, and carefully gathered the small, trembling figure into her arms, soothing him gently. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Auntie will take care of you from now on.”
The little bundle in her arms was terrified, shivering uncontrollably, which broke Jiang Yunxu’s heart.
“Enough!”
After the commotion, several of the masters of Yi’an Bo Fu finally arrived, led by the Lady of Yian Bo. Furious, she took one look at Jiang Yunxu’s face and guessed her identity.
“Third Princess Consort, you have some nerve! How dare you come here causing trouble, hitting and shouting! Do you think we owe you any respect?”
The Lady of Yian Bo roared.
If Jiang Yunxu hadn’t been holding the child, she would have rushed forward and slapped the woman hard across the face.
“Well, well, so there are still masters in Yi’an Bo Fu. I thought they’d all died out,” she retorted sharply.
Infuriated by her words, the Lady of Yian Bo shot a meaningful glance at the servants.
At that moment, Hong Qiao pulled out a knife from somewhere, her whole body radiating murderous intent. She casually grabbed the young master who had been crying the hardest earlier and placed the large blade against his neck.
“Mother, save me!” the young master wailed.
When Lady of Yian Bo saw it was her most beloved youngest son, she immediately panicked: “You wretch! Don’t you dare act recklessly! If you hurt the young master, I won’t let you off!”
Seeing Lady of Yian Bo’s anxious expression, Jiang Yunxu sneered coldly and without hesitation kicked the young master in the knee: “Shut up! Cry again and I’ll kill you!”
The threat immediately silenced the young master, who could only sob and sniffle, his face filled with terror. This scene infuriated Lady of Yian Bo to the point of wanting to kill someone.
“Jiang Yunxu, have you gone mad!”
Jiang Yunxu sneered: “Hong Fei, slap her! How dare a mere Bo’s wife shout and scream at this Wangfei!”
As soon as the words fell, Hong Fei immediately stepped forward, her figure moving like a ghost as she rushed in front of Lady of Yian Bo and slapped her several times in quick succession, catching the other completely off guard.
“Guards! Guards! Go report this to the authorities!” Lady of Yian Bo covered her face, furious beyond words. At this moment, she felt like killing Jiang Yunxu.
But Jiang Yunxu remained calm and indifferent: “Fine, go report it. Let the entire capital know how heartless Yi’an Bo Fu is, bullying a two-year-old infant. From now on, I’d like to see who would dare marry into this family or marry your daughters!”
“You!” Only then did Lady of Yian Bo notice the child in Jiang Yunxu’s arms—wasn’t that the little bastard?
Her anger immediately subsided by half. She glanced at Concubine Lian, who had just been fished out of the water, feeling both exasperated and disappointed. The little bastard was about to die anyway, yet she had to cause trouble and get caught in the act.
This matter was now difficult to handle.
Concubine Lian had been beaten and was filled with grievances she dared not voice. Now, she didn’t even dare cry, shrinking her shoulders as she stood behind.
“This is all a misunderstanding. You’ve hit people, and your anger should have subsided by now. Release him first.”
Lady of Yian Bo took a deep breath, her heart filled with hatred, yet she was also afraid of the knife in Hong Qiao’s hand.
Jiang Yunxu held the trembling child in her arms and smiled playfully: “Lady Bo, how about we make a deal?”
“What trick are you trying to pull now?”
Just as Jiang Yunxu was about to speak, a furious roar suddenly rang out: “Jiang Yunxu, what mischief are you causing again!”
Chu Youqi had been urgently summoned. Seeing the mess on the ground, his face turned pale with anger.
“San Wangye, San Wangfei barged in without reason, beat people up, and even took my youngest son hostage. You must give me an explanation for this, or Yi’an Bo Fu will definitely go to the capital and file a Gaoyuzhuang!”
When Lady of Yian Bo saw Chu Youqi, her confidence suddenly surged, her face filled with displeasure.
Chu Youqi had no choice but to apologize.
“Gaoyuzhuang?” Jiang Yunxu threw her head back and laughed loudly. She gave Hong Fei a meaningful glance, and Hong Fei immediately threw several written agreements in Lady of Yian Bo’s face.
Lady of Yian Bo picked them up and glanced at them, her face instantly changing drastically.
“With so many people present today, I want you to sign an agreement. From today onward, you will relinquish custody of this child. The child will be handed over to me, and you are never to mention this again. Additionally, force this concubine to drink Juezitang!”
Jiang Yunxu spoke without the slightest hesitation, addressing Lady of Yian Bo word by word: “The Emperor is benevolent and filial. I simply cannot bear to see my own nephew being abused. If this goes before the Emperor, at most I’ll be reprimanded. But as for Yi’an Bo Fu… that’s not so certain.”
She dared to make such a big scene precisely because the Emperor had been abused as a child and must deeply detest such acts.
Lady of Yian Bo tightly clutched the written evidence in her hand and glanced at Chu Youqi, who, unaware of the situation, immediately rebuked, “Stop using Father Emperor’s reputation to intimidate others! Jiang Yunxu, how vicious and unruly you are—beating someone and still daring to threaten them! Kneel at once and beg for mercy. Perhaps Yi’an Bo Fu will show leniency for my sake!”
Jiang Yunxu wished she could grab the filth from the ground and stuff it into Chu Youqi’s foul mouth—it spewed nothing but garbage!
“Guards! Seize those two maidservants!” Chu Youqi commanded, and several guards rushed forward.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.
“What’s all this commotion?”
Everyone turned to see Chu Xuanzhi and Yian Bo looking their way.
Yian Bo was also puzzled. He had encountered Chu Xuanzhi on the way and merely exchanged a few words, but Chu Xuanzhi had asked whether his residence possessed a peony painting and expressed a desire to view it.
How could he refuse? He had no choice but to invite him in.
However, faced with this scene, Yian Bo felt deeply embarrassed and kept apologizing profusely.
Seeing Chu Xuanzhi, Jiang Yunxu felt confident the matter would be resolved. She turned her face toward Lady of Yian Bo, then suddenly dropped to her knees before Chu Xuanzhi, weeping with such pitiful sorrow that large teardrops streamed down her cheeks.
“Jiang Yunxu boldly begs Ninth Imperial Uncle to uphold justice. This child has been abused since infancy. If I hadn’t discovered it in time today, he likely wouldn’t have survived. In my momentary rage, I acted to protect this child.”
Chu Xuanzhi observed her intently. Her clothes were disheveled, she held a child in her arms, her hair was tousled, and her face bore marks of injury—she looked almost like a beggar.