Wang Chenbi looked at her mother-in-law. “Mother, what should we do now? Do we really have to prepare the thorny branches for Second Master?”
Husband and wife are one. If Second Master were to be publicly punished, wouldn’t she, as the Second Mistress, also lose face? The thought of having to lower her head again before her sister-in-law, Madam Bai, made Wang Chenbi’s heart tighten with frustration.
Madam Wang remained silent for a moment. First, she called someone in to prepare the thorny branches, then turned to her daughter-in-law. “Husband and wife are one—when one prospers, both prosper; when one suffers, both suffer. Go tidy up and kneel in the ancestral hall as well.”
Wang Chenbi was stunned. Kneel in the ancestral hall? Her? But she was pregnant! It hadn’t even been three months yet—the pregnancy wasn’t stable. How could her mother-in-law even think of making her kneel in the ancestral hall?
Madam Wang had her reasons for saying this. Her son was planning to stage a “bitter flesh” act, and since he was going to do it, he might as well go all the way. Let the daughter-in-law kneel even while pregnant. No matter how angry the Old Master was, he would have to consider whether his unborn grandson could endure it.
As for whether her daughter-in-law would feel wronged, Madam Wang couldn’t care less. Her heart and mind were filled only with her son—after all, he was her true support. Even though her daughter-in-law came from the same family and was her own brother’s daughter, in a crisis, Madam Wang would only think of how to protect her son.
Madam Wang’s attitude was firm. Wang Chenbi pressed her lips together and, with the support of the servants, slowly followed her husband’s footsteps to the ancestral hall.
Standing by the window of the study, Swallow Holding Branch couldn’t hear what they were saying clearly, but thanks to her ten years of revolving around this family in her past life, she understood their nature quite well—if not perfectly, then at least eighty or ninety percent.
She could roughly guess what the three of them were planning. It was too late to resist or cover things up now, so they might as well admit their mistakes openly. After all, could a father really do anything drastic to his own son? And if a pregnant daughter-in-law knelt and admitted her mistakes as well, the Old Master’s anger would have to subside. The adults might have made mistakes, but the unborn child certainly hadn’t!
In this way, even if the Old Master had ten parts of anger, after all this, at most only five parts would remain.
But Swallow Holding Branch wouldn’t let this matter pass so easily. She tossed the Thousand-Mile Lens to the maid beside her, jumped off the chair, and ran downstairs with her short legs thumping loudly.
The maids attending her felt their hearts pounding like rabbits in their chests as they watched their young mistress run so fast, fearing that if anything happened to Swallow Holding Branch, they would be punished. They could only follow closely behind her, keeping their eyes fixed on her, afraid of any mishap.
Swallow Holding Branch ran all the way back to Cloud-Grasping Pavilion, found Madam Bai, who was instructing someone to arrange a nourishing evening meal for the clan elders, and without caring about the others, pulled Madam Bai aside. She whispered into her ear, though unfortunately, her tongue wasn’t yet agile enough, and she was still panting from running, so her words came out one by one as she told Madam Bai about the Second Household’s unusual behavior.
Although Madam Bai was the lady of the house, she was still young and hadn’t been managing the household for long. Madam Wang, on the other hand, had been in charge for many years, accumulating deep authority and keeping her affairs tightly guarded. It wasn’t easy to find out what was happening inside. Besides, Madam Bai’s attention was also occupied by the matters concerning the clan elders.
With her attention divided, she naturally had no idea that the second branch had reacted so quickly. But now, with Swallow Holding Branch tipping her off, Madam Bai soon devised a countermeasure.
She instructed the nanny by her side to set aside her current tasks and return to the Bai family first.
If the second branch wanted to use the “self-inflicted injury” tactic, she couldn’t stop them, but Bai Guirou was not without support behind her.
When the poisoned teacup was discovered last time, the Bai family had remained silent, wanting to see how the Old Marquis would handle it. After all, every family had its own troubles, and what was kept within the household was considered a private disgrace.
If it escalated to the Bai family coming to demand an explanation for their daughter, it would reflect poorly on the Old Marquis’s ability to manage his household.
Upon hearing Madam Bai’s instructions, Nanny Li packed a few boxes of premium pastries and hurried back to the Bai family.
Madam Bai smiled as she held Swallow Holding Branch, asking the servants to bring warm water to wash her face and hands. Then she asked the maid who had been accompanying Swallow Holding Branch, “Where did Sister Yuan go to play today?”
The maids truthfully reported Swallow Holding Branch’s activities. Learning that Swallow Holding Branch had been peeping through the library window, Madam Bai frowned. She did not want her daughter to develop such habits.
Recalling her daughter’s hurried return and the words she had spoken earlier, Madam Bai realized that her daughter’s intelligence made it even more crucial to guide her temperament carefully.
As Madam Bai carefully considered her words, Swallow Holding Branch spoke first, “Mother, I, protect, you!”
Swallow Holding Branch’s chubby face was filled with seriousness. Madam Bai suddenly remembered how her daughter had clamored for her grandfather to hold her in the Hall of Peaceful Longevity and how her husband had recounted their daughter’s conversation with the Old Master after returning home.
Looking into her daughter’s clear, unwavering eyes, filled with genuine concern, Madam Bai felt her eyes grow warm. Her daughter understood what Madam Wang and the second branch were up to, didn’t she?
That was why she had suddenly fallen ill with a high fever, and after recovering, she had seized the opportunity to complain to the Old Master. That was why she was watching Madam Wang and the second branch like a hawk, as if guarding against thieves.
Understanding this, Madam Bai’s heart softened with tenderness. The words she had carefully prepared could no longer be spoken. Instead, she held Swallow Holding Branch tightly, kissing her again and again.
After a long, affectionate moment, the mother and daughter finally parted. Madam Bai first instructed the maids in detail to take care of Swallow Holding Branch while she ate her pastries, then busied herself with household affairs.
Under the care of her maids, Swallow Holding Branch enjoyed her pastries. Calculating the time in her mind, she figured it was about time for the second branch’s “self-inflicted injury” tactic to take effect. She slipped down from her chair and, accompanied by several maids, made her way through the vast mansion toward the ancestral hall.
Just as she reached the entrance of the ancestral hall, she came face-to-face with the Old Master, who was seated in a light sedan chair.
Swallow Holding Branch called out to him, and the Old Marquis beckoned her over. When she approached, he touched her forehead and, seeing she wasn’t sweating, withdrew his hand. “What brings Sister Yuan here?”
“Watch, excitement!” Swallow Holding Branch pointed directly at the wide-open door of the ancestral hall, speaking bluntly.
Did the second branch truly realize their mistake?
No, it was only because their scheme had been exposed, leaving them with no other choice. They were merely afraid, not repentant.
This act of “bearing the rod to ask for punishment” was, in essence, nothing more than a spectacle—a spectacle about whether the Old Master would choose to let the matter rest.
The Old Master paused for a moment. Indeed, it was nothing but a spectacle!
With the support of his personal attendant, the Old Marquis stepped into the ancestral hall. Swallow Holding Branch followed closely behind, entering the solemn and imposing space.
Before the ancestral tablets, Yan Jingzheng knelt on the prayer mat, his upper body bare, yet carrying a bundle of thorns stripped of their spikes and polished smooth—a clear gesture of seeking forgiveness.
Wang Chenbi, however, lacked her husband’s composure. She already felt wronged, and with a child in her womb, she worried constantly that kneeling might harm the baby.
When she heard movement at the door behind her, Wang Chenbi forgot all decorum and turned to look. She had been waiting anxiously, and at last, the Old Master had arrived. But before she could even sigh in relief, she spotted the little figure trailing behind him.
The eldest branch’s brat was staring at her as if she were a monkey—examining her from head to toe, meticulously, as if he had never seen anyone kneel before their ancestors in his life.
Wang Chenbi felt her face burn as if her skin had been stripped away. Today, she had been made a spectacle by a junior—how could she ever command respect as an elder in the future?