To everyone’s surprise, Li Jinu seemed not to have heard, continuing her conversation with the village chief’s wife while nodding occasionally.
Never before had Mother Rong been so disregarded by a country girl. While pulling at her, she stealthily pricked her several times with a needle.
Her needle technique was top-notch—she refused to believe she couldn’t subdue this village girl!
She raised her voice in reprimand, spittle flying everywhere,
“This servant is speaking to you, Young Miss. Did you not hear?”
She sneered, “With manners like these, if word got out, wouldn’t you become the laughingstock of all the nobles in the imperial city?”
Li Jinu looked at the woman before her, recalling how in her previous life, Mother Rong had similarly harassed her. Under Nian Cuilan’s suggestion, she had even ordered someone to examine her virginity.
Back then, she was just a teenage country girl who had never encountered such intimidation. Coupled with the pain of lost chastity, she had endured everyone’s insults without resistance.
But in this life, as she gazed at Mother Rong, hatred began to simmer in her heart.
Maintaining her composure, she stepped forward, closing in on the other woman.
Mother Rong grew increasingly uncomfortable under her sharp gaze, unconsciously retreating several steps.
Then, catching herself, she stood her ground and scolded again:
“Are you mute, Young Miss? Can you not hear this servant’s words?”
Slap! Slap!
Li Jinu struck with both hands, using all her strength. Mother Rong’s cheeks immediately swelled dramatically.
The crowd was stunned, especially the servants from the Marquis Estate. None had expected this seemingly delicate country-bred young miss to be such a formidable character.
Those two slaps sounded painfully loud, making them instinctively step back, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Mother Rong covered her face, tasting blood in her mouth. Her cheeks burned, but her heart gradually turned cold.
“I was sent by the Marquis Estate! How dare you strike me! When we return to the estate, I’ll make sure the Madam punishes you!”
Li Jinu sneered. She didn’t care about the stinging in her arm, but she wouldn’t tolerate a servant using underhanded tricks against her.
She seized the matron’s wrist and, under the other’s horrified gaze, pulled out the sewing needle, then used her Inner Force to drive it into the matron’s shoulder.
It all happened too fast. Before Mother Rong could react, excruciating pain shot through her shoulder. She screamed, collapsing to the ground, sweating profusely from the agony.
Li Jinu was merciless. With that palm strike, she had embedded the needle deep into the shoulder blade. Mother Rong felt her entire arm go numb and immobile.
As someone who had used needles all her life, to be bested like this was unbearable. Her hatred for Li Jinu grew even stronger.
Li Jinu stared coldly at her, her tone icy,
“I hit you, and you didn’t dodge—so you share half the blame!”
She let out a humorless laugh, her voice devoid of warmth:
“To put it nicely, you’re a Marquis Estate Matron. To put it bluntly, you’re just a servant. What, should I kowtow to you? Aren’t you afraid it might cost you your wretched life?”
Mother Rong stared at this sharp-tongued girl, her mind filled with doubt and alarm.
According to the information she’d received, the young miss was supposed to be an ordinary country girl—kind-hearted and timid. How could she be so sharp-tongued and seemingly skilled in martial arts?
Seeing that she couldn’t control the situation, she narrowed her eyes and played her trump card:
“This servant was sent by the Marquis Estate to discipline you, Young Miss! If you refuse to obey, what position does that leave the estate’s masters in?”
Seeing Li Jinu remain silent, she thought she had gained the upper hand. But to her surprise, another slap landed on her face.
This strike was exceptionally heavy, knocking out one of her molars. The young woman’s voice rang in her ears again:
“What, if my manners are poor, or if I accidentally kill you, will the Marquis Estate disown me?”
Mother Rong stared into those mocking eyes and couldn’t suppress a shudder. Judging by the madness in this person before her, she might truly be beaten to death.
As Ye Jintang’s trusted confidante, Mother Rong enjoyed elevated status due to her mistress’s favor. Even the eldest young master in the mansion would show her some respect.
Never had she imagined she would be humiliated by this wild girl today.
Enduring the excruciating pain, she swallowed both the broken tooth and her humiliation, gritting her teeth as she spoke:
“Of course not! This old servant has overstepped! This old servant apologizes to the young lady!”
Li Jinu nodded with satisfaction. “No matter how vicious a dog bites, it becomes tame once properly beaten.”
She raised her eyes to glance at the other servants, her face full of mockery. “Would any of you like to try?”
The others recoiled as if they’d seen a ghost, hastily declaring they wouldn’t dare.
That slap had been too loud—none of them wanted to imagine how much it must have hurt.
They silently resolved to be more careful in the future, making sure not to openly offend this murderous star.
Simultaneously, they felt a sense of relief. This eldest young lady appeared brave but foolish to offend Mother Rong like this. Once they returned to the mansion, who knew what torments she would face behind the scenes.
For a moment, the servants harbored various thoughts, though none showed it on their faces.
Mother Rong made a hasty retreat to the barefoot doctor’s home to have the sewing needle removed, sweating profusely from the pain.
She cursed Li Jinu hundreds of times in her heart while contemplating how to report this incident upon returning to the mansion. She was determined to make her masters loathe this unruly little wretch!
Before long, a delicate maid found her and quietly reported the previous night’s events.
Forgetting her pain, Mother Rong’s mind raced with calculations. As she headed out, she whispered instructions:
“Although our young lady has prepared the Death Note, we must prevent this wretch from going mad when the time comes! Our previous information was wrong—we absolutely cannot bring her back!”
Noticing the shimmering lake waters in the distance, her eyes lit up. “Find the eldest young lady! I want to apologize to her by the lake!”
When the maid found Li Jinu, she was chatting with the village chief’s wife. Looking at the young maid, she smiled meaninglessly:
“Mother Rong wants to apologize to me? By the lake?”
Mother Rong had always been vicious and vindictive. In her previous life, Li Jinu clearly remembered how many dirty deeds she had performed for Ye Jintang, eventually becoming the mansion’s head matron.
She remembered distinctly—it was Mother Rong who had handed the branding iron to Nian Cuilan to sear her chest.
This woman was absolutely loyal to Ye Jintang and never forgot the slightest offense.
Inviting her to the lakeside—could she be planning to drown her?
Having formed a plan, Li Jinu whispered a few words to the village chief’s wife before following the maid.
When they reached the lakeside, Mother Rong confronted her coldly:
“Seducing your foster father, then framing your foster mother for adultery.”
Mother Rong stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. “Turn around and look—your foster parents are watching over your shoulder!”
Li Jinu raised her eyebrows, completely unfazed. She curled her lips into a smile, her voice like silver bells yet her words utterly eerie:
“Oh, Mother Rong, can’t you see? That Wang Shi you hanged is right above your head, eating your hair! Hee hee hee~”
Mentioning the daughter-in-law she had killed made Mother Rong’s eyelids twitch violently, fueling her anger further. “What nonsense are you spouting!”
She stepped forward, grabbing Li Jinu’s right arm and dragging her toward the water.
Using clever force, she nearly succeeded in throwing the girl into the lake and was feeling triumphant, never expecting Li Jinu to reverse their positions, locking onto her wrist and pulling them both into the water together.
It was already late summer, and the lake water carried a slight chill. Mother Rong, who cherished her life dearly, had never been in such peril before.
She struggled desperately, only to find Li Jinu firmly pressing his foot against her chest.
A fierce will to survive sparked a moment of ingenuity—she pulled out her hairpin and stabbed it hard into Li Jinu’s calf.
But when she lifted her head triumphantly, she was met with a calm face, sneering coldly back at her.