Jiang Wan did not want to die.
She had not yet left the Fu family, nor had she started her new life.
Hearing Fu Ci’s voice, her spirit relaxed.
She fainted.
The person before him was covered in wounds, her back stained with blood. Fu Ci’s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees beside Jiang Wan with a thud.
His eyes were red, as if dripping blood. He wanted to hold Jiang Wan but feared his clumsy hands would hurt her.
“Wanwan.”
The person pressed against the long bench lay with her eyes tightly shut, offering no response.
Jiang Wan had always been frail and sickly. After such torment, she was already pale as a ghost, her breath faint as a thread.
Fu Ci’s trembling hand reached beneath her nose.
There was still breath.
His Wanwan was still here.
They say a man does not shed tears lightly, but at this moment, Fu Ci could not control his physical reaction.
Scalding droplets fell.
He roared at the servants, “Why aren’t you hurrying to fetch the physician! If anything happens to Wanwan, I’ll have your lives!”
No one dared to stop them now. Qiu Yue wiped away her tears and ran to summon the physician.
Old Madam’s heart pounded with anxiety. At this hour, why had he returned?
She exchanged a glance with the matron.
Both had lost their earlier confidence.
Fu Ci carefully lifted Jiang Wan from the bench. He saw that she had bitten her lips until they bled, her forehead drenched in sweat, soaking her hair.
Disheveled and weak.
The last thread of restraint in his mind snapped.
Placing Jiang Wan on a nearby soft couch, Fu Ci knelt before Old Madam. “Grandmother, I always thought you merely disliked Wanwan. I believed that keeping her away from you would allow everyone to coexist peacefully. I never imagined that in just two hours of my absence, you would torment her like this.”
“In the past, I always thought of you as my own grandmother. As long as you were happy, it didn’t matter if Wanwan suffered a little. Now, it seems I was too naive.”
“You don’t just dislike her—you despise her, you hate her. Even when she’s not in your presence, you still find ways to make things difficult for her, even to the point of wanting her life.”
“This time, I failed to protect Wanwan. I cannot do anything to you, nor do I know how to make amends to her. The only thing I can do is endure the suffering she has endured.”
Old Madam panicked. “What do you mean by this? For the sake of a concubine, you’re going to defy your grandmother?”
The word “concubine” pierced Fu Ci’s heart like a knife.
“She became a concubine out of necessity. She is nothing but a pitiful soul. Please do not make things difficult for her.”
“Moreover, in my heart, Wanwan is my wife.”
Old Madam fumed, “I should have beaten her to death earlier, so you wouldn’t be so bewitched and stubborn!”
Seeing his grandmother’s aggressive demeanor, Fu Ci felt even more distressed.
“Wanwan has never harmed you, nor has she done anything to wrong you. Why must you target her like this?”
“She has bewitched you, made you neglect your duties, and caused Yanran to suffer. That is her crime! In other households, not just a whipping—she could have been beaten to death!”
Fu Ci’s eyes were filled with disappointment.
If Grandmother dared to beat Wanwan now, would she dare to kill her in the future?
“Grandmother, I do not ask you to accept Wanwan. But there is one thing I want you to understand: for every lash Wanwan endured, I will endure the same. If she dies, I will not live alone.”
With that, his cold, stern gaze fell upon the person holding the whip.
He commanded in a low voice, “Strike!”
“My lord…”
“Do exactly as you did to Wanwan just now.”
Fu Ci was determined to personally experience the suffering Jiang Wan had endured.
No one dared to disobey his command.
When the whip struck his body, Fu Ci didn’t even flinch.
Old Madam wept bitterly, “Ci’er, must you break your grandmother’s heart like this?”
Fu Ci remained silent, enduring all ten lashes.
Finally, he kowtowed to Old Madam and said, “Grandmother, ten lashes won’t take my life. But if Wanwan doesn’t pull through, I won’t live on alone. I mean what I say!”
“For the sake of a woman, are you willing to give up everything?”
“Only with Wanwan by my side does everything I do have meaning. Grandmother, please don’t push me.”
Fu Ci stood up and carried Jiang Wan away.
She must have hated the East Courtyard. From now on, he would never let her come here again.
Old Madam had expected Fu Ci to quarrel with her upon his return, but she never imagined he would willingly take ten lashes.
“This unfilial grandson! Does he not know that every strike on his body pains this old woman’s heart?”
“Master is in good health. Please don’t worry too much.”
“Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants to live and die with that sickly woman!”
The matron comforted her, “Master was just trying to scare you. Who would do such a foolish thing?”
Afraid of harming the innocent, even though she knew Fu Ci was bluffing, Old Madam dared not act rashly.
“If this scourge isn’t removed, I won’t have the face to face the Fu family ancestors in the afterlife.”
“There’s still time. You must keep your composure.”
Having witnessed her own grandson go mad for a woman, how could Old Madam possibly keep her composure?
She resolved that during the autumn hunt, she must get rid of Jiang Wan.
Once the dust settled, no matter how much he protested, it would be useless!
The physician was treating Jiang Wan’s wounds, and Fu Ci stayed by her side the entire time.
Seeing her bloodied and mangled back, he felt that his ten lashes were far too few.
“Master, Lady Jiang was already frail. Now, with such severe injuries, you must ensure her wounds don’t get wet. If she develops a fever, cool her down promptly.”
Fu Ci noted each instruction carefully. Fearing that the physician might not arrive in time during an emergency, he ordered him to stay in the West Courtyard for the time being.
“Master, your wounds should also be treated.” Qiu Yue’s injuries had already been roughly attended to.
Not daring to rest for even a moment, she returned to serve by Jiang Wan’s side.
Seeing that Jiang Wan was still unconscious, Fu Ci instructed Qiu Yue to stay by her side without leaving, then went to the outer room to have his wounds treated.
Earlier, to protect Jiang Wan, Fu Ci had endured a beating with a wooden plank in the palace.
Now, he had suffered another whipping.
In recent days, with both Jiang Wan and Old Madam ill, Fu Ci had been unable to rest properly. Even a man of iron would struggle to endure such strain.
The servants attending him clearly noticed a trace of pallor on their master’s face.
After his wounds were treated, Fu Ci summoned Qiu Yue to learn the full details of what had happened.
Upon learning that people from the East Courtyard had come twice and that their attitude toward Jiang Wan had been disrespectful, Fu Ci was furious. “A bunch of insolent servants! What use are they keeping?”
He called for the steward. “Those who showed disrespect to Madam today—give each twenty strokes with the plank and sell them all off.”
“What about Old Madam’s side…”
“Pay no heed. Just say it’s my order.”
“Yes.”
It was understandable for each to serve their own master, but in this household, anyone who dared to bully Wanwan by relying on their master’s influence would not be spared!
Old Madam thought the matter was over.
Unexpectedly, just as she had taken her medicine and was about to rest, the steward came to take people away—on Fu Ci’s orders.
The servants in the courtyard wailed and cried out, descending into chaos.
“We were only following orders! What did we do wrong? Old Madam, please save us!”
“Old Madam, save us!”
Twenty heavy strokes—even a grown man would lose half his life enduring them.
How could these old and frail women withstand such punishment?
Most importantly, who would dare take in those sold off by a prominent noble family?
Where would they go from here?
“Please, Old Madam, save us!”
These were all Old Madam’s trusted aides; some of the older women had served her since their youth.
By selling them off, Fu Ci was cutting off one of Old Madam’s arms.
Throughout the entire capital, no descendant had ever dared to meddle in the affairs of their elders’ courtyards.
And all this, just to vent anger for a concubine!
“For the sake of Jiang Wan, he’s truly gone mad!”
The head maid was in a panic—one of the first-class maids was her granddaughter.
Old Madam had promised that once the new wife entered the household, she would let Jiaojiao become the master’s concubine to help the Fu family prosper.
Now, with her being sold off, forget about becoming a concubine—even surviving would be a struggle.
With a thud, she knelt beside Old Madam’s bed.
“What are you doing?”
Tears welled in the head maid’s eyes. “Jiaojiao grew up under your watch. She’s only fifteen this year. You must save her.”
A vein throbbed at Old Madam’s temple.
Selling off a few servants wasn’t a big deal, but causing trouble at this critical moment—if she couldn’t even protect her own people, what authority would she have left in this household?
Having lived a lifetime, Old Madam refused to believe that a mere concubine could turn the world upside down!
“No one in the East Courtyard is to be touched! Bring Ci’er here!”
Old Madam’s words echoed from the room, but the steward had already received Fu Ci’s explicit orders and pretended not to hear.
He swiftly directed the servants to drag away the maids and women—twenty in total.
Even those who had been disrespectful to Jiang Wan during her first visit to the East Courtyard were taken away.
The cries and pleas gradually faded into the distance.
Old Madam trembled with rage. “Do you see? The moment Jiang Wan entered this household, she turned everything upside down. If we let this continue, even an old woman like me will be looked down upon by her.”
At this moment, the head maid also harbored deep hatred for Jiang Wan.
Had she known this would happen, she wouldn’t have spoken up for Jiang Wan—better to let Old Madam have her beaten to death!
What difference was there between her and a fox spirit, bewitching the master to such an extent?
“Old Madam, this servant wishes to personally plead with the master. Given our years of master-servant bond, surely he will show mercy?”
After all, she was an old servant who had served her for a lifetime, and Old Madam didn’t want to break her heart.
“Jiaojiao will be fine. At worst, we’ll spend some silver.”
The head maid nodded repeatedly. “With your word, this servant is at ease.”