Having seen too many good things, Li Hong Yuan didn’t even bat an eye, letting someone randomly reward the inner court attendant that delivered the things, and then had the things moved back to the storeroom. How they should be dealt with, there was no need for Li Hong Yuan to instruct. Eunuch Mu will properly handle them. In any case, going in accordance to standard was enough. The things that the future wangfei might like and will use are all properly stored away. As for the rest, no matter how valuable, will all be directly pressed to the bottom of the trunk and shoved to the very back.
Li Hong Yuan although had an extremely bad temper, when it came time to deliver things to his manor, the inner court attendants all fought for this task. It can’t be helped. Li Hong Yuan had generous hands. Any time he casually rewarded, it was all no less than a hundred taels. This was a good thing that no other place would have.
Le Cheng Emperor’s conduct once again, in the fastest speed, spread throughout the entire capital, becoming known by everyone.
Regardless whether it was those that had long known how indulgent he was towards Li Hong Yuan, or those that have just entered the capital and were hearing for the first time, they were all simultaneously loss for words for a long while. Afterwards, those that were familiar with the situation told those that weren’t familiar, in the capital city, no matter who you offend, do not offend the living Enma Jin Qinwang, Li Hong Yuan. If you encounter him, you best run far far away.
Meanwhile, some people’s thoughts also began stirring. Since Jin Qinwang is this favored, perhaps in the future, he might……If they were to cast themselves under his flag……….Immediately, this thought was mercilessly shattered. In the past, it’s not like no one did this before. However, their endings were all very miserable. Before they could even enter the Jin Qinwang Manor gates, they got their two legs broken and were thrown out. And those that wouldn’t give up, what was thrown out was a corpse.
With one’s life gone, what glory and wealth is there still to speak of?
However, even Le Cheng Emperor all said, this was nothing more than a big misunderstanding. In the end, nothing happened, yet Sun Yi Lin, Gentleman Lin, still borrowed alcohol to drink away his sorrows, borrowed alcohol to go violent, why exactly is that?
Sun Yi Lin getting drunkenly lifted back naturally alarmed the entire manor. Regardless whether they were genuinely concerned or feigning concern, they all headed towards Sun Yi Lin’s courtyard one after another. Unfortunately, no matter who asked, Sun Yi Lin kept his mouth shut. And when he got annoyed, he just directly told them to get lost. Someone who didn’t get angry normally was the most terrifying when angered!
When Sun Yi Jia arrived, the entrance to Sun Yi Lin’s room was completely crowded by people, who all thought themselves to be whispering in a very small voice, but with so many people linked together, it just sounded like that annoying housefly.
Sun Yi Jia watched with a cold gaze, when suddenly, a servant girl bumped into her from the side, and seemingly intentionally or otherwise, pulled off her face veil.
“Ahh——-” A piercing scream instantly attracted everyone’s attention. Then, they all saw that horrifying wound on Sun Yi Jia’s face, and one after the other all instinctively covered their mouths. Previously, no one saw just exactly how serious her injuries were, just they never thought that it would be this serious. There were those that sympathized with her, but even more took pleasure in her misfortune.
“Elder sister, s-sorry, this younger sister just got frightened suddenly, that’s why, n-no, actually, that……..” An incomparably delicately dressed girl, with a terrified look on her face, stood there trembling, yet forcibly pretended to be calm, stammering as she explained, appearing very pitiful. And that servant girl that bumped into Sun Yi Jia also knelt to the ground, repeatedly kowtowing, begging for forgiveness.
“Kyaa, Jia’er this face……….”
‘Pah—‘
A crisp sound echoed through, and everyone collectively went silent, staring in disbelief at Sun Yi Jia, who’d just finished slapping someone and was nonchalantly putting her veil back on. “Noisy.” Sun Yi Jia lightly casted the servant girl on the ground a glance, “Have this impatient servant girl dragged down and beaten fifty times with the rod.”
After fifty beatings, those who were fortunate, would still be able to retain a breath, however most would just directly die.
That servant girl finally knew to be scared and genuinely began kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. ‘Peng, peng, peng.’ A few times down and her forehead was already bleeding. But Sun Yi Jia was completely unmoved by this, and the two muscular old servant women behind her directly went forward, stuffing the person’s mouth and dragging her away.
The girl that got slapped covered her face, her eyes filled with hatred, but probably because she was used to silently enduring, she didn’t lash out. Just, those tears resembled a shattered pearl necklace, falling in large drops, “Elder sister, I, I was just………” She felt extremely wronged.
“Dare say another word, and I’ll make your face like mine.” Sun Yi Jia meaningfully stroked across her own face.
In everyone’s eyes, the ruined Sun Yi Jia was just like a mad dog. Who knows whether she’ll really do as she says.
Others didn’t dare to make another sound, but that girl’s birth mother however felt unbearably heartbroken. Getting slapped that hard, it clearly was already swollen. In another three days, it was the Grand Elder Princess’s birthday. If when the time comes, they still can’t reduce the swelling, then how can that be good? “Jia’er, there’s precisely the saying, ‘where it’s possible to let someone off, one should spare them’. Moreover, your younger sister was just timid, and not………”
Sun Yi Jia swept a cold glance over, “This miss is punishing a servant girl, and teaching one’s younger shu sister a lesson, you’re just a yiniang, what right do you have to interfere? Who gave you the guts to? This is my fifth brother’s courtyard, what did you, a yiniang, come here for? This is the outer courtyard, and fifth brother isn’t a three year old child either. Do you not have any sense of propriety? What? Could it be that you’re disdaining my father’s old age, and thus came to my fifth brother’s place to recommend yourself as a pillow?”
Sun Yi Jia’s words were extremely malicious, and moreover, even overturned everyone’s intentions[1]. The crowd that came to see a play all turned pale, not at all pretty.
“Jia’er, how can you talk like that, where’s your upbringing?”
Sun Yi Jia glanced to her aunt (wife of her father’s younger brother) that spoke, “Upbringing? Then, why don’t you all tell me, what exactly did I say wrong or do wrong?”
They all had nothing to day. This place was indeed not a place they should come. At most, having the brothers and sisters coming to visit was enough. Even if his aunts wanted to come see, they still needed to pick the right time. Right now it was still daytime. It was possible for Sun Yi Lin’s good friends to come visit. If they were to run into them, it wouldn’t be good, never mind those yiniangs who normally can’t even leave the second gate without the main wife’s permission.
“My mother merely relaxed for a few days, yet each and every one of you all became ambitious, daring to disregard the rules and run to the outer courtyard, and even daring to lecture this miss. Just based on your current conduct, I can have you all locked up in the ancestral shrine.”
Sun Yi Jia although was referring to the few yiniangs, how was she not hinting at something else.
“My child is right. In the last few days, I was too busy and neglected my duties. As a result, each and every one of you all began jumping about. All of you immediately get lost at once. Salary deducted for three months, confinement for three months, and have both the Female Commandments and Female Principles copied a thousand times.” The Ding Duchess, due to having gone to receive the imperial decree, had changed into her formal gown and hadn’t had the time to change out of them. Her entire person appeared graceful and grandeur, and with a cold expression on her face, one could sense her might.
This attire seemingly stabbed into the eyes of every single married women present. It was the symbol of her status and position.
“Madam, you can’t………” A yiniang that appeared not much older than Sun Yi Jia furiously opened her mouth.
“You really want to move to the ancestral shrine?” The Ding Duchess coldly spoke, “Oh, right, you can also go look for the duke to plea, just see whether or not the duke will come speak to me for you.” Her words carried three part mockery and three part disdain.
The matters of the rear court, as long as their brains weren’t broken, or have a reason to, men usually won’t interfere. Encountering a main wife that was willing to act virtuous and magnanimous, the little concubines and yiniangs should all go burn incense and thank the high heavens. Once she’s shed all pretense of cordiality, no longer intending play with you anymore, and you still dare go against her, then it was no different from courting death.
“What are younger sister-in-laws still stalling around for? Waiting for me, this older sister-in-law, to invite you all to leave one by one?”
Originally, they all thought that with her daughter and son meeting with mishap one after the other, and further hearing that she practically fought with the Ding Duke every day, and moreover, with the Ding Duke Manor’s rear court indeed becoming lax, that this time, she really will lose her power, and those young and beautiful yiniangs with grown daughters will be able to rise in her place. Turns out that wasn’t the case. The tiger was still the tiger. Don’t assume that just because it took a nap, you’ll be able to ride above it. Once it wakes up again, it’ll be able to squash you to death with one paw.
It seems, it’s not just Sun Yi Jia that has gone insane, even the Ding Duke Manor’s mistress of the household, the Ding Duchess, has gone insane as well.
In an instant, they all scattered like birds. Even those young misses that were stripped of their chance to go to the Grand Elder Princess’s manor didn’t dare say anything either.
The Ding Duchess relaxed her expression, “Yi Jia, I’ve let you suffered.”
Sun Yi Jia twitched her mouth, but recalling that her mother isn’t able to see anyways, she didn’t force herself to smile anymore. There was a barrier between the mother and daughter after all. Even if on the surface, their relationship appeared more intimate than before, in reality, that wasn’t the case. “Mother, I’m fine.”
Afterwards, they both remained silent and simultaneously headed inside, wanting to use this to disperse the awkwardness in the air.
At the moment, Sun Yi Lin had already sobered up quite a bit. Facing the ones closest to him, and also the ones that knew the matters of his heart, Sun Yi Lin didn’t have them kicked out. Facing their worries, he also bluntly spoke the truth, “She, got engaged.”
[1] The original phrase’s literal translation would be ‘one bamboo pole overturning a group of people’. It roughly means when one thing negates the whole. In this case, Sun Yi Jia’s words negates their excuse of ‘coming to see Sun Yi Lin out of concern’.
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