The Duke of Zhenguo had barely entered the courtyard when he heard his second daughter's vicious words. He glanced at the people under the eaves and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
Zhu Yu looked up and saw the weathered Duke of Zhenguo walking towards them with a tall and straight figure.
After several years, the Duke of Zhenguo seemed to have aged considerably, with many more white hairs at his temples, but his eyes were still bright and piercing.
Upon seeing the Duke of Zhenguo, both Fang and her daughter trembled simultaneously, and Fang's face turned deathly pale: "Duke, why are you here?"
The Duke of Zhenguo glanced indifferently at the Fang mother and daughter, whose expressions were far from pleasant: "What, am I not allowed to come to the backyard of the Duke's mansion?"
The Duke of Zhenguo was a man who had truly fought on the battlefield. With just a glance, his imposing aura poured out.
Forced to take a step back, Fang stammered, her face pale, "No, that's not what I meant..."
Zhu Yu awkwardly curtsied to the Duke of Zhenguo, his expression a mixture of coquetry, grievance, and a strange, inexplicable quality: "Father..." His eyes reddened as he spoke.
If Lu Xiaoyun were here at this moment, she would be absolutely amazed by Zhu Yu's performance today.
The Duke of Zhenguo glanced at Lu Jinmi indifferently, then looked at his eldest daughter. Seeing her face covered in tears, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice, he softened his voice and said, "You tell me, what happened?"
Zhu Yu burst into tears, her shoulders shaking with grievance. She looked exactly like a spoiled little girl who had suffered a great injustice outside and suddenly saw her parents come to support her. She couldn't utter a complete sentence: "Dad... I, I, Dad... she, they..."
She grabbed Lu Yucheng's sleeve, making his clothes all wrinkled.
Lu Yucheng felt heartbroken and took out a handkerchief to wipe Zhu Yu's tears: "It's alright, it's alright, your brother and father are here. We know you've been wronged. Don't cry, don't cry, be good."
Seeing his eldest daughter like this, the Duke of Zhenguo felt bad. This child lost her mother when she was young. For the past eighteen years, he and Acheng had been guarding the southern border, only returning to Shengjing City for half a month every three years, and they had hardly cared for her.
He knew that Fang would not treat her so well, but as a military general, it was his duty to protect the peace of the surrounding borders.
He had no choice.
The Duke of Zhenguo pointed to the little maid behind Lu Jinmi: "You tell me."
The maid trembled with fear and knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, Your Highness, this servant, this servant..."
"Tell the truth!" The Duke of Zhenguo's face hardened, and a wave of pressure swept over the little maid.
The maid shrank back and secretly glanced at Lu Jinmi.
Lu Jinmi gave her a warning look, the meaning of which was clear: if she dared to say something she shouldn't have, she would be made to wish she were dead once her father and brothers left.
The maid gritted her teeth, her body trembling, and after stammering out a few words, she dared not say another.
She knew all too well that in this mansion, she absolutely could not offend the Madam and the Second Miss. Otherwise, half a month later, once the Duke of Zhenguo and the Heir Apparent left, she, a servant, would be wiped out without a trace.
It's uncertain whether the Duke of Zhenguo and his son will remember her when they return in three years.
If she were to be vague, even if the Duke of Zhenguo and the young master questioned her, she could simply say that she was frightened and couldn't remember, thus getting away with it.
After hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo frowned. It wasn't a trivial matter; his two daughters were just fighting over a courtyard. There was no need to make such a fuss.
Xiaoyun is making a big fuss over nothing; she's not as poised and confident as her second daughter.
However, what you just said was indeed harsh, and you should be taught a lesson.
He glanced at the Fang mother and daughter with a deep look in his eyes, and said to Lu Jinmi in a deep voice, "This courtyard originally belonged to your elder sister, Jinmi. You shouldn't be clinging to it. There's no need for you to have such a falling out with your elder sister over this. I'll have Uncle Qing prepare another nice courtyard for you, furnished to the same standard as this one. Don't worry, I won't shortchange you on what your elder sister has."
His tone shifted, and he said coldly, "What you said just now was quite nasty! I don't want to hear you curse your elder sister so viciously anymore. You are sisters, and you should support each other."
Fang gently tugged at Lu Jinmi's sleeve.
Lu Jinmi gritted her teeth and hurriedly knelt down before the Duke of Zhenguo: "Yes, Father, I was out of control and said things I shouldn't have. I know I was wrong."
She now appears as a well-behaved young lady from a respectable family, a far cry from her arrogant and domineering demeanor just moments before.
After Lu Jinmi finished speaking, she slapped herself twice on the face, then turned around and kowtowed to Zhu Yu: "Elder sister, I misspoke. Please forgive me. Let's be like before, okay? Mother always puts the best things first for you. Don't worry, I will never compete with you for anything again."
She raised her tearful eyes and looked pitifully at Zhu Yu.
Her face was red and swollen from the two blows she had just received, and she seemed to be saying, "Lu Xiaoyun, if you don't take this opportunity to back down, then you're being impolite and too vicious."
Lu Yucheng snorted coldly. He was still there, and these three, master and servant, were already putting on an act right there.
Before Lu Yucheng could speak, Zhu Yu eagerly grabbed Lu Yucheng's sleeve and wiped away his tears.
He said aggrievedly, "Brother, what my second sister said makes sense. So, every time you returned to Shengjing and gave me money, my stepmother took it away, saying she was saving it for my dowry."
"However, a month ago, when I married His Highness Prince An, I only brought two sets of clothes with me. My stepmother carried me into Prince An's mansion in a sedan chair, and I didn't see a single tael of silver."
He pointed at his stepmother: "Father, brother, your stepmother cheated me out of money!"
The Duke of Zhenguo's face immediately darkened. The maid hadn't said those words earlier. He glanced at the maid.
Lu Yucheng glanced at the sleeves of his clothes, which were now wrinkled and covered in his younger sister's tears and snot, and pinched his brow helplessly.
His gaze turned icy as he looked at the trembling maidservant with her head bowed: "I had no idea that the maidservant beside my second sister was so capable. What, do you think that I and the eldest young lady are blind and deaf, and can let you twist the truth like this!"
The maidservant knelt down with a thud, terrified: "Your Excellency, Your Highness, spare me! I... I was just scared. I'm a timid person, and I have a bad memory. So, that's why..."
"You have a bad memory? You've certainly learned how to make things up, though!"
Zhu Yu tugged at Lu Yucheng's sleeve again.
Lu Yucheng looked down at him.
He whispered, "Brother, His Highness Prince An just beats up servants like this who are dishonest and stir up trouble."
Upon hearing this, the maid was so frightened that she almost fainted.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
