The room fell silent for a moment.
Old Madam Jiang was extremely displeased that someone would ruin this precious moment of warmth, and her eyes and brows were filled with a hint of hostility.
Jiang Sheng remained relatively calm, resting her chin on her hand without speaking.
She is no longer the little beggar whose mind was only on food. She understands that everyone has biological parents, that most children grow up under the care of a loving mother and a strict father, and that being abandoned is the minority, and that it is already difficult to survive.
Or perhaps her five older brothers filled all the void in her life, filling her heart with love and courage. After a brief period of struggle, she stopped yearning for anything.
Whether it was Old Madam Jiang or Second Uncle Jiang, they were all strangers in Jiang Sheng's eyes. Perhaps their identities intersected, but their emotions always moved forward in parallel.
Because I don't love them, I have no expectations, no desires, and no sadness.
Jiang Sheng was like an observer, standing in the Jiang family, yet always remaining detached.
Madam Jiang's actions naturally couldn't harm her; on the contrary, they piqued her interest, making her want to know what strange things this lady could do.
"Madam, Madam, you can't come in. The old lady is still resting." Tan Yue's voice came from outside, trying to stop her.
Suppressing her anger, Madam Jiang looked at Jiang Sheng and said, "Good child, go hide in the back."
Jiang Sheng was puzzled, but she still stood up and obediently sat behind the screen.
At that very moment, Madam Jiang pushed Tan Yue aside, rushed into the inner room, and saw the old Madam Jiang sitting upright. "Mother is clearly not resting, yet you, this maid, are taking advantage of her mother's favor to deceive her superiors and cover up the truth. You are truly audacious!"
Tan Yue silently followed in and knelt down.
"Your mother dotes on you and gives you some face, but you mustn't forget your place. You're just a maid!" Jiang Liaoshi coldly retorted. "If this happens again, I think you won't need to serve at Derentang anymore. Just sell you off to a matchmaker!"
Tan Yue kept her head down and remained silent.
Madam Jiang simply gazed calmly ahead, and the entire room fell silent once more.
Jiang Liao moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something more, but then felt it was better to keep quiet.
Silence, deathly silence.
The entire Deren Temple was filled with birdsong and the sound of wind, but no human voices.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Liao's forehead was covered in sweat, and she was almost unable to stand.
Having finished her show of force, Madam Jiang spoke in a calm and authoritative tone, "Since when have the maids of my Deren Courtyard become subjects of your authority?"
Jiang Liao's figure swayed slightly, her expression restrained yet shrewd, "Mother, your daughter-in-law wouldn't dare."
"If you dare to sell my maids, what will you do if you dare to do it in the future? You'll bury this old hag alive." Old Madam Jiang sneered. "Liao, when you're being arrogant, remember that this is the Jiang family, not your Liao family."
The majesty unique to the general's wife was on full display at this moment; the cold yet smiling old woman was more awe-inspiring than any loud shouting.
Jiang Liao could no longer stand, her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground, sobbing, "Please, Mother, have mercy and spare the Liao family. The Liao family has had a hard time these past few years. We have only been able to stand firm because of the lychee business. If we lose this business, we are afraid we will be squeezed out of Fengjing."
Now that's more like asking for help.
Madam Jiang gestured for Tan Yue to stand up, her expression cold. "The Jiang family let the Liao family go, but did the Liao family let the Jiang family go? You've certainly fulfilled your duties as a Liao family daughter to the fullest, but have you ever fulfilled your responsibilities as Madam Jiang?"
Jiang Liao's face turned pale, and she dared not reply.
"Since you married into the family more than ten years ago, we have helped you countless times, both openly and secretly, and the Jiang family has always turned a blind eye because the General's Mansion needs you to manage it, because the children need you to take care of them, and because we think you are working hard. But how have you treated the Jiang family?" Old Madam Jiang sneered. "The Liao family's lychee business was taken care of and protected by the Jiang family. After more than ten years of profiting from it, it became the Liao family's business. Now the Jiang family has no choice but to protect it?"
Although she didn't speak harshly or raise her voice, and could even be described as expressionless, every word she uttered was piercing and heavy.
Jiang Liao's originally upright kneeling posture gradually slumped, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
"Mrs. Liao, do you think the Jiang family is afraid to bear the scandal?" At this point, Old Madam Jiang was truly surprised. "Or do you think that Jizu is as foolish as you, allowing the Jiang family bloodline to be confused?"
How can someone who switched the Jiang family's children still have the audacity to demand that the Jiang family protect their maternal family?
If Madam Jiang were Jiang Liao Shi, she would definitely humble herself immediately, trying to please everyone and make every effort to restore all the children's lives to normalcy before making amends for what she owed them.
But Jiang Liao did not. She ignored Jiang Sheng and paid no attention to anything. She spent her days chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall and occasionally showed concern for Jiang Chenghuan and Jiang Chengyuan.
If the Liao family hadn't secretly come to her door, she wouldn't have dared to force her way into Derentang, much less would she have wanted to kneel here limply.
"Mrs. Liao, it's fine if you value your maternal family, but you can't treat the Jiang family like fools." Old Madam Jiang's tone was cold. "Now it's you who owes the Jiang family, not the Jiang family who owes you. You have no right to ask the Jiang family to do anything, let alone demand their protection."
That's a definitive statement.
This also completely removed the mountain behind the Liao family.
Jiang Liaoshi understood her mother-in-law's temper and knew that kowtowing again would be useless, so she simply slowly got up from the ground.
Under Tan Yue's surprised gaze, she retorted coldly, "If Mother doesn't want to help, then don't. Why go on and on with all this talk? The General is still on the frontier; he won't hear any of this."
Old Madam Jiang's face darkened. "But he will eventually come back, he will know what you've done, he will know the scandal you've brought to the Jiang family!"
"A scandal?" Jiang Liao asked blankly. "It is indeed a scandal."
She slowly turned around, seemingly about to leave, and just as she was about to step out of the room, she coldly tossed out a sentence, "This scandal isn't limited to the Jiang family; Mother had better keep it under wraps."
He then turned and left.
Tan Yue's eyes widened, and she subconsciously followed to the door, where she heard Jiang Liao's two murmured words.
“The Jiang family has never looked down on the Liao family, nor on me. The Jiang family is high and mighty, but you, old lady… are not a member of the Jiang family.”
The woman, who seemed to have lost her mind, staggered away from Derentang. Her words were carried away by the wind and could not be heard again.
But that was enough to terrify Tan Yue.
She turned back to Madam Jiang, knelt down, and recounted what she had said with trepidation.
Finally, she asked cautiously, "Madam, Madam...madam is probably too angry, perhaps she is worried about the Liao family, or perhaps she is angry with the Jiang family."
“Neither.” Old Madam Jiang interrupted her, looking at the little girl who came out from behind the screen. “What she said is not wrong. I am not a member of the Jiang family. I am Jiang Yaoshi.”
"And the Jiang family certainly looked down on the Liao family."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
