Chapter 63 Because of Her
How could someone commit such a devastating disaster?
Dozens of wealthy young ladies had their faces, necks, and hands swollen and red from the chili peppers; some even had eyes so swollen they couldn't open them.
Not to mention that the lady's reserved and refined image was completely destroyed, the fiery taste alone was enough to make anyone suffer.
Outside Pinmei Residence, on the thirtieth day of the lunar year, Wei's eldest daughter-in-law frowned and waited anxiously for the messenger.
Pinmei is in the center behind her.
The cries of the noble ladies, the complaints of the maids and servants, were interspersed with angry shouts from the mistresses of the various households: "This is outrageous! What kind of behavior is this?!" "This is outrageous!"
It was like hundreds of ducks having a meeting, making so much noise that Wei's eldest daughter-in-law felt dizzy and unsteady.
"Madam!" Her personal maidservant caught her quickly.
She gripped her personal maid's arm tightly: "This is my first time organizing the Plum Blossom Sea Banquet, and such a terrible thing has happened!"
"How could my mother-in-law possibly relinquish power to me again!"
Her personal maid comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. The doctor has already examined you. The pepper only irritates the skin."
"It won't leave a scar or bleed, and it will disappear in an hour or two. There's nothing to worry about."
"It's not a major blunder."
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family said with despair, “Look at Madam Chu sitting high and mighty inside the house, she seems to be perfectly fine!”
"If it weren't for my mother-in-law holding her down in the house, she would have had that Li woman beaten to death on the spot!"
She was annoyed: "What a coincidence, no capable lady from the Zhou family is attending the banquet today."
Then she turned her anger on her sister: "It was all Fourth Sister's idea to send that invitation to that Li woman!"
Just then, the old woman who was keeping watch came running over, panting.
"Young Madam, Young Madam, the Master of the Family and Master Zhou are here!"
She was running too fast and tripped over herself.
"Don't panic, don't panic!" The personal maidservant of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family quickly went to help her.
She clutched her chest and quickly said, "The head of the family sent someone to inform us that Third Master is furious!"
Then he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily like a bellows.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family quickly had her carried away: "Why are the head of the family and the third master here!"
"Has the person sent to the Zhou residence to inform them returned?"
"No, Third Master and the head of the family received the news and are riding fast horses from the horse farm. Hurry up."
"Never mind, never mind."
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family immediately ordered someone to set up a screen inside the house to prevent male guests from bumping into the many female relatives.
They also had people tidy up the side hall to facilitate the subsequent evacuation of the female relatives.
Having arranged everything, she straightened her clothes, composed herself, and stepped into Pinmei Residence.
Pinmeiju is located in the main hall.
The one sitting in the main seat was her mother-in-law, Madam Wei, while the one sitting in the guest seat was Madam Chu, the eldest aunt of the Zhou family.
His name is Zhou Lan.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family stepped forward respectfully to greet the two elders, and then said, "Third Master has arrived."
With that one sentence, Pinmei Residence fell silent instantly.
The incense smoke curls gently, and the aroma of tea fills the air.
Zhou Lan was 49 years old. She was dressed elegantly and noblely, with no wrinkles or blemishes on her face. Her every move exuded the aura of a person in a superior position.
She picked up her teacup and took a sip, secretly hoping that the person her mother sent would arrive first.
No matter what, her mother would always side with her.
Her third brother wasn't close to her, so it's hard to say.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family walked respectfully to the side of the mistress of the Wei family and stood still, whispering, "Father sent someone to say that the Third Master is furious."
The matriarch of the Wei family maintained a polite smile throughout.
The reason she stopped Zhou Lan from immediately attacking Li Qu was because the head of the Wei family had specially sent someone to tell her to take good care of the concubine Li who had come to visit today.
Seeing Li's attire today, she became even more determined not to let anyone try to harm her unless Zhou Jin came.
He smiled and said to Zhou Lan, "When Third Master comes, he will surely give Madam an explanation, and he will also give Yingyang an explanation."
No sooner had the words been spoken than an announcement came from outside: "The patriarch has arrived, the Third Master has arrived."
The matriarch of the Wei family rose and made way for the seat of honor. Her personal maidservant quickly cleared the table and served fresh teacups.
As darkness fell at the entrance, a tall, handsome figure stepped inside.
Calm and composed, with every step exuding authority, he made everyone in the room, whether master or servant, hold their breath and lower their eyes in silence.
The head of the Wei family, rubbing his large belly, followed behind Zhou Jin.
As Zhou Jin and the head of the Wei family approached, the matriarch of the Wei family and her daughter-in-law curtsied.
The head of the Wei family took the opportunity to exchange glances with his wife.
Seeing that Madam Wei nodded, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more relaxed.
"Haha, it is I who have not been hospitable enough, and I have caused all the ladies and young ladies to be frightened. I will make sure to send you a small gift another day to apologize."
Zhou Jin went straight to the head seat, picked up his teacup, and asked, "Where is the Li family?"
Zhou Lan, who had been sitting in the guest seat without moving an inch, raised his eyelids: "Third brother, aren't you going to ask about today's events?"
"Let her speak." He took a sip of tea and put down the cup.
Madam Wei immediately sent someone to invite Li Qu and her servant.
Zhou Lan looked displeased and picked up her teacup: "With so many mouths here, who can't tell the truth?"
“I want to hear what she has to say. If you don’t want to hear it, you can go outside and wait.”
Zhou Lan looked at Zhou Jin in surprise, never expecting him to suddenly lose face in front of everyone.
He slammed the teacup down on the table: "Third brother, your tone is so aggressive, it doesn't sound like you're here to apologize, it sounds like you're here to interrogate me!"
She held her chin high, exuding an air of elegance and pride.
Zhou Jin remained silent and did not respond.
The atmosphere was tense, as if a major battle was about to break out.
Standing to the side, Wei's eldest daughter-in-law deeply understood the meaning of "Third Master's wrath".
The blunt opening remarks foreshadowed Zhou Jin's attitude.
Zhou Lan hated Zhou Jin's attitude of treating her the same as everyone else.
His face darkened, and he pulled back his eyelids, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "I've long heard that this Li woman in your room is arrogant and spoiled."
“It’s normal for people to be jealous and quarrelsome, but now he dares to act wildly in front of Yingyang and drag innocent bystanders into it.”
"It seems that it was my third brother who provided this support!"
Zhou Jin replied coldly, "What's this about jealousy?"
Zhou Lan sneered: "She takes advantage of your favoritism towards him, steals the meals that others have prepared, and comes to you to curry favor and curry favor."
"Shameless, two-faced."
"What, Third Brother doesn't know?"
Zhou Jin: "Whose meal did you steal?"
Zhou Lan raised an eyebrow and raised her voice so that the onlookers could hear: "Bai Shisi Niang from your room personally cooked soup for three hours and sent it to your Mianxiao Residence."
"As a result, they were stopped by the Li family at the entrance of Mianxiao Residence."
"Mrs. Li said she would bring the soup to you."
"As a result, Li stayed at your Mianxiao Residence until 11 PM that night."
"And from then on, you favored her even more."
She feigned kindness and reminded him, "Third brother's affections are uneven; be careful that things don't get out of hand in the inner quarters."
Zhou Jin knew what Zhou Lan was talking about.
On the day he was beaten, Li Qu brought Xiao Bai a meal for him, and she even scolded him because Xiao Bai had spilled a jar of vinegar.
Later, she refused to leave and insisted on staying to take care of him.
As a result, that night he lay on the couch, watching her delicate and soft figure swaying before his eyes, and he hated the family rule that "female members are not allowed to stay overnight in the outer courtyard".
How did you know about this, elder sister?
"Who in this household doesn't know?"
"Xiao Bai's cooking skills are indeed quite good."
Zhou Lan sneered: "Your concubine is extremely unruly and needs to be properly disciplined."
“But I’ve only used the soup that Xiaobai made herself once.” Zhou Jin looked at Zhou Lan.
"My elder sister knows so much about what's going on in our courtyard..."
"Can you tell me why I felt this way after eating the soup made by Shirakawa?"
"But Mother sent Xiaobai to the estate to recuperate?"
Zhou Lan slowly lowered her face, picked up her cup, and drank her tea.
She didn't feel that paying attention to what was happening in her brother's room was overstepping her bounds.
Who told him he was the future head of the Zhou family in Hezhou?
She wouldn't even bother listening to stories about her second son's cowardly bedroom affairs.
She remained defiant even after being chosen.
Zhou Jin leaned back in his chair: "She does rely on me, and it's true that she's prone to jealousy."
He pressed his tongue against his teeth, and after a long while, he slowly spoke: "Big sister used a word incorrectly."
Zhou Lan raised her eyelids and looked at her third brother, who was related to her by blood.
Zhou Jin looked directly at her and said, "She doesn't need to beg for favor; I'll pamper her myself!"
"She is also sensible and intelligent, and never goes out of her way to cause trouble."
"Just as my elder sister said, I am not here to apologize today, but to demand an explanation."
"Why does my elder sister allow Yingyang to repeatedly humiliate my concubine?"
Zhou Lan frowned and retorted sharply, "Third brother, stop talking nonsense!"
“Yingyang is well-educated and reasonable; how could she possibly bully her uncle’s concubines!”
Zhou Jin raised his hand and gestured with his fingers: "I need to borrow Duke Wei's place to settle some family matters."
He was still willing to save face for his blood-related elder sister.
The matriarch of the Wei family immediately understood and quickly led her eldest daughter-in-law to disperse the female relatives behind the screen.
The crowd, who had been furious and waiting for Zhou Jin to deal with Li Qu's wives and daughters, looked at each other in bewilderment.
Why is this time different from usual?
Why not just bring over that concubine who dared to defy her superiors and punish her to appease everyone's anger?
What's wrong?
Is Master Zhou going to argue with Madam Chu over that concubine?
*
All personnel were dismissed.
Only Zhou Jin and his siblings remained in the main hall.
Zhou Lan, not bothering to hide her temper, slammed her hand on the table, making the pearls on her ears rattle.
"No wonder she dared to throw pepper powder at Yingyang; it turns out she was relying on you to cover for her!"
"Zhou Jin! Don't you even respect me as your older sister?!"
"She's just a lowly concubine, yet she dared to run away from Xuequan Manor and offend Yingyang. She shouldn't even apologize, but instead she dared to escape!"
"She ran away, but she got caught in the rain and caught a cold, and now Yingyang is being scolded by you!"
"And because of this, you kicked us out of Snow Spring Manor overnight!"
Thinking back to that time, she and the other ladies had all taken off their clothes, preparing to soak in the hot spring and then have a nice sleep.
As a result, Zhou Jin's men forcibly broke in and demanded that she take her people out of Xuequan Manor.
When you throw her pride to the ground and rub it against her, she gets so angry that her chest heaves.
"A humiliation, an absolute humiliation!"
"I, Zhou Lan, have never lost so much face in the Hezhou ladies' circle in my entire life!"
Zhou Jin's expression was indifferent: "If my elder sister is dissatisfied with me, she can make things difficult for me. Why involve her!"
"Didn't this whole thing start because of her?"
"If Yingyang hadn't wanted to humiliate her, why would she have caught a cold from being caught in the rain!"
"Wasn't it she who broke off Yingyang's winter plum blossom first! Every year on the winter solstice, Yingyang breaks off the first winter plum blossom in Xuequan Manor and wears it in her hair!"
Zhou Jin thought of the day he found her, and the withered plum blossom branch in her black hair.
"Why has my stuff become Yingyang's!"
Zhou Lan, unable to refute this statement, seized the opportunity to retort: "Whose master are you! I'm your older sister!"
"I call you 'Big Sister,' so you're the real 'Big Sister'!" Zhou Jin looked at her indifferently.
"Zhou Jin, how dare you say such a thing in front of Mother!"
"Of course I dare not disobey or be unfilial, but do you even deserve to be compared with the person who gave me life and raised me?"
Zhou Lan roared in fury: "Zhou Jin!"
"I'm willing to open the gates of my villa and let you in to play, because I'm thinking of this small bit of blood ties!"
"If you can't tell who's in charge, then stay away from me from now on!"
"I hate people who have no sense of propriety!"
"She didn't mention you at all about Xuequan Manor!"
"These are all my words and deeds!"
"If you have any complaints, take them out on me!"
"If I cause her trouble again, next time I won't give her pepper powder for self-defense, but something else powerful for self-defense."
"Zhou Jin!" Zhou Lan was so angry she almost fell over backwards.
"Even if the matter of Snow Spring Manor has nothing to do with her, I asked Madam Wei to invite her here today. What right does she, a lowly concubine who has not even been granted a place in society, have to refuse!"
This is the first time Zhou Jin has faced the reality of how others perceive her status.
He stared straight at Zhou Lan.
Zhou Lan refused to back down: "Where am I wrong?"
“I am your own elder sister, the head wife of the Chu family!”
"Since I've spoken, she should bow respectfully and kowtow to me upon entering the room!"
"A bed warmer who serves men with his looks, how dare he refuse to come!"
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was insubordinate!"
Having gained the upper hand, she refused to let it go: "What's wrong with me sending someone to teach her a lesson?"
Zhou Jin: "What gives you the right to lecture her?"
"Even if she is a concubine, she is still a concubine of the Zhou family. What does she have to do with your Chu Zhou family!"
Zhou Lan died.
She raised her hand and pointed tremblingly at Zhou Jin.
"My Yingyang is the apple of my eye, the daughter I prayed for after having three sons, and I spent ten months copying Buddhist scriptures to pray for her!"
"Who does she think she is? What right do you have to rebuke my Yingyang for the sake of a lowly concubine of commoner origin!"
"My Yingyang is the eldest daughter of the Chu family, a precious treasure whom I've cherished since childhood!"
Why should my Yingyang suffer because of her!
"I'm going to teach her a lesson to vent my anger for Yingyang!"
Who does she think she is!
"What makes her think she can compare to my Yingyang!"
Zhou Jin remained motionless, letting Zhou Lan point at him: "Because I, Zhou Jin, like her!"
"Like it?" Zhou Lan looked at him with a laugh. "How much is your 'like' worth?"
"Which of the men, young and old, in this whole river island doesn't have a favorite concubine in the patriarch's backyard?"
"Do you think any concubine would enter through the front door when visiting someone's home?"
"She's a concubine! She'll never be as good as my Yingyang!"
"She has offended me. You may protect her today and you may protect her tomorrow, but there will come a day when you can't protect her anymore!"
"I'll humiliate her!"
"If you're so capable, then defy the world and elevate a lowly concubine to the position of wife in your Zhou family's third branch!"
"If that day ever comes, I'll call her my third sister-in-law! And I'll make Yingyang respect her as an elder!"
"Otherwise, I will definitely avenge today's humiliation!"
Zhou Jin stared at Zhou Lan: "You dare!"
Zhou Lan has been arrogant his whole life, when has he ever bowed his head?
"I dare!"
Zhou Jin sneered: "Since you look down on concubines so much, then I'll make sure you, Yingyang, whom I cherish so much, go and become someone else's concubine!"
Zhou Lan looked at Zhou Jin in disbelief: "Zhou Jin!"
"Yingyang is your own niece!"
He swept the teacup beside him away.
Zhou Lan screamed in fright and took two steps back.
Zhou Jin: "I have so many nieces that I can't even recognize them all. I wouldn't mind losing one or having one more!"
He stood up, looked at Zhou Lan, and said with a clear warning: "Don't touch her again!"
He saw the skirt fluttering at the doorway and stepped outside.
Zhou Lan stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve: "Zhou Jin, you dare, you dare!"
Zhou Jin stopped and looked down at her with a heavy, sharp, and intimidating gaze.
Zhou Lan had lived a noble life in the South, but looking at the man in front of her who bore a resemblance to her, she finally slowly released her grip on his sleeve.
Zhou Lan knew that he not only dared to do it, but he could also do it.
Powerful families value their reputation, but they value their interests even more.
A legitimate daughter, if used well, can bring blessings to the family for ten or twenty years.
Zhou Jin withdrew his gaze, strode away, and walked away without looking back.
"Zhou Jin!" Zhou Lan was furious inside, but her tone suddenly calmed down: "If I don't touch her, Mother will always find a way to do something about her!"
She was determined to stand up to him to the very end!
She refused to believe that she couldn't do anything to that lowly concubine!
Zhou Jin kept walking: "If Mother touches her, it'll all be your fault!"
Once outside, she was indeed leaning against the doorframe.
*
The handkerchief was folded into a strip, covering her eyes. He couldn't see the expression in her eyes, but he could see the smile on her lips.
She spoke softly, "Xie Jinlang, you are protecting me."
Zhou Jin's heart was not at peace.
Zhou Lan's words stirred up waves in his heart.
He doesn't want to delve into the details right now.
He opened his mouth: "How is it?"
"My eyelids are a little red and swollen, and I can't open them. The doctor said it won't prevent me from watching the horse race this afternoon."
Her tone was relaxed, like the thin, cold air that had crossed the Qinling Mountains, bringing a touch of coolness and gradually calming his somewhat uneasy heart.
"Okay, I'll take you there."
He reached out, wanting to remove the handkerchief from her eyes so he could see them.
She immediately raised her hand to cover herself: "It's all red. I squinted my eyes and peeked in the mirror."
"It's not beautiful, I don't want you to see it, my love."
"Okay." He squatted down, wrapped his arm around her thighs and buttocks, and lifted her up with one arm.
Unable to see her surroundings, she instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Jinlang, let's walk together. It's not good if people see us like this in public."
He was about to openly show her favoritism: "It's alright, they'll see, and they won't dare to bully you anymore."
She smiled.
He couldn't laugh: "Don't be afraid, I have my own way of dealing with that crazy woman Zhou Lan."
"As for others, those without the status would not dare to bother you, and those with the status, seeing Zhou Lan's fate, would not dare to have any designs on you."
She said softly, "Jinlang, the old lady will be heartbroken."
"I do not wish for Jinlang and his mother to become estranged. From now on, I will not go out to attend these banquets."
"With Jinlang by my side every day, I am content."
Zhou Jin fell silent, clearly hearing his heart pounding erratically.
An inexplicable conflict brewed in his heart, adding to his worries.
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