Ding Zhu couldn't remember anything, she only remembered that her fourth uncle couldn't read and couldn't do heavy work. Her grandparents disliked her fourth uncle, and her grandmother always beat and scolded her fourth aunt. Gradually, she also disliked them and rolled her eyes at them from time to time, and no longer cared to pay attention to them.
Now that she thought about it, her fourth uncle and aunt had treated her well in the past. She couldn't help but glance at Ding Youtian, but saw him reaching out to pick up the teacup. When the cup was about to his mouth, she didn't know why she suddenly pounced over and knocked over the cup in his hand.
With a "bang", the cup fell to the ground, and with a "sizzling" sound, a cloud of black smoke rose, and a piece of the wooden floor was burned.
When Ding Zhu knocked over the teacup, Jian Ning was quick to pick up Erniu and Sanniu one by one, and Guoguo also jumped away instantly. Only Erniu's Jinbao was a step slower and his tail was splashed by the tea, which hurt so much that it swung its tail around. Jian Ning stepped on its tail and then sprinkled medicine powder on it.
Ding Zhu fell to her knees again with a thud. Her little face turned pale with fear and her whole body was shaking like a sieve, tears streaming down her face.
"Get up!" Ding Youtian had a cold face, but there was a bit of relief in his eyes. After all, Ding Zhu had not lost his humanity. He was just taking a gamble and would never really drink the cup of tea.
One couldn't even write two "D" characters with one stroke, let alone his beloved niece. In the past, when he and Lao Wu had fought, he often wanted to strangle Lao Wu to death, but thinking about it and actually doing it were two different things. They were blood relatives, and as long as they hadn't completely lost their humanity, how many people would actually bring themselves to do it when the time came?
He was glad that he won the bet!
"Make her kneel down and explain clearly what happened. Who ordered her to harm us? If she doesn't explain clearly, don't even think about getting up, let alone walking out of this door alive!" Jian Ning didn't allow her to get up and shouted at her: "Are you still not going to tell me? Do you think I have a bug in my eyes? I'm just giving you a chance to do it. Tell me now!"
Ding Zhu cried for a while before telling the whole story, "Aunt, I really don't know who they are. Everything I said is true. If I tell even a single lie, I will die!"
Jian Ning and Ding Youtian exchanged a glance, and Ding Youtian nodded slightly. She patted Erniu and said, "Take your sister to the next room. You are not allowed to come over here, and you are not allowed to go downstairs to play. Go ahead."
She also asked Guoguo and Baimei to follow her.
"Get up and talk." After Erniu and the others left, Jian Ning let her get up. "Since you can still be saved, I won't make things difficult for you now. If they come looking for you again after you go back, just say that you've been here before and have gained our trust, but they just haven't found the opportunity to attack you yet."
"If they ask you to do anything again, just agree to it, but remember one thing, if you do something against us, there will be no good outcome!"
"If you harbor a lucky mentality, go back and change your mind, and turn around and try to harm us again, then you are courting death! We are from the same village after all. Even if we are no longer related, we will still take good care of you because we are from the same village and have the same surname. Outsiders will not plan for your life or death. If you have any common sense, think carefully for yourself. Don't take the wrong path, make the wrong calculation, and ruin your life in vain!"
Ding Zhu cried even harder. No matter how dumb she was, Jian Ning's words resonated deeply with her. She hated Jian Ning and Ding Youtian so much that she wished they were dead! But when Ding Youtian actually picked up the cup of tea, she panicked. After all, that was her fourth uncle, who shared the same blood with her!
Because of this blood relationship, she couldn't bear to see him die, so how could her fourth uncle and aunt, who also watched her grow up, harm her? Fourth aunt knew that she lied and said they were her brother and sister-in-law, but she didn't expose her. If she wanted to harm her, she only needed to expose her lies to make her unable to stay in the mansion.
"Your aunt is right. You should take note of this and never make the mistake again. If nothing else, just because we share the same surname, Ding, the same ancestral hall, and the same ancestors, we will definitely not neglect you. Please think carefully."
Ding Youtian paused for a moment, then nodded, "Master Yang may not be able to take care of you forever. You must be aware of the situation between you and him. You should consider whether he can provide you with food and clothing for a long time and be worthy of your entrusting your life to him."
"How many concubines did he have before you? What happened to them in the end? Have you inquired about all this? How much do you know?"
Ding Youtian originally did not intend to say the following few sentences, because he thought that Ding Zhu had never been smart and always acted like her mother Meng. She was afraid that she would not be popular in the prefectural government and no one around her was willing to say these things to her, so he said a few more words to wake her up and let her make plans for herself as soon as possible.
"If you really want to go back to your parents, your aunt and I will make arrangements for you. You can go there first. When you have thought it through and decided to go back, come and tell us."
On the way back, Ding Zhu kept thinking about what Ding Youtian said. What was the situation between her and Lord Yang? She made up a lie that she was a new widow because she was not a virgin. Her brother and sister-in-law would not allow her to sell her to a brothel. But in fact, she and Lord Yang had never slept together. She just had the title of concubine in vain.
Lord Yang said that he felt sorry for her being alone and helpless, and respected her integrity for preferring death to a brothel. He was willing to give her the status of a concubine so that she would not have to be a slave and would have a place to settle down. He asked her if she was willing.
Of course Ding Zhu was willing. She didn't have to work or serve those lowly men anymore. She was so happy that she couldn't resist. She even dreamed of winning over Lord Yang and becoming his bedmate, so that she could enjoy a life of peace and wealth!
Ding Youtian's words made her feel very confused. Although Lord Yang often stayed in her room at night, he always let her sleep on the couch and never allowed her to go to bed. She felt that her fourth uncle seemed to know something. Could it be that Lord Yang was impotent?
Ding Zhu, who had been to brothels before, quickly thought of this, but then denied this guess. Lord Yang already had two sons and two daughters, and both sons looked like him, so how could they be impotent?
Ding Zhu couldn't figure it out, and she didn't bother to think about it anymore. She returned to the mansion and called Chun'er over. "Let me ask you, how many concubines did the master have before? Tell me honestly, were they all sold off later?"
Chun'er was stunned at first, then blinked twice and said, "This servant really doesn't know, but the young lady knows. I used to do needlework in the Madam's courtyard. Before the master was transferred to Yancheng, I followed the Madam. I have never been to other courtyards, and I don't often interact with other people in the mansion. How can I know whether the master has other concubines?"
"Haven't you heard anyone mention it? I don't believe it. Stop hiding it from me. It doesn't matter if I tell you. I'm just asking for no reason. If you know it, just tell me. It won't cost you a thing. Why hide it?"
"I really don't know. If you want to know, why don't you ask the master?"
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