Chapter 13 Yao Qingling, what happened to you?!
The new mansion wasn't very big. There was a board next to it, and the screams reached the main courtyard. Taoye heard them in the courtyard and, worried that they would disturb Qingling's sleep, she came in to check on her.
Gently lifting the gauze curtain, one could see that Yao Qingling was fast asleep.
Since becoming pregnant, she has become somewhat sleepy.
The screams did not affect her.
Peach Leaf was relieved and left.
She moved a stool to stand guard at the door, and listening to the screams, she actually felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Her young lady suffered two years of injustice without being taught a lesson, yet she was still not satisfied and dared to jump in front of the Grand Princess at the height of the controversy. This time, she deserved it!
Yao Qingling slept soundly and didn't get up until almost Shenshi (3-5 PM).
Taoye helped her get up and wash, saying, "The fight is over there. It's just a superficial wound; it'll heal in about half a month. Granny Qin gave her some medicine."
Yao Qingling nodded without saying anything.
Since the incident, Zhan Xingzhuo has moved to sleep in the study and eats in Zhou Zhining's west courtyard. The two of them don't even look at each other.
Yao Qingling didn't avoid him, but he seemed to think it was a punishment for her.
Yao Qingling thought it was fine; they could just stay quiet and wait for the day of their divorce.
She even thought that the worse the relationship got, the better, so that Zhan Xingzhuo would agree to a divorce and things would be easier.
In the evening, after dinner, Qingling wrote down the arrangements for the spring banquet, intending to show them to Cui the next day so that the two could discuss the division of labor.
Taoye brought in the medicine to help with pregnancy: "Miss, it's time to take your medicine."
"Hmm." Yao Qingling put down her pen, picked up the medicine bowl, and was about to drink when the door was suddenly kicked open hard.
Yao Qingling was startled, her hand wobbled, and some of the medicine in the bowl spilled out, leaving a patch of brown medicine on the back of her fair hand.
Tao Ye exclaimed "Oh!" and realized what was happening, quickly grabbing a handkerchief to wipe her clean.
Fortunately, she let the medicine cool down before giving it to the young lady, otherwise she would have been burned.
Yao Qingling sat upright, calmly looking directly at the man standing at the door with an angry expression.
His gloomy eyes were fixed on her, as if he wanted to devour her.
"Get out!"
Before Tao Ye could react, the man's even more sinister and angry voice rang out: "Get out!"
Tao Ye trembled slightly, glanced at Yao Qingling, and Qingling nodded to her before Tao Ye left anxiously.
The man flung his robes aside, stepped across the threshold as if bringing wind and rain with him, grabbed Qingling's arm, and dragged her up: "Yao Qingling, I thought you were just narrow-minded before, but I never expected you to be so ruthless, to do something so cruel!"
At such close range, Qingling could clearly see the fire in his eyes, and his pincer-like fingers almost crushed her bones.
Yao Qingling was in so much pain that she almost cried, but she forced back her tears and said, "Let go!"
Zhan Xingzhuo didn't let go, still glaring at her with a face full of anger.
She used such a ruthless method, yet she still has the leisure to practice calligraphy here, without feeling guilty at all!
That heartless woman! He misjudged her before!
When their eyes met, Yao Qingling no longer saw the tenderness she once knew in the man's eyes, only ruthlessness, disgust, and disappointment.
The pain in her heart spread slowly and steadily.
They had lived together for three years, and she had devoted herself to him. Did he not know her true character?
The man also looked at her face, but he couldn't see any sign of weakness in this woman, not even a trace of fear. Her calmness made him feel that she was cold-blooded.
Her eyes no longer held the tenderness she used to look at him; they were dark and cold, as if he didn't exist in her gaze at all.
For the past few days, he has been in his study, waiting for her to bow her head and admit her mistake.
But instead, she went and beat up Zhou Zhining's maid!
Did she think this was just a minor punishment to force Zhou Zhining to leave?
She's so vicious!
The man's fingers didn't loosen; instead, they tightened even more, as if he were forcing her to beg for mercy.
Yao Qingling's brows furrowed in pain.
Jin Kui was beaten, and Zhou Zhining would certainly not swallow her anger. She would exaggerate her grievances to Zhan Xingzhuo.
Zhan Xingzhuo loves her so much, how could he let her endure this grievance?
When Yao Qingling sent the head maid to do the work, she had already anticipated that Zhan Xingzhuo would be so angry that he would go crazy.
But this is the first time he has laid a hand on her.
Despite the pain, Qingling remained composed and calm, saying, "My lord, before you question me, wouldn't you like to hear what I have to say before making a judgment?"
Seeing her calm demeanor, the man's anger only intensified: "What are you trying to say? That you didn't cripple Zhou Zhining's maid? The evidence is right there, what excuse do you have?"
"Crippled?" Yao Qingling's eyes flickered slightly, filled with doubt.
There are different methods of beating someone with a board. Some beatings may not hurt the skin and flesh, but may injure the tendons and bones; some may tear the skin and flesh, but the recovery is quick; and some may cause a lot of pain and loud screams, but the injury is not serious.
Mallow's twenty strokes of the cane couldn't have crippled her.
"Ha! You don't know?" Zhan Xingzhu sneered, his gaze chilling. "Yao Qingling, you're jealous of Zhi Ning, feeling that she's taken away my attention from you. To force her to leave, you deliberately had the servants neglect her."
"If you feel wronged, fine, I won't hold it against you. I've given you the jade pendant; you can do whatever you want with it."
"I gave her two personal maids to save you trouble. She stayed in the west wing, not bothering you. She's already so humble, yet you can't even tolerate that, resorting to tricks to get rid of her maids. Yao Qingling, how have you become like this!"
Qingling's heart clenched slightly with pain, and her eyes reddened.
"Zhan Xingzhuo——"
The man didn't give her a chance to speak, his voice growing increasingly harsh: "...But the carriage was for Zhi Ning. She couldn't go out easily, so Jin Kui just delivered something for her. Zhi Ning only wanted to do something to appease my mother, and you think she's competing with you for my mother's favor?"
"Yao Qingling, do you think that everyone should revolve around you and be nice to you?"
Qingling didn't shed a tear even though he was gripping her so tightly, but at this moment, every word he said was like a knife piercing her heart.
Her lips trembled, and tears welled in her eyes. She stubbornly smiled coldly, "You only believe Zhou Zhining's words, so I have nothing to say."
She suddenly shouted towards the door, "Taoye!"
Tao Ye was right at the door; she heard everything they were saying inside, and she clenched her fists in anger. If Ming Lu hadn't been holding her back, she would have rushed in to save them.
Hearing her mistress call her name, Taoye shook off Minglu and immediately appeared in a flash: "Miss!"
Yao Qingling, holding her breath and desperately trying to hold back her tears, said firmly, word by word, "Go to the Duke's mansion and trouble Granny Jia to go there and tell her what exactly happened!"
Taoye nodded and immediately ran outside, afraid that if she was too late, her young lady would suffer a great loss.
Zhan Xingzhuo frowned as he watched Tao Ye run away at a great speed.
He knew his mother disliked Zhou Zhining, and the people around her would only do what she wanted. Even if Granny Jia came, she wouldn't speak up for Zhining; instead, she would make things worse and cause Zhining to suffer.
When Yao Qingling ordered Jin Kui to be beaten with a board, she probably already had a plan to deal with him.
Zhan Xingzhuo said, "Minglu, go and stop her. Don't let her go to get reinforcements!"
Upon receiving the order, Minglu turned and ran out.
He ran faster than Taoye and quickly stopped her, pulling her back into the courtyard.
Taoye hit and bit Minglu, cursing, "Minglu, if my young lady suffers a loss today, I won't let you get away with it!"
Minglu was forced to cower and cower under her blows, looking rather disheveled, and could only try to minimize the number of punches she landed. But who wouldn't want to impress their master? He retorted defiantly, "What can you do if you won't let me go?"
When Yao Qingling saw that Tao Ye had been brought back, she knew that it was no longer possible to invite Granny Jia.
If he doesn't give her an explanation tonight, Zhan Xingzhuo won't let her off the hook.
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