Chapter 543: Mistakes, Same Punishment

Jiao's handkerchief was tied so tightly that she wanted to cry.

She felt that Zhuzhu was probably too nervous and collapsed after knowing that she might not be their biological daughter, so she had the wrong idea for a while. This was understandable!

Besides, Zhuzhu just said one wrong thing, and her father-in-law had already punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole night. Isn’t that enough?

Does Zhuzhu really have to kneel for three days?

So does she still want her knees?

Jiao lowered her head, endured the looks from her sisters-in-law, and pleaded for Yu Mingzhu: "Mother, Zhuzhu really knows she is wrong. She has never suffered such hardship since she was a child. How could she bear it when her father punished her to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days..."

It would have been better if Jiao hadn't said this. As soon as she said this, the old lady of Duke Xin's face darkened.

She has always been a kind and gentle elder with a good temper, and it is rare for her to lose face.

So at this moment, the old lady of Duke Xin's face changed, and the daughters-in-law present, no matter they were from the legitimate or illegitimate branches, all fell silent.

Jiao didn't even dare to breathe, but she couldn't escape, so she had to bite the bullet and wait for the old lady of Duke Xin to speak.

The old lady of Duke Xin was indeed a little angry.

She was angry at Jiao's stupidity. She knew that Yu Mingzhu was not her biological daughter, and she also knew that Xingxing looked so much like her when she was young, so why didn't she think about it more?

She was even more angry at Jiao's partiality. Yu Mingzhu was not Jiao's biological daughter, but Jiao had pampered her for more than ten years. The old lady of Duke Xin saw how Jiao had pampered Yu Mingzhu over the years.

Sometimes, the old lady of Duke Xin felt that Jiao and her husband, as well as their grandchildren, doted too much on Mingzhu. However, since the eldest son had only one beautiful girl, the old lady of Duke Xin turned a blind eye and let them do as they pleased.

——So, although Jiao loved Yu Mingzhu for so many years, she never thought about what kind of life her beloved daughter lived?

What if you don’t have enough food to eat and clothes to wear?

Fortunately, Xingxing met the kind people in the Zhenxi General's Mansion.

But now, even though Jiao knew that Yu Mingzhu was not her biological daughter, she still continued to dote on her. Xingxing couldn't recognize her, and she had to suffer the grievances of her fake daughter. The more the old lady of Duke Xin thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt!

I feel sorry for Xingxing!

The old lady of Duke Xin said calmly, "Are you questioning whether the Duke's punishment was inappropriate?"

How could Jiao dare to admit this? Her face turned pale, she lowered her head and said she dared not.

The old lady of Duke Xin looked at her calmly, "Since childhood, all the boys in the mansion, if they were naughty, unmotivated, or took the wrong path or did something wrong, were punished by the Duke to kneel in the ancestral hall. Take Chongjie, the most capable boy in our mansion, for example. He also knelt in the ancestral hall when he was young, and he knelt for three days at a time. Why didn't you, his mother, come to plead for him?"

Jiao didn't even dare to raise her head, and murmured, "Mother, how can this be the same? Zhuzhu is a girl, how can she be raised the same as a boy?"

Even the old lady of Duke Xin couldn't help but sneer.

She said meaningfully, "It's different. But if you make a mistake, the punishment is the same. What's wrong with that?"

Jiao was startled, guessing that her mother-in-law probably knew that Zhuzhu was not a child of the Duke Xin's family.

She was speechless.

The room fell into a rare silence.

Fortunately, the other daughters-in-law were very tactful and did not let the atmosphere remain dull for too long, especially the Second Lady who tentatively praised Lord Fusui Xiang, which made the old lady of Duke Xin smile and nod repeatedly.

Everyone then realized that the pulse point was at Fusui Xiangjun's place!

The wives of each family praised Fusui Xiangjun like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers. One said that Fusui Xiangjun was a beautiful and kind person, while another said that Fusui Xiangjun had great fortune.

Until the third wife suddenly exclaimed, covered her lips and smiled: "Mrs. Fusui is so good, I don't know if she is engaged. I think she is about the same age as my fifth grader..."

The old lady of the Duke of Xin suddenly changed her expression, and glanced at the third lady with a stern look: "Mr. Fusui is still young, please take back your thoughts, it's too presumptuous!"

The Third Lady was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself that her own little girl, Xiaowu, was pretty, smart, and studious, but in her mother-in-law's eyes, was she not worthy of Lord Fusui?

The third lady was a little unhappy, but she didn't dare to show it on her face. She just smiled to make amends and said, "I was too impatient. Fusui Xiangjun is still young."

The old lady of Duke Xin frowned slightly and said nothing more.

Nanny Qingluan came out to apologize and said, "The old lady is tired, and please go back, ladies."

The ladies from each room then stood up, greeted the old lady and left.

Jiao had no choice but to leave in disappointment.

After lunch, young men and young ladies from various rooms came one after another to see the old lady of Duke Xin.

Xingxing came to chat with the old lady of Duke Xin. She sat on the soft couch beside her and talked to her about some interesting things from her childhood.

The old lady of Duke Xin listened intently, and felt that she could never hear enough.

But she could also hear that when Xingxing was a child, the Yu family's conditions must have been very bad for a period of time. She said that her grandmother was reluctant to eat eggs and gave them to her. She secretly made up her mind at that time that she must be filial to her grandmother when she grew up.

The old lady of Duke Xin's heart was filled with heavy sorrow.

Her granddaughter cherished every egg she ate when she was little...

Let’s think about Yu Mingzhu again. Since she was a child, Jiao used milk to wash her hands and face, and she was fed with bird’s nests, which are a hundred times more valuable than eggs, every day.

Eggs? Yu Mingzhu doesn’t even like them!

The more the old lady of Duke Xin thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. She waved for Xing Xing to come forward. She couldn't help hugging Xing Xing and said, "Good child, you suffered a lot when you were a child."

Xing Xing shook her head and said, "No, old lady, I had a very happy childhood. It was not hard at all."

But Lady Xin Guogong didn't believe it at all. She just thought Xingxing was too sensible. She felt even more sad and tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

Yu Chongjie came in at this time.

The old lady of Duke Xin didn't want her grandson to see her crying, so she turned her face away and wiped her tears.

Yu Chongjie saluted the old lady of Duke Xin and was sincerely happy for her: "Grandma, you look much better."

The old lady of Duke Xin nodded: "It's all thanks to the blessing of the county lord."

Yu Chongjie took this as a polite remark. He nodded to Xingxing as a greeting.

Xingxing had just been held in the arms of Madam Xin, so it was not a good idea for her to just leave. So she sat on the small couch on the left side of Madam Xin, staying close to her.

However, when Yu Chongjie came to visit the old lady of Duke Xin, they didn't talk for many words, but he started to speak up for Yu Mingzhu again.

The old lady of Duke Xin was furious now!

Xingxing is your own sister!

Your sister was wronged, and you plead for the person who wronged her in front of her? !

Even though you don’t know now that Xingxing is your biological sister, that won’t work!

In short, no matter what, you, as her brother, shouldn't let Xingxing suffer the injustice caused by others!