Madam Xu, who lay prostrate on the ground, saw Ma Weisheng defending Madam Zhang and was indifferent when she herself was beaten. She bit her lips fiercely, her eyes wide with rage as she glared at Ma Weisheng and Madam Zhang, her eyes filled with spite and jealousy, her pale face hideously twisted.
Just then, Ma Ruqing suddenly ran in and headed straight for Madam Zhang, who lay on the ground, "Mother, what’s happened to you?"
Ma Ruqing initially thought the servants were spouting nonsense when she heard that her uncle, aunt, and mother were whipped by her grandmother, but feeling uneasy, she decided to come and see for herself.
The servants hadn’t lied at all. Her aunt was indeed covered in blood, her mother also bore several whip wounds, lying pale-faced on the ground. Her uncle and father were struggling for the whip, while the old lady coldly sat on the side with a gaze so fierce, it seemed as if she could devour someone.
Ma Ruqing, very scared, crouched next to Madam Zhang, crying, "Mother, you..."
"Qing’er, quick, get away..."
Ma Weicai, in a man’s rage, had only managed to whip Madam Zhang a few times before Ma Weisheng snatched away the whip. Nevertheless, his strikes were heavy, compounded by the cruel kick to the chest he had given Madam Zhang earlier, making her situation only slightly better than Madam Xu’s.
"I won’t leave." Ma Ruqing turned to look at the Old Lady, "Grandmother, what has Mother done wrong? Why did you beat her to such a state?"
Only the grandparents had the authority to administer family discipline, which was why she naturally assumed that her grandmother had beaten her mother.
The Old Lady, who always adored the clever and obedient Ma Ruqing, didn’t want her to know about these matters. "Go back to your courtyard at once and don’t come out!"
Of course, Ma Ruqing refused to comply, and instead threw herself at Ma Weicai, who had stopped fighting for the whip and stood by indifferently. She clung to his hand, crying and pleading, "Father, Grandmother wants to kill Mother, why won’t you stop her?"
Ma Weicai, who immensely doted on both of his daughters and could hardly bear to speak harshly to them, especially treasured this sweet and well-behaved little one as if she were a precious gem. Normally, if Ma Ruqing so much as furrowed her brow, Ma Weicai would be heartbroken. But now, seeing Ma Ruqing only reminded him of his wife’s affair with his brother, and feeling utterly disgusted, he said nothing and violently kicked her.
Ma Ruqing, delicate as she was, flew out like a kite with its string cut, crashing into a small porcelain teapot on a nearby table that was being heated for tea. Boiling water poured over her head, and she rolled on the ground, clutching her face and letting out piercing screams.
The sudden calamity stunned everyone.
Madam Zhang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood with a ’puff’ and closed her eyes, fainting.
After a brief moment of shock, Madam Xu wanted to laugh but was overtook by violent coughs due to the intense pain, a look of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
"Ma Weicai, you deserve to die!" Ma Weisheng bellowed at Ma Weicai, hastily ran over to pick up Ma Ruqing, his daughter whom he naturally adored, "Someone, quickly fetch the doctor!"
Ma Weisheng’s actions completely eradicated the last shred of familial affection in Ma Weicai’s heart. His naive face twisted into a sinister smile as he said to Ma Ruqing in Ma Weisheng’s arms, "I’m not your father, your father is the man holding you, your uncle. You are the bastard child your mother bore with your uncle! Hahaha..." After speaking, he burst into uproarious laughter.
His wild and unbridled laughter silenced everyone, and a sense of fear inexplicably settled in their hearts. What was even more shocking was the apparent ruin of Ma Ruqing’s once beautiful face.
No one noticed the beautiful young girl under the open window to the left, sneering silently before slipping away quietly. And under the window on the right, a young man watched the chaos in the hall with an icy and severe gaze.
At this frenzied moment, Long Fengying arrived uninvited with her entourage, her expression turning startled upon seeing the scene in the hall.
"Princess Fengying, what brings you here?" At this time, the Old Lady certainly didn’t want outsiders to witness the disgrace of Hou Mansion.
Concealing the odd expression on her face, Long Fengying replied, "I am here..."
Before she could finish speaking, Madam Zhang, who had just regained consciousness, heard Long Fengying’s voice and saw the dignified and elegant Long Fengying standing a few steps away. Madam Zhang was suddenly consumed with indignant rage. Disregarding the severe pain all over her body, she struggled to get up and lunged at Long Fengying, her hands tightly clutching Long Fengying’s neck.
"Didn’t you say the plan was foolproof, that it would certainly destroy Princess Chen’s reputation and compel Prince Chen to marry Linlin as his princess, ensuring everlasting wealth and glory for Hou Mansion? Now not only has Princess Chen’s reputation remained intact, but you’ve caused Hou Mansion’s own disgrace. It’s all because of your damn idea, I will kill you, you wretch!"
Madam Zhang’s words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone completely dumbfounded, unable to recover their senses for a long time.
The maids and old women accompanying Long Fengying were equally stunned. To avoid leaking secrets, Long Fengying hadn’t mentioned anything about the matter even to those close to her.
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