Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Conflict
The maids behind Madam Cui were all thick-shouldered and fat-waisted. The way they stood there, they looked like they were coming to the government office to arrest someone and settle some score.
Zhe Rou was alert and asked tentatively, "Excuse me, Madam, what instructions did Madam send for me?"
Madam Cui's expression was cold and indifferent. "As servants, we dare not presume to guess our mistress's intentions. After all, the elders have said that as a junior, we should go and listen to the instructions. Could it be that Madam Ning is trying to shirk her duties and disobey?"
These words were truly harsh. Xiaochan was furious and rushed forward, saying, "My wife was just asking, what does Madam mean by that? Since you are a servant, please do not be disrespectful to Madam."
Nanny Cui's eyes suddenly turned stern, and she sneered, "A wild girl from the countryside, do you think you know what etiquette is? Come, take this ignorant servant away and stop getting in my way!"
Several maids behind him came over as soon as they received the order.
Seeing that the other party was outnumbered and would definitely suffer if they continued arguing, Zhe Rou quickly put Xiao Chan behind her and said, "I will discipline the people in my courtyard. The most important thing now is to go to Songchun Courtyard and not keep Madam waiting for too long."
Xiaochan was anxious when she heard this and wanted to step forward, but Zherou held her arm and shook her head gently, signaling her not to be impulsive. She comforted her, "You go back to the East Courtyard first. I'll go with the nanny. It's okay."
"But, but..." Looking at the angry looks of the old women, Xiaochan was so worried that she could hardly speak.
Zhe Rou smiled and said, "Don't worry, go back and wait for me."
Matron Cui glanced at the two of them, turned slightly sideways, and gestured with her hand to lead the way: "Madam Ning, please."
The situation today clearly showed that the person coming had bad intentions, and she was afraid that she could not handle it by herself. Zhe Rou felt vaguely uneasy, so she turned around and glanced at Xiao Chan calmly, indicating that she should secretly send a message to Lu Chen.
Xiaochan understood immediately, bit her lip, and pretended to go back to the East Courtyard angrily. As soon as she left the sight of Madam Cui and others, she immediately turned onto the path leading to the corner gate and ran straight towards the stable.
It wasn't too far from the Lu residence to the Fan building, but she wasn't fast enough, so she needed help from others.
In the alley behind Jiaomen, Pingchuan had just unharnessed the horse, sent the horse to the stable and tied it up, and was just coming back with some hay to add to the trough.
As soon as Xiaochan saw him, she felt like she had found her savior. She rushed over and grabbed his arm, "Hurry to Fanlou and find my husband!"
Pingchuan was stunned, somewhat confused, "What's going on? What happened?"
Xiao Chan stamped her feet anxiously, "My wife asked Aunt Cui to take her away. I think things are not going well. I'm afraid my wife will suffer!"
Pingchuan was startled and quickly pulled the horse out, jumped on it, and went to the street.
All the way to Songchun Courtyard, Zhe Rou followed behind Aunt Cui, feeling a little nervous.
When I walked into the yard, I saw a group of maids and servants standing in the corridor, with their hands tucked in, and all of them looked solemn.
It was not yet time to light the lamps, and the sky was getting dark. A few rays of evening light passed through the flower wall and sprinkled into the corridor, spreading a surging golden glow on the gray floor tiles outside the door, making the main room look even darker and darker.
Zheng Lanbi looked dignified as she sat in the main seat, with several trusted maids attending her. The air was filled with the rich scent of sandalwood.
Zhe Rou calmed down, a gentle smile on her lips, and stepped forward to bow and greet, "Ask the Madam how she is."
Zheng Lanbi looked her over and said calmly, "I heard that you've been renting a shop these past few days, planning to do some medicinal herb trading?"
Zhe Rou originally thought that she would be confronted with harsh words as soon as she came in, but she didn't expect Zheng Lanbi's attitude to be quite gentle, which made her a little surprised.
But it was not convenient to think too much at this moment. She lowered her eyes and replied cautiously: "Yes, my husband also knows..."
Before she could finish, Zheng Lanbi interrupted coldly, "I don't agree to this matter. Don't mention it again."
Zhe Rou was slightly startled and subconsciously raised her head.
"Although the Lu family is not as prosperous as before, we can still support you. Stay home and do your duty to serve your husband. Don't go out and show off, which will cause gossip."
Zhe Rou didn't expect that Zheng Lanbi was attacking her because of this matter.
Zheng Lanbi was arrogant and stubborn, and he hated her, as if seeing her for even one more moment would pollute his eyes. For this reason, even though he had always been dissatisfied with her, he disdained to use any means to secretly retaliate against her. He just pretended that she did not exist in the mansion and did not know why she suddenly interfered in the affairs of her courtyard.
But she could give in to other things, but not to opening a pharmacy.
She has no parents to support her, and compared to ordinary women, she cannot be a woman trapped in the inner house and relying on her husband for her life. She must have the ability to make a living on her own, and the medical skills she has learned with great effort must not be wasted.
Zhe Rou weighed her words carefully and explained in a gentle voice, "Madam has said something, and as a junior, I should do my best to obey. However, I hope Madam will forgive me for not being able to obey your order to open a medicine shop."
"Why not?" Zheng Lanbi's face darkened suddenly, not expecting her to refuse outright. He sneered, "Shangjing City is a prosperous place with hundreds of clinics and pharmacies, not to mention the six official medicine shops run by the imperial court. How could they possibly need a pharmacy like yours?"
Zhe Rou pursed her lips and said nothing.
Zheng Lanbi glanced at her lightly and raised her chin slightly. The nanny behind her immediately understood and picked up a red lacquered wooden box from the table and placed it in front of Zhe Rou.
"To be more specific, you served Sanlang during those years in Taozhou and did a lot of good things. Considering this, since you don't have a dowry, I'll give you some. Don't go out and show off for such a small profit and bring disgrace to the Lu family."
Zhe Rou's face turned pale, as if she had been slapped in public. She felt embarrassed and angry.
Zheng Lanbi had clearly prepared the money long ago and acted so condescendingly.
What does this mean? Who do they take her for? Because she comes from the countryside and has a poor family background, she is short-sighted and greedy for money, and has no sense of decency?
But she is obviously not.
"Madam," Zhe Rou opened her mouth again, realizing her voice was trembling. She pinched her palm secretly, forcing herself to calm down. "I opened this pharmacy because I didn't want to neglect my medical skills, not for my own personal gain. Besides, I only make medicine and don't see patients in the clinic, so there's no need for me to show up in public."
Seeing that she was unmoved by his soft words, Zheng Lanbi lost her patience and simply said bluntly, "You should know that Sanlang will marry a noblewoman sooner or later. Even though our dynasty is open-minded and does not look down on merchants, it is absolutely unreasonable to allow a concubine to run a business outside the family."
Hearing this, the smile on Zhe Rou's lips completely froze, "Lu Chen and I..."
"presumptuous!"
The Jianzhan teacup hit the table with a clang, and the warm tea splashed everywhere.
Zheng Lanbi stood up suddenly and shouted angrily, "Who taught you the rules? How dare you address the Master by his name?
Now I think it was my negligence. Since you came into the mansion, I have never established proper rules. I have let you become so ignorant of your own limitations!"
Zhe Rou felt a chill in her heart and her fingertips went numb.
No matter what she said or did today, Zheng Lanbi was determined to teach her a lesson and establish her authority.
Her concession and tolerance could not win her any respect, but only humiliation and contempt again and again.
Patience reached its limit, which gave rise to a strong determination to rather break than bend. Zhe Rou straightened her back and raised her head calmly.
"Madam, you don't know that Lu Chen and I were married in a formal ceremony. We prayed to heaven and earth, signed a marriage certificate, and sent a letter to the capital before the wedding. I didn't marry secretly without informing my elders. My old neighbors in Taozhou can all testify to this. Demoting my wife to a concubine is against the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty."
Her eyes were slightly red, but her gaze was clear, and her tone was neither humble nor arrogant. Although she looked weak and pitiful, she exuded a tenacious and resolute edge.
Zheng Lanbi was stunned for a moment, then she laughed angrily, "Okay, okay, since you insist on being the daughter-in-law of my Lu family, then will you listen to the rules taught by your mother-in-law?"
Without waiting for Zhe Rou's reply, she raised her face slightly and pointed outwards, "If you disobey your mother-in-law and contradict your elders, you will kneel in the courtyard for half an hour first!"
Zhe Rou's heart trembled, and her fingers dug deeply into her palms.
The corridor outside the house was full of maids and servants. Zheng Lanbi asked her to kneel in the yard as punishment, which clearly meant that she wanted to humiliate her in front of these servants, tear down her self-esteem, and laugh at her.
But Lu Chen is not here today, and no one in the mansion will stand by her except Xiaochan. Since Zheng Lanbi is determined, she will inevitably suffer this hardship. She can only hope that Xiaochan will deliver the letter and ask Lu Chen to come back soon.
Zheng Lanbi glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw that her body was shaking slightly and the blood color on her face had faded away completely. The anger that was boiling in his chest finally subsided a little, and he signaled the nanny to take action.
Without saying a word, the two maids stepped forward, grabbed Zhe Rou's arms, and tried to push her into the yard without any explanation.
While they were arguing, the gate of the courtyard was pushed open and someone rushed in.
Hearing the voice, Zhe Rou turned her head sharply to look.
But the person who came in was not Lu Chen.
After Pingchuan left, Xiaochan waited at the corner gate, waiting for a long time, but she only received the news that her husband was not in Fanlou.
Pingchuan was so anxious that he was sweating all over. He said that he had searched all over Fanlou, and even checked several official restaurants nearby, but his husband was not there.
But how could that be? My dear husband clearly said that he was entertaining people at Fanlou!
Xiaochan was so anxious that she was spinning around in circles, but there was really nothing she could do. She could only rush in, push aside the two maids who were pulling her wife, and shouted loudly: "I have already sent a message. My husband will be back soon. No one is allowed to touch our wife!"
Hearing this, Zheng Lanbi's anger suddenly rose. She hadn't expected the wild girl to have such a subtle mind. Well, Sanlang did have some regard for Ning Shi, after all. She couldn't easily use family rules, so she would use this maidservant as an example to scare the monkeys.
She glanced at Zhe Rou coldly and said sarcastically, "As expected, you come from the countryside and can't even teach a servant. Today, I will start with the maidservant beside you and teach her a lesson."
Hearing the cold anger in that tone, Zhe Rou hurriedly put Xiao Chan behind her and said in a trembling voice, "Don't worry, Madam. I will discipline her well when I get back."
Zheng Lanbi sneered and ordered someone to bring the family cane. Several strong and sturdy maids rushed forward, pressed Xiaochan to the ground, and raised the cane to beat her.
Zhe Rou was horrified and furious.
The courtyard was in chaos. It was too late for Lu Chen to return home. Zhe Rou gritted her teeth, staggered forward, and pushed away the two maids outside, and put her arm on Xiao Chan's shoulder.
The finger-thick cane hit her arm with a "snap" sound, leaving a hideous bloody mark.
Xiaochan screamed in shock: "My wife!"
Outside the bustling Xiangguo Temple, Lu Chen's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Brother Bingyan?"
Beside him, Xu Yourong saw that he seemed to be in a daze, so he turned his head slightly and called him softly.
Lu Chen came back to his senses after hearing the voice, and smiled, "Hmm?"
"Do you think this bracelet is nice?"
Xu Yourong excitedly held up a cat's eye stone bracelet, put it on her wrist, and happily showed it to him.
The bracelet is made of colorful stones brought from the Western Regions. Although the workmanship is a bit rough, the style and colors are novel and interesting.
The maid from the Xu residence was following not far away, watching what the two were doing.
Lu Chen glanced at them calmly, then raised his eyes to look at Xu Yourong, a warm smile on his lips: "It looks good. If Rong Niang likes it, I will ask my comrades in the Western Army to find a few more in rare colors. Not only can we make bracelets, but we can also string them together into nine linked rings for fun."
"Really? That's what you said!"
"Yeah, I said."
Xu Yourong's eyes lit up, and she jumped for joy. With the corners of her lips raised slightly, she continued to stroll deeper into the market with Lu Chen like a nimble little fish.
In Songchun Courtyard, Zhe Rou barely protected Xiaochan behind her, pursed her lips, and trembled slightly.
"Don't even mention that I don't recognize your marriage. Even if I did, you've been childless for three years and disobeyed your mother-in-law. If you do either of those things, my Lu family can divorce you!"
"Do you really think you're a proper lady? Besides being able to seduce men, what else can you do? With a background like that, you're not worthy of entering my Lu family!"
Although the maids and old women in the corridor all lowered their heads and no one whispered, Zhe Rou still felt embarrassed, awkward, and ashamed when she heard Zheng Lanbi's harsh rebuke.
The late spring sunset shone on her body. It was not very warm, but it burned her skin inch by inch and made her feel as if all the bones in her body were broken.
She suddenly felt a sour taste in her nose and the scene in front of her eyes became blurred.
Lu Bingyan, why haven't you come back yet?
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