Madam Wang, drawing strength from an unknown source, sat down squarely on the steps, behaving like a common shrew and completely abandoning any semblance of noble demeanor.
The sight of her shamelessly persisting made Feng Jin’s stomach churn.
“I’m saying this one last time, are you leaving or not?”
Feng Jin’s tone grew more menacing, her anger barely contained, on the verge of erupting.
“I’m not leaving today, what are you going to do about it!”
Madam Wang remained obstinate. However, the other two ladies who had accompanied her suddenly grew fearful. They genuinely dared not offend the Ling family. If they were to antagonize the Ling family due to a quarrel between their children, what would become of their husbands’ careers?
After a brief private discussion, they decided to leave quickly. It was better than being forcibly driven out.
“Young Madam Ling, I have some matters at my estate, so I shall… I shall take my leave now.”
“Young Madam Ling, I also have things to attend to, so I won’t impose any longer.”
With very sensible farewells, they intended to take their children and leave obediently, no longer wishing to get involved in the mess.
Feng Jin was very pleased with their actions, realizing that the only truly foolish one was Madam Wang.
“Mesdames, regarding the injuries on your young sirs’ faces, please feel free to obtain medicine from the doctor’s clinic. I guarantee there will be no lasting scars. All expenses incurred here will be covered by me.”
“Thank you, Madam Ling.”
“Thank you, Madam Ling.”
They thanked her in unison, feeling fortunate for their earlier decision, and happily led their children away.
Only Madam Wang was left, glaring resentfully at their retreating figures. She felt as if a fire was burning within her. Why had she sought out these two incompetent allies? They were utterly disloyal. When they first came, they had agreed that they wouldn’t leave until they extorted tens of thousands of taels of silver.
And now, with just a few words from Feng Jin, they were terrified and scurried away like frightened mice. They were truly useless.
“Madam Wang, are you truly not leaving?”
Feng Jin asked again with remarkable patience, offering her a final chance.
“Of course, I am not leaving. If I don’t get justice, I will surely make a scene…”
With a loud “bang!”, Madam Wang tumbled down the steps, her legs flailing. Feng Jin’s foot, which had delivered the kick, had not yet retracted.
Unexpectedly kicked, Madam Wang froze in place, looking at Feng Jin with disbelief. She hadn’t anticipated Feng Jin would actually dare to lay a hand on her, let alone kick her away.
“You shrew, you slut, how dare you…”
“Ah… who’s the scoundrel who hit me!”
Before Madam Wang could finish her curses, a stone flew through the air and struck her on the head, instantly forming a large lump on her forehead. She looked truly disheveled.
Feng Jin immediately looked in the direction the stone came from but couldn’t see who had acted covertly, only catching a glimpse of a fleeting grey hem. The person had run off quite fast.
“Guards, escort Madam Wang out of the manor.”
The nearby attendants, upon receiving the order, all converged before Madam Wang, intending to respectfully escort her out.
“Feng Jin, you’re just a country bumpkin, and you dare lay a hand on me? I will never forgive you, just you wait!”
This was the first time Madam Wang had suffered such a significant loss, losing face completely. She harbored deep resentment towards Feng Jin, vowing to teach her a lesson.
“By all means, I’d like to see what kind of storm you can stir up!”
Since she dared to strike Madam Wang, she was not afraid of retaliation. She wanted to see what trouble Madam Wang could possibly cause. Was she perhaps relying on her husband, who had achieved nothing and climbed to the position of Minister of Revenue through family connections and patronage?
If that were the case, Feng Jin truly had nothing to fear. She vaguely recalled a memorial in Ling Mohan’s study that contained leverage against the Minister of Revenue.
Perhaps she could consider presenting that memorial to Emperor Xuanwen. When the Minister of Revenue was thrown into prison, who knew if Madam Wang would still be able to act so arrogantly?
With a dismissive glance from Feng Jin, a nearby attendant promptly stepped forward and roughly dragged Madam Wang out.
The children who had accompanied Madam Wang had never witnessed such a scene and were instantly stunned, too frightened to move. They didn’t know what to do next.
“Your mother has left, why aren’t you going? Do you want to get hit again!”
Da Bao, brandishing his fists, was about to swing.
The child, terrified, immediately collapsed onto the ground, looking at everyone present with tearful eyes.
“Alright, you go and escort him back.”
The commotion had given Feng Jin a splitting headache. She instructed a nearby attendant to take the child away.
The troubles outside were finally resolved, and it was time to deal with matters within the household.
“Mother, you were so cool just now!”
Da Bao praised her sincerely. Previously, he thought his father was the most formidable and handsome. But after witnessing his mother slap Madam Wang fiercely today, he realized his mother was also incredibly capable. She was truly magnificent.
While basking in his momentary exhilaration, Da Bao failed to notice his mother’s increasingly grim expression.
Suddenly, his ear was roughly grasped, and Da Bao cried out in pain, “Mother… it hurts… it hurts, my ear is about to fall off, Mother…”
“Weren’t you quite pleased just now? Do you feel you got away with not being punished and became overly confident? Or perhaps you felt you were very formidable when fighting?”
“No… Mother, I… I know I was wrong…”
Realizing his mother was genuinely angry, Da Bao quickly pleaded for mercy.
Feng Jin snorted, her eyes clearly seeing through Da Bao’s little schemes. “Go stand over there, face the wall and reflect on your mistakes.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Feeling fortunate that he wasn’t directly beaten, Da Bao scurried to the wall and stood there.
“Chu Qing, go find Er Bao and call him here.”
These two boys were as close as brothers. If this matter involved Da Bao, then Er Bao was undoubtedly involved as well.
Both of them would have to be properly punished this time. Neither of them would escape accountability.
“Yes, Young Madam.”
After Chu Qing left, a profound silence descended. Da Bao stood there, his gaze restlessly wandering.
“Mother, how… how long do I have to stand here?”
Standing still like this was unbearable. He couldn’t move at all, and there was no one to talk to for amusement. It was truly boring.
“Continue standing. Think carefully about what you did wrong.”
Feng Jin cast a glance at Da Bao, her tone stern. She was now waiting for Er Bao to return. They had both made mistakes, and they would be punished together.