"Jiang Hailing, how dare you hit your older sister! Father will never forgive you."
As soon as Jiang Feiyu finished speaking, a cacophony of voices erupted in the hall, mostly angrily accusing Hai Ling and waiting to see her punished by the general. However, Hai Ling was not afraid. She smiled and waved the imperial edict in her hand, then glanced at the Jiang family members, and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Did I hit her? Did you see where I hit her? I hit her hands, I hit her feet. Remember, I didn't hit her. This is the Emperor's decree, okay? If anything, it was the Emperor who saw someone daring to disobey his authority, so he gave her a lesson. If you want to settle accounts, remember to go to the palace and find the Emperor."
After Hai Ling finished speaking, the Jiang family members all turned pale with anger, speechless. Jiang Feixue's pretty face was twisted in anger, pointing at Hai Ling, unable to utter a single word. Hai Ling's words were not wrong. She had accepted the imperial decree and was now the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace. Jiang Feixue dared to hit her, which was an act of insubordination. And indeed, she did not hit Jiang Feixue with her hands, but with the imperial decree. So, no matter what, they could not find any grounds to deal with this woman.
The main hall was deathly silent. Jiang Batian, the patriarch of the Jiang family, finally spoke in a sinister tone: "Alright, all of you go back."
Chapter 009 Sleepless Night
Jiang Batian's words carried absolute authority in the Jiang family; no one dared to speak when he opened his mouth, and the hall was completely silent.
No matter how unwilling or hateful Jiang Feixue was, she dared not stay. Madam Liu, the first wife, helped her daughter out. As she passed Hailing, she glared at her fiercely. Her eyes were dark and gloomy, with a cold and vicious feeling that made people shudder.
All the servants of the Jiang family withdrew, and the ladies of each household led their people out of their courtyards.
Second Miss Jiang Feiyu stomped her foot angrily as she passed Hailing, then followed her alluring and beautiful mother out.
Soon, the hall was empty except for Hai Ling, Yan Zhi, Jiang Batian, his eldest son Jiang Wenzhen, and his second son Jiang Wenhao. The three men looked at each other and then turned to Hai Ling on one side of the hall.
Hai Ling slowly walked out with the imperial edict in her hand. The spot on her face where she had been slapped was burning with pain. That damned Jiang Feixue had really gone all out. What a vicious woman! If she had the guts, she should go and demand an explanation from the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Why was she coming to her? She was innocent too.
"Sea pine".
Jiang Batian spoke, and Hai Ling stopped in her tracks without turning around.
She could hear how stiff and unwilling his voice was. Perhaps this was the first time in his life he had uttered those two words, which was why it sounded so unnatural and truly ridiculous.
Thinking that the real Jiang Hailing never heard her father call her name even once before she died, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Jiang Batian walked steadily over from behind her, stopping three feet away, and his powerful voice rang out.
"Tomorrow, I'll have your aunt move you and your daughter to a new place."
“No need, it’s very nice there, I like it very much,” Hailing said and led Yanzhi out. She really liked the back courtyard, which was quiet and peaceful, with no one to disturb her. She especially liked the bamboo trees by the river.
Inside the hall, Jiang Batian remained silent, his thick eyebrows furrowed, a glint of light flashing in his dark eyes, until his son behind him spoke.
"Father, what do you think the Emperor means?"
"Let's go to the study to discuss matters."
Jiang Batian gave the order, leading his two sons out of the hall to the study in the Jiang residence to discuss matters.
In the darkness of night, Hailing led Yanzhi toward the backyard of the Jiang residence. Along the way, they encountered servants who pointed and whispered about them. Some even curtsied to Hailing. However, the further they went, the fewer people they saw.
While supporting Hailing, Yanzhi said with concern, "Miss, when we get back, I'll put a towel on your face and apply some medicine. Otherwise, it will definitely swell up tomorrow. The eldest young lady is really too cruel. The emperor issued an order, why did she take it out on you? She's such a shrew."
Rouge was very annoyed. She was just as stunned as her mistress at the time, so she didn't expect the young lady to suddenly rush out and slap her. If she had noticed earlier, she would have protected her mistress. Fortunately, her mistress retaliated, which made her feel a little better.
Hailing knew that Yanzhi was blaming herself, so she smiled and comforted her.
"Alright, Miss, I'm fine. Look, my face is naturally chubby, so even if it's swollen, you won't be able to tell. Anyway, I'm chubby."
"Miss?"
Rouge's voice was trembling with tears. Thinking of how so many people had bullied her young lady in the hall, her heart ached. Her young lady was so kind, why did they have to bully her? These people were so hateful. So Rouge vowed that she would protect her young lady from now on and try her best to prevent her from being hurt by others. If those people tried to harm her young lady, she would stand in front of her, even though she was just a worthless life.
"It's really nothing, don't be sad. By the way, when we get back later, don't let my mother know. If she finds out, none of us will be able to sleep tonight."
"I know."
Rouge nodded, knowing that if Madam knew that Miss had been beaten, she would definitely not be able to sleep. In fact, Madam was also suffering quite a bit, so she didn't want to make her sad. The wound on Miss's face would definitely fade a bit by tomorrow morning, and even if Madam knew then, she would feel better.
The two, mistress and servant, walked towards Qinfang Courtyard one after the other. Rouge remembered the Emperor's bestowal of marriage and asked in confusion, "Miss, do you really think you will marry the Crown Prince?"
In fact, the Crown Prince Feng Zixiao and the others had seen him before. Such a person was an exceptional individual. Standing in a crowd, he was absolutely dazzling. His aura and domineering presence attracted every woman who saw him. He was the object of every woman's heart in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
However, it wasn't the young lady's, because she had heard the young lady say that she didn't like such arrogant and domineering men.
But now that she has been betrothed to the Crown Prince, Rouge is filled with worry, not knowing what will happen in the future.
“I don’t want to marry him,” Hailing shook her head firmly. She was thinking about whether she should take Yanzhi and her mother away from the Jiang family and live a carefree life. Besides, she wasn’t short of money. Although it wasn’t much, it wouldn’t be a problem to support herself, Yanzhi, and her mother.
Since transmigrating, seeing the miserable situation before her, she thought of a way to make a living. The most famous clothing store in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Ni Yi Fang, was still a place frequented by noblewomen of high society. Many of the clothes in the Ni Yi Fang were made by her. Coming from the modern world, she naturally had a certain understanding of aesthetics, so she became the Ni Yi Fang's secret designer. For each design she produced, they would give her a corresponding price, so she was not short of money now.
"Rouge, why don't we leave the Jiang residence?"
When Hai Ling spoke up, Yan Zhi agreed, but then she thought of Madam Du Caiyue.
"Miss, the lady seems unwilling to leave."
Miss had mentioned this before, but Madam was unwilling to leave, so they couldn't go. Now that Miss has been betrothed by the Emperor, her status is different. She is now the Crown Princess of the Great Zhou. If she disappears, not only the Jiang family, but they themselves will become wanted criminals. Besides, Madam is unwilling to leave here.
Upon hearing Rouge's words, Hailing fell silent. Indeed, her mother, Du Caiyue, was unwilling to leave this place.
She had suggested this several times: leave the Jiang family and start a new life. She promised to make her mother happy.
However, her mother always looked unhappy and insisted on staying in the Jiang residence. Sometimes she even suspected that her mother was hiding something from her. But when she asked her, her mother shook her head and said no, only that as a concubine, how could she leave the Jiang residence? She didn't say anything more.
The two returned to the courtyard one after the other. As they entered the room, the sound of their footsteps startled the easily awakened Du Caiyue: "Ling'er, are you alright?"
She asked from inside the room, and Hailing quickly replied, "Mother, you go to sleep. It's nothing. I'm going to sleep now."
“Hmm,” Du Caiyue stopped talking, and the room fell silent.
Hailing and Yanzhi went into their room on the other side. After washing up, Yanzhi used a towel to apply medicine to Hailing's face for a while before going to sleep.