She didn't know how long she had been sitting when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Baili Chen standing quietly behind her, looking at her: "Yue'er..."
Ouyang Yue turned her head, her eyes slightly lowered. Baili Chen had already walked over and was sitting quietly on the other side of the large rock. Looking at Ouyang Yue's fair and exquisite profile, he said, "Yue'er, you're upset that I kept it from you."
Ouyang Yue shook her head and said, "Didn't we agree back then that I would give you the Tianshan Snow Lotus to save your life, and you would have to pay a corresponding amount of money to offset it? It's a fair deal, and there's no such thing as hiding anything or blaming anyone. What you use it for, and how much else goes on, is none of my business."
Baili Chen's eyes grew even darker, like a black vortex, as he stared intently at Ouyang Yue. However, the latter didn't even look at him. Baili Chen pursed his lips and said, "Yue'er, if you don't want me to call you 'wife,' I can choose not to. I can refuse to do things you don't like. But it's impossible for me to leave you. After everything that happened in Tianshan, do you think you can still escape?"
Ouyang Yue tilted her head slightly: "Escape? There is nothing in this world that can make me escape, and of course, you are not one of them."
Baili Chen said meaningfully, "Is that so? But why did you deliberately distance yourself from me once we arrived in the capital? I know you must be unhappy, but you pretend not to care. Keeping your anger inside like this makes me worry about your health."
Ouyang Yue ignored him, only listening to his one-sided musings. Baili Chen sighed, "Yue'er, would you like to hear a story?"
Ouyang Yue stiffened slightly and remained silent. Baili Chen moved closer to Ouyang Yue, and the two sat side by side before he spoke: "There is a child who has never seen his birth mother since birth. However, in his family, he has many stepmothers and concubines, each of whom is scheming to take over his mother's original position. They are all very interested in him, the son who has been favored by his father since birth. There are maids who want to get close to him to curry favor and climb into his father's bed. There are concubines who want to gain their father's attention under the guise of taking care of him. There are also women who are jealous of their father's affection for him and wish he were dead at any moment."
Ouyang Yue squinted, trying to imagine what the child's life would be like. She decided not to say anything, but if a few women in the General's Mansion could cause so much trouble, what about a place full of women?
“Since this child became aware of things, he has been surrounded by women, all dressed in their finest attire, with various motives towards him. At first, he maintained a pure and innocent childlike heart, but I don’t know when it started. Perhaps it was when a maid tried to forcibly molest him, or when he discovered that his food had been laced with a drug that would make him stupid, or when poisonous snakes and dead rats inexplicably appeared in the palace, but he could no longer maintain his childlike heart.” Baili Chen said very calmly, but it made Ouyang Yue’s heart skip a beat.
Was he sexually assaulted by a waitress? Did someone drug his food? Was he released with poisonous snakes? A dead rat?
this……
"How old was that child at the time?"
Baili Chen squinted, seemingly deep in thought. After considering it, he shook his head. "Probably two, three, or four years old. Those women were quite cunning. The child was indeed tricked. For a period of time, he ate the food they brought him, and his mind became increasingly confused. He became somewhat foolish, and he doesn't know much about his childhood. The only thing he remembers is a caring maid. To control him, they tried to use violence against him to force him into his father's bed. That was his first close contact with a woman's body, but his first reaction was disgust and vomiting. He vomited all over the woman and was severely beaten."
Ouyang Yue stared at Baili Chen in astonishment. She knew perfectly well that the child Baili Chen was talking about was himself. Hearing him say this, she couldn't imagine what kind of environment he had lived in as a child. Wasn't he the favored seventh prince? How could he have been tormented like this by a maid who served him closely back then? "It sounds fake. It doesn't make much sense."
"Yes, during that period of mental instability, the child was fully aware of this matter. Later, the palace maid inexplicably offended a noble person in the palace and was executed. The child had one palace maid after another by his side. It wasn't until he was five years old that the cold poison in his body suddenly flared up, which caught his father's attention. After searching for famous doctors without success, he sent him to an old monk to recuperate. There, the old monk taught him to read and learn, and even made pills to relieve the cold poison. His mental instability gradually improved under the old monk's care. However, by then, the child had completely lost the innocence that a child should have." Baili Chen's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile, his eyes filled with an unyielding darkness.
Ouyang Yue's mouth was slightly open, but she didn't know what to say.
Although she had always been curious about the circumstances under which Baili Chen established his businesses like Baohao Money Exchange, she figured that as a prince, what couldn't he accomplish with the backing of such powerful figures? But upon hearing about Baili Chen's dark childhood, she realized that it was probably a desperate measure for him to protect himself. She could imagine the pain of being forced to grow up, because from childhood she had always pushed herself to be better than others, so that she would be chosen, receive a better education, and have a better future. She never allowed herself to be outdone by anyone. She achieved continuous success, but in the end, she found that she had left nothing behind.
In her previous life, she was an orphan. Even though she couldn't feel her parents' love, at least there was an orphanage that could give her a temporary home.
Baili Chen had a home, a home of unparalleled wealth and splendor, a place most people could only dream of. Yet, there he lived a life fraught with danger. Despite his noble status, he was nearly coerced into submission by a palace maid. A prince was secretly drugged with a drug that made him stupid, and finally, he was poisoned with a deadly poison—a Gu poison—that could kill a child.
If Emperor Mingxian hadn't known Master Minghui and made early preparations to send Baili Chen to Master Minghui's side, what she might be seeing now is a foolish prince and a truly dying old man. The so-called imperial palace is actually a den of wolves and tigers; finding warmth within it is incredibly difficult.
While Ouyang Yue was deep in thought, Baili Chen suddenly chuckled, "Hahaha, my wife is so soft-hearted. But did my make-up story make you feel bad?" Baili Chen laughed extremely smugly, utterly proud of himself.
"Slap!" Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow and slapped Baili Chen hard on the head. The latter immediately winced in pain and looked at Ouyang Yue with great distress. Ouyang Yue sneered at him and said, "Remember that I didn't give you the Tianshan Snow Lotus for free. Silver, silver. Don't try to renege on your debt later. Hmph, I have plenty of ways to make you spit out your money."
Baili Chen looked at Ouyang Yue fearfully and quickly said, "Don't worry, my wife, I will definitely pay you. I will never renege on my debt. Even if I do renege, I'm still in your hands, so everything is yours anyway."
Ouyang Yue looked at him with disdain: "Why should I support a pampered young master like you who can't lift a finger? Am I just bored? I want money, not you."
Baili Chen immediately advised, "You'll benefit more if you take both the people and the money."
"I feel like it will only bring more trouble than benefits," Ouyang Yue said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
Baili Chen immediately retorted, explaining earnestly, "How could that be? There are plenty of benefits. Think about it, my wife. Back when you were in the Heavenly Mountains, you were troubled by the cold air of the Cold Pool. If I hadn't offered myself to you, you would have been in danger too." Seeing Ouyang Yue narrow her eyes, Baili Chen quickly said softly, "Of course, I offered myself willingly. If you want to shirk responsibility, then I'll just have to swallow my pride. I won't blame you for being heartless. But since we've already slept together, it won't be easy for us to find someone to marry in the future. Why don't we just make do? I will definitely obey your every word."
Ouyang Yue raised her chin and said without hesitation, "No!"
"Ouch!" Baili Chen looked like he had been hit hard, and his head tilted to the side, falling directly onto Ouyang Yue's shoulder. The latter immediately raised her shoulder to shake Baili Chen off, but Baili Chen wrapped his arm around her and restrained her, shouting, "Wife, don't move, I'm dizzy, I'm so dizzy, it must be because that old monk Minghui drained a basin of blood. I'm weak now, wife, let me lean on you for a while to recover, otherwise if I fall to the ground, the situation will only get worse."
Ouyang Yue coldly glanced at the guy with the shiny, ruddy face, red lips and white teeth, who was lying through his teeth, and sneered: "This is the only time. I'm doing this for money. If I let you die here, I won't have anywhere to collect my money. What a troublesome guy."
Baili Chen immediately nodded and said, "Yes, yes, everything my wife does is for money, but I am so grateful to you. My wife is so kind. I will definitely not cheat you out of the money, so don't worry."
Ouyang Yue ignored him. Seeing this, Baili Chen turned his head and snuggled closer, his hands even reaching for Ouyang Yue's waist. It was only after she pushed him away that he stopped moving, only wrapping his arms around her waist. But as he leaned his head closer, his mouth was still indiscreet: "Didn't my wife say she wanted to find a little man? How about me? Sigh, you don't know, when I transformed, I had a few decent subordinates who were in a difficult position. I had to pretend in front of them, otherwise, as their master, I couldn't be weak. So, my little man image wasn't quite right back then, and my wife wasn't satisfied. Now this is my true self. What do you think, my wife? Do I look like a little man? How about we do it sometime? You kidnap me, and I'll be your bandit husband. I absolutely won't run away."
"Hmph, if I were to look for someone, I wouldn't look for a scoundrel like you. Once you're involved, you can't get rid of them. You're so annoying." Ouyang Yue snorted. She had almost forgotten about Baili Chen if he hadn't mentioned him. This guy is a first-rate actor. When he transformed into Leng Jue, it was as if she had never thought of the two of them together. Now she felt embarrassed thinking about it. Had she been tricked by Baili Chen?
"Bang!"
"Ouch, my wife, you should have said something before you moved aside, it's my face!" Ouyang Yue suddenly jumped to the ground, and Baili Chen reacted reflexively, his face hitting the stone. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to block it with his hand, otherwise he could have been seriously disfigured.
Ouyang Yue ignored her and turned to leave. Baili Chen stopped pretending and jumped to the ground to follow her: "Wife, where are you going? Are you going to see Minghui?"
"Go back to Beijing."
“I’m going back too. I haven’t been back for over a year, and I really miss it. We’re on the same path.”
"Who wants to walk the same road as you? Get out of the way..."
"Walking together always gives you company..."
In the villa of the general's mansion in the capital, two people were pacing back and forth outside, occasionally looking into the courtyard with anxious expressions. But seeing that no one came out of the courtyard, one of them, an elderly woman, said, "Brother, why don't you announce it again?"
The guard at the gate looked at the old woman coldly and said, "The general has important matters to attend to right now. You dare to bother him with such trivial matters? The general will not see you at all. Get out of here."
The old woman's face clearly showed displeasure, but she still smiled and said, "Brother, this is no small matter. This is a message specially sent by Concubine Hong from the General's Mansion. It concerns a major matter for her family. Only the General can handle this. I'll trouble you to go and inform her again." As she spoke, she took out a large purse from her bosom and handed it to the guard.
The guard tossed the purse in his hand, finding it quite heavy. His expression softened somewhat, and he nodded, "Hmm, you two are sensible people after all. Alright, I'll remember this and will definitely pass on the message." The guard stuffed the purse into his pocket, then glanced at the other guard, as if to say that he wouldn't be left out. That guard nodded slightly, and the two of them stood straight outside the mansion again.
The old woman thought that once the guard had accepted the money, he would surely do his job. However, before she could even smile, she noticed that the guard, after taking the purse, was still obediently standing at the door without moving. Immediately, a surge of anger welled up inside her, and she couldn't help but say, "Brother guard, I'll trouble you to go in and inform him."
The guard replied, "Of course I will inform him, but that will have to wait until the general is free. If we disturb him now and he becomes unhappy, he can punish me directly. Who can I blame? Since I have agreed to this, I will naturally take care of it for you. You can go back now."
The old woman's face immediately darkened. She'd already left, and even after the guard went in to report to the general, he couldn't see her. This man had clearly taken the money but didn't want to do anything for her; he was infuriating! The old woman said coldly, "So the general has official business to attend to. Then I'll come back another day. Brother guard, what about the purse from before…?"
"What purse? Did you take her purse? What kind of person is our general? How could he just meet with these people who randomly claim kinship? Quickly give her the purse, lest she cause trouble here." The guard who had taken the purse immediately scolded the other one.
The man, however, looked suspicious and angrily said, "You shameless old woman, you actually falsely accused me of wanting your money! You're asking for a beating!"
Seeing that the two men had just accepted the money and were now turning their backs on her, refusing to do anything for her, the old woman immediately became furious and shouted, "I am the general's elder. Even he has to show me respect. Who do you think you are? Not only are you delaying my business, but you also dare to take my money and then deny it. Do you think I, Old Woman Hong, was raised to be bullied? Give me back my money right now, or go to jail right now, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, you'll be in big trouble."
"Hmph, our general holds a high position and wields great power. Over the past few days, I don't know if it's been a dozen or twenty people who have falsely claimed kinship with us. Now that they can't claim kinship, they still want to cause trouble here. Don't they know where they are? Brother, this old woman actually dared to embezzle our money and steal her silver. What do you suggest we do about this?" Guard A said immediately with a cold face.
Guard B snorted: "What else? Of course, we should throw her out and see if she dares to cause trouble outside the courtyard again. Let her see that we are not just some lowly gatekeepers in the mansions of civil officials. We are all veterans who have fought on the battlefield. We should break both of this old woman's legs and make her mute. Let's see where she can go to spout nonsense then."
The two immediately began discussing the punishment. The old woman was startled and instinctively covered her face, taking several steps back. She was supported by her maid, but her heart was pounding with fear at the sight of the two guards. She tugged at the maid and said urgently, "Let's... let's go back to the General's Mansion... quickly..."
"Hey, look! Doesn't that person look familiar?" Just then, Guard A suddenly exclaimed. Guard B and the old woman both looked over and saw two people walking towards them not far away.
One of the women was dressed in white, her skirt billowing as if moving without wind. Her ink-black hair was tied high with a headscarf, dancing in the air. Paired with her white attire, she appeared from afar like an ethereal fairy. Beside her stood a tall man dressed entirely in black. The contrast between the two made the woman seem even more refreshing and pleasant, while the man appeared cold and sharp.
Guard B rubbed his eyes, then suddenly cried out and ran towards the door: "General, Miss is back! Miss is back!"
Upon hearing this, the guard A's heart skipped a beat. He immediately jumped down and bowed, saying, "Miss, you've finally returned! The general has been searching for you for over a year, his hair has almost turned white from exhaustion. If you hadn't returned, he would have almost sent troops to look for you." The guard A was quite emotional. These guards in the outer courtyard weren't ordinary guards, but rather subordinates that Ouyang Zhide had brought back from the battlefield. Ouyang Zhide trusted and benefited from them, so they naturally understood his thoughts. Seeing Ouyang Yue suddenly appear, they could hardly believe their eyes and immediately said, "Miss, please come in quickly. The general will be overjoyed to see you." With that, he invited Ouyang Yue inside.
Seeing this, the old woman's face darkened: "Didn't you just say that General Ouyang was busy with official business and I couldn't see him? Why can she see him?"
The guard looked at the old woman with disdain and said, "What do you think you are? This is the General's most beloved third young lady from the General's mansion. How can you compare to her? Get lost. Don't upset the General at a time like this, or he won't give face to anyone."
Upon hearing this, the old woman was taken aback. She looked closely at Ouyang Yue and immediately said, "Third Miss, Third Miss Ouyang, I am your great-aunt! Don't you recognize me? We are relatives!" As she spoke, the old woman grabbed Ouyang Yue's hand, but Baili Chen casually waved his hand, immediately knocking the old woman away. The old woman staggered back several steps, her arm still numb. Startled, she knew that there was a master beside Ouyang Yue and dared not step forward again, but still said, "Third Miss, I am your great-aunt! You should recognize me!"
"Oh? Auntie, I know quite a few relatives in the Ning family, but I've never heard of any auntie here. Has this old lady mistaken me for someone else?" Ouyang Yue said, squinting at the old woman.
The old woman immediately explained, "It's true. I am indeed Miss Ouyang's great-aunt, but not from the Ning family, but from the Hong family. I am the great-aunt of the Hong family."
Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on her lips: "The aunt from the Hong family? Which Hong family? I have absolutely no recollection of her."
“Hehehe, Miss, you really have a bad memory. Don’t you have a concubine named Hong in your household? And aren’t you very close to your half-sister Ouyang Rou? I am Concubine Hong’s aunt and Miss’s great-aunt, so I am your great-aunt, right?” Old Mrs. Hong immediately explained with a smile, but she didn’t see the coldness in Ouyang Yue’s eyes.
I do have some recollection of this old woman, Ouyang Yue. She is Hong Dabao's younger sister and is known for her arrogance and domineering nature. She got married, but not long after, her husband's family divorced her on the grounds of jealousy. After that, she returned to her parents' home, and no one proposed marriage to her anymore. Relying on her deceased mother, she stayed with her younger brother, Hong Dabao.
Hong Dabao has already been transferred to the capital and sent to the Ministry of Justice for final review. However, Old Lady Hong escaped this ordeal because she was away offering incense and not at the county government office in Shanbian County. But Shanbian County was completely sealed off, and she hadn't taken many valuables with her, making survival extremely difficult. She decided to take her maid and travel to the capital to find her relatives, naturally seeking out Concubine Hong from the General's Mansion. It was Old Lady Hong who came to the capital to see Concubine Hong, who then learned that her father had committed a crime and her entire family had been taken to the capital for trial. Concubine Hong panicked and tried every means to find someone to help her. However, given her status as a concubine in the General's Mansion, who could she turn to? Naturally, she thought of Ouyang Zhide.
However, after returning to the capital a year ago and learning about Ouyang Yue's situation, Ouyang Zhide moved to the outer courtyard and refused to return to the General's Mansion no matter who invited him. Even Old Madam Ning couldn't persuade him, so how could Consort Hong possibly see him? Left with no other option, she spent money to see her father, Hong Dabao, in prison. It was Hong Dabao who came up with a plan for her. Consort Hong was currently out of favor, and Ouyang Zhide wouldn't see her. But Ouyang Zhide couldn't very well disrespect his elders, could he? So, they had Consort Hong plead with him. Then, wouldn't Ouyang Zhide have to consider his elders' feelings? And since it was his father-in-law's case, how could he possibly ignore it?
But who knew that this old woman had been waiting here for five days, spending a lot of money and words but still couldn't see anyone. When she saw Ouyang Yue being invited in so warmly, she immediately felt like she had seen a savior.
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly, her cheeks adorned with two shallow dimples, making her appear incredibly cute and charming. She slowly parted her lips and chuckled, "Oh, too bad, in my memory I don't have a so-called aunt like you." With that, Ouyang Yue turned to leave, but suddenly turned back, looking at Old Lady Hong, and said, "And you seem to have forgotten one thing. Since this Aunt Hong is a concubine of my General's Mansion, in my eyes she's just a concubine, a servant. Our capital is a place that places great importance on rules and regulations. Servants have no right to claim kinship with their masters. Strictly speaking, you're just a relative of a servant in the mansion. If you call her that wrong again next time, don't blame me for bringing in the family discipline, Old Lady Hong." Her smiling eyes held a hint of mockery, which immediately made Old Lady Hong so angry that she nearly fainted.
"You...you...you...how dare you be so disrespectful to your elders, you...you..." Old Mrs. Hong pointed a trembling finger at Ouyang Yue, so angry she couldn't speak coherently. She had come to the capital with Hong Dabao before, and back then Ouyang Yue hadn't been cold at all; she'd even been very enthusiastic, calling her "Auntie." Now, she was turning her back on her! This wretched girl was utterly disrespectful. If it weren't for Hong Dabao, would she be begging these people so humbly? It was bad enough that she'd been humiliated by these unreasonable guards, but now even this wretched girl, Ouyang Yue, wasn't giving her any face. Back in Shanbian County, who dared to disrespect her? How hateful!
Suddenly, a man rushed out of the courtyard. He was dressed in a black robe, very strong, and had a very heroic face. However, he had a noticeable stubble on his chin, making him look somewhat disheveled. But when he saw Ouyang Yue, his face lit up with joy: "Yue'er, it's you! It really is you back! You've finally returned safely!" Ouyang Zhide immediately called out when he saw Ouyang Yue, and ran over to hug her tightly. He was very excited. Ouyang Yue's expression also changed slightly. She did not push Ouyang Zhide away, but felt his chest rise and fall, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
I never expected that the capital would welcome her back so warmly.
Baili Chen watched as Ouyang Zhide embraced Ouyang Yue with fiery passion. Although he knew their relationship, his face behind the mask still darkened, and his eyes turned gloomy. Seeing that Ouyang Zhide wouldn't let go, he felt even more displeased and couldn't help but cough heavily.
His cough brought Ouyang Zhide back to his senses from his ecstatic state. He had been so happy to see Ouyang Yue that he hadn't noticed the person beside her. Looking up, he saw a mysterious-looking man dressed in black and couldn't help but ask, "Yue'er, who is this person?"
Looking at Baili Chen's expectant eyes, Ouyang Yue said, "Oh, it's just someone I met on the way. I'm now his creditor, so he protected me all the way back as a reward."
Ouyang Zhide looked at Ouyang Yue seriously. Seeing Baili Chen's seemingly shameful appearance, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Yue'er, tell me directly whether he has misbehaved you along the way. If he has, I will definitely not let him off."
Ouyang Yue's lips twitched slightly. It wasn't just that it wasn't proper; it was that it had never been proper at all. Ouyang Yue naturally couldn't say that, but she simply took Ouyang Zhide's hand and said, "Father, your daughter misses you very much. Let's go inside and talk."
Ouyang Zhide then seemed to wake up from a dream and said, "Right, right, let's go inside and talk first. Look how happy I am that I've forgotten. Come inside quickly. Where have you been all year? You must be exhausted from the journey. Let me have someone prepare something for you. You can rest well and then we can talk later."
As soon as Old Lady Hong saw Ouyang Zhide appear, her eyes lit up. Seeing that Ouyang Zhide was about to leave, she called out, "Nephew-in-law, nephew-in-law, wait! I'm your aunt! Wait! I have something to tell you! Nephew-in-law, wait!"
However, Ouyang Zhide merely glanced at her indifferently, then smiled and pulled Ouyang Yue away. Old Granny Hong was furious. This was clearly preferential treatment! Ouyang Zhide was disrespectful to her, an elder, and that brat Ouyang Yue was also making her angry. She gritted her teeth in hatred: "Go back and talk to Ah Hong! She keeps saying she's living like a fish in water in this General's Mansion, but look who here respects her! How has she managed to get by? She won't rest until she gets an explanation! Let's go!"
In the courtyard, Ouyang Zhide pulled Ouyang Yue to sit down and immediately asked about her whereabouts over the past year. Ouyang Yue recounted everything except for the events at Red Maple Mountain and Tianshan. Upon hearing this, Ouyang Zhide's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Someone actually sent the Bloodthirsty Alliance to hunt you down! Good! Anyone who dares to touch my precious daughter must truly not take me, Ouyang Zhide, seriously!" Ouyang Zhide shouted, his eyes as cold as frost.
Baili Chen's eyes flickered, and he seemed to have a better impression of Ouyang Zhide.
The next morning was a big day for the General's Mansion. The reason was simple: the General, who had been away from home for more than a year, suddenly returned to the mansion. However, he did not return alone this time; he brought Ouyang Yue, who had been away from the capital for more than a year, with him!
☆、113, so angry he cried, called for his wife!
When Ouyang Zhide returned to his residence, he sent a message to the General's Mansion early in the morning. Old Madam Ning, along with Madam Ning and other members of the General's Mansion, were already waiting there.
Although Old Madam Ning was very dissatisfied with Ouyang Zhide's behavior, he was still her son, and she couldn't really hold a grudge. However, when she saw Ouyang Zhide with a smiling face beside her, her face immediately darkened.
"Mother." Ouyang Zhide looked at Old Ning and said with a smile. Old Ning came back to her senses and knew that it was not good to make a scene here. She then gave Ouyang Yue a cold look and said, "It's good that you're back. Let's go inside and talk." After saying that, she turned and walked inside. Ouyang Zhide naturally led Ouyang Yue in first, but his gaze along the way was unreadable.
Led by Madam Ning, the women all revealed gloating smiles. Those in the household knew how angry Old Madam Ning had been about Ouyang Yue. Ever since Madam Huang and Madam Shang led people to cripple Rui Yuhuan, the relationship between the two households had been broken. Although Old Madam Ning must still want to restore the relationship, she has remained reserved and has not budged. To this day, no one has been able to ease the stalemate.
Ouyang Zhide naturally came to Anhe Hall with Old Madam Ning. However, as soon as they entered the hall, Old Madam Ning had just sat down when she immediately grabbed a teacup from the low table and smashed it at Ouyang Yue: "You shameless slut, you dare to come back? You still have the nerve to come back? Kneel down!"
"Bang, crack!" Ouyang Yue nimbly dodged, and the teacup immediately scattered across the hall, shattering instantly.
Everyone in the hall was stunned. Although Madam Ning and the others knew that Old Madam Ning would be angry, they didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Madam Ning turned to look at Ouyang Zhide and saw his gloomy face, his cold and sharp eyes staring at Old Madam Ning, a sinister smile unconsciously curling at the corner of his mouth. In this General's Mansion, if Old Madam Ning wasn't favored, then she would rule the world alone. Without the Ning family's backing, Old Madam Ning would only have the honor of being an elder. If she completely disgusted Ouyang Zhide, then Old Madam Ning would have nothing left. In the past, the shrewd Old Madam Ning would never have allowed such a thing to happen. Now, no matter what the reason for her change of heart was, it was a good thing for Madam Ning. She was happy to watch the show.
Ouyang Yue deftly dodged the attack and bowed to Old Madam Ning with a smile, saying, "Yue'er greets Grandmother. Grandmother, are you well?"
Old Madam Ning, however, had a fierce look in her eyes. She glared at Ouyang Yue and said angrily, "How can I be at peace? Don't you even think about the huge mistakes you've made? Do you know how much people have pointed fingers and cursed at our General's Mansion because of you? You left without a word, causing such a huge impact on the General's Mansion. And now you still have the mind to pay your respects to me? How can I be at peace? I'm about to be driven crazy by you."
Ouyang Yue asked, puzzled, "Grandmother, what do you mean? I only went out to pray for Father's safety for a year. This... does it mean that I'm being criticized for something wrong because I prayed for Father? I only returned to the capital yesterday and really didn't know there were such people in the capital. It's really outrageous. Besides, what business is it of outsiders of our General's Mansion? It's really... really..." Ouyang Yue said, her teeth clenched, showing her sympathy for the General's Mansion, which made Old Madam Ning's expression soften considerably.
She harbored deep resentment towards Ouyang Yue for causing her to be misunderstood and now being labeled the number one villain in the capital. Countless people passing by the General's Mansion would hurl insults at her, and now no one dared to guard the area for fear of being injured. But in truth, Ouyang Yue was indeed innocent. She had acted out of kindness, helping Ouyang Zhide leave the capital. At such a young age, she couldn't possibly be the one who orchestrated it; to put it bluntly, she was just a jinx who brought her trouble.
Rui Yuhuan stared at Ouyang Yue, her eyes like those of a venomous snake, its crimson pupils like the snake's forked tongue, waiting to bite Ouyang Yue's neck and send her to her death. Her voice was chilling as she said, "Third Miss, are you unaware of what's been happening in the capital lately? Because of you, the Old Madam was verbally abused and was so angry she couldn't get out of bed several times. If it weren't for her good health, perhaps… Alas, although your trip is well-intentioned, Third Miss, you should consider whether it's appropriate. The trouble you've brought to the General's Mansion is not something that can be explained in a few words."