Chapter 56: There is Room For the Poor Daughter

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  Chapter 56: Lock the Door  

Zhu Xiuyun's foot was not seriously injured; it had only been scratched by fragments of the flowerpot, causing a lot of blood to flow, but it was not life-threatening.

After Yan Zhigao instructed the servants to send Zhu Jiaoyu and his daughter home by carriage, he turned and headed to the Songhe Courtyard.

When Old Madam Yan learned that her precious granddaughter had been slapped, she could no longer sit still. After inquiring about the details of the incident and discovering that it involved people from the Shuangxin Courtyard, she ordered the maid, Aunt Sun, to bring Concubine Lin to her.

Without asking anything further, Old Madam Yan directly had Concubine Lin kneel in the courtyard.

By the time Yan Zhigao arrived in a hurry, Concubine Lin had already been kneeling for over half an hour, her face turning pale.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Yan Zhigao asked in confusion.

Old Madam Yan looked at him coldly and sneered, "You can slap my granddaughter without asking for any reason, but I can't make your concubine kneel? Look at how worried you are. I really don’t understand why your heart is so hard. You slapped Daohua so fiercely in front of so many people, and now her face is swollen to the point that she can’t even show her face to others."

As she spoke, Old Madam Yan couldn’t hold back her tears.

"Since she was a child, I’ve never laid a finger on Daohua. She’s such a delicate girl, and you slapped her like that in front of everyone. How will she ever face people again? You heartless fool."

Seeing his mother cry, Yan Zhigao felt a headache coming on. He quickly knelt down and said, "Mother, I slapped Daohua because she deserved it."

Old Madam Yan immediately interrupted him, "I made Concubine Lin kneel because she deserved it too! She made me feel uncomfortable!"

Yan Zhigao was left speechless, shaking his head in exasperation. "Mother, can’t you stop making a scene?"

Hearing this, Old Madam Yan suddenly stood up, trembling with anger, and pointed at Yan Zhigao. "Yan Zhigao, are you really going to side with a concubine over your own mother?"

Yan Zhigao saw how furious his mother was and immediately lowered his tone. "Mother, please don’t be angry. I misspoke. You can hit me, scold me, anything. Just don’t hurt yourself."

Aunt Sun, seeing the situation, rushed over to support Old Madam Yan and helped her sit down. "Madam, please calm down. Let’s talk to the master about this calmly."

Old Madam Yan’s breathing slowed, but her expression was still very cold as she glared at Yan Zhigao. "Tell me, why did you slap Daohua?"

Yan Zhigao sighed. "Daohua threw a flowerpot and injured Zhu Jiaoyu’s daughter. At that moment, I had to deal with the matter. Otherwise, Zhu Jiaoyu’s family would never let it go."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Yan couldn’t help but shed more tears. "So, to appease your subordinates, you slapped my Daohua like that? She’s only nine years old, how could she endure that?"

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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com

....

Yan Zhigao thought of the red palm print on his daughter’s face and felt uncomfortable. He had been so angry at the time that he hadn’t held back much.

Old Madam Yan wiped her tears and said, "I know my granddaughter well. Daohua would never throw a flowerpot at anyone. So tell me, who exactly slandered her?"

Yan Zhigao paused. He knew it was Yan Yishuang who had said that, but he didn’t think she had lied. In his eyes, Yan Yishuang had always been a well-behaved and sensible girl. There was no way she would have slandered her older sister.

Seeing her eldest son silent, Old Madam Yan immediately understood that he was protecting Yan Yishuang. Feeling deeply disappointed, she ordered, "Go, call the three girls who were in the pavilion at the time."

Aunt Sun nodded and hurried out.

Soon, Yan Yishuang, Yan Yile, and Yan Yihuan were brought into the room.

After such a big incident, except for Daohua, who had been slapped, and Madam Li, who was taking care of her, everyone in the Yan family gathered in Old Madam Yan’s courtyard.

The three girls immediately kneeled when they saw Yan Zhigao kneeling on the ground.

Old Madam Yan's face was cold as she asked, "Yishuang, I want to ask you, why did you say that your older sister threw the flowerpot and injured Zhu Jiaoyu’s daughter?"

Yan Yishuang seemed a little frightened and trembled as she glanced at her father.

"Slap!"

Seeing her like this, Old Madam Yan slammed the table and said, “I’ll ask you one thing—what do you think your father is doing? Do you think I could possibly eat you?”

Yan Yishuang was so frightened that she immediately began crying in a low voice. She hadn’t expected things to escalate this much. At that time, when she received her little uncle's signal, she didn’t know what it meant, so she instinctively spoke those words.

She never thought her father would hit her older sister.

Yan Yihuan and Yan Yile were also terrified and shrank to the side.

Seeing her youngest daughter crying, Yan Zhigao's heart immediately ached. "Mother, let's talk things through. Look at how scared Yishuang is."

Old Madam Yan was so angry she laughed. "I only asked her one question, and you think she’s scared? Have you thought about how she might have been scared when you slapped Daohua like that?"

Yan Zhigao looked a bit embarrassed. "Daohua wouldn’t be scared. Mother, you didn’t see it, but she even dared to argue with me. She said she didn’t want to be the eldest daughter of the Yan family anymore. Listen to that—such rebellious words!"

Old Madam Yan froze for a moment. "Did Daohua really say that?"

Yan Zhigao nodded. "Of course. Mother, Daohua is too stubborn. She can’t be left alone. You shouldn't always favor her. Look at her now—where’s the demeanor of an eldest daughter?"

Old Madam Yan glanced at Yan Zhigao in silence, and he lowered his head under her gaze.

Not wanting to deal with her eldest son anymore, Old Madam Yan turned to Yan Yihuan and Yan Yile. "Yihuan, Yile, you two were also in the pavilion at the time. Did you see your older sister hit the Zhu family girl with a flowerpot?"

When Yan Yihuan heard her grandmother's question, her body shook, and she was about to speak when Yan Yile beat her to it.

"Grandmother, we did indeed see that Daohua hit the Zhu family girl with a flowerpot."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yan Yile felt the old lady's gaze turn into a sharp blade, aimed directly at her. She immediately lowered her head in fear.

Yan Zhigao, for some reason, secretly breathed a sigh of relief when Yan Yile confirmed that Daohua had thrown the flowerpot. He was about to say that since the matter had been clarified, they should let the three girls rise. But as he raised his head, he saw his mother’s cold and piercing gaze.

Old Madam Yan silently watched the four kneeling for a long time. "Very well, you’re all fine, aren’t you?" She closed her eyes after speaking, as if not wanting to see them anymore.

Yan Zhigao looked at his mother, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.

The four of them continued kneeling.

After a quarter of an hour, Mama Sun stepped forward. "Master, Old Madam wants to rest. You may leave now."

Only then did Yan Zhigao help the three girls up and say to Mama Sun, "Take good care of the old lady." With that, they left.

Once they were gone, Old Madam Yan opened her eyes. Hearing that her eldest son had left, she asked Concubine Lin to get up and dismissed the other people in the courtyard.

"When a person’s heart is biased, no outsider can change it!" After a moment of silence, Old Madam Yan sighed again. "Daohua and Zhigao must have been enemies in their past life!"

In the second courtyard, Yan Zhiyuan and Sun Shi returned to their own rooms with Yan Yile, Yan Yihuan, and Yan Wenjie. As soon as they entered the room, Sun Shi immediately looked at Yihuan and Yile and asked, "Was it really Daohua who threw the flowerpot at the Zhu family girl?"

Under her mother's sharp gaze, Yan Yile shrank her neck, and Yan Yihuan looked hesitant as well.

Seeing this, Yan Zhiyuan and Sun Shi immediately understood the answer.

Actually, even back in the pavilion, Yan Zhiyuan had already sensed that something was wrong. His eldest niece had too innocent a look in her eyes, and there was also Master Lin standing beside her.

Sun Shi, feeling frustrated, tapped Yan Yile's forehead. "You kids really want to make me mad. Didn’t I tell you from the start to avoid getting involved in the disputes between the main courtyard and Shuangxin Courtyard?"

Yan Yile pouted. "I don’t like Daohua. Whenever she comes, Aunt won't give us any fabric."

Sun Shi, enraged, smiled in frustration. "You really are shallow. Now, you've completely offended the main courtyard. Don't even think about getting fabric in the future."

Yan Wenjie, seeing how upset his mother was, was somewhat indifferent. "Mother, don’t be so anxious. What does it matter? It’s Daohua who started the trouble. Even if Aunt wants to settle scores, it won’t be with us."

"Besides, with Aunt currently so protective of Shuangxin Courtyard, it’s uncertain whether she’ll seek revenge later. You shouldn’t worry so much."

Sun Shi looked at Yan Zhiyuan, and he nodded.

His attitude was clear: even if today’s events had wrongly accused Daohua, he would still protect Shuangxin Courtyard.

Sun Shi stopped speaking but still told Yan Yihuan and Yan Yile, "You two are so young and already know how to lie. Go, write the 'Rules for Women' ten times."

Yan Yihuan and Yan Yile immediately sulked and went back to their room.

In the third courtyard, Yan Zhiqiang and Wu Shi waited anxiously in their room. When Yan Wentao returned, they immediately pulled him over and asked, "How is Daohua?"

Yan Wentao shook his head and didn’t speak.

Wu Shi, frantic, asked, "What does shaking your head mean?"

Yan Wentao muttered, "Daohua didn’t cry."

Hearing this, Wu Shi let out a sigh of relief, but Yan Zhiqiang furrowed his brows. "Daohua probably has a grudge against your uncle now."

"Huh?" Wu Shi froze.

Yan Wentao nodded. "If Daohua had cried, there wouldn’t be any problem, but she didn’t react at all. She must have hardened her heart."

Wu Shi immediately slapped her son’s head. "What nonsense are you talking? Your uncle did something wrong today, but a father hitting his son is natural. How could she hate him over this?"

Yan Wentao said, "Mother, you don’t understand Daohua. If she’s willing to argue with you, it means she still cares about you. But if one day, she doesn’t want to talk to you anymore, it means you’re irrelevant to her."

He had grown up with Daohua and understood her character very well.

The slap from her uncle had been heavy, but Daohua didn’t utter a word. He was certain she must be utterly disappointed with him.

Wu Shi sighed. "Look at the mess this has caused. The New Year is coming soon."

Yan Wentao sneered. "This is all Shuangxin Courtyard’s fault. Daohua used to say that too many wives and concubines ruin a family. Looks like she was right."

Yan Zhiyuan glared at his son. "Stop talking. You, as a younger generation, shouldn’t meddle in your uncle’s business. Go to bed!"

After his son left, Yan Zhiyuan said to Wu Shi, "You should go to the main courtyard more these days to check on Daohua. That girl is stubborn. Don’t let her really become distant from your elder brother—that would be playing into Shuangxin Courtyard’s hands."

Wu Shi nodded, complaining, "Your elder brother really went too far. He’s not around to care for her, so of course, he doesn’t feel sorry for her."

"Keep your complaints to yourself," Yan Zhiyuan said.

In the main courtyard, Madam Li only returned to her room after Daohua had fallen asleep.

She entered the room, but when she didn’t see Yan Zhigao, her heart turned cold.

"Go, lock the courtyard gate. From now on, if the master doesn’t return by the hour of Hai (around 9-11 pm), lock the gate."

Ping Tong paused for a moment, looking hesitant.

Since Madam Li married Yan Zhigao, she had never locked the gate. Even when he went to Shuangxin Courtyard, she always left the door open, symbolizing that he could return anytime.

But tonight, her husband had slapped his eldest daughter, hurting her and also breaking her heart.

Ping Tong hesitated, but Ping Xiao, with no concerns, took the key and locked the courtyard gate.

The news quickly spread that the main courtyard had locked the door, and Yan Zhigao didn’t find out until the 28th of the lunar month, the day he took a break for the New Year.

For the past few days, he had been staying in Shuangxin Courtyard to calm Concubine Lin, who had been punished by Old Madam Yan. If it weren’t for tonight’s meeting with Madam Li to discuss hosting a banquet for his colleagues, he might have stayed at Shuangxin Courtyard until the New Year.

When he saw that the main courtyard was locked, Yan Zhigao was stunned.

Furious, he wanted to knock on the door but was afraid of causing too much noise and embarrassing himself, so he could only return angrily to Shuangxin Courtyard.

(End of this chapter)

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