Chapter 483: Feng Jie

Jia Lian, having just thrown on his clothes in a mess, was both embarrassed and angry, with nowhere to hide; when he saw Ping Er even daring to strike the man who hit him, he instantly found a vent, pointed at Ping Er and ranted:

"You damned whore! You're just a maid, yet you dare to hit people!"

After the insult, he lunged forward and slapped Ping Er.

Ping Er, who was usually afraid of Jia Lian, let go of his hand in fright when he struck her, timidly stepping back two paces, unwilling to move further.

Feng Jie, seeing Ping Er so pitiful and recalling Jia Lian's words outside the window about "setting Ping Er upright", felt an unnamed fire flare threefold; she stopped striking Yan Hong, turned and slapped Ping Er, scolding:

"You useless wretch! You only pretend to be a good person; no wonder they plot behind my back to make you my proper wife after I die, while you constantly flatter me!"

Ping Er, already wronged, was further dazed by Feng Jie's slap; squeezed from both sides, she felt the world spin, her heart full of grievances with nowhere to vent,

Staggering, she retreated to the table, grabbed the scissors she usually used for tailoring, and tried to thrust them into her own throat.

A quick-eyed maid snatched the scissors away, and several other maids who heard the commotion rushed in, clamping down on Ping Er with many hands, urging repeatedly:

"Sister Ping, you mustn't!"

Seeing Ping Er's suicide attempt, Feng Jie felt a sudden pang in her heart, a flicker of remorse; Ping Er had followed her for years, most loyal, yet Feng Jie knew deep down that today's incident had nothing to do with her.

Just as her heart soured, a sidelong glance caught Jia Lian taking advantage of the chaos to push Feng Er aside, trying to pull Yan Hong up from the ground.

That sliver of remorse was instantly incinerated by raging fury; she had been busy for this family, and Jia Lian, that bastard, was conspiring with other women in the room on how to kill her, yet now he still protected that scum!

Feng Jie felt a painful tightness in her chest, her eyes hot, tears spilling, and shouted:

"You all have been striking at my vulnerable spot like a vine, I heard it, and you shamelessly mock me! Why don't you just kill me too!"

Saying that, she barreled headfirst into Jia Lian's waist.

Jia Lian, bending to pull Yan Hong, was caught off guard as Feng Jie slammed into his lower back, making him let out a startled howl, nearly choking.

He clutched his waist with one hand, pushed Feng Jie away with the other, staggered back to the wall, and after catching his breath, fueled by alcohol, enraged, he reached out and drew the sword hanging on the wall, eyes reddened, shouting:

"No need to seek death! I'm also furious; let's all die together, I'll repay my life, and everyone will be clean!"

Having said that, he raised the sword to strike Feng Jie.

Feng Jie, seeing he actually drew the sword, was pale with fright, caring no longer about her appearance, turned and fled toward the courtyard exit, shouting shrill:

"Murder! Lian Er is about to kill again!"

Jia Lian brandished his sword and chased out the door, the courtyard in chaos,

for a moment it seemed the pot had exploded.

The maids cried out for fathers and mothers, some pulling, some blocking, a tangled mess.

Some clever older women sprinted to Jia Mu's courtyard to report the news.

Feng Jie wailed, one hand holding her skirt hem, stumbling as she ran toward Jia Mu's courtyard.

Jia Lian, eyes reddened, relying on his drunken vigor and ferocity, pressed on with his sword, racing through the Moon Gate and around the corridor, causing the maids and older women along the way to scream and dodge.

Feng Jie, after all, was just a woman of low standing, unable to run fast; as Jia Lian drew nearer, the gleaming sword swayed just a few feet behind her,

her leg gave way, she stepped on her own hem, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise, only looking up in terror at Jia Lian's twisted face and the sword held aloft.

At that moment, a clear, decisive voice rang from not far away:

"All of you, stop!"

People turned toward the voice and saw Tan Chun briskly entering. She had received the news during an intermission of the play, arrived swiftly, her expression solemn, steps swift as wind.

Behind her followed several robust older women, all dispatched by Jia Jing from Dong Fu recently to assist her in household affairs!

Tan Chun cast a stern gaze across the scene, seeing Feng Jie collapsed on the ground, her hair bun in disarray, face streaked with tears;

Jia Lian brandished his sword, complexion pallid, breathing like a ox; combined with the earlier report from the older women, his mind was already clear.

She stepped forward immediately, her expression darkening, eyebrows slightly raised, and thundered:

"Second Brother, you have become even more accomplished; today is the matriarch's birthday, with so many relatives and guests, to cause such a farce—what a sight!"

Speaking, she sharply ordered the older women behind her:

"Someone, fetch it for me!"

In principle, this matter shouldn't be handled by an unmarried young lady, but given today's special circumstances—Jia Mu and Jia Jing were entertaining guests—it was essential to contain the situation quickly.

After all, this involved not only Jia Lian and Feng Jie as a couple, but also Yan Hong, Jia She's concubine, making the repercussions severe.

Several sturdy women responded, swift in hand and foot, and in a few motions restrained Jia Lian, snatching the sword from his grasp.

Jia Lian, still drunk, kept struggling, muttering profanities:

"Let go! I'm going to kill this witch today! Who dares block me! Third Sister, you only have authority over the inner household, what right do you have to control this man from outside!"

He kept cursing while struggling to shake off the sturdy women, kicking and thrashing like a raging bull trapped.

Seeing this, Tan Chun's eyebrows arched, she stepped forward and said coldly:

"Second Brother, having seen Third Brother, you still dare this drunken madness, I truly admire you! Bind him, then send a few people to seize Yan Hong as well; after I report to Third Brother, we will deal with it!"

Jia Lian, still struggling, heard Tan Chun's words "Third Brother" and instantly a cold, stern visage flashed in his mind, causing him to shiver as if drenched from head to toe.

The ferocity ignited by his drunken vigor vanished instantly, leaving only a bone‑deep chill seeping out under the glaring sun.

His lips trembled twice, his struggling limbs grew weak, his body feeling as if its bones were pulled out; had the two sturdy women not held him, he would have collapsed on the spot.

He then pleaded in a sorrowful voice:

"Third Sister! Third Sister! We can talk, we can talk! Please don't... don't tell Third Younger Brother!"

"I was momentarily confused, that scoundrel lured me, I know I'm wrong..."

"Third Sister, be kind, considering I've treated you well before, spare me this time; if Third Younger Brother finds out, I'll meet a fate like Baoyu's..."

"No!" Feng Jie, who was slumped on the ground beside, suddenly spoke; her hair bun was half undone, a red hairpin crooked at her ear, tears streaking her face, makeup smeared, looking utterly disheveled, with no trace of the former Second Madam's dignity.

"If Third Sister doesn't speak, I will certainly demand justice from Third Younger Brother!" Feng Jie's voice was as cold as ice shards, her once lively crimson phoenix eyes now filled with frost.

Jia Lian's actions today had truly chilled her heart; the sword moments ago was only a few feet from her face, and had Tan Chun not arrived in time, she might have been slain by this heartless scoundrel!

Jia Lian's eyes widened, his voice urgent and angry:

"Are you this ruthless? Insisting on dragging this matter before Third Younger Brother, to see me punished?"

Feng Jie's expression grew even colder, and shouted angrily:

"Me cruel? Is it me who's cruel? Or is it you, Jia Lian, whose heart is too black! When you embraced that lewd woman and turned my room into chaos, why don't you call that cruel?"

"When you all conspired to find a good medicine that would end my life, why don't you call that cruel? When you brandished your sword and drove me half a mile away, why don't you call that cruel!"

"I, Wang Xifeng, ask myself: since marrying into your Jia Family all these years, I have handled the household for you, served the elders for you, and managed all social connections for you."

"I have acted as a villain abroad to save your face, while you indulge in wine and women, chase after blossoms, and I cover for you; which deed of mine has ever wronged you? Yet you wish me dead!"

Jia Lian, forced silent by her barrage, moved his lips for a while and could only squeeze out a few words:

"Feng Er, I… it was just drunken confusion, a fleeting performance…"

"Drunken confusion? A fleeting performance? To still utter such evasive words now, it's disgusting!" Feng Jie gave a wretched smile, wiped a tear from her face, and no longer intended to speak further with him.

Tan Chun watched the scene, her heart a swirl of emotions, remained silent for a moment, raised her hand toward those several robust women, and said coldly:

"The family has its own rules; take it!"