Chapter 12: Mother, Take Your Time Leaving

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin pulled Xiao He aside and continued lecturing the four remaining servants:

"This is Xiao He. From now on, you all report to her. Obey her arrangements without question."

"Everyone, dismiss yourselves and attend to your duties." After Seeing Jun Jun Zijin finished his lecture, Xiao He sent the maids away to their respective tasks.

Once this matter was settled, it was nearly noon. A maid arrived to announce that the meal was ready.

At this hour, Xiang Xiang Junzheng had not yet returned to the manor, and Zhou Zhou Yiniang, having stayed indoors for years, was dining with her daughter Jun Jun Shuyan in their own small courtyard.

Jun Jun Yiyi had not yet finished school at the girls' academy, and Wu's son, Jun Chengcai, was even more notorious for frequenting pleasure quarters; it was common for him to be unseen for ten days or half a month.

In the dining hall, besides Wu, only Seeing Jun Jun Zijin was present.

The two loathed each other at first sight and remained silent in an eerie atmosphere. Wu never mentioned arranging for Seeing Jun Jun Zijin to visit the Old Lady, nor did she bring up the banquet.

By all rights, the return of the legitimate Young Lady should have warranted a banquet for guests.

After a long pause, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin spoke first:

"Mother, I am deeply concerned about Grandmother's illness. Today, I shall go to pay my respects to the Old Lady."

The First Lady was stunned and cursed inwardly:

"You little wretch, indeed you won't give up."

Yet on her face, she wore a smile.

"The Old Lady has recently eaten little and lacks spirit and energy. It is likely inconvenient to disturb her. You should wait a few days before paying your respects."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin did not take the bait but jumped to another topic:

"Mother, please allow me to set up a small kitchen." In great households, there are many rules; he wished to avoid trouble.

"... It is so lively when the whole family eats together..." Wu worried that Seeing Jun Jun Zijin would escape her control.

Suddenly, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin dropped his smile, his voice turning cold and clear.

"There are no outsiders here, Mother. There is no need to continue acting out the play of a benevolent mother and a filial son."

Now that they were openly opposed, pretending to be a benevolent mother and filial son was pointless; at this point, he had nothing left to worry about.

Wu was stunned and also dropped her smile.

"When did you find out?"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin understood exactly what she referred to.

"If Mother intends to do something, she should do it decisively. I wonder if it is Mother's excessive arrogance or Nanny Xue's utter stupidity that led to not hiring even a single expert, thus wasting such a poisonous scheme. The methods used to harm others are not even as good as those of Nanny Liu on the manor's estate."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin paused, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"Remember this, Mother: when doing evil deeds in the future, especially such heinous acts, you must not leave any traces."

The First Lady was so enraged she nearly fell backward. She slapped the table, her hand trembling as she pointed at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin.

"You, you, you..." she stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin sat steadily at the table, picked up a chopstickful of food and placed it in his bowl, then added:

"Mother, you are a person of status. Pointing at others like that shows a complete lack of upbringing."

The First Lady's chest heaved with rage; she nearly fainted. Stamping her foot, she swept her sleeve and stormed out.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin casually raised his eyelids: "Mother, take your time leaving."

Then he leisurely ate the sumptuous lunch; since arriving in this era, he had not yet properly enjoyed a single meal.

Man is iron, rice is steel; only when full does one have the strength to deal with these demons and monsters, does he not?

The First Lady hurried along the path, with a maid trotting to catch up. Upon returning to Cuiyu Courtyard, so angry and frantic was she that she stepped on her own skirt hem as she crossed the threshold, stumbled, and had to grab the doorframe to avoid falling face-first into the mud.

She straightened the pearl hairpin that had tilted on her head, turned around, and slapped Qingyu behind her:

"Blind thing! Be careful, or I will sell you off!"

Qingyu kept her head down, following close by, too terrified even to touch her swollen cheek.

As soon as the First Lady entered the room, she overturned the teacup on the table, ignoring the shattered fragments scattered on the floor, and paced back and forth in a rage:

"Little wretch, little wretch..."

Soon, she calmed down:

"Qingyu, go to the Prime Minister's manor and invite Zhou Zhou Yiniang over."

Terrified and eager to escape, Qingyu ran out as if granted a pardon.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, having eaten a bit too much, rose and strolled to aid digestion. Though it appeared to be aimless wandering, he was in fact carefully observing the situation within the manor.

As he walked, he unexpectedly arrived at Jingzhu Courtyard.

A sense of familiarity rose in Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's heart; this was the Old Lady's courtyard.