Chapter 115: Stepping forward, four slaps to the face

Deng Mama bit her tongue, only then managing to stay clear‑headed and not lose face.

But her descendants behind her could hardly hold back any longer.

"Mother. You summoned us back to attend to you, which is only right. But my mother…"

Pei Lao Furen slammed the table hard and shouted sternly, "Who is your mother!? Impudent! Deng Mama, is this how you've raised these two boys all these years? Now they're gentlemen too, yet they still know no propriety! Someone, slap them!"

Zhang Mama stepped forward and slapped "pa‑pa‑pa‑pa"—four hard blows across Deng Mama's face.

Deng Mama was dazed!

Her chubby face swelled even more in the blink of an eye.

Everyone in the hall stared dumbfounded; even Li Qingzhu, who had never been to the inner court of Jingci Tang before, couldn't help breaking out in a sweat.

Qu Shi clenched her handkerchief even tighter in nervousness.

So it turns out my mother‑in‑law is such a formidable person!

When a hot‑headed concubine's son tried to rise and approach, the several grannies waiting nearby shoved him back down.

With a "thud," that concubine's son knelt heavily on the ground again.

He still wore a resentful face: "You—"

"The Old Lady is merely disciplining a concubine—do you really need to watch our faces? What, do the two gentlemen still want to back our concubine?"

Zhang Mama clapped her hands; instantly, a dozen able grannies surrounded them, and in that moment everyone bowed their heads under the overwhelming pressure.

Pei Lao Furen swept an icy gaze over everyone below, then let out a cold snort.

As soon as Deng Mama returned, Pei Lao Furen established her authority over her.

She never expected the Old Lady to give her no face at all.

Back on the estate, she was the matriarch!

With wealth and power, grandchildren at her knees—what bliss!

Originally, hearing she would return to the Jiangjun Fu, she felt a little pleased, thinking her coming would vex the Old Lady and give her children a chance to reclaim the Jiangjun Fu.

But at this moment she actually felt a twinge of fear…

The Old Lady's murderous aura existed even back then.

But back then it was Li Chao Jing who shielded her, sparing Deng Mama much suffering.

But now the eldest master hates her to the bone…

Will she really not get skinned this time she returns?

In an instant, Deng Mama's arrogance vanished.

Finally, Deng Mama had not even settled her lodgings when Pei Lao Furen punished her to copy sutras in the Fu Tang.

As for the two concubines' sons, starting tomorrow they must come daily to Jingci Tang to pay respects.

Only then did Pei Lao Furen dismiss everyone.

Li Qingluo knew the Old Lady had her own ways of dealing with people, so she felt reassured.

She also rose to take her leave, and on the way back to Hongfenguan she heard a muffled sob.

"Mother blames me. How is this my fault? I wanted to live in that courtyard too…"

"Stop crying already. Don't you know? Father has always been filial; now that Grandmother is punished, he feels awful inside, surely seething with anger, which is why he's taking it out on us. If you let him hear your sobs…"

Li Qingluo glanced at Que'er, who immediately nodded.

By the time Que'er returned, Li Qingluo held the princess mansion's invitation, deep in thought.

Prince Su said the princess mansion would hold a winter banquet, asking her to bring the designs then.

Li Qingluo had long expected this invitation, yet it stated she should bring all her sisters along that day.

"Our household is lively now. We originally had three young ladies, and four more have arrived—making seven. Are we really supposed to bring all of them?"

Deng Mama laughed and shook her head.

The princess mansion probably never imagined the Jiangjun Fu would suddenly gain four more young ladies.

Li Qingluo: "Going with a few people, the princess mansion can certainly accommodate them, and the princess surely wouldn't mind. But… I don't want to bring them."

Que'er: "Then just bring Huan Jieer, wouldn't that work?"

Li Qingluo looked at her: "How about going to scout?"

Que'er hurried over: "Miss, I've inquired. Today the one trying to speak up for Deng Mama is the Second Master. What we just saw were also the two young ladies of the Second Branch. The courtyard they wanted to live in had been taken by the young ladies of the Third Branch, and their father scolded them soundly."

Deng Mama: "The Third Branch is Deng Mama's second son. He's apparently been especially favored since youth; rumor has it he ran amok on the estate, swaggering about. But today I see him acting like a partridge."

Li Qingluo heard that description and let out a "puchi" laugh.

The Second and Third Branches are simply the two concubines' sons.

They have all started families now, but being seven or eight years younger than Li Chao Jing, the eldest among today's returning descendants is the eldest daughter of the Second Branch, only twelve or thirteen.

The rest are even younger.

Li Qingluo pondered: "Then let's bring them all. If the princess asks that day, I'll have an answer ready."

Otherwise, it would actually annoy the princess.

But whether they go and lose face or gain glory, or even stand out, is entirely their own branches' affair.

Li Qingluo is thick‑skinned and doesn't care about family honor.

"You go inform each branch; whoever wants to go, I'll take."

This also counts as her chance to probe Deng Mama's background.

Que'er answered.

But she suddenly thought of: "What about the Ziwei Tang…?"

Li Qingluo couldn't be bothered with pleasantries: "Don't call!"

Li Qingluo deliberately meant to anger Li Qingzhu.

Li Qiongzhu was also naturally so angry she was about to go crazy.

"She even wants to bring those little maids who just came back; why won't she take me!!"

"I at least am her nominal older sister; does she really not even give me this face?"

"I, Li Qiongzhu, am not even as good as those country maids?"

"Why would *** Fu give her an invitation! I am the eldest legitimate daughter of Jiangjun Fu!!"

Li Qiongzhu, in her anger, swept everything on the table onto the floor, all kinds of pottery shattering everywhere.

Zhuang Wei came in and saw the mess all over the floor, shocked to the point his jaw almost dropped.

"Zhu er, what's wrong with you? Did someone make you angry?"

Li Qiongzhu didn't expect that just now she had been seen by Zhuang Sanlang, and she panicked a little inside.

But she quickly, tears hanging, threw herself into Zhuang Sanlang's arms again.

"Wuwuwu, Sanlang... I'm just angry at myself, that's why I lost composure like this!"

Zhuang Wei seeing her so sad, the doubts in his heart instantly vanished.

He held Li Qiongzhu, heartbrokenly wiping her tears: "What happened? Who bullied you? Tell me, I'll go find him to vent for you!"

Li Qiongzhu choked: "It's not that someone bullied me... it's me, I failed to be a good older sister. Also I was willful before, afraid my parents wouldn't love me anymore, so I caused the self-immolation incident. Now that I've returned home, Lu'er sister surely hates me to the extreme, so I..."

"So this time, the princess's invitation was sent to Hongfenguan. I heard Lu'er sister wants to bring all the sisters from the family, even the few female cousins who just returned today will go, only I am left out."

"Sanlang, I just feel utterly embarrassed, I have no face left!! Wuwuwu..."

Zhuang Wei: "She's actually so petty? I'll go reason with her!"