Chapter 563
Chapter 563
Thinking of this, Madam Yu drew a deep breath and wondered how she could take the blame upon herself later.
Although Lu Ning'er’s actions had not been ordered by her, she was the principal wife of the household. She had failed to properly manage a concubine’s daughter, and therefore could not shirk responsibility.
More importantly, if something happened to Lu Jinchang, her children would certainly suffer as well.
Only by taking the blame herself could she ensure that her children remained safe.
“I understand.” Madam Yu lowered her voice. Then, without looking back, she entered the inner room.
From a distance, Li Zhiwei saw an ordinarily dressed woman walking toward them with her head bowed.
The room was deathly quiet. No one made a sound.
Madam Yu did not raise her head. She walked straight up to Li Zhiwei and Xu Mu, then knelt down.
“This wife greets Your Excellency.”
Li Zhiwei looked at Madam Yu, then glanced at the extravagantly dressed Lu Ning'er beside her.
What a difference. It truly couldn’t be more obvious.
“Lord Lu certainly loves his daughter dearly. He gives all the finest things to his concubine’s daughter,” Li Zhiwei said sarcastically.
Lu Jinchang was extremely anxious.
If he agreed with her, wouldn’t that confirm the charge that he favored his concubine and neglected his principal wife?
“That’s right! My father loves me most!” Lu Ning’er said proudly, as if that still wasn’t enough.
The principal wife didn’t have what she had.
Wasn’t that proof that her father loved her more?
Madam Yu kept her head lowered, but inwardly cursed her as a fool. In an aristocratic household, who would like a concubine’s daughter who was so utterly ignorant of propriety?
“Cuihua, slap her twenty times,” Li Zhiwei ordered, her voice carrying unquestionable authority.
“What right do you have to hit me again?” Lu Ning’er cried the moment she heard that she was to be punished once more. She hurriedly covered her face.
That woman was nothing but a shrew!
Then Lu Ning’er noticed the exceptionally handsome Xu Mu standing nearby and came up with an idea. She fell to her knees before him, looking utterly pitiful.
“My lord, I don’t even know what I said wrong. Madam wants to slap me, but I truly didn’t mean anything by it.”
Xu Mu felt a chill run through his entire body.
He wasn’t really the prince. How could he dare accept such a form of address on the prince’s behalf?
“Take her away and gag her,” Li Zhiwei said impatiently.
“Since Madam has arrived, I assume she has already arranged lodging for us?” Rather than pay any attention to Lu Jinchang, Li Zhiwei turned to Madam Yu.
“Of course. Please follow me, Your Excellency.” Madam Yu hurriedly led them toward the rear courtyard.
Lu Jinchang tried to follow, but someone blocked his way.
“Our prince has ordered that you stay here and reflect on your actions, Lord Lu.”
Lu Jinchang inwardly groaned.
Had he been marked as an enemy by Prince An?
“Mmph!”
Lu Ning’er, whose mouth had been gagged, tried to call for help.
“My lord, hurry and save Ning’er!” A beautiful woman suddenly came running over, her face filled with panic.
“Why are you here?”
When he saw Yao Yayin, Lu Jinchang inwardly cried out in dismay.
He could already tell that Princess Consort of An disliked men who favored their concubines and the children born to them.
“My lord, if I hadn’t come, how would I have known that these people were bold enough to beat even the eldest young lady?” Yao Yayin was genuinely frantic.
“Impertinent! The government office is a place of business. What are you, a mere woman, doing here?” Lu Jinchang was filled with regret. How had he managed to spoil such an ignorant mother and daughter?
“My lord, did Madam say something bad about me? I never refused to move out. I only wanted to help shoulder some of your burdens.”
Yao Yayin had never expected that, this time, her lord would actually take Madam Yu’s side—that old, plain-faced wife.
“Someone escort Madam Yao back to the ancestral home.” Lu Jinchang had no time to indulge in tender feelings with his concubine.
His head was practically hanging from his belt, liable to fall off at any moment.
Compared with that, matters of love between a man and a woman no longer seemed important.
After Li Zhiwei entered the rear courtyard, Madam Yu led them to the main residence.
“Take him to the side courtyard.” Li Zhiwei pointed at Xu Mu with obvious displeasure.
Madam Yu froze.
Wasn’t this man supposed to be the lady’s husband? Why was she sending him to the side courtyard?
Xu Mu quickly understood. The princess consort was deliberately using what had just happened with the concubine’s daughter as an excuse to avoid sharing a room with him.
“Madam, please don’t be angry. I’ll stay in the side courtyard.” Xu Mu spoke gently.
Yet inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, once the prince learned that he and the princess consort had shared a room—even if they had only been pretending—the prince would probably want to cut him down with a single stroke.
After saying this, Xu Mu turned and left without hesitation.
“Madam, aren’t you afraid that your husband will become angry?” Madam Yu looked up at Li Zhiwei and asked, puzzled.
“Why should I indulge him and make myself miserable? If I have to choose between making myself suffer and making him suffer, I’ll obviously choose him. Why make things difficult for myself?” Li Zhiwei actually knew why Madam Yu was asking, but so what?
Ever since she was a child, she had believed that mothers were meant to be cherished.
In her previous life, she had been obedient to Lin Jitong, but all she had received in return was a tragic death and the loss of both her parents.
Still, when she thought about how she had never reunited with her elder brother in her previous life, she figured that he was probably still alive. That meant the Li family would not be left without descendants after all.
Madam Yu was stunned by her words. She had never imagined that a person could live in such a manner.
In the past, although she had resented Lu Jinchang for favoring Yao Yayin, she had ultimately never said much about his behavior.
Instead, she had allowed herself and her children to suffer humiliation from Yao Yayin at every turn.
And every time, Lu Jinchang had taken Yao Yayin’s side.
Madam Yu felt a pang in her heart as she wondered: If she had resisted, would things have turned out differently?
“Madam, aren’t you afraid that someone might take advantage of this?” Madam Yu thought of Yao Yayin, whom Lu Jinchang favored, and asked another question.
“Sand you can’t hold in your hand is better scattered to the wind. The more desperately you try to keep some things in your grasp, the faster they slip away,” Li Zhiwei replied indifferently.
Besides, this man wasn’t really Xu Heming. But even if he truly were Xu Heming, he would never spare a glance for a concubine’s daughter like Lu Ning’er.
What did she have to worry about?
“Besides, if he truly betrays me, I can simply turn around and leave. My world doesn’t revolve around him alone, does it? I still have my family. They are my strongest support.”
As Li Zhiwei said this, the corners of her lips lifted into a smile.
That was right. If her life no longer suited her wishes, she could simply turn around and leave. Why cling to something for the sake of the present?
Even without Prince An’s residence, she still had her parents.
At that moment, outside a small courtyard deep in the mountains—
“Old man, hurry up and open the door! I’m here!” Jiang Yuanrang shouted toward the courtyard.
Wen Xiu examined the wooden house before them, doubt filling her heart.
“Are you sure you’re not deceiving me? This place doesn’t look as though anyone lives here.”
Wen Xiu looked at Jiang Yuanrang suspiciously.
She had a feeling that this man was definitely up to no good.