To the east.
A courtyard somewhat larger than Chen Mu's residence.
This was the courtyard where Ning Shi lived.
The courtyard was in utter commotion, filled with a mixture of sobbing and scolding.
Looking toward where the sounds came from,
he saw a little boy of about three years old bawling his eyes out. A patch on his forehead had split open, blood running down his cheek. His body was covered in dust, and his hands were scraped as well. He looked as though he had taken a nasty fall.
Beside the boy stood a woman, her face full of fury as she berated the nearby maids and matrons.
"How did you look after the young master? It would be one thing if you spent your days idle and useless, but you even dare to be so careless while watching the young master. What use are you all?!"
"Madam, spare us! How would we dare neglect our duties? It was just that the young master ran too fast..."
The maids and matrons kneeling on the ground all wore terrified expressions.
Wang Shi was livid. She kicked one of the maids to the ground and said, "You still dare shift the blame!"
Just as she was venting her fury,
Ning Shi, who had heard the commotion from the outer courtyard, came out from the inner courtyard. Seeing the state of things, she was slightly startled before stepping forward to ask, "Sister, what happened? How did the young master fall into such a state?"
Wang Shi had married into Xuanguo Estate several years before her. Her husband, Chen Xing, was a few years older than Chen Mu's elder brother, but they were of the same generation and he was also one of Xuanguo Estate's sons born to a concubine.
Normally, after reaching adulthood, sons born to concubines had to divide the family and move out of Xuanguo Estate. But Chen Xing was exceptionally skilled in Martial Arts and had now risen to Battalion Commander of the Kyoto Military Camp, an official of Principal Sixth Rank, so he had been permitted to continue living in Xuanguo Estate.
Ning Shi stepped forward to ask what had happened, but Wang Shi merely shot her a vicious sidelong glance.
"And how have you taught your servants? My son came to play in your courtyard, yet the servants here did not even bother to keep an eye on him, letting him get hurt!"
"That's right. You're a cursed star who killed your husband and can't bear children, so you're jealous in your heart. You deliberately lured my son into your courtyard to harm him, didn't you?! How vicious and despicable!"
A barrage of curses rained down on Ning Shi, leaving her stunned.
When she came to her senses, tears suddenly welled in Ning Shi's eyes. Clutching her chest, she said in a trembling voice, "Sister, how could you say such things about me? When have I ever done anything like that?"
"You haven't done it, so you've merely thought about it? You poisonous woman! If Old Madam were not benevolent, you would have been thrown out of Xuanguo Estate long ago. What place would you have here?"
A vicious glint flashed through Wang Shi's eyes. As she spoke, she stepped forward and shoved Ning Shi hard.
The shove made Ning Shi cry out in surprise and stagger unsteadily. Just as she was about to fall, the maid behind her hurried forward and caught her, keeping her from hitting the ground.
Seeing this, Wang Shi turned back to look at her still-crying son and the wound on his forehead, which continued to bleed. Her fury surged even higher, and she said, "Someone, seize this wicked woman! Today, I'm going to teach her a proper lesson."
Behind them,
the maids and matrons who had been trembling on their knees immediately looked toward Ning Shi. A trace of ferocity appeared in each of their eyes, along with secret relief in their hearts.
If Ning Shi had not suddenly appeared and diverted Wang Shi's fury, this blaze of anger would likely have fallen on them instead.
With Wang Shi's order, the group of maids and matrons slowly rose to their feet.
If they had been dealing with any of the other masters of Xuanguo Estate, they might not have dared to act recklessly even with Wang Shi's order. But Ning Shi had been widowed young and had no children. The only person close to her was her younger brother-in-law, Chen Mu, who was mediocre in both civil and martial pursuits and had faded into the crowd. As a result, the maids and matrons feared Ning Shi very little.
There were two maids and two matrons in Ning Shi's courtyard as well, but they were greatly outnumbered by Wang Shi's people. Cowed by Wang Shi's authority, all four were trembling even more violently.
But at that moment,
a cold voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Who are you going to seize?"
Everyone turned to look.
A figure appeared outside the courtyard and walked in step by step. He wore a brocade robe and a fox-fur cloak, his expression cold and indifferent. It was none other than Chen Mu!
That frigid voice seemed to make the temperature throughout the courtyard drop several degrees at once. The many maids and matrons were startled, and their steps halted one after another.
Chen Mu did not even look at those maids.
He walked straight through the outer courtyard and came to Ning Shi's side. A faint, shadowy light flickered in his eyes as he activated Spirit Sight and carefully examined Ning Shi from head to toe. Seeing no sign of stagnant qi and blood, he said,
"How is your body, Sister-in-law? Are you hurt?"
"N-no, I'm not."
Seeing Chen Mu, Ning Shi felt somewhat reassured and shook her head.
Chen Mu nodded, then looked toward the nearby maids and said coldly, "What happened here? Who's going to tell me?"
In the stifling atmosphere, a maid secretly glanced at Ning Shi, then at Wang Shi, whose face was still cold. For a moment, she wanted to speak but could not.
At that moment,
Ning Shi quietly tugged at Chen Mu's sleeve and said in a low voice, "It's nothing. Sister's young master accidentally fell and was injured in my courtyard, and she became too angry for a moment."
As she spoke, she looked toward Wang Shi and said, "The young master was injured in my courtyard, so I apologize to Sister. But I truly had no intention of harming anyone."
Though she felt wronged and bitter, Chen Xing was, after all, a Battalion Commander of the Kyoto Military Camp—a man with genuine power. Wang Shi was his principal wife. If this continued and Chen Mu were dragged into it, it would become a disaster. Suffering a little herself was nothing by comparison.
"Hmph."
Wang Shi snorted when she heard Ning Shi's words.
Chen Mu's arrival had also somewhat quelled her anger. Although she was a master of the household herself, Chen Mu was a bona fide young master of Xuanguo Estate. Ordering the servants to seize Ning Shi was one thing, but if they were told to lay hands on Chen Mu, the maids and matrons would most likely still not dare.
There was no benefit in making a further fuss.
"Then let's leave it at that. Little Sister, be more careful when walking in the future. Don't take a fall."
Wang Shi replied coldly, then prepared to leave.
But at that moment,
Chen Mu let out a soft laugh.
Although he had only seen half of what happened earlier, after hearing Ning Shi and Wang Shi's exchange and observing the reactions of the nearby maids and matrons, he had more or less figured out exactly what had happened.
Chen Mu first looked toward the three-year-old boy who was still crying. He walked forward a few steps and said amiably to one of the matrons, "He's still bleeding. Why haven't you taken him to have the wound bandaged?"
"Yes."
The matron answered instinctively. She had intended to look toward Wang Shi first, but for some inexplicable reason, a chill ran through her entire body, and she shuddered. Unable to think of anything else to do, she stepped forward, took the crying boy by the hand, and led him out of the courtyard.
Then Chen Mu turned around, a faint smile on his face.
The many maids and matrons were still dazed. Ning Shi, however, vaguely sensed what was about to happen and could not help crying out, "...Don't!"
But the instant her words fell,
Smack!
A loud, crisp sound rang through the courtyard.
The slap sent stars bursting before Wang Shi's eyes. Her entire world spun, and she could not even get out an "ow." She turned around once on the spot before collapsing toward the ground.
The entire courtyard fell deathly silent.
The maids and matrons nearby were scared stiff. They did not even have time to step forward and catch Wang Shi before watching her body hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Chen Mu stood there, looking at Wang Shi on the ground. At some point, the smile had vanished from his face, and he said mildly,
"You let your servants commit violence and act with utter arrogance, and your words are venomous... I couldn't care less what you show your son or what you teach him. But don't think that because my sister-in-law is kind, she can be bullied."
In the deathly silence,
Wang Shi lay on the ground and slowly regained consciousness. She dazedly covered her face, only then realizing that her entire face had swollen. Even the slightest touch stabbed like needles.
"Ahhh..."
Only then did Wang Shi finally let out a scream of pain. She struggled to prop herself up, fury nearly burning her mind to ash, and glared daggers at Chen Mu. "You actually... You dare..."
She was Chen Xing's principal wife!
Chen Xing was a descendant of Xuanguo Duke and a Battalion Commander of the Kyoto Military Camp!
Among those of the same generation in Xuanguo Estate, aside from the few beloved sons born to concubines and the several legitimate sons and daughters, no one dared insult her lightly, much less lay hands on her!
"What are you all standing around for? Get over here! Xiao Yue, seize him for me!"
Wang Shi covered one swollen side of her face, her expression twisted with savagery as she roared at the servants who were still standing there in a daze.
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