Laughing like that? There must be more juicy gossip

"Who are you calling a shrew?"

"You!" Madam Li snapped angrily!

The moment those words left her mouth.

The servants on Liu Wan's side pressed their lips together to hide their laughter, looking at Madam Li as though she were a joke.

Mother's combat power is off the charts! Little Wanwan kicked her chubby legs hard, her grin stretching all the way to her temples!

When Madam Li realized what she had said, shame and fury overwhelmed her, and she nearly fainted from being unable to catch her breath.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the two blackened men hurrying over, and she promptly collapsed to the ground with her servants supporting her.

Xie Jin'an hurried over with Xu Rourou and her brother. Seeing Madam Li like this, Xu Rourou quickly handed the child to the nanny and went to help Madam Li up.

With tears and snot streaming down her face, Madam Li wailed, "Your father was a fool! How could he let you marry a woman like this? She's bullied her mother-in-law to this state! The concubine-born sons spoke up for me, and your wife scolded every last one of them. Jin'an, divorce her!"

Xu Rourou no longer dared criticize Liu Wan, so she soothed Madam Li instead. "Madam, please take care of yourself!"

Compared with Liu Wan's aggressiveness, Xu Rourou appeared far more understanding.

Xie Jin'an stepped forward, gritting his teeth. "Liu Wan, it wasn't easy for my mother to raise me. She is your mother-in-law, after all, yet you dared..."

"What does your mother's difficulty raising you have to do with me?" Liu Wan asked coolly.

"You've changed. You never used to be like this. You've disappointed me so much!"

Xie Jin'an had never seen Liu Wan talk back like this. In all his memories of the past five years, she had always been gentle and virtuous, educated and reasonable. Even when wronged, she would endure it silently.

Why had she changed after giving birth to a girl?

"Divorce... divorce her!"

Madam Li was so furious she nearly spat blood. Liu Wan even dared talk back to her own husband.

She had no sense of propriety at all.

Xie Jin'an clenched his fists tightly. Liu Wan's indifferent expression had battered his masculine pride until not a scrap remained.

But he remembered Grandmother saying that the Marquis's Residence could not do without Liu Wan!

In the end, he lowered his tightly clenched fists. "Mother, be careful what you say about this."

Gritting her teeth, Madam Li swallowed the mountain of grievances weighing on her.

Liu Wan had also run out of patience. She glanced at them coolly, then told Qing Sheng and the others to move the things into her courtyard.

Standing beside Liu Wan, Xie Zi Mu clenched his fists and looked up at her. "Mother, you won't leave us behind, will you?"

Xie Zi Xing gazed at her with wide, pleading eyes, almost in tears.

Liu Wan smiled faintly and stroked both boys' heads.

Just then.

Qing Da came running in from outside the courtyard and addressed Madam Li and Liu Wan. "Madam, Young Madam, an imperial decree has arrived from the palace! It specifically names the heir to receive it!"

At those words, excitement lit Xie Jin'an's eyes. His Majesty must have agreed to send him to provide disaster relief!

Completely forgetting his soot-blackened appearance, he straightened his robes and told Liu Wan, "When I return, I'll teach you how to serve your mother-in-law!"

With that, he strode toward the Front Courtyard.

Madam Li had also guessed what it was about and laughed aloud. "Liu Wan, oh, Liu Wan! Just wait until you're no longer worthy of my son!"

With that, she too headed to the Front Courtyard, supported by Xu Rourou and her brother.

Almost everyone went there.

Liu Wan was somewhat puzzled as well.

Her father had clearly settled the matter.

How had this assignment still landed in Xie Jin'an's lap?

She sent Wang Xia to keep watch, had the servants finish packing everything up, and returned to her courtyard!

Xie Zi Mu and Xie Zi Xing had not visited their mother in a long time, so they stayed for a meal.

The two children sat obediently, their hearts heavy with worries, though no one knew what they were thinking.

Liu Wan picked up a piece of meat for Xie Zi Mu, only for Little Wanwan's chubby little hand to dart out and grab it!

I want meat too! I want braised pork! I haven't had any braised pork since I was reincarnated. Mother, gimme some! Give it to me! Aah, aah!

The little one in her arms grabbed the meat and tried to stuff it into her mouth. There was no stopping her!

Liu Wan had no choice but to put down her chopsticks, pry open the tiny fingers one by one, and take the braised pork away!

"You're not even two months old yet. You can't eat this! Pan Chun, fetch the baby bottle."

Little Wanwan howled.

Pan Chun laughed. "The young miss's hands are faster than my eyes."

Only after she was given her baby bottle did Little Wanwan look pitifully at her Mother, tears still in her eyes.

Mother, you've changed! Boohoo, don't you love your little baby anymore?

Liu Wan tapped her forehead and had Pan Chun carry her over to sit on the couch.

Then she gave Xie Zi Mu and Xie Zi Xing a piece of meat each.

"Thank you, Mother."

"Thank you, Mother."

The two children spoke in unison, then pressed their lips together and fell silent.

"You've been at Tongzhi Academy for some time now, and you haven't come home these past few days, so let me tell you what's been happening here..."

After recounting the events of the past few days, Liu Wan sighed. "Ever since I married into the Marquis's Residence, I've wracked my brains and worked day and night managing its affairs. Now that I'm no longer in charge, I feel much more at ease."

But how could the helplessness in her words escape the sensitive Xie Zi Mu?

Xie Zi Mu lowered his gaze. "You did the right thing, Mother. This place is far too unfair to you."

He had thought it through. If Mother wanted to leave, he would support her.

He was not afraid of being abandoned. He was afraid of his mother suffering injustice day after day.

To him, the maternal love Liu Wan had given him over these past few years was already a distant dream he could have begged for a thousand times over.

Zi Xing did not understand these things. He merely said blankly, "They're always telling me bad things about Mother, but I know Father and Grandmother don't like me or my brother. Only Mother and Little Sister like us. I'll work hard to earn money, and when I grow up, I'll protect Mother."

After saying that, he yawned again, dark shadows beneath his eyes and his gaze unfocused.

He said, "Yesterday's schoolwork was too tiring. I didn't sleep well."

Zi Mu frowned.

Liu Wan said nothing, merely gazing steadily at him as she recalled her daughter's thoughts from yesterday.

Xie Zi Mu asked, "By the way, little brother, you said someone was telling you bad things about Mother. Who was it?"

"My new servant. I already gave him a beating!" Xie Zi Xing clenched his fists, his round face filled with anger.

His old servant had been better, but for some reason, his parents back home had fallen ill, and he had taken leave to return to his hometown.

Liu Wan and Xie Zi Mu exchanged a glance.

Just then.

Wang Xia pushed open the door and came in, laughing so hard she rocked back and forth.

Oh-ho! If she's laughing like that, there must be more juicy gossip!

Stop laughing and tell us already!

Little Wanwan put down her baby bottle, suddenly finding it tasteless. She blinked her tear-damp lashes and looked at Wang Xia with watery eyes.

Wang Xia reined in her excitement and said, "Young Madam, the imperial decree wasn't at all what they thought it was!"

"His Majesty had the heir, Madam, and Xu Rourou's brother-all three blackened ones-bound and taken away!"

Little Wanwan's baby bottle tumbled onto the couch with a clunk, and her mouth fell open. "Huh?"

Liu Wan: "Hmm?"

Zi Mu and Zi Xing: "Huh? What's going on?"