Chapter 3: Lesson

The scene quieted down. Several elderly servants and washerwomen stopped throwing things, but then a round-faced young woman in her late twenties burst out from the main room. She wore a willow-green satin top paired with a silver-red mamian skirt, her hair styled in snail buns adorned with pearl flowers and a single large red-gold hairpin slanted through them. Flicking her embroidered handkerchief, she sneered at Xia Yiqing

"Well then, Eldest Miss, you actually dare to hit my people! Is killing someone just a small matter to you? Even I wouldn't have such a big mouth; you certainly are quite capable, Miss!"

Xia Yiqing turned to look at her, her gaze clear and her tone gentle: "So it is Second Madam. Dressed in such gaudy colors, I thought you were just a little maid from the Old Madam's courtyard! Naturally, Second Madam wouldn't dare kill people indiscriminately, because your surname is Tong, and your father is merely a mud-legged farmer. If you killed someone, you'd end up in court! As for me—pardon me—my surname is Xia, and my father is an official! If a daughter of the Xia family kills a servant, do you think Master Xia would let his daughter face legal trouble?"

The words were steeped in sarcasm and contempt, wielding power to bully others. The words sent Second Madam Xia, née Tong, into a rage so intense her complexion shifted three times in an instant, turning green, red, and white like a dye workshop in full swing.

Tong's maiden family were well-known local landlords with thousands of acres of fertile land outside the city, yet Xia Yiqing had just dismissed them as mud-legged farmers. She was so enraged that her whole body trembled, and she nearly fainted, standing there woodenly, momentarily unable to find a retort!

Standing under the corridor, Xia Leqing had already been filled with hatred, but hearing her sister's words, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. Mother Liu, who was bending over to pick up things in the courtyard, looked up toward the corridor and hurriedly rushed over to cover her mouth.

Several more women emerged from the main room, led by the Old Madam, Lady Jin. Lady Jin was only in her fifties, with a sturdy build and a straight back. She walked ahead with her head held high, followed by her eldest daughter-in-law, Pang Ruxue, and her third daughter-in-law, Lady Lin.

As Xia Yiqing watched the three walk out, her dark brows knitted imperceptibly. Lady Jin and Lady Lin were both dressed in silks and satins, adorned with gold and silver, but Pang Ruxue wore plain cloth and a simple hairpin, looking as modest as could be.

Although she disliked Lady Jin's nouveau riche mannerisms, presence and aura were important. Sometimes, when a person lacks inner confidence, they must rely on external things. Take Pang Ruxue, for example: she was naturally timid and weak, so the more plain her clothing and appearance, the more pitiful and endearing she appeared. In a struggle between women, it was difficult to gain the upper hand!

According to Mother Liu, when Pang Ruxue first married into the Xia family, she had many fine things, but they had all been scavenged by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Not only did she have no gold or silver jewelry, but she hadn't been able to add a single piece of fine clothing for over a decade. Previously, she had been bedridden with illness, so even if she had had them, she couldn't wear them. Later, Xia Yiqing found ways to secure some work from bookstores, embroidery shops, and cloth stores. Aside from buying medicine for their mother, the two sisters had saved some silver, and the mother and daughters each sewed two or three relatively expensive outfits. However, seeing that her teenage daughter, who was like a blooming flower, was reluctant to wear fine clothes, Pang Ruxue was even less willing to wear them herself.

Xia Yiqing thought to herself that from tomorrow on, she would also have to make sure her mother was more particular about her attire!

Lady Jin was fuming with rage. As soon as she approached, she reached out to strike Xia Yiqing's forehead. Xia Yiqing tilted her body slightly, caught the woman's wrist with her other hand, and gave it a gentle twist. Lady Jin let out a couple of yelps, and only when Pang Ruxue rushed over to pull her away did Xia Yiqing release the old woman, stepping back two paces to stand quietly beside Pang Ruxue.

In her past life, during university military training, she had at least learned a few self-defense moves from the instructors. Her strength might be small and insufficient against men, but it was more than enough to deal with the female members of a deep inner courtyard.

Lady Jin was livid. While having Lady Lin massage her wrist, she pointed at Pang Ruxue and scolded, "Look at yourself! Raising such a wicked brat who has no respect for elders and no sense of decorum—how do you have the face to live in this world? Huh? Tell me, how can you face people?"

Pang Ruxue bowed her head in apology: "Mother, Qing'er is still young. Please forgive her!"

Tong had recovered her breath by now and rushed forward, shouting at Pang Ruxue, "Is she still young? She's fifteen! It's one thing to be illiterate, but she has no sense of rules or etiquette at all. She hit my people and even dared to hit the Old Madam; she's trying to revolt! If this gets out, I'll see if anyone in all of Huzhou dares to marry her!"

Pang Ruxue turned pale and pulled at Tong, saying, "Second Sister-in-law, Qing'er is ignorant; I apologize on her behalf! Please, for the sake of me and your eldest brother, let this one time pass! You must not spread any rumors. If a girl's reputation is ruined, her whole life is destroyed!"

"Bah! What face do you have? My eldest brother has two legitimate daughters, Aizhi and Xizhi, who are precious. You are just a concubine raising two illegitimate daughters—what are you people?"

Tong spat at Pang Ruxue. Just as she finished speaking, Xia Yiqing called out "Second Aunt" from over there. Tong turned her face toward her, only to feel a light breeze brush past. A flash of lake-blue blurred before her eyes, followed by a crisp *slap*. Her left cheek burned with a sharp, stinging pain. She clutched half her face, staring at Xia Yiqing in disbelief

"You hit me?"

Xia Yiqing nodded. "Yes!"

"You... you actually dare to be disrespectful to an elder..."

"I wouldn't dare! I am merely disciplining you on my mother's behalf! You are the sister-in-law, and my mother is the eldest sister-in-law; a sister-in-law should not be rude to the eldest! Furthermore, let me remind you of one thing: my mother is the legal wife of Xia Xiuping, and Xia Leqing and I are legitimate daughters. Aizhi and Xizhi are the illegitimate daughters born of Concubine Huang! Please get it straight! If you still can't understand, I wouldn't mind giving you a few more slaps!"

Tong was dumbfounded. Pang Ruxue's face turned even paler. Lady Jin jumped nearly three feet in the air: "Rebellion! This is rebellion! Someone, come! Drag her before the ancestral tablets and serve her with the family law!"

Xia Yiqing was not afraid of a one-on-one fight, but if two or three sturdy, thick-set servant women surrounded her, she definitely wouldn't be able to hold out. Thus, before her opponents arrived, Xia Yiqing threw a glance to Xia Leqing, who had already run to her side. The two of them pulled Pang Ruxue into the main room, bolted the doors and windows, and then braced the doors with heavy objects like eight-immortal tables and cabinets. No matter how hard the servants pushed from the outside, they couldn't budge them. The women didn't have the audacity to break in through the windows; firstly, they were afraid of damaging the house—this was the ancestral home, and even if others didn't care, Old Master Xia certainly did! Secondly, they feared that if they jumped in through the windows one by one, they would be taken out one by one by the mother and daughters! They might not fear the soft and yielding Eldest Madam, but the servants had all seen the Eldest Miss's skills just now: she slapped people without blinking, fast and ruthless, and she didn't even look back when she pushed the wife of You Cai, causing her to fall and hit her head until blood gushed out! And she had even hit Second Madam! The Old Madam was her own grandmother, yet she had twisted her wrist just the same!

This was nothing like the gentle and submissive Eldest Miss of ordinary days. Truly, a dog that doesn't bark is the one that bites; if pushed to the limit, she might actually kill someone with a knife! Moreover, if she killed a servant, nothing would truly happen to her. Although the Eldest Master was an official in another county, officials protect their own; it wouldn't be hard for him to protect the Eldest Miss, at most spending a few taels of silver. In the end, it would be the dead person who suffered!

Since they were dead anyway, wouldn't the silver just be spent on someone else?

The servants and washerwomen had their own thoughts, but on the surface, they tried their best to push the doors, and no one took the initiative to knock on the windows.