Chapter 64
"Who in the world dares to lay a hand on someone from the Xie family?" Xie Jincheng demanded angrily, looking at his son's bruised face and hands.
Nearby, Teacher Feng had already hidden himself away.
He never expected these two to have such powerful backgrounds.
Recalling how he had blindly sided with Madam Luo and Luo Jing'an earlier, the teacher felt uneasy.
"Mother, it was them! That fat man and his people beat the three of us! That fat woman even ordered her servants to hold us down while they hit us. If it weren’t for the kind auntie and her people protecting us, you might have found your son’s corpse by now! Wuwuwu..." Xie Yanzhi sobbed, genuinely terrified as he relived the scene.
"So, you tried to kill my son?" Xie Jincheng stepped in front of Madam Luo, glaring at her furiously.
"It’s a misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!" Madam Luo hastily shook her head. How could she admit now that she had wanted those brats dead?
"Step back! Who do you think you are, daring to treat us like this?" Luo Jing'an shouted at Xie Jincheng indignantly.
"That’s my question for you. Where do you get the audacity to harm people from the An Manor, the Xie family, and the Yongning Marquisate?" Xie Jincheng pressed, gesturing to Jiang Yu, who was also covered in injuries.
Madam Luo was already trembling with fear. She knew the Xie family well—they were an illustrious noble clan in the capital, far beyond what the Luo family could afford to provoke, let alone the Yongning Marquisate.
"I don’t care about your Xie family or any manor! If you dare hit me, you’d better pay up! Otherwise, I’ll have my brother-in-law beat all of you to death!" Luo Jing'an, unused to such treatment, stood up and pointed at Xie Jincheng’s nose, cursing.
"Lord Xie, my son is ignorant! Please spare him!" Madam Luo hastily covered Luo Jing'an’s mouth and begged for mercy.
"Father, he’s the one who said he’d kill us! Father, I’m so scared!" Xie Yanzhi clung to Xie Jincheng’s leg, trembling.
"Beat us all to death? I’d like to see who has the authority to do such a thing," Xie Jincheng said coldly, patting his son’s back.
"Qingsong, go to the Zhennan Manor and summon the Prince of Zhennan," Xu Heming ordered, curious to see if the prince truly had the nerve to make such a threat.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Zhennan left the capital days ago for the border," Qingsong reminded him quietly.
"Then bring the Princess of Zhennan and the heir here instead!" Xu Heming amended.
"Your Highness, the princess is injured and shouldn’t stay long. Perhaps it’s better to take them to the magistrate’s office?" a servant suggested cautiously.
"Fine. I’ll escort them back first. Jincheng, take these people to the office. I’ll join you shortly," Xu Heming agreed, concerned about Li Zhiwei’s condition.
"Understood. Please take Sister-in-law and the children to the An Manor first. Could you also send someone to notify my wife to fetch them?" Xie Jincheng nodded, guilt gnawing at him as he looked at Li Zhiwei.
After all, she had protected his child.
Without her intervention, he couldn’t imagine how the three children would have survived the beating from those burly servants.
Cuiguo and Shanzi were also injured, but their martial skills had spared them the worst of it.
"You two, go with Lord Xie to the office first. Give your statements and return afterward," Xu Heming instructed.
Cuiguo, worried sick about the unconscious Li Zhiwei, nodded firmly. "Please take good care of my lady, Your Highness."
"Go to the estate and fetch the Yongning Marquis and his wife. Tell them their child was beaten and they must return immediately," Xie Jincheng ordered his servant.
If they were dealing with this mess, Jiang Hanhai and his wife couldn’t stay out of it—their son was among the victims.
Zhennan Manor
"Princess, the Consort of the Heir requests an audience," Nanny Chang reported.
"Send her away!" The Princess of Zhennan fumed at the mere thought of her son’s disastrous marriage to Madam Luo.
Her son, stubborn as a mule, had insisted on marrying that woman despite her lack of merit—no noble background, no beauty, no talent in arts, no skill in managing a household.
How could such a person uphold the dignity of the Zhennan Manor?
She was an embarrassment.
Yet Madam Luo remained oblivious, grating on the princess’ nerves every time they met.
"Princess, the consort is simply... straightforward. Don’t let her upset you," Nanny Chang soothed.
"Why should I be upset? They’ll live their lives, and they’ll be the ones humiliated," the princess retorted, though her frustration was plain.
"But think of our grand Zhennan Manor—what chaos will it fall into under their rule?" The mere image of Madam Luo’s petty behavior made her chest tighten.
She had tried to accept Madam Luo at first, but the woman’s actions had been beyond belief.
Like those first days after handing her the household reins—three days of nothing but pickles and steamed buns, a disgrace that still burned in the princess’ memory.
Nanny Chang sighed, giving up on persuading her to see Madam Luo. Some offenses were too many to count.
Just as she turned to dismiss the consort, the steward, Wu Zhuzi, rushed in.
"Princess, the magistrate’s office has summoned you, the heir, and the consort immediately!"
"The magistrate’s office? Did they say why?" The princess’ stomach twisted with dread, especially at the mention of those two troublemakers.
"No, Your Highness. Only that you must go at once."
"Where is the heir?" The princess scowled, knowing her foolish son was likely off carousing again.
"He went out today. I’ll find him at once," the steward replied, careful not to mention the heir’s usual drinking companions.
"Go, then." The princess took a deep breath. She didn’t need the steward to spell it out—her son was as much a disappointment as his wife. A perfect match, really.
Spotting Madam Luo waiting outside, she snapped, "Let’s go!"
"Mother-in-law, where are we going?" Madam Luo was overjoyed that her mother-in-law was finally willing to speak to her.
