Chapter 67
"Mother?" Luo Jing'an tugged at Madam Luo's sleeve again, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction when he noticed her distracted expression.
He couldn’t understand what was wrong with his mother. In the past, hadn’t she always dealt perfectly with those who offended him?
But today, when faced with those three insolent fools, she was backing down?
Madam Luo didn’t dare step forward.
The Princess of Zhennan carried herself with such haughty superiority that Madam Luo felt too intimidated to even speak in her presence.
Besides, the matter of offending Prince An was something she found too shameful to bring up.
If her daughter and son-in-law were here, she might have mustered the courage to beg for mercy.
But with the Princess of Zhennan standing right there, Madam Luo couldn’t bring herself to do it.
However, just because Madam Luo didn’t want to approach didn’t mean Luo Jing'an shared her hesitation.
Seeing his mother cowering on the sidelines, Luo Jing'an couldn’t care less.
"Sister! Brother-in-law! You must stand up for me!" Luo Jing'an's plump body barreled toward Zhou Fenghua and Madam Luo as he wailed pitifully.
"What is this thing?" The Princess of Zhennan frowned at the sudden appearance of the chubby boy.
"Mother-in-law, this is my younger brother from my maiden family," Madam Luo quickly explained after a moment of surprise.
The Princess of Zhennan said nothing more, though the disdain in her eyes was unmistakable and not the least bit concealed from the two of them.
"Oh, so it’s my little brother-in-law," Zhou Fenghua slurred before letting out a drunken hiccup.
"Jing'an, why are you here?" Madam Luo—Luo Yingying—asked, her initial delight quickly replaced by a frown. After all, her brother had just asked her to take his side.
Who in the world would dare provoke her brother?
Did they have no regard for the prestige of the Zhennan Estate?
"Sister, brother-in-law, I’ve been bullied to death today! You must avenge me!" Luo Jing'an burst into tears as he spoke.
"Child, don’t talk nonsense. Don’t cause trouble for your sister and brother-in-law," Madam Luo snapped out of her daze and hurriedly pulled Luo Jing'an aside, her tone warning. Then, with an ingratiating smile, she turned to the Princess of Zhennan. "Oh, dear in-law, what a coincidence to see you here!"
"Who is your 'dear in-law'?" The Princess of Zhennan’s face darkened. She had never liked Madam Luo, and she had even less patience for her mother. After all, the Luo family was nothing more than a common merchant household—new money at that.
Madam Luo stiffened awkwardly. She knew full well that her in-law looked down on families like theirs. But hadn’t her son already married her daughter?
Who would have thought the in-laws would still be so difficult to deal with?
For a moment, Madam Luo’s expression soured as well.
"Mother, why are you here?" Luo Yingying quietly pulled Madam Luo aside and whispered.
For some reason, a sense of unease suddenly gripped her heart.
Her mother-in-law had summoned both her and her husband to the magistrate’s office—could it be because of her mother and brother?
At this thought, Luo Yingying tightened her grip on Madam Luo’s hand.
"Yingying, you must save your brother!" Madam Luo whimpered in a hushed voice.
"Mother, what happened? If you want me to help him, you have to tell me what’s going on!" Luo Yingying pressed anxiously.
In her heart, she thought that if her brother had truly gotten into trouble, she would naturally do her best to help. But her position in her husband’s family was already precarious. If her brother caused a scene, her mother-in-law would never intervene.
At this thought, Luo Yingying glanced hopefully at Zhou Fenghua. Unfortunately, he was currently kicking a pebble on the ground, looking thoroughly bored and not sparing them a single glance.
"Your brother had a little disagreement with some boys at the academy today," Madam Luo whispered.
"That’s all? Mother, why would you need my help for something like this? Just compensate them with some silver. If they refuse, throw my status around a little—isn’t that enough?" Luo Yingying scoffed. She had thought it was something serious. The people at Rushan Academy were all of humble backgrounds—none of them had connections to nobility.
How could they have frightened her mother like this?
"We tried, but they wouldn’t back down," Madam Luo murmured.
Still, she thought to herself, she couldn’t tell her daughter yet that those boys were from Prince An’s household, the Xie family, and the Marquis of Yongding’s estate.
Otherwise, her daughter and son-in-law might refuse to help her son.
She was torn between her children—she didn’t want to deceive her daughter like this.
But her son was just as dear to her.
"Hah! Are you telling me there’s someone in the capital who dares to disregard the authority of the Zhennan Estate?" Luo Yingying sneered.
In her anger, her voice rose slightly, drawing the attention of the Princess of Zhennan and Zhou Fenghua.
The Princess of Zhennan was no fool. She quickly connected Prince An’s summons to the magistrate’s office with the sudden appearance of Madam Luo and her son.
"Madam Luo, keep your family in check. Not every stray dog and cat can claim ties to the Zhennan Estate," the Princess of Zhennan said coldly.
Zhou Fenghua merely shot Luo Yingying an annoyed look. Women from petty merchant families were easy to handle, but they also brought endless trivial troubles.
Did she really think he had nothing better to do than deal with her minor squabbles?
Just then, Prince An arrived at the magistrate’s office with Xu Qingshi and the others. From a distance, he spotted the Zhennan Estate’s party alongside Madam Luo and her son.
"Brother-in-law! It’s those brats! They dared to hit me! Look at the bruises on my face—they did this!" Luo Jing'an pointed at Xu Qingshi and the others, his face twisting with fury at the sight of his enemies. Without hesitation, he grabbed Zhou Fenghua’s arm and wailed.
The Princess of Zhennan let out a hollow laugh. If she still didn’t understand why Prince An had summoned them here, she might as well renounce her title as Princess of Zhennan.
Zhou Fenghua, who had been swaying drunkenly, sobered up in an instant the moment he saw Xu Heming.
Prince An!
This was someone he could never afford to offend!
"Are you out of your mind? Do you even know who that is? If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!" Zhou Fenghua leaped up and smacked Luo Jing'an on the head, his mind screaming one thought: We’re doomed!
Of all people, Zhou Fenghua feared no one—except Prince An.
Once, after causing trouble while drunk, he had crossed Prince An and was promptly thrown into military training for a month.
That month had been pure hell. Ever since, he had taken great pains to avoid Prince An.
And now, this little brat wanted him to seek revenge?
Was he worthy?
Zhou Fenghua hadn’t even dared to seek payback for his own grievances!
"Your Highness, Prince An!" The Princess of Zhennan bowed respectfully to Xu Heming.
This man was the Emperor’s favorite.
Though her husband was also a prince, he spent most of his time away from the capital. She still needed Prince An to put in a good word for the Zhennan Estate before the Emperor.
"Brother-in-law…" Luo Jing'an, utterly confused, rubbed his stinging head where Zhou Fenghua had struck him, his heart filled with grievance.
