HCB Chapter 203
Chapter 203
"Hurry up and coax her." Tong Mo rushed into the room, stuffing Cai Shuyi into Ye Yunniang's arms.Ye Yunniang hugged Cai Shuyi. "Shushu is crying so hard, did someone wrong you?"
"Sister-in-law, brother bullied me, waah..." Cai Shuyi held onto Ye Yunniang and cried even louder.
"I did not. Cai Shuyi, you can't falsely accuse me," Tong Mo retorted.
Ye Yunniang glanced at Tong Mo, signaling him to keep quiet.
"Shushu, tell your sister-in-law, how did your brother bully you?"
Ye Yunniang gently patted Cai Shuyi's back to soothe her.
Cai Shuyi sobbed and reached out her arm to show Ye Yunniang.
On her fair and tender arm, there were several red and swollen scratches.
They looked quite shocking.
"How did you get hurt?"
"Brother hit me."
"I didn't. I really didn't," Tong Mo anxiously argued.
"Be quiet, don't speak." Ye Yunniang stopped Tong Mo and looked down to ask Cai Shuyi.
"Can Shushu tell sister-in-law how brother hit you?"
"He just... just raised his hand and hit me... waah... sister-in-law, it hurts so much..." Cai Shuyi started crying again as she spoke.
"It's red and swollen, of course it hurts. Sister-in-law will clean the wound and apply some medicine for Shushu. Once the medicine is on, it won't hurt anymore."
Ye Yunniang comforted Cai Shuyi while taking a clean handkerchief from Qiushuang. She carefully cleaned the area around the scratches, gently applied the medicine, and blew on it as she did so.
"Sister-in-law will blow on it for Shushu."
Cai Shuyi also started blowing along with her, stopping her tears.
Once her arm was bandaged, Cai Shuyi murmured that she was sleepy.
Ye Yunniang took Shushu back to her room to rest. At the same time, she shot a glance at Tong Mo, signaling him to wait because she had questions for him.
After Ye Yunniang and Shushu left, Tong Mo looked coldly at Baise.
"You gave Zhong Zhaoli ideas on how to sleep with me?"
Baise was not intimidated by the coldness in Tong Mo's eyes. "I just offered a little suggestion."
"Tell her that it's impossible between us." When Tong Mo spoke of Zhong Zhaoli, it was mostly with disgust.
He disliked overly calculating women.
"Miss Zhong won't listen to me. Miss Zhong has a good family background, won't you really reconsider?"
"For Ye Yunniang's sake, I won't hold this against you. But if you meddle again, I won't hold back." Murderous intent filled Tong Mo's eyes.
Baise curled her lips into a smile. "Does Yunniang know about this side of you?"
"Are you threatening me?"
"I think I finally understand why Yunniang doesn't like you."
"Why?"
"You get provoked too easily, like a grumpy cat." As Baise spoke, she made a motion of petting a cat in the air.
"You're courting death." Tong Mo gathered internal energy in his hand and struck out.
Bang!
Qiushuang stepped back a few paces and stopped.
After one strike, Tong Mo was about to attack again.
"Young Master Tong, Madam has returned."
Hearing Ye Yunniang's footsteps, Tong Mo withdrew his move.
Ye Yunniang walked into the room, looking from Tong Mo to Baise, sensing that something was wrong.
Yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Never mind, she needed to figure out how Shushu got hurt first.
"What happened to Shushu's arm?"
"She already said I hit her," Tong Mo said with a scowl.
"That's Shushu's side of the story. I want to hear yours." Ye Yunniang looked at Tong Mo seriously.
Tong Mo snorted and explained how Cai Shuyi got hurt.
Cai Shuyi and Zhou Yunluo were playing hide-and-seek. While hiding, she accidentally rolled into some branches and got tangled.
Tong Mo had rescued her.
"The little brat didn't even thank me, and she falsely accused me." Speaking of this, Tong Mo felt wronged.
"Shushu is just a child. Sometimes she talks nonsense. I'll scold her, so don't be angry." Ye Yunniang comforted Tong Mo. "Tong Mo, you are a good brother."
Ye Yunniang's praise caused Tong Mo's expression to soften a bit.
Baise watched from the side, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
After seeing off Baise and Tong Mo, Qiushuang repeated the conversation between Tong Mo and Baise, which occurred after Ye Yunniang had left earlier, to Ye Yunniang.
That night, Ye Yunniang recounted the day's events to Jiang Mingzhe.
Ye Yunniang didn't understand why Baise wanted to provoke Tong Mo.
"To provoke Tong Mo into attacking. That would anger you, allowing her to make a demand, a demand on behalf of Zhong Zhaoli." Jiang Mingzhe revealed Baise's scheme.
"She's scheming against me again." Ye Yunniang felt displeased.
"If you don't want to interact with her, then don't."
"I'm just afraid she'll scheme against the children."
"Baise is a smart person." Smart people are better at calculating gains and losses.
Ye Yunniang nodded, making up her mind to keep her distance from Baise.
Sensing Ye Yunniang's alienation, Baise made no attempt to salvage the relationship.
By tacit mutual understanding, the two slowly became strangers.
"How was teaching the princes today?"
"The dumb ones are incredibly dumb. The shrewd ones have more schemes than holes in a sieve."
Jiang Mingzhe rested his head in the crook of Ye Yunniang's neck, breathing in her scent to drive away his fatigue.
"If it really doesn't work out, you can suggest to the Emperor that he give each of them a shop to run themselves. Armchair strategy is ultimately shallow," Ye Yunniang said, using a new phrase she had learned from Li Pan today.
Jiang Mingzhe sat up straight and planted a loud kiss on Ye Yunniang's cheek.
"My wife is so smart."
Jiang Mingzhe felt that teaching had made him stupid.
"You just worry too much."
Ye Yunniang knew that Jiang Mingzhe was like this because he was afraid of angering the Emperor and bringing hardship upon his family.
How Jiang Mingzhe convinced the Emperor is a story for another time.
Ye Yunniang was currently seeing Pan'er off at the gates of the Imperial Academy.
"Pan'er, don't panic. Just do what you know, and leave what you don't. Even if you don't get into the Imperial Academy, there are other good academies you can attend." Ye Yunniang was deeply afraid that Pan'er was putting too much pressure on himself.
"Mhm, Mother, you can head back now. I'm not nervous." Pan'er waved at Ye Yunniang and walked into the Imperial Academy.
Ye Yunniang knew she would be anxious if she went back, so she went to a teahouse across from the Imperial Academy to sit and wait.
Just as she sat down, there was a knock on the door.
Qiushuang opened the door to find Hongling standing outside.
"Madam Jiang, my lady invites you over."
"If Miss Zhong wants to see my madam, tell her to come here herself," Qiushuang said firmly.
Ye Yunniang was now the imperially titled Countess of Suyan, bearing an official mandate.
Zhong Zhaoli came from a prominent background but held no official title.
Sending a lowly maid to summon Ye Yunniang showed that she was still treating her like a lowly merchant's wife.
The smile on Hongling's face could no longer be maintained.
"Jiang,"
Slam.
Qiushuang shut the door right in her face.
Looking displeased, Hongling returned to her private room and quietly relayed Qiushuang's words.
"Times have changed. Ye Yunniang's status is different now; it is indeed I who should go see her." Zhong Zhaoli put down her teacup, walked out of her room, and made her way to Ye Yunniang's private room.