Jiang Yucheng stood up from his chair, his tone tinged with disdain: "Just a small-time businessman, do you think I'm afraid?"
He used to be afraid, but now that he is a high-ranking official, why would he be afraid of a mere merchant from the Liu family?
Jiang Luoxue smiled slightly: "You may not be afraid of the Liu family, but don't forget that the Liu family is the emperor's money bag. If my maternal grandfather were to complain about you before the emperor..."
"Father, do you think the Emperor favors you, the Minister, or my maternal grandfather?"
Jiang Yucheng was once again choked, the breath stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down.
He was indeed not afraid of the Liu family, but how could he not be afraid of the emperor, who held his career and life in his hands?
If it weren't for the Emperor's trust in the Liu family, how could he have let them go unpunished after serving as Minister for so many years!
This rebellious daughter really knows how to manipulate him!
Seeing that Jiang Yucheng's face turned pale and then red, but he dared not order anyone to beat Jiang Luoxue again, Chu Lianxin knew that this beating was no longer an option.
A pang of regret flashed through her mind. If Jiang Luoxue hadn't resisted today, she was confident she could have had her servants beat her to death.
Then she would announce to the public that this bastard had committed a grave mistake and was beaten to death.
In this way, her daughter could legitimately marry into the Duke of Anguo's household in her place.
It's a pity that such a great opportunity has slipped away.
However, since we can't kill her, we can't let her have it so easy either.
Chu Lianxin's eyes darted around, and she immediately walked up to Jiang Yucheng, putting on a kind and understanding expression to persuade him: "Husband, Xue'er was just being immature for a moment, why are you so angry?"
"It's really inappropriate to use family discipline on a young girl like her. What if she gets seriously injured?"
"How about you take my advice and punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for five days? What do you think?"
Jiang Yucheng gave her an approving look and went down the steps: "Madam, you've thought things through very well. Then punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for five days!"
"You unfilial daughter, your mother is pleading for you out of kindness, so i won't beat you today. Go to the ancestral hall and kneel down to reflect on your mistakes."
He then ordered his servants to take Jiang Luoxue to the ancestral hall.
Unfortunately, Jiang Luoxue didn't appreciate it and stood there quietly: "I did nothing wrong, why should I kneel in the ancestral hall!"
Jiang Yucheng's anger flared up again: "You, you are so stubborn and refuse to admit that you are wrong."
"As a young lady from a noble family, you leave the manor and don't return all day, and you beat and scold the servants at will. Any one of these offenses is enough to warrant family punishment. Is it really an injustice to make you kneel in the ancestral hall?"
Jiang Luoxue's lips curled slightly, and she scoffed, "Father, you only know how to punish me, but do you know why I left the manor today? And why I beat that servant?"
Jiang Yucheng had no intention of listening. Hearing this, he said impatiently, "You've always been unruly, and doing things like this is normal for you. I don't need to know."
Jiang Luoxue sneered: "Heh, what a fine way to say you don't need to know, but I'm going to tell you anyway."
The reason I left the mansion today is because it is the anniversary of my mother's and brother's death. I went to the temple to offer incense and pray for them, hoping that they will be reborn into a better life in the next life.
Father, do you... still remember them?
Jiang Yucheng's expression froze, clearly having forgotten that today was the anniversary of his wife's death in childbirth.
When Chu Lianxin heard her stepdaughter bring up the past, her eyes involuntarily narrowed, but she regained her composure in an instant, so quickly that no one could see it.
Jiang Luoxue didn't notice either; judging from her father's expression, she knew that this scumbag father had long forgotten about his wife.
She couldn't help but feel immense sympathy for Liu Shi. She wholeheartedly assisted such a scumbag in rising to power, and in the end, she lost her life. It was truly a terrible waste.
Jiang Yucheng didn't miss the sneer on his daughter's face, and roared angrily, "Even if you go to burn incense and pray, how could it take a whole day and night? You're just making excuses!"
"Offering incense naturally doesn't take a whole day, but I just happened to be passing by today and rescued someone from the General of the Cavalry's mansion. I was delayed on the way, which is why i came back late. How come in Father's words I've become a playful person?"
"As for the servant I sold, how dare she, a mere servant, lecture me, her master, without any sense of hierarchy? Shouldn't she be punished by being sold again?"
Jiang Yucheng didn't pay attention to what Jiang Luoxue said after that; he only heard the sentence that his eldest daughter had saved the people from the General of the Cavalry's mansion.
He was still in a state of extreme shock. When he came to his senses, he hurriedly asked, "Is what you're saying true? You really saved the people from the General of the Cavalry's mansion?"
"Of course it's true. If Father doesn't believe it, he can send someone to the General's Mansion to ask."
Hearing her speak with such certainty, Jiang Yucheng, as if he had mastered the art of face-changing in Sichuan, immediately looked at Jiang Luoxue with a kind expression, saying repeatedly, "Good...good, truly worthy of being my daughter, Jiang Yucheng's daughter. Even going out has such good fortune, it's really wonderful!"
Jiang Yucheng was genuinely overjoyed. The General's Mansion was the Empress's maternal family. The General of the Cavalry was not only the Emperor's most trusted minister, wielding real power, but also the Crown Prince's maternal uncle. If they could establish a connection with their family, how could the Jiang family not prosper!
Compared to Jiang Yucheng's joy, Chu Lianxin's face was ashen, as if she had eaten shit.
Unexpectedly, this little bitch not only wasn't captured by the bandits, but instead managed to climb into the general's mansion.
How come that bitch has such a lucky life!
Remembering that Zhou Shiyu had said he had someone drug this bitch with aphrodisiacs, yet she seemed perfectly fine after returning to the manor.
Could it be... that her medicine was neutralized?
Moreover, that person was from the General of the Cavalry's mansion!
Chu Lianxin didn't show it on her face, but the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.
Otherwise, if that bitch discovers that I'm plotting against her behind her back, and I alert her, it will be even harder to get rid of her.
She was extremely anxious and wanted to find someone to discuss a solution immediately.
Seeing that she seemed a little absent-minded, Jiang Yucheng asked with concern, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Chu Lianxin took a deep breath, glanced at Jiang Luoxue, and then pulled Jiang Yucheng aside and whispered, "Husband, I was just thinking how lucky Xue'er is that she can save people from the General's Mansion just by going out."
"No wonder Xue'er came back today differently than usual. She started hitting and scolding the servants as soon as she got back, and just now she even hurt people in front of her father."
"But if things continue like this, things might get out of control. If everyone does this, won't our Shangshu Mansion be in complete chaos?"
In my humble opinion, even if she shouldn't be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall, she should at least be confined for a few days to reflect on her behavior and prevent herself from becoming arrogant just because she saved a noble person.
Chu Lianxin's instigation successfully turned Jiang Yucheng's initial joy into a sudden downturn.
Thinking of his eldest daughter's previous behavior, he couldn't help but agree with Chu Lianxin's words.
"What you say makes sense, Madam. This rebellious daughter's behavior today was indeed inappropriate."
If she's not punished, who knows how arrogant she'll become in the future.
Seeing the two whispering to each other, Qiuju whispered angrily to Jiang Ruoxue, "Miss, I wonder what bad things Madam said about you to Master again. You have to be careful later, and don't do anything she does."
Jiang Luoxue glanced at the two of them, then smiled and said to Qiuju, "Don't worry, they won't touch me right now. At most, they'll just put me under house arrest."
Jiang Yucheng still wanted to establish a relationship with the General's Mansion through his own efforts, so how could he possibly touch her now!