TRBDM -Chapter 12 The Vixen

Shen Zhizhi widened her eyes and looked toward the doorway.

Just what kind of woman had bewitched Xie Chuan so completely? She was truly curious.

Dou Shuyao, on the other hand, clenched her handkerchief tightly.

Though she had already tried to persuade herself not to care too much about Xie Chuan, when it came to actually facing Liu Yi’er, she still could not suppress the unwillingness and anger rising in her heart.

A lowborn woman from the pleasure quarters—how could she possibly be worthy of serving the same husband as her?

Liu Yi’er stepped into the room and, upon suddenly seeing a chamber full of noble ladies from the capital, could not help but feel intimidated.

Using the seductive tricks she had learned in the flower alleys to charm men, she performed a curtsy to Wei Zhaorong—her waist crooked, her legs bent improperly, neither posture nor grace in sight.

“This commoner Liu Yi’er greets the Old Madam of the Marquis.”

Her voice was like a cat in heat—soft and winding, rising and falling in syrupy tones—so much so that goosebumps prickled across Wei Zhaorong’s skin.

Before Wei Zhaorong could speak, Xie Chuan grew anxious.

He strode forward a few steps, intending to help Liu Yi’er up, but was stopped by Wei Zhaorong’s sharp rebuke.

“Chuan’er, sit down.”

In the marquis household, Wei Zhaorong’s word was law. Her authoritative voice left Xie Chuan no room to defy her.

He and Liu Yi’er locked eyes, affection overflowing, as if everything could be conveyed in that single glance.

Hmph. This pair of wild mandarin ducks—who were they putting on this display of devotion for? Wei Zhaorong only felt her eyes ache from the sight, as though scorched.

After sitting down, Xie Chuan fidgeted restlessly, as if needles were pricking his backside.

Dou Shuyao now felt not only anger but humiliation. Xie Chuan’s impatient, eager demeanor lacked every bit of the bearing and cultivation befitting the eldest son of a marquis household. How could he possibly inherit the title in the future?

With his character, if he truly inherited the title, the Mingde Marquis Manor would sooner or later fall into ruin under his hands.

Wei Zhaorong said, “Lift your head. Let me take a look at you.”

Liu Yi’er hesitantly raised her head. Her looks were indeed alluring, her eyes languid and seductive.

From birth, she had learned how to entice men, yet she did not know that vixen-like women were the most detested in the inner courtyards of great households.

“Neither standing nor kneeling properly. Before entering the marquis residence, did no one teach you the rules?” Wei Zhaorong said coldly. “Nanny Qi, go and teach her what etiquette is.”

“Yes.”

Nanny Qi stepped before Liu Yi’er. First, she yanked out the cluster of trembling hairpins from Liu Yi’er’s head. Then she brought over a rod and pressed it against her lower back.

“When kneeling, you must keep your back straight. When lowering your head, your gaze should fall to the ground. You must not look directly at the Old Madam.”

A sharp pain shot through Liu Yi’er’s lower back. Unable to help herself, she cried out and cast a pleading look toward Xie Chuan.

“Mother, Yi’er, she is already—”

“Silence.” Wei Zhaorong shot him a piercing glance. “Did I permit you to speak?”

Xie Chuan dared not contradict her and could only shut his mouth.

The rod pressed against Liu Yi’er’s waist for quite some time. When it was finally removed, she nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Shen Zhizhi cast her a look of disdain, thinking to herself that for the eldest young master to be so bewitched by a woman from the pleasure quarters—he must truly have lost his mind.

Dou Shuyao simply turned her face away altogether. Out of sight, out of mind.

Humiliating. Utterly humiliating.

Nanny Qi grabbed Liu Yi’er roughly, showing no trace of tenderness. “Kneel properly. Keep your back straight.”

Liu Yi’er was genuinely frightened now. She knew the noble ladies filling the marquis residence were nothing like the lust-driven Xie Chuan. She had braced herself mentally, but she had not expected the Old Madam to be so difficult to deal with.

Her snake-like body stiffened as she forced her waist straight, as though boards had been clamped along her sides. The discomfort was far from slight.

No one in the room spoke. Even Xie Chuan, who usually doted on her, dared not utter a sound.

Liu Yi’er was truly cowed.

“Yesterday, the Marquis Manor invited Physician Xiao to examine Chuan’er. He ordered him to abstain from women for a hundred days, so I arranged for him to stay in the Eastern Courtyard. But early this morning, he climbed over the wall and ran out. Did he go to see you?”

When Liu Yi’er heard that Xie Chuan had actually defied the Old Madam’s orders for her sake, her heart leapt with joy. On the surface, however, she put on a wronged expression. “Replying to the Old Madam, I don’t know. I didn’t see the Young Master this morning.”

That was the truth—they hadn’t met.

Wei Zhaorong turned to Xie Chuan. “If Liu Yi’er were to move into the Marquis Manor, would you then be able to obediently remain confined?”

Xie Chuan’s face lit up with delight. “Of course, Mother! As long as Yi’er is in the manor, your son will behave. I’ll take whatever medicine I’m supposed to take, and I’ll complete the full confinement without complaint.”

At present, Xie Chuan’s entire heart was wrapped around Liu Yi’er. As long as she could enter the manor, he would even agree to eat vegetarian for a hundred days.

“Very well. Since you agree, don’t act as you did this morning—constantly thinking about climbing over walls and disgracing our Marquis Manor.”

For once, Xie Chuan looked ashamed and rubbed his forehead. “Mother, your son won’t do it again.”

Just then, a figure was peeking in from outside. Wei Zhaorong glanced over and asked, “Who is that?”

Xie Chuan replied, “That’s Yi’er’s younger brother, Fang Sheng. We all grew up together. I bought Yi’er a courtyard, and out of affection for old ties, she arranged a job for Fang Sheng there.”

What a “younger brother.”

The two of them were not related by blood at all—merely nominal siblings.

In her previous life, the bastard child in Liu Yi’er’s womb had belonged to this very Fang Sheng.

Later, after they entered the Marquis Manor, they joined forces to siphon off most of the manor’s wealth. In the end, they fled with the bastard child, leaving Xie Chuan nailed firmly to the pillar of shame.

Wei Zhaorong’s expression turned icy, her gaze toward Fang Sheng sharp as frozen steel.

Today, when she allowed Liu Yi’er into the manor, she had originally planned to find an excuse to bring Fang Sheng in as well. She hadn’t expected him to deliver himself to her doorstep.

Perfect. A turtle in a jar.

“Today, let Liu Yi’er stay. Nanny Qi, have someone tidy up the miscellaneous courtyard for her to live in.”

Xie Chuan immediately beamed with joy. Before he could speak, Wei Zhaorong added, “Men, escort the Young Master back to the Eastern Courtyard.”

“Yes. Young Master, this way.”

From beginning to end, Xie Chuan and Liu Yi’er didn’t get a single chance to exchange a word.

After Xie Chuan left, Shen Zhizhi stared at the stunned Dou Shuyao in disbelief.

She had thought that today Mother would harshly punish Liu Yi’er—but instead she was letting her stay just like that.

Although it was the affair of the eldest branch, Shen Zhizhi felt deeply unsettled. What if one day Xie Sheng kept a mistress outside? Who could say Mother wouldn’t allow her to walk straight through the front door as well?

She desperately shot Dou Shuyao meaningful glances: Resist! Show weakness, cry a little, make a scene—don’t just let this vixen enter the household!

But Dou Shuyao stood there like a wooden statue, unmoving, betraying neither sorrow nor anger.

Shen Zhizhi’s eyes were nearly twitching from all her signaling, yet Dou Shuyao remained indifferent.

Forget it. She couldn’t be bothered. She had only come to watch the drama anyway. Besides, the more turmoil in the eldest branch, the more beneficial it was for the second branch.

“Everyone may disperse,” Wei Zhaorong announced.

Dou Shuyao was the first to rise. “Mother, your daughter-in-law takes her leave.”

As she walked out, her back was straight and her gaze fixed ahead. She didn’t spare Liu Yi’er a single glance.

With the main characters gone, there was no point for Shen Zhizhi, the spectator, to remain. She also rose and took her leave.

After everyone had left, Nanny Qi looked down at the still-kneeling Liu Yi’er.

“Come along, Miss Liu.”

Liu Yi’er no longer dared to feign pitiful airs. She quickly scrambled to her feet and followed Nanny Qi out.

Once they were gone, Wei Zhaorong turned to the maid at her side. “Assign two people to watch Liu Yi’er. The moment there’s any movement, report to me immediately.”

“Yes, Old Madam.”

That night, the disturbance Wei Zhaorong had anticipated arrived.