TRBDM -Chapter 18 Throwing a Tantrum

The two of them followed the sound and looked over. Through the curtain of rain and mist, Wei Zhaorong stood there, her face dark with anger.

Dou Shuxin’s flushed little face instantly turned deathly pale.

Wei Zhaorong’s notorious reputation had long reached her ears. Her elder sister, Dou Shuyao, had struggled at every step within the marquis’ residence, and much of it had to do with the mistress of the household, Wei Zhaorong.

“Mother!”

When Xie Wanyi turned her head and saw that the mother who had always doted on her had arrived, her arrogance immediately flared.

“Hah! Dou Shuxin, my mother is here now. Your lies will be exposed soon enough. You’d better know your place and go back to wherever you came from instead of staying here and being an eyesore. With skin as thick as yours, what respectable young master would ever marry you?”

Dou Shuxin and Xie Wanyi were the same age. They had studied court etiquette under the same nanny. Whether it was the tea ceremony or flower arrangement, even the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—Dou Shuxin surpassed Xie Wanyi in every aspect.

Because of that, Xie Wanyi had long harbored resentment toward her.

On ordinary days, she frequently spoke ill of Dou Shuyao in Wei Zhaorong’s presence.

Stirring up discord between her elder brother and sister-in-law was practically her daily entertainment.

Xie Wanyi waited smugly for Wei Zhaorong to stand up for her, arrogance nearly spilling from her face. That expression of hers was especially repulsive.

Wei Zhaorong’s brows knit tightly. In her previous life, she must truly have been blind not to see this side of her youngest daughter.

Recalling Xie Wanyi’s deeds in her past life, anger surged from the depths of her heart.

Wei Zhaorong stepped forward and—smack—delivered a loud slap.

The crisp sound rang out sharply, stunning everyone present.

“You hit me?”

Xie Wanyi’s eyes widened like copper bells, tears quickly pooling in them. “Mother, you hit me for the sake of an outsider? Why? Why are you treating me like this?”

She shouted hysterically, devoid of any refinement befitting a noble young lady, sounding no different from a shrew at the village entrance.

Wei Zhaorong said nothing and immediately followed with another slap.

This time, Xie Wanyi was completely dumbfounded.

“The first slap is for your unreasonable arrogance. Miss Dou is a guest I personally invited—how dare you make things difficult for her? The second slap is for your disrespect. You even dare to shout at me. My Mingde Marquis Manor has upheld its reputation for a hundred years—since when did we raise something so overbearing and unruly?”

Xie Wanyi’s cheeks swelled up like steamed buns, burning with pain.

In all her life, this was the first time she had ever been beaten—and in front of Dou Shuxin, no less.

She was like a boiled shrimp, red with humiliation and fury.

Stomping her foot hard, she cried, “Waaah—I’ll never forgive you!”

Then, clutching her face, she ran into the residence.

Nanny Qi made to follow her but was stopped by Wei Zhaorong.

“Don’t go. She’s been spoiled rotten and doesn’t know the height of heaven or the depth of earth. With such a temperament, she’ll only disgrace the marquis’ household outside. She must be properly disciplined.”

Having received the order, Nanny Qi dared not disobey.

At the gate, Dou Shuxin stood trembling, her face pale, her head lowered so far she had forgotten how to speak.

Wei Zhaorong let out a soft sigh.

Her reputation for favoritism had likely already spread throughout the capital.

Even the Dou family’s second young lady reacted to her as if she had seen a cat.

She deliberately softened her voice, afraid of frightening the little white rabbit before her.

“Second Miss, Wanyi is immature. I hope you can be magnanimous.”

“No, no, no,” Dou Shuxin quickly waved her hands. “It’s my fault. I… I shouldn’t have come to the marquis’ residence uninvited.”

“Silly child, how could it be your fault? I was the one who sent for you. Some days ago, Imperial Physician Xiao examined your sister and said her pulse was weak and floating, her qi and blood depleted. She’s been taking medicine these past few days. I invited you here so you could spend more time with Shuyao and ease her mind.”

“What? My sister is ill?” At the mention of Dou Shuyao, Dou Shuxin forgot her fear entirely.

The Dou sisters had lost their mother at a young age. After their father, the Prime Minister, passed away, the two of them were all each other had left in this world.

If anything were to happen to her sister, Dou Shuxin would not want to go on living either.

“Nanny Qi, take Second Miss Dou to Ruixiang Courtyard.”

“Yes.”

Nanny Qi led the extremely anxious Dou Shuxin away.

The sky was overcast, and a fine drizzle carried a chill in the air.

Wei Zhaorong had come out in a hurry earlier and had not yet eaten breakfast.

Although she was much younger now than in her previous life, she was still a woman in her forties. She needed to take care of her health.

Eat on time. Get enough sleep. Keep her body strong and healthy.

After seeing Dou Shuxin off, Nanny Qi did not delay for even a moment before hurrying back to Anhe Courtyard.

Halfway there, she reconsidered and, still uneasy, detoured to Linshui Courtyard to check on Xie Wanyi.

The Second Miss, who had always been pampered and doted on, had suddenly received two slaps. Linshui Courtyard was likely in complete chaos.

Sure enough, before she even stepped into the courtyard, she heard the crash of porcelain shattering.

“Get out! All of you, get out!”

Xie Wanyi’s furious shouting nearly lifted the roof.

“Bitch! Trash! Cheap slut! How dare she put on airs in front of me? With that brothel-like manner of hers, who is she pretending for? Sooner or later she’ll end up like her short-lived mother—dead!”

Nanny Qi halted at the threshold, uncertain whether to enter.

She had never imagined that her young mistress could be so coarse. All the etiquette she had learned from the palace matrons seemed to have been thrown away.

The bit of pity that had lingered in Nanny Qi’s heart instantly diminished by half.

Yet Xie Wanyi was someone she had watched grow up, always cherished and favored. Having suffered such a grievance, it was only natural for her to lose her temper.

Composing her expression, Nanny Qi bent down to pick up a shard of porcelain and tossed it aside to a trembling maidservant.

“Second Miss, don’t be angry. Let me see—does your face still hurt?”

Xie Wanyi turned her head, her swollen face thrust suddenly into view, startling Nanny Qi into taking two steps back.

Hiss—swollen like this, it must hurt terribly just to look at it.

It seemed the Old Madam had shown no mercy at all.

“Nanny Qi—”

Xie Wanyi threw herself into Nanny Qi’s arms, but the moment her face brushed against her shoulder, she sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

“Second Miss, don’t cry. Sit down and rest. I’ll have the estate physician take a look at you.”

“No! I won’t see anyone. They’ve come to laugh at me. I won’t see them—I won’t!”

Seeing that Xie Wanyi was about to start another outburst, Nanny Qi felt her head splitting in two and hurried to soothe her. “All right, all right, no visitors. You won’t see anyone.”

Xie Wanyi carried on for a long while—crying that it hurt one moment, demanding to see her mother the next. A thin sheen of sweat formed on Nanny Qi’s forehead; she neither dared to leave nor knew how to stay.

She reproached herself for making the unnecessary trip to Linshui Courtyard.

By the time she finally extricated herself, it was nearly noon.

Nanny Qi hurried into Anhe Courtyard. Wei Zhaorong was having lunch.

When she saw Nanny Qi enter, Wei Zhaorong lifted her eyelids slightly. “You went to Linshui Courtyard?”

Her voice betrayed no emotion, yet Nanny Qi instinctively felt that acting on her own initiative had displeased the Old Madam.

As a personal maid, being away from her mistress for so long was indeed inappropriate.

Nanny Qi knelt down.

“This servant went to Linshui Courtyard without permission. I beg Miss to punish me.”

Wei Zhaorong said nothing. Only after she had finished her meal did she allow Nanny Qi to rise.

From that kneeling alone, Nanny Qi completely understood Wei Zhaorong’s meaning.

From now on, the Second Miss would likely never be allowed to throw tantrums again.