TRBDM -Chapter 69 The Slap Returns

Wei Zhaorong had tea served to Jiang Yuelin. The two of them spoke as they sipped their tea.

“Lord Jiang, has Lei Lieshan confessed?”

Jiang Yuelin shook his head.

Of course Lei Lieshan would not confess so easily. But the Court of Judicial Review had many methods at its disposal—if leniency failed, there were always other ways.

As for the specific details, it was not convenient for Jiang Yuelin to tell Wei Zhaorong.

He drank his tea quietly, speaking little.

Seeing that she could not pry anything from him, Wei Zhaorong stopped pressing.

In any case, she already knew in advance that this time, Lei Lieshan would not escape.

Jiang Yuelin’s well-defined fingers rubbed lightly along the rim of his teacup. When he lifted his gaze, he saw a slender figure standing gracefully outside the door.

Xie Wanrou wore a lotus-colored long dress. Her jet-black hair was loosely gathered into a simple bun, and a faint smile rested on her face.

“Greetings, Lord Jiang.”

Her voice had recovered considerably, though it still carried a slight hoarseness.

After she sat down, Jiang Yuelin said, “I have come to the Marquis Manor today to hear Miss Xie recount the events of that night. If you find the process painful, we can pause at any time. There is ample time today—you may recall it slowly.”

Jiang Yuelin’s consideration filled Xie Wanrou with gratitude, but she had long prepared herself.

Suppressing the fear of Lei Lieshan buried deep in her bones, she recounted the events of that night in full detail.

“You said it was the Second Master of the Xie family who delivered the message asking you to meet?”

Jiang Yuelin did not overlook this detail.

“Yes. I did not know it was Lei Lieshan’s trap, so I went alone.”

At this point, Xie Wanrou suddenly clenched the handkerchief in her hands.

Jiang Yuelin’s gaze lowered slightly, noting her reaction.

Fear—instinctive fear. At the mere mention of him, her body automatically braced itself in defense.

“When I arrived at the back courtyard and saw it was him, I was too frightened to move. But he said…”

Xie Wanrou took a deep breath. “He said that women are born to revolve around their husbands. He slandered me, accusing me of doing shameful things. I only retorted once, and he seized me by the throat.”

“Lei Lieshan is domineering and tyrannical. He does not tolerate disobedience from anyone—especially not from me.”

Lei Lieshan did not love Xie Wanrou, but he was accustomed to controlling her, demanding her absolute obedience. At the slightest displeasure, he would beat and kick her.

From the moment Xie Wanrou began speaking, Jiang Yuelin’s brows had not relaxed.

“He once beat me until I miscarried.”

Her words made Jiang Yuelin sit upright at once. “Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs. Knowing you were pregnant, he still laid hands on you?”

Xie Wanrou gave a bitter smile. “He does not love me. Naturally, he would not cherish the child in my womb.”

“…”

Jiang Yuelin’s throat moved as if he wished to say something, but in the end, he swallowed the words.

“Lei Lieshan is a military general. He favors bold, unrestrained women. Luo Feiyang is one.”

Jiang Yuelin found the name familiar. “Luo?”

“Yes. She is the daughter of one of Lei Lieshan’s deputy generals. She learned riding and archery from a young age, trained with the spear. A woman who can go to the battlefield and kill enemies—that is the kind Lei Lieshan admires.”

As for her—she was gentle by nature, fond of embroidery, the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. To Lei Lieshan, she was merely pretentious and small-minded.

Jiang Yuelin said, “From what you describe, this Luo Feiyang sounds like a chivalrous woman with her own strong will. Would such a woman willingly become a concubine?”

Before Xie Wanrou could answer, Wei Zhaorong spoke.

“Of course Luo Feiyang would be unwilling. That is why Lei Lieshan has long premeditated divorcing his wife. Unable to find fault with Rou’er, he decided to kill her instead.”

“Even if he had not acted at the Marquis Manor this time, once Rou’er returned to the General’s Manor, he would have acted all the same.”

So Xie Wanrou had been living in danger all along.

Jiang Yuelin could not help glancing at her. She was unconsciously digging her nails into her fingertips, pressing them until her pale fingers flushed red.

The finger marks on her neck had already turned purple, with a faint yellow spreading around the edges.

Before long, the frightening bruises would disappear completely, as if they had never existed.

But the harm Lei Lieshan had inflicted would never fade.

Jiang Yuelin quietly withdrew his gaze.

The clerk who had accompanied him stepped forward and handed over the recorded document.

Jiang Yuelin skimmed through it swiftly, making sure nothing had been omitted.

“Miss Xie, please sign.”

Xie Wanrou took the document, read it carefully from beginning to end, and then neatly signed her name at the bottom.

Her handwriting reflected her character—delicate and restrained, the turns of each stroke rounded and fluid. She was clearly a woman of talent.

Jiang Yuelin put the document away and bade them farewell.

“Then I shall take my leave. Please await good news.”

Wei Zhaorong and Xie Wanrou escorted him to the gates of the Marquis Manor.

Today, Jiang Yuelin had not come by carriage but on horseback.

With one hand gripping the reins, he swung himself smoothly onto the horse—his movements so crisp and agile that he hardly seemed like a civil official.

“Safe travels, Lord Jiang.”

Seated atop the horse, Jiang Yuelin gave a slight nod. “Hyah—”

The steed galloped off, and his figure soon disappeared around the corner of the wall.

Just as mother and daughter were about to return inside—

“XIE! WAN! ROU!”

A shrill, brothel-madam-like voice suddenly rang out.

Madam Lei appeared from some unknown corner and seized Xie Wanrou’s wrist in one swift motion.

“Well done, Xie Wanrou! Slandering your own husband, fabricating evidence—what exactly are you plotting?!”

Her voice was piercing and grating, her fleshy face twisted as she glared viciously at Xie Wanrou.

“Have you no sense of propriety, you wretched woman? Do you still recognize me as your mother-in-law? Do you recognize your husband?!”

Before her words had even finished, Wei Zhaorong aimed squarely at Madam Lei’s incessantly chattering mouth and delivered three resounding slaps—smack, smack, smack.

Ever since her rebirth, Wei Zhaorong’s slap was no trifling matter. She chose her timing well, locked onto her target, and struck fast, hard, and precisely—so hard that Madam Lei’s dentures went flying into the air.

“Mmm… ah… my… my teeth!”

Clutching her mouth, Madam Lei crouched on the ground, frantically searching for her teeth.

Saliva mixed with blood dripped through her fingers onto the earth.

“Lei Tielan, if you want to throw a tantrum, crawl back to your Weiyuan General’s Manor. My Marquis Manor does not welcome you. If I see you again, I’ll beat you again. Today I knocked out your fake teeth—tomorrow I’ll knock out your real ones.”

“Someone! Put up a sign outside the Marquis Manor gates—‘No dogs and no members of the Lei family allowed.’”

“Yes, madam.”

Lei Tielan scrambled to her feet and, enduring the sharp pain, lunged forward again. Xie Wanrou reacted quickly and stepped back twice, and Lei Tielan only barely brushed the edge of her shoe.

“You’re not allowed to leave! Xie Wanrou is my General Manor’s daughter-in-law. She should serve her husband and honor her parents-in-law. Wei Zhaorong, do you have any sense of reason?!”

Wei Zhaorong laughed in anger.

“When I reason with you, you resort to force. When I use force, you demand reason. Lei Tielan, you want all the advantages for yourself—on what grounds? Go daydream somewhere else.”

Lei Tielan’s mouth throbbed painfully; when she spoke, air leaked through the gaps. “Y-you old shrew! You dare hit me? I’ll fight you!”

But before she could get close to Wei Zhaorong, she was blocked by Nanny Qi.

Nanny Qi was sturdy and broad—just standing there, she was like a solid wall.

How could a pampered noblewoman like Lei Tielan possibly move her even half a step?

“Madam Lei, our Old Madam has made it clear—no dogs and no members of the Lei family allowed. You’d better leave at once.”

“You lowly servant… move aside!”

As the two shoved against each other, there was a crack—

The dentures Wei Zhaorong had knocked out earlier… shattered.