Chapter 6: Arrogance and Tyranny

Yuanyang did not wait for the matrons standing by, eager to act, to intervene. She stepped forward and tugged at the cloth bundle resting nearby: "If you didn't steal anything, then open it up and let us search!"

To be safe, the Madam wanted to strip this woman of all her dignity before casting her far away—somewhere so distant she would not even be allowed to remain in the capital!

An Chunfeng did not miss this subtle movement, and her eyes instantly narrowed.

An Chunfeng was not one to suffer in silence; her survival in her previous life had been built upon her own grit and daring. Even if the current situation did not allow for recklessness, she would not let anyone bully her at will.

"What kind of thing are you? A lowly servant, and you dare to search my belongings! Let go!" An Chunfeng raised her hand, grabbed the joint of Yuanyang's elbow, and applied secret force with her fingers.

Yuanyang spoke loudly and righteously: "I am catching a thief... ah!"

Before the words were even out, Yuanyang felt as if her arm had been pierced by needles. Half her body went limp and numb, and she stumbled back several steps with a miserable shriek, nearly collapsing.

At that very moment, a gold bracelet slid from Yuanyang’s sleeve and fell to the floor.

The two sturdy matrons exchanged a glance and hurriedly stepped forward to block An Chunfeng. One helped Yuanyang up, while the other shouted at An Chunfeng: "You dare hurt Miss Yuanyang? The Madam will surely beat you to death for this!"

An Chunfeng glanced at the gold bracelet on the floor and sneered: "What were you trying to do?"

Yuanyang, her forehead beaded with cold sweat from the pain, snatched the gold bracelet back first, crying out, "You—you broke my arm!"

An Chunfeng gave a light scoff and pointed at her arm: "Are you made of paper? A single push and it breaks? If you want to frame someone, you should learn to be more careful!"

Yuanyang looked down. The pain from a moment ago had vanished as quickly as it had come. Her arm moved freely, her thin sleeve was not even torn, yet a lingering, sour numbness still coursed through her body, leaving her feeling indescribably wretched.

"You—you... pushing someone is a fact! I am going to the Madam to seek justice!"

Yuanyang dared not mention the gold bracelet. As long as it remained unmentioned, this blatant framing would simply be treated as her having accidentally dropped an item. Besides, she truly did not know what the Madam’s intentions were in all this.

Seeing that Yuanyang did not bring up the bracelet, An Chunfeng said nothing more. Trapped in a wolf's den, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble; her priority was to make her escape as quickly as possible.

She lowered her head to inspect "her" fingers. The original owner had been plump, and these hands were beautiful—the skin smooth and delicate, clear as solidified fat, the fingers as slender as scallions, with shallow dimples on the knuckles. Her neatly trimmed nails, though unpainted, carried a faint pink hue, which, in An Chunfeng’s eyes, was nothing short of flawless. She had assumed this body belonged to an ordinary housewife, but she had not realized that the original owner had spent day and night weaving tassels, making her fingers far more agile than those of an average person.

A simple pinch to the joint of Yuanyang’s arm was enough to leave her aching for half a day.

In the main room ahead, Madam Liu was still vividly describing the wealth of the Sun family and their intimate connection to the Guang'an Earl's Mansion, listening to which Madam Qin beamed with joy.

Tang Yushu stood with a calm expression, pacing the room with his hands behind his back, though his heart was in turmoil. Previously, when Madam Liu spoke of the marriage with the Sun family, she had not specified which high-ranking household the suitor belonged to. He had been in the capital for several months, and while studying daily, he had heard rumors about the Guang'an Earl's Mansion.

Consort Li had entered the palace two years ago and was deeply favored by the Emperor. Due to this favor, the Earl's Mansion had risen to prominence in the capital. Many scholars, when speaking of the mansion, would say: "Ten years of hard study is not as good as being born a daughter to the right family." Behind the mockery lay an unconcealable bitterness and envy.

Tang Yushu had shared this sentiment, never expecting that one day he would be so close to the Earl's Mansion himself. If the Sun family could truly secure a connection with the Guang'an Earl's Mansion, and he were to marry a daughter of the Sun family, he could secure a substantive post upon passing the imperial examinations, sparing him the grueling wait for a vacancy that others endured.

Life in the capital was not easy. On one side was the reputation of a refined scholar and a life of poverty; on the other was the easy grasp of high office and generous pay... even a fool would know which to choose!

Yet, given the commotion in his own household, he wondered what the Sun family’s attitude toward him would be once the An woman left.

Tang Yushu was a man of deep schemes. Even though he had already made up his mind, he revealed nothing, instead feigning a look of distress.

Just then, a commotion was heard outside. Yuanyang was helped into the room by two matrons, followed by the An woman carrying her bundle.

An Chunfeng entered the room and cast her gaze around. Although this room was more spacious than the side chamber and fully furnished, the decor was simple, consisting entirely of old pieces. Sitting on a soft couch in the center was an arrogant middle-aged woman with a sharp, mean-spirited brow, and beside her sat a thin, frail-looking middle-aged beauty with a pale, sickly complexion.

Memories flashed through An Chunfeng’s mind: the arrogant woman was Tang Yushu’s distant aunt, Madam Liu, and the sick beauty was the original owner’s mother-in-law, Madam Qin.

As soon as Yuanyang entered, she knelt and wailed: "Grand Madam, Second Madam, Third Young Master, the An woman refused to let us check her luggage and even hurt someone!" As she spoke, she glanced at Madam Liu, her eyes filled with tears, appearing very pitiful.

Seeing her like this, Madam Liu immediately understood that the plan had failed. Her face darkened, and she glared fiercely at Yuanyang: *You idiot, you couldn't even handle this trivial matter.*

She had intended to use the gold bracelet to frame the An woman for theft, hoping to shame Tang Yushu and his mother into feeling guilty and thus becoming easier to manipulate. But now that everything else was already falling into place—the An woman was leaving and the marriage was settled—the gold bracelet was useless.

Before Madam Qin and Tang Yushu, Madam Liu could not say much, but Yuanyang was her personal maid; striking Yuanyang was equivalent to slapping her own face.

Madam Liu stood up abruptly and cursed: "That lowly wench has truly gone mad! Someone, drag this bitch out and smash her face!"

She was waiting for the An woman to kneel and beg for mercy, only to be beaten and thrown out of the house.

Madam Liu’s fury did not cause An Chunfeng to panic. She turned to look at Tang Yushu and said coldly: "Scholar Tang, do you remember what I said? I am an orphan with no father or mother, and I had already lost the will to live. If you keep your promise and let us leave, then from now on, we go our separate ways and do not disturb one another."

An Chunfeng’s gaze was icy as she looked at everyone in the room, continuing: "If you have any other intentions, it would be best to put them aside. You are all people of status, while I am but a lowly commoner with a worthless life; I have no desire to live anyway. If you insist on forcing my hand, then you can all accompany me!"

One a piece of jade, one a clay pot—if they were to shatter, they would shatter together.

She was threatening to drag them all to their deaths.

Madam Liu was so startled by the ruthlessness in her words that she shuddered, shouting: "You have such audacity! This is the residence of Master Tang, and you, a lowly commoner...!"

She stared at the white silk wrapped around An Chunfeng’s forehead and could not continue. This wretch was fierce; she had attempted suicide at the slightest hint of trouble, and if she truly intended to drag someone down with her...

Madam Liu felt frantic; she was a wife of an official, she could not be harmed by such a lowly servant.

An Chunfeng stared at the shifting expressions on Madam Liu’s face and scoffed: "And what if it is Master Tang’s residence? Under the Emperor’s feet, would you dare to quietly dump me into a dry well in the back garden? You should be clear: if you want people to remain ignorant, you must not act. I have already made a scene outside; if I were to disappear without a trace, Scholar Tang, you should understand the consequences."

Upon hearing this, the complexions of everyone in the room turned ghastly. Madam Qin seemed to have heard something terrifying; she slumped onto the edge of the couch, her face deathly pale.

Tang Yushu had originally felt a twinge of guilt and intended to say a few diplomatic words to save face, but hearing these reckless, vicious threats, his face turned livid: "An woman, who ever wanted you to die? It is clearly you, a venomous woman, who is full of malice, unwilling to spare even your own flesh and blood, and now you cast baseless suspicions on others. You truly have the heart of a scorpion."