Chapter 304: Giving An Inch And Taking A Yard
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Thwack! The kite string in older toddler Ji’s hand snapped. The kite flying in the sky gradually flew further and further away.
“Paper kite! My paper kite!” Ji was anxious and wanted to chase the kite, but it had already flown far away.
When the person saw that the three children were ignoring her, she was so angry that she pulled Fu Zheng off Ling.
Fu Zheng was already thin and weak, so he fell to the ground immediately after being yanked by the adult.
Only then did Ji and Ling turn their attention to the other party. The guards of Prince Qi’s Manor also stepped forward to stop the other party.
“Who are you? Stand back!”
When those people saw so many guards with swords, they were a little afraid.
“Mother, it was her just now. She was the one who hit us. Mother, you must help me fight for justice.”
The children who had been hit by Ling just now pointed at her and complained angrily.
Ling simply gave a scornful snort with her tiny nose when she saw that it was the bullies. “There are so many of you bullying one person. You deserve to be beaten.”
The woman leading the group became agitated when she heard that. “You’re admitting that you attacked my son.”
“It was me.”
“Where did this rotten kid come from? Yun’er is the eldest legitimate son of Marquis Yongwu’s Residence, and he’s not someone you can simply beat up. If you don’t kowtow and apologize to Yun’er and the others today, this matter won’t end!”
Fu Zheng suddenly walked up to Ling and clenched his little fists. Even though he was afraid, he didn’t back down at all. “It was me. She was avenging me. If you want to hit anyone, just hit me.”
The woman leading the group saw Fu Zheng and sneered sarcastically. “Gosh! 1 was wondering who it was. So it’s that sickly bum from Duke Zhenguo’s Residence. How unlucky. It’s fine if you cursed your mother to death, but now you want to harm Yun’er and the rest. We feel unlucky even if you kowtow to us.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong. Why should he kowtow to you?” Ling pulled Fu Zheng back. “You mustn’t. Stand up straight. Mother said that a man must stand up straight to look good.”
Ji’s gaze darted back and forth between them. “What’s going on?”
“Big Brother, they wanted to snatch Fu Zheng’s paper kite just now, so I went to help Fu Zheng.”
Ji looked at Ling’s angry expression and knew that she was not lying. “You guys hit him first. It’s fine if you don’t apologize to him, but now you’re pushing your luck and blaming him?”
“Zheng’er, you’ve done something wrong. Why aren’t you kneeling down and apologizing to the young masters?”
A gentle voice rang out from afar. Su Ying raised her head and saw a young and beautiful woman with exquisite makeup wearing a gorgeous dress walking over.
That woman looked at Fu Zheng with an exceptionally stern gaze.
Fu Zheng shrank back like a shriveled eggplant when he saw her. He instantly lost all his spirit and knelt down without a word of rebuttal.
However, before his knees could reach the ground, he was stopped by a foot.
Su Ying exerted a little force and used her midfoot to make him stand up.
Fu Zheng looked up in surprise and met Su Ying’s bright almond-shaped eyes.
Su Ying used a voice that only the two of them could hear to say, “Kid, remember this. Even if you have to endure humiliation, your back has to remain straight. Keep your spirits up.”
After Su Ying finished speaking, she turned to look at the woman. “Who might you be?”
Little Madam Zhou, the wife of Duke Zhenguo, turned her gaze to Su Ying. She thought that Su Ying looked familiar just now, but she wasn’t able to recall her name for a moment. However, when she met Su Ying’s gaze just now, she suddenly remembered.
Little Madam Zhou was also in Marquis Changan’s Residence on that day Su Ying caused a huge disturbance. However, she didn’t witness the scene first-hand. She only heard about Su Ying’s “great feats” from other people.
Little Madam Zhou looked down on Su Ying’s crude and brainless actions. After causing such a ruckus, wouldn’t Prince Qi lose all his dignity? Prince Qi did not flare up only because he was in the public eye. Which man did not like gentle and attentive women?
Thus, Little Madam Zhou looked at Su Ying with undisguised contempt.
“I am the Mistress of the Eldest Son of Duke Zhenguo’s Residence.”
“Isn’t the wife of the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs already dead?”
Little Madam Zhou’s face froze. She hated it the most when others brought up the fact that she was the second wife. Publicly, she had always referred to herself as the legal first wife. Su Ying was clearly poking at her sore spot!
“Your Highness, this lady is the second wife,” Bai Shuang reminded her helpfully.
Su Ying seemed to come to a sudden realization, completely disregarding Little Madam Zhou’s expression which had clouded over.
The others couldn’t help but size Su Ying up when they heard how Bai Shuang addressed Su Ying.
There weren’t many princess consorts in the capital, and even fewer had a pair of son and daughter, especially those who looked a little unfamiliar. The only possibility left was Princess Consort Qi, who had just returned to the capital.
Princess Consort Qi…
The few noble women who wanted to find fault all retreated. They heard that this woman even dared to hit her own father. Although they didn’t know if the rumors were true, they felt it was better not to mess with such a character.
“Are you the famous Princess Consort Qi?” Little Madam Zhou gripped her handkerchief. She did not want to lose her momentum.
“It is indeed our Princess Consort Qi. Why didn’t you guys pay your respects when you saw her?”
Little Madam Zhou chuckled softly when she heard this. “That’s right. We must show this respect. Otherwise, if Her Highness is unhappy and wants to attack us, we won’t be able to reason with her.”
Little Madam Zhou’s words caused the other women to laugh as well. They were mocking Su Ying. They were mocking her for being uncouth and unreasonable and only knowing how to get into fights like a common woman in the marketplace.
Su Ying watched quietly as they giggled endlessly. She wasn’t angry. She did not lose anything when they were only shooting their mouths off. When they were really beaten up later, she wouldn’t be the one feeling the pain.
“That’s right. You guys are the most reasonable. That’s why people say that once there is a stepmother, the father will become a stepfather. Moreover, you and the first wife are sisters. You raised the son she sacrificed her life to give birth to into such a state. Aren’t you afraid that your sister will come back to look for you in the middle of the night?”
The smile on Little Madam Zhou’s face froze. “Zheng’er’s body has been weak since he was young. He simply couldn’t be nourished no matter what he ate. I’ve been racking my brains over this. If Your Highness has any good ideas, you can tell me. 1 will definitely follow your advice.”
Su Ying gave a scornful snort. “It seems like 1 misunderstood. However, since you are his adoptive mother, and the child has done something wrong, it proves that his parents have not taught him well. Then, you should kowtow on his behalf.”
“If the child does something wrong, naturally, the child should bear the responsibility. Otherwise, he won’t know what he did wrong. Zheng’er, don’t you think so?” Little Madam Zhou’s icy gaze landed on Fu Zheng.
Fu Zheng met her gaze and frowned.
“Little Brother, you didn’t do anything wrong. Why do you have to admit your mistake?” Ling’s puzzled voice rang out in Fu Zheng’s ear.
Fu Zheng’s thin, small fists suddenly clenched. He raised his head to look at Little Madam Zhou and said firmly, “Mother, I didn’t do anything wrong. It was them. They came to snatch my paper kite first. I didn’t give it to them but they hit me. It was the Young Princess who saved me later.”
Little Madam Zhou’s face turned pale and purple alternately when she heard that. She did not expect that Fu Zheng had the guts to disobey her in front of so many people.
“Don’t quibble. Yun’er and his friends have always been kind and don’t snatch other people’s kites.. Why would they snatch yours for no reason?”