Chapter 541 Vicious and Selfish?
Shao Wanru looked at the aggressive female servants and then looked at Nanny Yu with her face darkening.
“Nanny Yu, what do you mean by doing that?” Yujie and Qu Le immediately stood beside Shao Wanru, looked at Nanny Yu alertly and said.
“I just want the Fifth Miss to hurry up, for fear that she will go there late and annoy Old Madam. Fifth Miss, I hope that you won’t be angry!” Nanny Yu sounded polite, but didn’t show much respect. In the past, she had always smiled before speaking when meeting Shao Wanru. However, today the delight on her face became much less and her smile could almost be considered hypocritical.
Was she going to take Shao Wanru away by force?
Shao Wanru sneered in her heart, reached out to tidy her sleeves and said as if nothing had happened, “Since grandma is so anxious to meet me, Nanny Yu, lead the way!”
Seeing that Shao Wanru did not resist, Nanny Yu nodded and turned to leave, followed by a group of servants.
In the corridor, Shao Yanru watched them with her face wreathed with smiles, raising the round fan in her hand slightly to hide the complacence on her face.
When Shao Wanru walked to the door of the courtyard, she suddenly stopped, looked back at the corridor and looked into Shao Yanru’s eyes. After smiling at Shao Yanru, she picked up the hem of her dress and walked out of the courtyard.
The smile on Shao Yanru’s face froze. She threw out the round fan in her hand, and the exquisite round fan immediately fell to the ground, smashed into pieces. She said, “Bitch, you are still so arrogant because of your identity as Great Elder Princess’s granddaughter. As long as you are a member of our Shao’s family, you are under grandma’s control. How can you remain smile when faced with imminent death!”
“First Miss, don’t be angry. The Fifth Miss is fearless because she’s ignorant of what is waiting for her. She probably thinks that she’s just going to meet Old Madam and Old Madam must consider her more important and like her better because Old Madam chose to meet her instead of you!” Shuqi comforted her cautiously.
Hearing her words, Shao Yanru felt delighted and said with a snort, “She’s the only one who is so overconfident. She really thinks that grandma likes her and dote on her. Who does she think she is!”
“That’s right. How can she compare with you? You are not only talented, but also ravishing. Everyone in the capital knows that you are the most beautiful lady in the capital. No, I made a mistake. You are the most beautiful lady in the Kingdom of Dongcang!” Shuqi pleased her.
Shao Yanru showed a complacent sneer and turned back arrogantly. She really should not care about Shao Wanru’s attitude, since Shao Wanru was just a good-for-nothing.
Her mother said that she was an unsullied cloud in the sky which was destined to look down on others. She would not get involved in anything filthy because of Shao Wanru. It was conducted by her grandma, and it had nothing to do with her…
When Shao Wanru was brought to the front of Old Madam, Old Madam sat with a gloomy face. She found an incense room nearby without many requirements, because she wanted to handle it quickly. After it was done, she had to go down the mountain.
Shao Wanru came in, bowed to Old Madam and said with a smile, “Greetings, grandma!”
Taoist Priest Xiushui involuntarily looked at Shao Wanru’s face. Despite her young age, she had been exceedingly gorgeous. Her skin was as delicate as jade. Her eyes were as limpid as water, and just a glance from her was fascinating enough. Her delicate lips were naturally red. She was so lively and ravishing that all the other ladies around her became foils.
She had never seen such a lady although she visited the mansions of aristocratic families all year around. For a moment, she was a little fascinated by Shao Wanru, and the horsetail whisk in her hand almost fell to the ground.
A little Taoist nun standing behind her reached out to pull her sleeve so that she didn’t get carried away.
“Shave her head!” Old Madam, whose face darkened, clenched her hand into a fist and said in a sharp voice.
Several female servants, who had been prepared, came over in an attempt to press Shao Wanru down on her knees. Someone else took out a razor and was about to shave Shao Wanru’s head.
Along the way, Old Madam had talked it over with Taoist Priest Xiushui and decided that the best way was to shave Shao Wanru’s head directly. After that, even Rui’an Great Elder Princess couldn’t turn things around. If the Yuhui Nunnery refused to accept Shao Wanru, they could send her to another nunnery. The smaller and remoter the nunnery was, the better.
Yujie and Qu Le were very anxious and hurriedly stepped forward to protect Shao Wanru. However, Old Madam had brought plenty of female servants, who were all sturdy and prepared. Two female servants tried to hold off a maid. Qu Le was under control at once. Meanwhile, Yujie was extremely strong so that two female servants were unable to deal with her. Old Madam nodded slightly, and another two female servants came over immediately. One of the remaining two female servants held a razor, and the other one came up in an attempt to press Shao Wanru down.
Shao Wanru shouted harshly, “How dare you! Who dares to shave my head!”
She, who looked gentle and had always acted gently, had never been so fierce. The two female servants were shocked, involuntarily took two steps back and looked up at Old Madam in a hurry.
“You are so rebellious!” Old Madam pounded on the armrest of her chair hard and said angrily. She had always been commanding in the mansion, and no grandchild had ever disobeyed her words in front of so many people.
Shao Wanru looked around and finally stared at Old Madam with bloodthirsty aura in her cold and sharp eyes. Her pretty eyes, which were supposed to be gentle, became gloomy and angry at this moment. She said, “Old Madam, what do you mean by doing that? Even if someone is sentenced to death, you should at least tell him the truth. Do you mean to disregard the law by setting up a court privately?”
“I am your grandma. You are such an unfilial granddaughter. How dare you disobey me!” Old Madam, who was so angry that she felt pain in the liver, said with bitter hatred.
“Disobey you? Old Madam, you really think highly of yourself. If you mean to hurt me for no reason and don’t allow me to disobey you, do you think that you are the Empress Dowager? No one in the country can disobey the Empress Dowager’s order, but even the emperor has to be filial to the Empress Dowager!”
Shao Wanru said word by word, staring at Old Madam with her watery eyes. She didn’t dodge Old Madam’s eyes, and didn’t even show a trace of fear.
“How dare you!” Old Madam trembled and said. If such words went out, it could be offensive to the Empress Dowager and would bring trouble to Duke Xing’s Mansion.
“Old Madam, it’s hard to say whether I’m too bold to say that. But it’s really hard to agree with your arbitrary manners. If you can’t give me an explanation today, I’ll make the entire Duke Xing’s Mansion go down with me even at the price of sprinkling my blood on the spot,” Shao Wanru said in a sharp voice with no hesitance in her eyes.
Despite her young age, she was quite intimidating. When she looked into Old Madam’s eyes, she seemed to be able to see through the filthy secret in Old Madam’s heart.
Although Old Madam desperately wanted to slap Shao Wanru, she managed to suppress her anger and said in a sharp voice, “You influenced your parents negatively and are possessed by a dark evil spirit. Today your bracelets and longevity lock covered with black ants could be considered evidence. Even now, instead of praying for the entire mansion, you disregard your relatives and are still reluctant to leave the worldly affairs behind. You are vicious and selfish indeed.”
“Vicious and selfish? Influenced my parents negatively? Old Madam, I remember that everyone said that you made my parents leave the mansion and die outside later. Did you influence your son and daughter-in-law and other relatives negatively? In this case, why don’t you be a nun and pray for the sins you committed?”
Shao Wanru sneered and said without being servile or bumptious.
Since they were ruthless, she could be cruel to them. She had no sense of belonging to Duke Xing’s Mansion and no feelings for them, she didn’t feel aggrieved at this moment.
In the last life, all members of Duke Xing’s Mansion watched her sink into degradation and even helped someone else trample on her and push her deep down the filth. She did not believe that Old Madam, who looked amiable but was actually shrewd and cruel, knew nothing. But even so, Old Madam watched Shao Yanru and her mother trample on her and push her into the hell of blood sea.
After experiencing the tragedy in the last life, she didn’t have to care about this kind of weak kinship in this life. They sought nothing but profits with evil intents. She would like to see how Duke Xing’s Mansion decline in this life!
Even if it didn’t happen, she would make it happen and make them pay for her tragedy in the last life.
Old Madam didn’t expect that Shao Wanru would describe her as someone influencing her son and daughter-in-law negatively. She was so angry that her face twitched. She pounded on the table, making the teacup on the table jump up. She said, “You are so rebellious! How dare you talk to your elder in this way! Come on. The Fifth Miss is possessed by a dark evil spirit. She’s insolent and vicious in word and deed. Hurry up and seize her. What are you waiting for?”
After receiving the order, two inferior old maids came over and reached out to seize Shao Wanru.
There came a low cough from the side, and Taoist Priest Xiushui said in a soft voice, “Old Madam, please wait for a moment. I have something to say!”
Since Taoist Priest Xiushui said that, Old Madam waved her hand and held back her anger. She didn’t calm down until she picked up the teacup at hand and drank half of the tea in one gulp. At that moment, she almost died of anger.
“Old Madam, I think the Fifth Miss is possessed by a very powerful dark evil spirit. I’m afraid that an ordinary temple won’t be able to suppress it. Maybe she could follow me to the Baiyun Taoist Temple. After all, I have suppressed this kind of dark evil spirit before. I will never allow it to influence you negatively.”
“Go to the Baiyun Taoist Temple? Doesn’t it mean that she doesn’t have to shave her head?” Old Madam glanced at Taoist Priest Xiushui in puzzlement and said. Along the way, the two of them had talked it over and agreed that Shao Wanru must shave her head. Otherwise, when Rui’an Great Elder Princess got the news, she could still take Shao Wanru down the mountain.
Only if Shao Wanru had her head shaved and marked, Rui’an Great Elder Princess could do nothing about it even if she wanted to. Moreover, even if Rui’an Great Elder Princess dared to take Shao Wanru back in defiance of world opinion, Shao Wanru’s head had been shaved and marked, and she couldn’t regain her current long hair in less than seven or eight years. In addition, no one dared to marry a nun, who returned to the secular world with such an experience.
In either case, Shao Wanru would no longer be a threat.
However, the situation was different if she became a Taoist nun. She didn’t have to shave her head and just needed to change into a Taoist nun’s robe. It was quite easy to change it back. Furthermore, the Taoist nuns could still get married in the former dynasty. Although it had been a period since the establishment of the current dynasty, people could still accept the Taoist nuns’ marriage.
Old Madam had heard a gossip from Nanny Yu. It was about a Taoist nun returning to the secular world and was said to be a story passed on with approval in the local area.
They came up the mountain in a hurry in order to deal with Shao Wanru before Rui’an Great Elder Princess realized it. When Rui’an Great Elder Princess discovered it, it would be too late.
Now, what did Taoist Priest Xiushui mean?