Chapter 448: Domineering Old Madam (4)
The Second Old Master was the younger brother of the First Old Master. The First Old Master had passed away early, and the Old Madam was crazy. He had undoubtedly become the most respected elder of the Helian family. Even Helian Beiming respected this uncle.
The Second Old Master’s sharp gaze swept across Yan Jiuchao and Yu Wan.
Yu Wan admitted that his gaze was very terrifying and his aura was incomparably powerful, but she was not a young lady who was ignorant of the world. After all, she had seen the Emperor and the Divine Generals of the two countries. How could she be casually intimidated?
As for Yan Jiuchao, it was even more so. Yan Jiuchao did not even protect Yu Wan behind him like the other men protected their wives. Perhaps in his eyes, there was nothing to be afraid of this old bastard.!!
The Second Old Master’s eyelids twitched. A couple from the countryside could actually remain calm under his powerful pressure?
“Grandpa—”
“Dad—”
Helian Cheng and Madam Li cried. Although Helian Yu did not cry, the grievance on his face betrayed his heart.
The second branch’s family had been bullied badly by the new couple. As the second branch’s big shot, it seemed unreasonable not to come forward and uphold justice. Moreover, putting aside the bickering of the juniors, Yu Wan’s slap had really landed on Madam Li’s face. How could a junior attack an elder? There was no such thing in the world!
However, before the Second Old Master could reprimand her, the Old Madam arrived.
“Aiya!” The old madam saw the two brothers who had been beaten into pig heads. “W-what happened to you? Who hit you?”
The Old Madam usually doted on the younger generation. When the two brothers saw her questioning look, they hurriedly exposed Yan Jiuchao. “It’s him!”
“Chao’er?” The Old Madam pushed away the maidservant who was supporting her and quickly walked to Yan Jiuchao with steps that were actually not considered steady. She grabbed Yan Jiuchao’s hand. “Aiya, why did you hit them? Does it hurt? Huhuhu…” She actually started blowing at Yan Jiuchao.
The dumbfounded Helian Yu : “…”
Helian Cheng, who felt like he had been struck by lightning: “…”
Next was the Old Madam’s battlefield.
The Old Madam pointed at the Second Master and the others, crying with snot and tears. “Your brother passed away early! He left me and his son behind. Are we easy to bully? It wasn’t easy for me to acknowledge a grandson. On the first day he entered the family, he was bullied by your second branch!”
Helian Yu and Helian Cheng: “!!!”
Who was bullying who?!
“Can’t you bear to see me have an easy time? Bull Egg…” The Old Madam tilted to the ground. “Why don’t you take me away too? If you leave me in this manor, I’ll be an eyesore… Even my grandson will be bullied! Are they bullying my grandson? They are bullying me! I’m old… I’m despised…”
Yu Wan shuddered at the word ‘Bull Egg’. If she understood correctly, Helian Beiming’s biological father’s nickname was Bull Egg. She instantly felt that the relationship between the two families had taken a big step closer with this fresh and refined name!
The Old Madam was not putting on an act. She was serious. She just felt that her grandson had been bullied. In fact, Helian Yu and his brother had indeed planned this, but they did not expect Yan Jiuchao to take them down a notch.
Madam Li couldn’t stand it anymore and reminded Old Madam, “Aunt, look at Yu’er and Cheng’er’s injuries…”
The old madam kicked her legs and made a fuss. “I don’t care, I don’t care! You’re bullying my good grandson!” She was a lunatic! Why would she care about this! She couldn’t see either!
Madam Li wanted to vomit blood.
The Old Madam was the First Old Master’s widow. She was old and not smart. She had a reason for making a fuss, but they could not. Otherwise, if word got out, it would be them bullying the old and weak. Moreover, Helian Beiming had sacrificed enough for the Nanzhao Nation all these years. They could not let his biological mother suffer, at least not on the surface.
The Second Old Master took a deep breath and suppressed the bulging veins on his forehead. He said to the Old Madam, “Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? How can I have such thoughts? Isn’t Yu’er insensible? I’m planning to get them to apologize to Chao’er.”
“Grandpa!” Helian Yu and Helian Cheng said in unison in disbelief.
“Shut up!” The Second Old Master shouted at the two of them. “Aren’t you going to apologize to your cousin? Do you want me to punish you with the family law?”
The two of them cowered when they heard that. The two of them apologized sullenly. This was probably the first time in their lives that they had suffered such a huge setback. The two of them had ugly expressions, as if they had lost millions.
Yu Wan helped Old Madam up. “Grandma, the ground is cold.” Although this old lady was crazy, she doted on Yan Jiuchao from the bottom of her heart. Yu Wan pitied her.
The Second Old Master cupped his hands and bowed. “Sister-in-law, if there’s nothing else, I’ll bring them back to the courtyard first.”
The Old Madam said arrogantly, “Teach them a lesson! They’re already so old. They didn’t learn anything else but learned to bully their cousin. This is because your brother isn’t around anymore. If he was, he would definitely punish them in the ancestral hall!”
The Second Old Master’s eyelids twitched and he said in a low voice, “Sister-in-law is right. The two of them… have gone overboard. I’ll let them go to the ancestral hall now… to kneel as punishment and reflect on their mistakes.”
The Old Madam said with her head high. “That’s more like it! My good grandson, let’s go!”
The Old Madam left with Yan Jiuchao and Yu Wan without looking back. The servants did not dare to stay any longer and also left.
No one expected this farce to end in such a way. Helian Yu and his brother were young and were used to being domineering in the manor. The servants had difficulties to say, but very few people dared to expose it to Helian Qi and the Second Old Master. Now that they saw the two of them suffer, many servants were secretly happy.
Madam Li and the others naturally knew nothing about this. Madam Li felt indignant for her sons and said, “Dad, that kid was clearly in the wrong today. Why did you punish Yu’er and Cheng’er? They’re your biological grandsons!”
What Madam Li didn’t say was that even the Old Madam knew to protect her grandson. Why couldn’t you be the same?
How could the Second Old Master not know what she was blaming in her heart? He glared at her coldly and said, “Isn’t it all your fault? How could you indulge these two children? Ask them if they have the guts to tell the truth. Who exactly attacked first?!”
Madam Li looked at her sons. The two of them wanted to quibble, but when they met their grandfather’s sharp gaze, they shrank their necks in fear and did not dare to say anything else.
The Second Old Master reprimanded, “It’s just a pot of Lingzhi. So what if he broke it? Country bumpkins don’t know their stuff. As his younger brothers, you should give in to him. If word gets out, others will only laugh at him for being stupid. But now, even if you have a reason, it’s unreasonable!”
It was easy to resolve this matter. If the two of them had not been angry with Helian Chao from the beginning, then it would have become that Helian Chao was unpresentable. The two of them were kind, magnanimous, and brotherly. When the Old Madam heard the rumors from the outside world, she would naturally work hard to teach her grandson not to embarrass the Helian family.
In that case, they had given them what they needed to show off and earned the reputation they needed to earn. It was simply killing two birds with one stone. However, the two of them took the initiative to provoke and beat up their cousin, who had just reunited with the Old Madam.
Did they think everyone was blind? Can’t they see that they wanted to take their cousin from the countryside down a notch? They were the legitimate sons of the Helian family, but they didn’t even have this bit of magnanimity. What a joke!
The brothers did not dare to argue with the Second Old Master.
“Get lost to the ancestral hall tonight!” The Second Old Master said coldly and left.
Madam Li’s heart ached. “Son…”
Helian Cheng said aggrievedly, “Mother, that’s not just any pot of Lingzhi. That’s for the Little Commandery Princess… Brother and I spent a lot of money and used all our connections to get it.”
When Madam Li heard her son’s words, she understood why her son was making such a big fuss. Madam Li was on her son’s side. Even if the pot of Lingzhi was not for the Little Commandery Princess, she felt that her sons had suffered.
Madam Li sighed. “What’s the use of saying this now? It’s all gone. Besides, didn’t your uncle tell you not to keep interacting with the Queen Manor? Don’t let your uncle know about this. He’ll scold you again.”
The Helian family had been loyal for generations, but they had never participated in the competition for the throne. The only people they were loyal to would always be the Emperors. Although the Little Princess was already the Queen, as long as she did not ascend the throne, the Helian family led by Helian Beiming would not surrender to her.
“Hmph, Uncle is also biased!” Helian Cheng muttered unhappily.
Madam Li had a headache. “Alright, alright, stop talking. I’ll pack up for you. If you’re late to the ancestral hall, it’ll be difficult to answer your grandfather.”
Helian Cheng tugged at his sleeve and said coquettishly, “Mother, go tell Grandpa that a place like the ancestral hall is gloomy. We’ll bump into ghosts.”
“Nonsense! The memorial tablets enshrined in the ancestral hall are all the ancestral tablets of the Helian family. If you really bumped into a ghost, it would be the manifestation of the Helian family’s ancestors!” Madam Li was not vague about her respect for her ancestors.
Helian Cheng’s eyes turned red from grievance.
Madam Li comforted them. “I’ll get someone to watch over you. If you’re really tired, just… sleep for a while. You’re the legitimate grandsons of the Helian family. The ancestors won’t blame you.”
Madam Li was their last protective talisman. Even she could not compromise. It seemed that there was no room for negotiation. At night, the two of them went to the ancestral hall dejectedly.
Helian Cheng knelt on the hard cushion, his face twisted into a ball. “That ignorant thing. How dare you break the Little Commandery Princess’s Lingzhi. You’ll get what you deserve!”