Chapter 1128 - 1130: If Not Trusting My Lady, Then Whom?_1
"Ruozhu, are you angry again? She should be leaving in less than ten days," Jiang Yichun said in a lowered voice.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at him and said, "Why should I get angry over such an irrelevant person? She’s been causing trouble in the residence, and now she’s back, still as arrogant as ever. There will be more disturbances to come."
Jiang Yichun embraced her in a swift motion and whisked her into their room. Bai Ruozhu, still fuming, kicked him and said, "Let go of me, I’m not in the mood for your nonsense."
He pinned her against the wall, trapping her body with his arms on both sides.
"The map was drawn by her ancestors, and when she met the Emperor, she spoke of unlocking the treasure, claiming it required the fresh blood of her Wu lineage. Moreover, the blood must be drawn on the spot to be effective," Jiang Yichun whispered.
Bai Ruozhu snorted coldly upon hearing this, "How true can her words be?"
"The Emperor doesn’t fully trust her either, but he has to try. If it turns out she’s deceiving the Emperor, that will be her end," Jiang Yichun added.
Bai Ruozhu wriggled out from under his arm. The so-called ’wall pinning’ was the least interesting when she was in a bad mood, but now she had cooled down a bit.
She paced the room and said softly, "Does that mean you will also be leaving within ten days? I suspect the map is not the only thing, and this won’t be the last time they need her, right? Didn’t she make any demands?"
Jiang Yichun went over to her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered into her ear, "It’s said that the place we visited last time also holds hidden secrets, accessible only through the Wu bloodline. Before the Emperor can confirm the truth of her claims, she has no right to make demands."
Bai Ruozhu pondered for a moment and said, "She’s ambitious. If what she says turns out to be true, and she demands that you divorce me to marry her, what then?"
Jiang Yichun’s face turned ashen, "In her dreams! If she pushes me too far, I’ll end her with a single blow!"
Bai Ruozhu laughed coldly, her laughter seemed particularly chilling to Jiang Yichun, who grew increasingly nervous, "Ruozhu, don’t overthink it. My feelings for you will never change, not even an Imperial Decree can force us apart."
She wasn’t truly doubtful of him, but she feared that the Emperor might let them down, for emperors have always been known for their heartlessness.
Indeed, Bai Ruozhu was not mistaken, as that very night Jiao Bingqin began to cause trouble, smashing many things in the room. Although they were not particularly valuable, the Bai family, being of peasant origin, abhorred waste.
"Go tell Brother Jiang the food is inedible, I can’t swallow any of this. Does the Bai family not see me as human? Why serve me such food? Are they trying to starve me to death? No matter what, I am a descendant of the loyal and righteous, they can’t treat me with such contempt!" Jiao Bingqin ranted as she threw things around, yelling at Xianshi who was serving her.
She was no longer pretending to be virtuous and chaste, deciding to simply start a conflict with the Bai family, emboldened by her recent audience with the Emperor.
Xianshi had already sent someone to deliver the message, and as she tried to stop Jiao Bingqin, she said, "Miss Jiao, please be careful. You’ll have to pay for anything you break. Our miss has been kind enough to take you in and provide you with food and shelter, and this is how you repay her kindness? Aren’t you afraid of being called out for your ingratitude?"
Xianshi was also a girl with a quick tongue; when Bai Ruozhu arranged for her to serve Jiao Bingqin, she had seen this quality as an advantage, to prevent the more naïve ones from being bullied by Jiao Bingqin.
Upon hearing this, Jiao Bingqin went straight for a throw, hurling objects at Xianshi, "How dare a little wretch like you speak of me? What on earth are you, nothing but a lowly maid who can’t even show her face in public?"
"It’s true that I am a lowly maid, but I can’t help that our master treats us well. In the future, when I come of age, our master will even cancel my Indenture Contract and let me go. That’s surely better than some dog who has lost its home, clinging to someone else’s house and throwing around their weight," Xianshi dodged the wooden box that came flying at her, and retorted without any courtesy.
Jiao Bingqin, failing to hit Xianshi, grew even angrier, hurling especially nasty insults without any regard for the dignity of an aristocratic young lady.
Just as she was in full swing of cursing, Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun had already arrived outside the room; as a result, all the filthy words she hurled fell into Jiang Yichun’s ears. Jiang Yichun found her even more repulsive, and outside, he gave a heavy cough.
Jiao Bingqin’s face went pale; she glared fiercely at Xianshi, for had it not been for this wretched maid provoking her, how would she have become so infuriated to utter those words? It must have been Bai Ruozhu’s doing—that woman was too insidious. And now, what if Jiang Yichun started to dislike her?
She hastily shed her sharp edge, sobbing as she walked out. Upon seeing Jiang Yichun, she rushed over, "Big Brother Jiang, you must stand up for Bingqin. Even a maid has climbed atop my head and cursed that I’m lingering in your residence."
Jiang Yichun stepped aside coldly and asked, "Are you saying she’s wrong?"
Jiao Bingqin was taken aback; Big Brother Jiang was actually treating her this way, not giving her any face. Wasn’t he worried about displeasing the emperor? No, that can’t be the case; surely, Big Brother Jiang must have misunderstood something about her.
A sneer had already formed on the corner of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth. She shook off Jiang Yichun’s hand, which was embracing her waist, stepped up to Jiao Bingqin, and said, "What’s wrong with the servant? In our Bai Residence, no one is born inferior. If you don’t want to leave, then keep your mouth clean. If I hear you insult anyone again, I won’t hesitate to teach you a good lesson!"
"You dare! I’m here on Imperial Decree," Jiao Bingqin panicked and without considering the emperor’s command for confidentiality, she straightforwardly used the emperor’s backing as her support.
Bai Ruozhu, however, laughed mockingly and said, "You’d best go shouting it all around the streets and see who ends up in trouble. You’re not unaware of the influence I hold with the Empress Dowager, are you? Do you really think I wouldn’t dare put you in your place? As long as you’re left breathing, that’s enough, so don’t push my limits."
"You, you..." Jiao Bingqin’s face turned ashen with rage, but she quickly changed her expression and started sobbing pitifully.
She looked at Jiang Yichun with a poor-little-me glance, saying, "Big Brother Jiang, so this is how much your wife dislikes me. If I had known, I wouldn’t have troubled you. But I can’t defy an Imperial Decree, and with her like this, life is difficult for me."
Jiang Yichun gave her a chilly look and said, "Don’t provoke Ruozhu, or I’ll be much harsher than she will be. If you want to live, behave yourself!"
Bai Ruozhu felt supremely content watching Jiao Bingqin’s changing face. She found it ridiculously funny that Jiao Bingqin still naïvely thought she could act out and gain Jiang Yichun’s sympathy, even after he had slapped her face figuratively more than once.
Sure enough, Jiao Bingqin could no longer hold back and glared at Jiang Yichun, saying, "Big Brother Jiang, this is too much. All this time I’ve been considerate towards you, even speaking well on your behalf during the audience with the emperor. How can you believe this sinister woman and treat me like this?"
Jiang Yichun stretched out his hand and pulled Bai Ruozhu back into his arms, caressing her slender waist and said, "She’s my wife; if I don’t trust her, who should I trust? And who do you think you are?"