The Chen family mbers did not take Jin Xiuzhen’s threats seriously at all. Nowadays, the status of the Wu family in the Capital City has greatly deteriorated compared to before.
First, the Wu family’s gambling houses inexplicably lost many properties. Then, due to the incident with An Yueyue, they had to compensate for the loss of estates and shops. Adding to that, their textile shop wasn’t doing well, and they frequently had to provide financial support to the Second Prince.
Not to ntion Wu Jiangtao, even Wu Zhengqing wouldn’t dare to confront the Chen family head-on.
Facing the people blocking her path, Jin Xiuzhen, despite her unrelenting character, didn’t dare stir up trouble here. She was just the sa as Wu Jiangtao—bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Luckily for her, Wu Zhengqing was always cleaning up their sses after the fact; otherwise, how could she dare to be so audacious?
The Wu family mbers arrived quickly, and leading the charge was Wu Jiangtao. Despite his debaucherous lifestyle, he still seed quite concerned about this wife of his.
"Zhen’er, Zhen’er! What happened? What happened? Who dared to strike you? Stand out before ; I’ll flatten them!"
Wu Jiangtao’s tone was domineering, and hearing it ward Jin Xiuzhen’s heart. But when she turned her head to look for her husband, his behavior nearly made her faint from anger.
He was yelling indignantly, yet he stood frozen at the shop entrance, unwilling to co inside.
Claiming he’d teach others a lesson for her, but in reality, he was quaking in fear.
Seeing his wife glaring at him, Wu Jiangtao chuckled awkwardly. He only dared to step inside when his younger brother arrived to accompany him.
Imdiately, he rushed to his wife’s side, fussing over her well-being, in a display of over-the-top tenderness.
Unfortunately, Jin Xiuzhen had long been resentful about her prior humiliation of being an abandoned wife, combined with his hesitation at the shop door earlier. She refused to show him any semblance of a kind expression.
When the Wu family’s two brothers entered, the elder brother focused solely on his wife, while the younger brother had to co forward to clean up the ss for this foolish sister-in-law. The humiliation was incomparably stifling.
Watching the husband-and-wife pair bicker flirtatiously in public, Wu Zhengqing was practically in tears. How did he end up saddled with such a pair of brother and sister-in-law—neither of whom was remotely reliable?
"Young Master Chen, what’s this talk about the Chen Family Cloth Shop transforming into a Martial Arts School? Treating a defenseless woman so rudely—is this your shop’s hospitality policy? Has the Chen Family Cloth Shop reached the point of abusing custors due to its size and success?"
Complaints were one thing, but addressing the issue was necessary—especially when it involved their sworn enemy, the Chen family. Wu Zhengqing knew he couldn’t let the Chen family gain the upper hand.
Chen Ruochu paid no heed to Wu Zhengqing’s veiled sarcasm. Just as a faint smile was about to appear, Lady Jiang interjected and seized the spotlight.
"Oh! Second Young Master Wu, your remarks are getting quite absurd. How can you accuse us of exploiting custors? You should take a good look: it’s the Chen family being vandalized here, not your Wu family! Hmph, if anyone’s being victimized, it’s clearly the Chen family, not Eldest Young Lady Wu!"
Lady Jiang took over the conversation, partly because she disdained the Wu family, but more importantly, she wanted to showcase her capability to the gathered crowd—to prove that she, the Chen Family’s Madam, was indeed the true leader of the cloth shop.
However, her words evidently did little to demonstrate her authority.
The guests in the main hall exchanged complicated glances, feeling that while Lady Jiang seed poised, her comnts sounded rather petty.
It was true that Jin Xiuzhen had caused trouble, but clinging to the damaged tables and broken bowls as a point of contention... Anyone unknowing might mistake Lady Jiang for grieving over a few asly taels of silver!
Wu Zhengqing let out a mocking laugh without speaking, but Wu Jiangtao raised his head and retorted, "Oh! So Madam accidentally knocked over your teacups? That’s easy to resolve. A little silver—our Wu family can certainly afford compensation! However, Madam Chen, frightening my wife over a couple of taels of silver—our Wu family won’t let this go so easily!"
Lady Jiang froze for a mont, infuriated, pointing her finger at Wu Jiangtao and scolding, "What are you implying? She clearly smashed them on purpose!"
"She smashed them on purpose and you summoned this many guards to intimidate my wife? The Chen family’s hospitality policies truly are overbearing, aren’t they?"
Jin Xiuzhen gazed at her husband admiringly. Despite being married for years, this was the first ti she felt her husband truly possessed a masculine side!
Lady Jiang, on the other hand, was trembling in fury, unable to utter a word. The guards? They weren’t summoned by her—it was clearly Chen Ruochu!
Yes, Chen Ruochu!
Turning to the nonchalant Chen Ruochu standing by, with hands clasped behind his back, donning a "none of my business" deanor, Lady Jiang felt the urge to spit in his face.
"Are you seriously saying nothing? Are you going to just let them bully the Chen family like this?"
Chen Ruochu raised an eyebrow, amused as he stared at Lady Jiang.
Though he hadn’t said a single word, Lady Jiang felt her face burning incredulously. Shifting uncomfortably, she used a hand to smooth her hair over her forehead, muttering to herself, "Letting this brat marry that girl was truly a mistake—once inside the house, won’t he just suppress to death?"
Chen Ruochu didn’t need to ask to know what Lady Jiang was grumbling about. Flashing a disdainful smile, he turned his gaze downstairs to Wu Jiangtao.
"Fine, since Young Master Wu insists on providing compensation, that’s naturally for the best. But let remind you—your Madam didn’t just break our teacup and teapot today. There’s also the table damage, not to ntion the disruption of our shop’s business."
Pausing, Chen Ruochu appeared to recall sothing and added, "Oh, right. The mont your Madam entered, she sared our cloth shop by calling it a brothel. While we can tolerate insults, the many guests present can’t be ignored, can they? Young Master Wu, it’s imperative that you offer them an explanation."
As soon as Chen Ruochu finished, a quick-witted young girl echoed, "Young Master Chen is right. Eldest Young Lady Wu did indeed use foul language—you must give us an explanation."
"Exactly! We’re all proper ladies from clean families—how can we be compared to won from such filthy places? Does your Mada speak without thinking? If so, don’t let her out in public so casually!"
As it was the festive season, the shop was packed with common ladies and daughters from noble households alike. Even if Wu Zhengqing chose to dismiss them, he couldn’t silence the relentless chatter as one after another voiced their displeasure.
Seeing so many people condemning her, Jin Xiuzhen paled. Before she could utter a rebuttal, her brother-in-law’s stern gaze silenced her.
Among the Wu family, Jin Xiuzhen feared her brother-in-law Wu Zhengqing most. Shrinking back timidly, she swallowed nervously, choosing to hold her tongue.
"Oh, yes. The guests aside, there’s also my elder sister. She kindly warned your Madam to watch out lest she be abandoned, yet what was her reward? Your Madam insulted and maligned her—utterly disgraceful!"
Chen Ruochu curled his lips into a smirk. He showed no remorse for exposing their family drama and even gleefully added fuel to the fire.
"Oh, right. Young Master Wu, I’ve heard that Miss An is clever and beautiful. Initially, I found your decision to abandon your first wife hard to reconcile with, but after seeing this today—tsk tsk—I completely understand why the Second Prince empathizes with you!"
Poof!
Upstairs, Lin Yuan covered her mouth, stifling laughter. That Xiao Linzi—his sharp tongue was truly unmatched, always erging victorious no matter the circumstance!
Even Lady Jiang couldn’t help but admit, despite her reluctance, that Chen Ruochu’s biting remarks were outstanding as she observed the increasingly sour expressions of Wu Jiangtao and Wu Zhengqing.
"Well, well! So it’s true! Who is this Miss An? Huh? So little harlot from a brothel? Drag her out for ! If I discover any connection between you two, I’ll have you castrated!"
Jin Xiuzhen fud furiously at Wu Jiangtao. Though her words were venomous, she dared not lift a hand against him.
Wu Jiangtao himself felt conflicted about his wife, having once adored her before she grew overly indulgent and brash under his spoiling.
Even so, he couldn’t bear to truly separate from her.
"How could I dare, my dear wife? You’re my one and only! While I may frequent brothels, those an nothing compared to you, my evergreen tree!"
Wu Jiangtao’s ability to coax won was unparalleled. With just a few words, he managed to placate Jin Xiuzhen. However, when it ca to An Yueyue’s identity, he remained mindful of the Second Prince’s warning and dared not speak a single word about the incident involving her.
Seeing his elder brother keep quiet about An Yueyue, Wu Zhengqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
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