Chapter 886: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 886: A Slap Leads to a Grudge (Part 4)
Twenty slaps might not seem like much, but they could easily ruin a face. If the slap were hard enough, it was possible to knock out all the teeth.
Fan Meijiao felt her dignity shattered for the sake of a maid, and she was boiling with anger. Seeing the green-clad maid still daring to plead, the fury in her heart surged, and she yanked her sleeve back, pointing to a burly old woman and shouting, "You, slap her!"
"Yes, Madam!" The old woman responded loudly, stepping forward and delivering a sharp slap to the green-clad maid. The force sent the maid stumbling and falling to the ground.
"Ah—" The green-clad maid screamed, her voice eerie and chilling.
It wasn’t surprising that the old woman hit hard; after all, the green-clad maid, relying on her higher rank and Fan Meijiao's favor, had always been harsh toward the lower-ranking servants. She had bullied them a lot in the past, so when she finally found an opportunity, she was not about to let it slip.
The old woman, who had served Fan Meijiao for many years, understood her temperament. Given the humiliation the green-clad maid had caused, it was only natural for the maid to be punished severely when they returned home. There would be no room for mercy. The old woman slapped the maid without hesitation.
The sound of the slap echoed through the hall, and after all twenty slaps had landed, the green-clad maid lay on the ground, spitting blood and unconscious. Her once delicate face was now swollen like a pig's head, so badly disfigured that even her parents wouldn’t recognize her.
Mo Yan hadn’t expected the old woman to be so ruthless, but she felt no sympathy for the green-clad maid.
Fan Meijiao, having been thoroughly humiliated, was furious at Mo Yan but dared not provoke her further. Listening to the whispers around her, she felt completely embarrassed. She shot Mo Yan a hateful glare before storming out of the teahouse, dragging her maids with her as she rushed back to Zhao Manor to complain, ignoring the upcoming event of Mo Qingze's parade altogether.
---
"Big Sister, that woman must hold a grudge against you now. What will we do if she seeks revenge?"
In the private room, Xin'er looked at her calm sister, sipping tea, with a worried expression.
Mo Yan put down her tea cup and ruffled Xin'er's head, smiling, "If I were afraid of revenge, I wouldn't have done it! You’re just a little girl, don’t worry so much."
"But..." Xin'er was about to say more when a lively sound of drums and gongs reached their ears. She immediately forgot what she was going to say and hurriedly joined her younger siblings by the window to look outside.
Mo Yan shook her head and smiled, then walked to another window and released Mao Mao from her space. While the younger ones weren’t paying attention, she let Mao Mao fly out quietly.
"Look, that’s Father! The one riding in front is Father!" Zhen'er shouted happily, her small hands dancing in excitement.
"Yes, I see! Yifu's red robe looks so nice!" Sheng'er said, her dark eyes sparkling with admiration as she gazed at the approaching figure of her foster father.
Zhen'er proudly said, "Of course! Our father is majestic and handsome, the best-looking one! I’ll be like him when I grow up. I’ll take the highest exam and wear a red robe, parading through the streets. I’ll look even better than Father!"
"Stop being so vain!" Xin'er couldn’t help but tease her brother. "Even if you look better than Father, can you be as smart and pass the highest exam?"
Zhen'er puffed up his cheeks in anger, "Hmph, don’t underestimate me! I’ll definitely pass the highest exam and show you!"
Xin'er smiled but didn’t respond, turning back to watch their father instead. However, her dismissive expression seemed to spur Zhen'er on even more.
The little boy, watching his father galloping on horseback, surrounded by admiration, clenched his small fist and vowed to study hard. He wasn’t just going to pass the exam—he was going to surpass his father, earning the title of top scholar.
Meanwhile, the streets were filled with spectators, and many young women, seeing the new scholar, were stunned by how handsome he was, even more so than any man they had ever seen. Some bolder ones even threw their handkerchiefs or purse from their sleeves toward the new scholar.
Who could tell who threw what in such a crowd?
When Mo Qingze was hit by the first purse, he was momentarily stunned. As more handkerchiefs and purses kept coming at him, he finally realized what was happening and quickly turned his body to avoid them. Getting hit in the face wouldn’t look good.
Behind him, the second and third place scholars were also affected. The elderly second-place scholar was hit with a fragrant handkerchief in the face, causing him to mutter about the decline of the world. The third-place scholar, about Mo Qingze’s age, also looked displeased—not because the purse hit him on the forehead, but because the one riding at the front, enjoying all the attention, wasn’t him.
"Father, Father, over here! We’re here!"
As Mo Qingze passed the teahouse, he heard familiar voices. He looked up and immediately saw his little ones leaning out of the window, smiling with fondness. Knowing that they couldn’t hear him, he raised his hand and waved to show them he had seen them.
"Ah—Father saw us! Father saw us!" The little ones cheered, their small hands waving even more enthusiastically.
It wasn’t until Mo Qingze was far in the distance, his figure fading, that the children reluctantly withdrew their gazes. They picked up their tea and drank slowly, soothing their dry throats.
That evening, there would be a grand banquet at the palace, and Mo Qingze wouldn’t be able to leave until late. Mo Yan and the others weren’t in a rush to head home. After spending some time in the teahouse, they decided to go out for a stroll.
After a while, the little ones complained that the sun was too strong, so Mo Yan decided to take them to Liu’s house to visit a friend. However, she didn’t expect the Liu family to be surrounded by the Du family at that very moment...
[End of Chapter]
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