Something happened over where Chengyu was.
Old Lady Fang’s teacup fell, her face white as she stood up.
What happened?
Her lips were moving, but she couldn’t even ask this.
Her heart was beating something fierce, just like when she had heard that her husband had passed from sickness, like when she had heard that her son had been attacked.
She wanted to faint, like many other women.
She almost wished she could die like this, free from sorrow and worry.
But she couldn’t.
What happened?
Other people didn’t need to tell her. She would go herself.
No matter what happened, she would not fall. She would stand firmly, until the King of Hell came to get her.
Old Lady Fang took big strides outside.
She would go see what happened to her grandson, her Chengyu.
Old Lady Fang could run speedily while remaining steady but Lady Fang could not. She was crying while running.
"Lady, Lady, don’t be anxious," Concubine Yuan said, focused on her, lest she fall down.
"Didn’t she say she could cure him? Didn’t she say she could cure him?" sobbed Lady Fang, staggering forward.
As expected, she took that lie seriously. Thought Concubine Yuan.
How could he be cured, how could Jun Zhenzhen cure Fang Chengyu.
But saying something like that had no meaning now.
"Lady, don’t be anxious. The servant girls didn’t say it clearly," she consulted. "It might be nothing."
"Young Lady is also there," Concubine Su comforted.
What was the use of her being there. She might just be tormenting Young Master.
Concubine Yuan glared at Concubine Su.
Concubine Su sensed her slip and lowered her head. She shouldn’t say too much, otherwise she would be more likely to say something wrong.
Lady Fang did not catch their mistake. Her heart was already in shambles.
As they were pressing forward, some other girls came running up alongside of them. It was the Fang sisters.
"Didn’t they say he would live to fifteen? He’s only fourteen now!" Fang Chengyu said, tears pouring.
Fang Yuxiu felt a thick medicinal scent waft by her nose.
Yes, fourteen years was not that long, but there was also the marriage, the change of medicine, the acupuncture.
‘This kind of torment could shorten one’s lifespan,’ she thought, but the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.
She looked over at Fang Jinxiu.
Fang Jinxiu was not crying. Her face was taut, and she was biting her lip. Since she stared running after she heard the servants’ distressed shouts, she hadn’t said anything.
She actually did not say anything condemning Jun Zhenzhen.
This was shocking.
It seemed that in the two times she went out with Jun Zhenzhen, whatever she did made Fang Jinxiu like her.
People would always have more faith in the people they liked.
Actually, this wasn’t about anyone hating anyone.
If she really wanted to condemn someone, she should be cursing Old Heavenly Father.
The Old Heavenly Father was far too unfair to have them face so much death.
Fang Yuxiu turned her eyes to Lady Fang, who was being supported by Concubine Yuan.
Although she had been prepared before, when her son was about to lose his life, a mother couldn’t bear it.
Fang Yuxiu sped up and supported Lady Fang’s other arm.
Old Lady Fang had already crossed into Fang Chengyu’s courtyard.
The servants there were milling about while Liu’er’s curses were coming from inside.
"Miss Liu’er, please stop cursing and take them away," suggested an older servant.
"Take them away? What’s the use of that? She did such shameless things for other people to see," she shouted. "Come come, take her out, put her in the courtyard, don’t let her wear clothes."
The cries in the room became more cutting, followed by the sounds of banging tables and chairs.
"Stop," came Fang Chengyu’s voice.
Fang Chengyu’s voice? And his voice was clearly forceful, no sign of impending death.
Old Lady Fang was stunned for a moment.
Could it be that nothing had happened to Fang Chengyu?
All of the servants started shouting "Old Lady is here!" in the courtyard.
"Old Lady," said one of the servants, her expression awkward. "There's something I need to say."
Old Lady Fang did not pay attention to her and impatiently walked in.
A servant girl ran out from the room in front of her, scaring Old Lady Fang almost to the loss of her balance.
What was going on?
Liu’er ran back in holding several feather dusters.
"I’ll beat you to death for being so shameless," she shrieked.
What was going on?
Old Lady Fang grabbed onto Liu’er.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
Liu’er wouldn’t take anything lying down. When she saw Old Lady Fang grabbing onto her, she got even more worked up.
"What are you doing? Your grandson cheated on his spouse, are you going to protect him? This is not some simple matter," she shouted.
Cheated?
Old Lady Fang was stunned again.
"What cheating?"
Lady Fang stumbled in, supported by Concubine Yuan and Fang Yuxiu. Tears laced her tone.
"What cheating? Are you playing stupid, don’t you know what cheating means? Then I’ll tell you, the good son you raised has been married for only a bit and has already taken a servant girl to his bed!" Liu’er brandished the feather dusters wildly.
Took a servant girl to his bed.
Old Lady Fang and Lady Fang looked into the room.
The beaded curtains had been torn apart. They saw a girl kneeling on the ground, her hair down.
She was messily wrapped in a bedsheet, exposing her smooth shoulders and calves.
Everybody’s gaze moved again. Fang Chengyu was also only wearing a sheet, lazily lying on the bed, exposing his arms and thighs.
It was obvious...
‘It really made you want to stab your eyes. Seeing two of this kind of filthy things in a row,’ thought Fang Jinxiu.
Her gaze fell back on the servant girl, the faint marks on her exposed shoulders. With her sobbing and trembling, the bed sheet had slid down, exposing everything beneath.
This exposed a lot more than Lin Jin’er had.
Fang Jinxiu scoffed internally then looked back at Fang Chengyu.
Even if this was her blood-related brother, it was no good for her to see this. She turned around.
Fang Yuxiu and Fang Yunxiu also responded quickly, retreating with red faces.
Old Lady Fang and Lady Fang weren’t young maidens. They did not blush or feel ashamed. Their expressions turned strange, a mash-up of shock, happiness, hesitancy, and sorrow.
"So Young Master hasn’t died," mumbled Concubine Yuan. "This is okay."
"What are you saying, died, okay?"
Came Miss Jun’s voice from behind.
Fang Jinxiu involuntarily went to stop her.
"Don’t go in," she blurted out.
Miss Jun gave her a look of incomprehension. Fang Jinxiu acted like she hadn’t said anything.
Fang Yunxiu and Fang Yuxiu lowered their heads before her in embarrassment.
"Zhenzhen, this is a misunderstanding…" Lady Fang said uneasily.
No matter if they said this was a fake marriage, outsiders didn’t know. Everybody knew Miss Jun was Young Lady Fang.
Her own husband and a servant girl were in such a situation in a room. This was a slap in the face to the wife.
Lady Fang wanted to cover it up, but Liu’er had already pounced on her crying.
"Young Miss, Young Master committed adultery. Your peaches were plucked[1]."
She sobbed.
This shout resounded through heaven and earth. Everyone’s expressions turned complicated.
The phrase "plucked peaches" obviously sealed the whole matter. As expected, it was all in order so that Young Master could perform. No wonder he was subjected to such torment everyday.
But they hadn’t thought that the torment would take this long, and that the one Young Master would bring to bed would be a servant girl.
This was like your painstakingly grown peaches were plucked by someone else.
When Miss Jun heard what Liu’er said, her face showed surprise. She peered inside.
She saw Lingzhi on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The girl immediately kowtowed.
"Young Lady, spare me, spare my life," she sobbed.
No one said anything. Fang Chengyu smiled.
"You are begging the wrong person. Now, you are my person. Your life is mine. Why are you begging her? What can she do?" he said with a smile.
Fang Chengyu looked at Miss Jun look at him, her brows wrinkled slightly.
The scheme you wracked your brains for was usurped by someone else, that couldn’t feel too good.
He thought, the smile in his eyes deepening.
You came to take status, but another outsmarted you.
Miss Jun frowned.
"Plucked peach?" she said, her gaze sweeping over Fang Chengyu. "Your peach is ripe?"
What was he saying.
Concubine Yuan couldn't stop a burst of laughter from escaping.
Fang Jinxiu covered her face, while Fang Chengyu was embarrassed and angered.