Chapter 82: Soft and Gentle

  Wei Yiniang was startled by Fu Yeyang and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the light green cotton skirt she was wearing. However, no one present dared to move, and the atmosphere in this area was very oppressive despite the howling north wind.

  Fu Yiyang's eyebrows furrowed into a "river" shape, "Help him inside and ask the doctor to come."

  Wei Yiniang, who was vomiting blood, suddenly felt a surge of joy in her eyes, and she struggled to lift her head to look at Fu Yeyang. However, what she saw was the ruthless back of Fu Yeyang, and Wei Yiniang's vision went black as she fell to the ground unconscious.

  The gatekeeper's wife was trembling like a sieve, the red gold inlaid silver cuff that Wei Niang had stuffed into her sleeve earlier felt unbearably hot to the touch. If she had known it would be like this now, she wouldn't have been so infatuated. What could she do now?

  The same was true of the maid who had brought out the large woolen garment, and was now furious with Wei Yiniang. She spat on the ground, and then called for the rough servant woman to carry Wei Yiniang inside. One of the servants took advantage of the opportunity to secretly palm a silver bangle and hide it in her sleeve.

  Fu Yiyang's lips were pursed into a straight line as he walked towards the main courtyard, his footsteps stirring up the wind that blew against the embroidered Buddhist robe with floral patterns on his back. The further he walked, the thicker the anger accumulated in his heart, and the feeling of being choked by fine needles returned. It wasn't until now that he suddenly realized how much he owed his wife.

  Seeing the lights still on in Zheng's house, Fu Yiyang felt a bit bitter in his heart. He thought back to those years and believed he had given enough face to Zhengyuan. Although he doted on Wei some more, it was because he considered Wei his first woman, who spent the most time with him and gave birth to a daughter. In his heart, he couldn't help but lean towards Nanyuan a bit more, yet he also gave his wife the respect she deserved. But in reality, perhaps things weren't as he thought they were in other people's eyes.

  Even the eldest daughter, before the birth of the legitimate son, had a concubine's eldest daughter. Even if it wasn't the concubine's eldest son, it was still a slap in the face to the legitimate wife. Thinking back, he was also eagerly awaiting the birth of the legitimate son. The concubines were all given postpartum medicine afterwards, but at that time, Wei Shi became pregnant under his nose. What was he thinking at that time?

  Although he said it was not proper, because of his mother's words "just consider it a blessing for the seriously ill old lady", he followed this step down and tacitly allowed Wei to give birth to the child. When she found out it was a girl, she thought that after all, it was just a concubine's eldest daughter, and in the future, the eldest son would definitely come from his wife's belly.

  It is proper and dignified for a concubine's daughter to be raised by her father's wife, but Wei Shi spoiled Wen Yu by raising her herself, and although he didn't say anything, he tacitly agreed.

  A family of three?

  The first child?

  Fu Yiyang's heart was bitter and slowly fermenting. He also remembered the year before when she had a miscarriage, her heart was like dead ashes, and her appearance was withered. At that time, he still had some resentment in his heart for not protecting the child in her belly. But he also forgot that she was the one who suffered the most pain, even though they now have a pair of sons, what's lost can never be returned.

  Fu Yiyang was walking towards the main house when he happened to see a maid peeking out from behind the curtain of the Vervain door. That side was the east wing, where the eldest daughter lived. Fu Yiyang's anger flared up in his heart, and with a sweep of his gaze, the maid thudded to the ground. Without asking any questions, Fu Yiyang continued on his way to the main house.

  Fu Yiyang felt a bitter taste in his heart, he used to think that the wife raising her stepdaughter was a matter of course, but now he didn't think so. As soon as he thought of Wei Shi's distortion of black and white saying that his wife was cruel and ruthless, he hated to grab Wei Shi over to see Wen Yu's current situation.

  For Wen Yu, this concubine, being a wife was already good enough. If it wasn't for Wei Shi stirring up trouble, he wouldn't have known that Wen Yu had been enjoying the privileges of a legitimate daughter all these years. But Wei Shi went around in circles to complain to him, and he believed her, thinking his wife was not magnanimous enough.

  Now everything is laid out in the open. Fu Yeyang finally realized how much he owed his wife.

  Fu Yiyang lifted the curtain and entered, Su Ying was sideways guarding the cradle, she didn't take the child out to let the nanny guard, hearing footsteps without turning around, Fu Yiyang walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, Su Ying didn't say a word.

  During the time when Fu Yiyang didn't come, Su Ying's heart was calm enough. Before, Fu Yiyang was the most important to her, but now these two children are the most important to her. Even if she doesn't consider herself, she has to consider the two little ones. After being angry at first, she quickly calmed down and thought about what to do next that would be most beneficial for her. She's really good at this kind of thing, but after self-mockery, she still feels a bit lost, wondering when this life of constant scheming will end.

  She saw two children and she had to cheer up.

  Su Ying didn't intend to quarrel with Fu Yiyang, pointing at his nose and shouting "Look, this is the kind of person you've spoiled!", what she wanted to do was 'to coax him gently', of course it's also possible that for a moment she really didn't know what to say.

  Lü Huai pulled the thin mint leaves to her ear, and the thin mint shook its head slightly. Lü Huai sighed in her heart.

  Su Ying covered Fu Yeyang's hand with her own after a while, and then let out a sigh.

  Fu Yiyang always wanted her to say something, so he could explain it to her, but now Su Ying didn't say anything. Fu Yiyang was at a loss for what to do, and from behind, he opened his arms and hugged her tightly into his embrace, his throat dry and unable to speak, only able to stroke her hair again and again.

  In Su Ying's mind, an unsuitable thought suddenly emerged: from the beginning of her confinement, she hadn't washed her hair, not that she didn't want to, but Granny Gui had been keeping a close eye on her, afraid that she would catch some illness during this period. Now in the cold winter months, it was even more important to be careful. Fortunately, she had combed her hair before, but after several days of not washing it, she herself felt disgusted with her own appearance. Lord Hou, how can you bear to let me look like this?

  At this sad moment, is it really a big woman?

  Su Ying was distracted, fortunately Fu Yi couldn't see her expression and thought she was really melancholy, so he sat on the bed holding her, embracing her in his arms, stroking her hair and then gently patting her back.

  Su Ying's heart couldn't help but sigh, just a few days ago he was holding her in his arms to seek comfort, now it had become him thinking she was wronged and coming to comfort her.

  Fu Yiyang had already thought of how to deal with Wei Niang, and opened his hoarse voice: "Resentment, anger, all are obstacles, Wei has committed them all. Send her to Jueluo Temple for quiet contemplation, and let her atone for her sins in front of the Buddha."

  Jueluo Temple is a place for women from noble families who have lost their virtue to cultivate themselves. Being sent there is called "quiet nursing", but in fact, it's ascetic practice. Wei Niangniang is completely finished this time.

  Su Ying suddenly felt a chill, the one who had originally pampered Wei Niang to the point of pushing Su's family to the corner was him, and now the one who thoroughly brought Wei Niang down into the mud was also him, it really made people feel at a loss.

  But Su Ying wouldn't feel any sympathy for Wei Niang. This time, it was clear that she had brought this upon herself. The words Wei Niang had wailed outside the South Wing had been repeated to Su Ying's face, albeit in a more tactful and processed form, yet they still enraged her.

  Leave a line for human relations, Su Ying left a line for Wei Yiniang, otherwise during Wei Yiniang's confinement, Su Ying really had thousands of ways to torture her, even if she killed her with her hands, there were methods that no one could see, even if Fu Yeyang knew that Wei Yiniang was dead. He might not think it's a big deal. Maybe he'll even pretend not to know. But Su Ying didn't.

  There is also the eldest daughter, who has always been weak and frail. A common cold could have taken her life at any time, thanks to Su Ying's current reputation for being gentle and kind. Fu Ye Yang might not even suspect her, so he won't harbor resentment towards her.

  Raising a child is not as simple as raising a kitten or puppy.

  Now Wei is still unaware of repentance, and she is still dreaming of wrapping Fu Yeyang again. Moreover, it was so easy to be used as a gun this time. If it wasn't for Sun's cleverness, she might have really suffered a great loss.

  She can't blame others.

  Su Ying stuck a note on Fu Yiyang's chest, pursed her lips, and spoke with a hint of sadness: "After all, you are Wen Yu's aunt, how will your family look at Wen Yu in the future? And...and how will they look at you?" She said as she leaned against his shoulder, no longer speaking.

  This remark, however, has provoked Fu Yiyang's anger, and his words are cold and stern: "Wei Shi is treacherous and reckless. Instead of being ashamed of her own mistakes, she becomes even more unbridled, running around recklessly, using her tongue to seduce others, disrespecting the mistress, and not being worthy of being a mother. If we don't send her to the Jueluo Temple to cultivate her mind and nature, and purify her six senses, it will not be enough."

  The vibration of his chest was enough to show how angry Fu Yiyang was. Su Ying didn't speak for a long time, she just grabbed the hem of his shirt tightly and thought that what he said had an inexplicable aftertaste. She wondered if Madam Su would be overjoyed if she heard him say that Wei Niang was disrespecting her mistress... Suddenly, she felt that this man actually knew this point too...

  Even if you don't want Wei Yiniang to come back and make trouble, you can't just let this matter drop. You have to expose the mastermind behind the scenes and cut off the hand she's stretching out.

  "She may be wrong, but it's not without reason. After all, she has been serving you for so many years, how could she end up like that?" Isn't there a reason? The biggest reason is Fu Yeyang himself, of course this is deep down, Su Ying just wants to make a good foundation with Fu Yeyang, and quietly says: "In recent days, she has never been reckless, I'm afraid it's because she knows about Wen Yu's illness."

  "I know you're upset," Su Ying tried to persuade again, but Fu Yeyang cut her off with a cold laugh, "I heard she was sincere and unrepentant!"

  Those words from Wei Yiniang were like a sharp stab to the heart, turning into fine needles in Fu Yeyang's throat, reminding him of what he did wrong. Even his attitude that had softened slightly because of Wen Yu before had turned cold and hard again, he was thoroughly disappointed with Wei Yiniang.

  Fu Yiyang pulled Su Ying into his arms and thought about it from another angle. He couldn't let his wife bear the brunt of this notorious reputation: "Since Wei has done such a thing, she can't be spared. After the New Year, I'll move her to the villa and have a small Buddhist temple built for her to reflect on her actions. I'll find some honest and loyal people to keep an eye on her, and make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble. From now on, you won't need to worry about her either."

  Su Ying opened her mouth, and Fu Yeyang said: "As for those lazy and cunning servants, they must be punished."

  Su Ying lowered her head and didn't speak, Fu Yeyang kissed her forehead, "This matter doesn't require your intervention, even if Mother asks about it I have my own explanation," he said, his face sinking slightly, remaining silent for a long time before saying: "In the past, it was me who wronged you, but that won't happen again."

  Su Ying was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it, she finally understood the deep meaning of Fu Yiyang's words, which were similar to a promise. He would say such things because of Wei Niang's previous provocative actions, provoking him to think again about how arrogant the Wei family had been in the past, how tolerant the Su family had been, and how virtuous they had been. Then, feeling guilty, he made this promise.

  Does Su Ying believe it?

  She, however, was skeptical. Upon closer examination, this statement merely guaranteed that he would not indulge in concubinage and abandon his wife. But the so-called "indulging in concubinage and abandoning one's wife" was completely different from his perspective and hers. Didn't Fu Yeyang also think that he had never indulged in concubinage and abandoned his wife in the past?

  Hehe.

  If it weren't for Wei's aunt making a big fuss, Fu Yeyang wouldn't have been so moved to speak out. In this sense, she was fortunate in misfortune. Su Ying didn't feel particularly happy or unaffected about it either. She was still thinking that if the Su family had heard his words, what would they think? Unfortunately, the Su family was already gone, and they hadn't even waited for her to avenge them. The lingering soul dispersed on its own.

  Perhaps for Su, she had long lost hope for Fu Yiyang. There is no greater sorrow than the death of one's heart. Otherwise, even if Su's lingering soul was still present at that time, seeing the small clothes made for the unborn child would have been more touching than seeing Fu Yiyang return from afar. But when she saw Fu Yiyang returning from afar, her heart was barely stirred, to the point where it could be ignored.

  Even if Wei Yiniang and Fu Yeyang were flirting with each other in front of her, she could still remain calm. Thinking about this, Su Ying's heart also sank. She smoothed out the ripples that had suddenly risen up earlier. Although she thought so in her heart, she bit her lip and tears flowed down.

  Fu Yiyang's neck suddenly felt cool, and a few tears fell on his head, quickly sliding down. Wetting his shoulder, carrying the owner's grievance and joy, she didn't even need him to do anything, just needed that one sentence from him, and she was moved to tears.

  In Fu Yiyang's memory, his wife rarely cried in front of him. He could only recall her crying for the children they had lost, and when he refused to marry her, she shed tears. When she found out she was pregnant, a glimmer of tears appeared in her eyes. Now, however, she was crying again because of his words, Fu Yiyang felt a lump in his throat, his mouth dry and rough, and for a moment, he couldn't speak.

  Two people just hugged each other without speaking, until she fell asleep on his shoulder. Fu Yeyang carried her to the bed, wiped away her tears and instead of going back to the study as usual, he spent a night on the couch in the outer room.

  The gatekeeper's wife knew she couldn't escape, so she came to the main hall to surrender.

  "The old slave has received benefits and is willing to find a way for Madame Wei. Your ladyship is kind and compassionate, the old slave's family still has a three-year-old grandson, the old slave only asks your ladyship to have mercy on this grandson."

  This matter indeed has a problem, Su Ying didn't come forward, let Lu Hui go ask the gatekeeper's wife who gave her benefits, pulling this thread to investigate further, only to discover that it was actually Wei Niang's sister-in-law.

  Wei Niangniang alone achieved the Tao, chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. Wei Niangniang's brother took advantage of her influence to accumulate wealth. Now that they see Wei Niangniang is no longer doing well, how can this family be willing to give up? They went all out to bribe people in the hope that Wei Niangniang could make a comeback.

  At first, Wei's mother was confined to her home, but Fu Ye still gave face to the whole Wei family. Wei's father was still working as a manager in Fu Ye's private estate, and Wei's brother was still receiving his salary, which was much more dignified than Liu's parents. However, this time the entire Wei family not only lost their wife but also suffered losses.

  Fu Yiyang rummaged through the items confiscated from Wei Niangniang's house in the study. Not to mention that the two managers of the Zhuangzi estate, Wei Niangniang's father, had embezzled nearly 2,000 taels of silver, just the gold, silver, and jewelry decorations in the jewelry box in front of him were worth a lot. The value of the deed to the second-class mansion located several streets away from the Li Houfu was even more than that.

  Fu Yiyang was also given face by Wei Niang initially, but he didn't expect them to repay him like this. Even with mental preparation, when those things were placed in front of Fu Yiyang, he couldn't believe it. Regardless of the gold, silver, and land deeds, just the fact that they were embezzling funds under the banner of being the eldest son-in-law of the Marquis's household was enough to make him detest them.

  Fu Yiyang's chest heaved with rage, his heart seething with a desire to vent his anger. He wanted to have the men of their household bound and sent to the Shuntian Prefecture yamen, while the women were all taken to the Zhuangzi estate to be forced into hard labor. Wei Niangniang must have been aware of this, but sending Wei Shi to the Zhuangzi estate was actually doing her a favor. This family was rotten to the core from the very beginning.

  Fu Yiyang is now as disgusting as eating flies, unable to spit it out or swallow it, and furious to the point of trembling all over.

  With great difficulty, he suppressed the anger in his chest. Just then, Yongping came in with a bitter face and said, "Master, you'd better go take a look. The disturbance at the Wei family's has reached the main courtyard."

  Bang!

  Fu Yiyang slammed his fist on the table, his eyes blazing with anger: "How dare they!" He stood up and rushed out, Yongping didn't have time to think, grabbed his cloak and chased after him.

  Not yet arrived at the main courtyard, he already heard the wailing and crying sounds inside, Fu Yeyang's face sank even lower. Just yesterday, he had promised Su Ying that this wouldn't happen, but now today, someone came to her with such impertinence!

  Only heard Wei's mother-in-law crying: "My good daughter came in to serve the master, at least half of the master of the house, but was killed by that scoundrel, and now she is dying, my poor daughter!"

  The robust woman in the main hall wanted to go over and shut her up, but Wei Lao Niang was determined to bring down the emperor's prestige, even if it meant sacrificing herself. She flailed and scratched at the approaching woman, while Wei Saozi on the side also refused to back down, her shrill voice almost loud enough for the entire Hou Mansion to hear: "Big sister, come out and take a look! Your own mother is being bullied to death, not even sparing your maternal uncle's family. All the men in our household have been arrested by that black-hearted, rotten-to-the-core official. How are we supposed to survive as a family? We might as well let our natal family die off!"

  Wei's sister-in-law wanted to rush in, but was held back by two women. Upon hearing this, they were shocked and quickly used force to hold her arms, stuffing a handkerchief into her mouth. A pained cry was heard, and Wei's sister-in-law had bitten down on the woman's hand. The woman didn't hold back either, using the strength from years of doing rough work to pinch Wei's sister-in-law's soft flesh on her waist. As she pinched, she cursed in her heart, thinking that this pile of fat hadn't gone hungry for nothing!

  The woman who was bitten forgot about the pain in her hand, and after rescuing her hand, she swung her arm and slapped Wei's wife several times, saying: "What kind of relatives are you talking about? Our eldest daughter's uncle is a high-ranking official, how dare those lowly slaves recognize him? This talk is so outrageous that it's not afraid of the wind blowing away my tongue!"

  The Wei family may be able to pretend to be mighty in the Hou Mansion, but after all, they are still slaves of the Hou Mansion, and the whole family is a slave household.

  Wei Lao Niang was startled, and the coarse servant girl next to her took advantage of the opportunity to stuff a smelly sock into her mouth and tied her arms with a rope, watching her dare to shout again. Wei Lao Niang still wanted to spit it out, but her mouth was "hulu hulu" and she didn't know what she was saying.

  This commotion caused the golden hairpin on Wei's old mother's head to fall to the ground, and that pin was made of pure gold worth a lot. The surrounding women were all staring with wide eyes, just about to scold her, when Fu Yeyang came rushing over with a gust of cold wind. Wei's old mother suddenly became excited, but unfortunately she was being held down by two women and couldn't move.

  A seven or eight year old chubby boy rushed over and kicked the two women who were pressing down on Wei's wife, shouting "You stinky bitches let go of my mom, otherwise I'll get my dad to beat you until you're picking up your teeth from all over the ground!"

  Fu Yiyang took a cold glance, and it was indeed Wei Fu, the son of Wei Shu, who was dressed and adorned no less than any ordinary young master. Especially the golden lock on his neck, which seemed to be almost as good as the one he had seen on the son of Su Ying's family before.

  "Great, really great!" Fu Yeyang coldly shouted, "You're not going to die a good death, you've killed thousands of people with your black heart and rotten liver. I didn't know that I, the Marquis, had such a reputation!"

  These words made the mother-in-law, who had been in high spirits just now, tremble with fear, and the little white boy was also frightened, opening his mouth to wail, "Uncle, bad egg—" when he was immediately covered by his mother.

  Fu Yiyang's face turned icy cold as he heard the title, and he said in a chilly tone: "Who gave you the guts to be so arrogant? How dare you cause trouble in the main courtyard?! You ungrateful, good-for-nothing slaves! You overstep your bounds, deceive those above you, line your own pockets, and rely on the power of others. You truly are worthy of being a good slave of the Hou Manor!"

  Fu Yiyang was really furious this time, he waved his hand and let Yongping bring people over to take away several members of the Wei family. He wanted to scold some more, but then he heard the sound of his son crying in the main house. He coldly swept a glance around, making the people below him feel a chill run down their spines before he lifted his foot and walked towards the main house.

  Su Ying hugged Fu Er, who was crying with a tender voice, and coaxed: "Isn't your father very powerful? From now on, you should also learn from your father and deal with those disobedient slaves, making them obedient." Fu Ye Yang had just walked to the edge of the curtain when he heard Su Ying's last sentence, and saw that Lu Xi's face still had an uncollected angry expression. He felt inexplicably guilty and a little embarrassed in his heart, which eventually turned into anger towards the disobedient slaves.

  The Wei family's disturbance has ruined Fu Yiyang's last chance at leniency.

  ps：

  Act cute