Chapter 011: It's Not Me Who Should Get Lost
Mrs. Fu was overwhelmed with unspoken excitement; she had been pondering how to resolve this calamity, and now it seemed that Fu Zhen didn't need her intervention at all!
"Zhen, you truly have a sharp tongue. Do you still see the presence of your father? Rou Er is your father's daughter, a young lady of the Fu Family. When was it your place to strike her!"
Mrs. Liu stood up in a sharp, shrill voice!
Who did this Fu Zhen think she was?
Dared to hit someone?
Daring to act unruly in public?
"Master, if you can even tolerate this, then there's truly no family law in the Fu family!"
"Why shouldn't I hit her?" Fu Zhen glared at her, "I am not only the legitimate eldest daughter but also the elder sister. Not to mention a slap, if she doesn't behave properly and consistently does things that damage the family reputation, I can slap her ten or twenty times!
"On the contrary, you, Mrs. Liu, where do you get the nerve to shout in front of the main wife, as a mere concubine?
"You were brought in to extend the family line; all the children you bear are my mother's children. My mother doesn't rebuke me, yet you dare to overstep and act out, what do you intend? Do you intend to climb above the position of the original wife?
"According to the laws of Great Zhou, as the main wife, my mother has the power to sell off concubines. Others might not understand, but you should be very clear on this!"
Every word from Fu Zhen was lightly and clearly spoken, yet each word was like a knife scraping Mrs. Liu's face and stabbing her heart!
She glared back fiercely, nearly gnashing her teeth to pieces!
"In front of the master, you dare to be this presumptuous!"
Fu Zhen gave a small smile, lifting her foot to step onto the chair beside her: "I dare not."
After speaking, she glanced coldly at Fu Rou on the ground before chillingly curling her lips.
Mrs. Liu's face paled, taking half a step back.
The obstinate child claimed she didn't dare, but clearly used the slap Fu Rou received to threaten her, clearly indicating she did dare!
Not only dared but dared without any scruples!
Yet Mrs. Liu had no way to refute because that was indeed the rationale; a concubine was essentially a plaything for those with wealth and power. In other families, even raising their own children was off-limits; a concubine had no status!
Otherwise, what about the two times she'd been sold in the past? All these years of painstaking efforts and birthing children one after another to maintain favor, what was it for!
If the Ning Family had any family left, she wouldn't have reached today's status.
Who would have expected with no family left, Fu Zhen turned out to be so unconventional!
She glanced at Fu Jun, her body suddenly going limp, collapsed in tears: "Master! This concubine has served you for so many years and given birth to three children for you. Even if I have no achievements, I have labored for you. You once promised never to wrong me; today, do you intend to let me suffer such humiliation because I'm old and faded?
"If there's no place for me in the Fu family, I'll throw myself into the moat, so as not to dirty Madam and the eldest young lady's eyes! Nor hinder your illustrious future!"
Fu Jun gritted his teeth and helped Mrs. Liu back to her seat, then turned and angrily shouted at Fu Zhen: "Are you done yet? Do you really want a beating?!"
"Then go ahead and call someone to beat me!" She glared at the matrons who hadn't left the room, speaking deliberately, word by word, "I want to see who dares to disgrace the Fu family's name!
"Who dares to let Father go out only to be criticized, shaming the family by showing that even a young lady, who was supposed to be nurtured with the utmost care, could be so blatantly humiliated by servants!
"If you're bold enough, come forward. If I stop you, then consider me defeated! Just don't wait until I report to the government, when the officials come to arrest those who conspired against the legitimate daughter, you won't even have a place to cry then!"
Throughout the Fu family, when had anyone ever witnessed such a spectacle from her? The one who used to tremble in the wind had just slapped Fu Jun's pampered Fu Rou without a second thought! Now, even her words seemed to shake the rafters, as if she had become someone —no, as if she had transformed into Rashamon!
To let Fu Jun face criticism and rebuke outside, ruining the family reputation with such accusations, they wouldn't dare risk it with even three heads!
And if she indeed reported to the government, allowing Mrs. Liu and her daughter to suffer, it would still end up being their own agony!
Immediately frightened, the matrons retreated across the threshold, laying down their clubs one after another, and shifted their gazes onto Fu Jun.
Fu Jun's face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot with anger, yet he truly had no basis for calling them back to beat her!
Although he had never seen how other prominent families raised their daughters, even if he'd never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run!
Fu Zhen's arguments would hold in any prominent family and even commoners knew that the daughters from noble families couldn't be beaten for punishment, only made to copy writings or confined. If news spread that the legitimate eldest daughter of the Fu family was beaten by servants, it would surely entail the Fu family being looked down upon!
He knew it would sound bad if it got out, but he just couldn't see what was wrong here!
After all, wouldn't anyone dare to spread such rumors, right?!
Swallowing his frustration, he tried to find a way out for himself but turned around only to see that Fu Zhen had somehow seated herself in his lower seat. This realization infuriated him once more!
"Get out!"
—Who the hell allowed her to sit there?
But Fu Zhen not only didn't move, she lifted her chin contentedly and pointed at Mrs. Liu sitting opposite: "Father, you are mistaken. The one who should leave is her!
"That seat on the upper right side belongs to the main wife, who would sit equally with you.
"I'm sitting correctly; I'm the legitimate eldest daughter, the eldest among all your children, thus I should sit here!
"Aunt Liu, you've spoken long enough sitting in that seat, but now that my mother is here, kindly vacate it!
"When my mother isn't present, you may cause as much trouble as you like, but in my mother's presence, remember your place! Coveting what isn't yours will only leave you with nothing."
Mrs. Liu, helped by Fu Jun, knew he was still on her side. However, just as she settled down, Fu Zhen began her act once more!
In the past, she only had to stoke the fire, leaving the rest to Fu Jun, knowing his soft-hearted nature. She had waited for Fu Jun to deal with Fu Zhen, so the matrons could pin her down and escalate from there!
Yet unexpectedly, even those matrons stationed outside on her orders, known for their harshness, were sent away by Fu Zhen!
Even more unexpected was that this wretched girl was like a dead pig unafraid of hot water, ignoring all of Fu Jun's reprimands, fixated solely on pestering her!
It was utterly audacious!
She trembled with rage: "Zhen, your father hasn't reprimanded me yet you dare to overstep him?"