C9 Impolite

Yan Li suddenly stood up. "Don't give me that pitiful look. I'm not pitiful. I have meat buns for breakfast and a fine jade hairpin. That's my good fortune. Ayuv, let's go inside and take a look."

She couldn't believe it. How could she, the rightful lady of this house, be so easily ousted by a mere servant and a pesky maid? Was her reputation as the formidable Yan Li for nothing?

"Yes, Great Young Madam," Ayuv quickly followed.

"Nanny Cheung, didn't I tell you? You can't... ah..." Nanny Cheung instinctively blocked the way, but before she could finish, Yan Li delivered a swift kick to her lower body. Nanny Cheung yelped in pain, clutching herself as she rolled on the ground.

Everyone was stunned.

Weren't they supposed to use words, not fists?

Ayuv stared at Yan Li in shock, unable to believe what just happened. Moreover, the kick was anything but gentle, and the target was a sensitive area, one that women hold dear. How could she kick there so easily?

Yan Li didn't care. With a cold expression, she said, "I was personally brought here by my father-in-law. Luo Tingye himself unveiled my bridal veil. I am the Great Young Madam of the Luo Mansion. Now my husband is bedridden, and you keep me out? Explain that logic to me."

Was this a joke? She could tolerate once or twice, but was she supposed to endure a third time? If she couldn't even reach Luo Tingye's bedside now, it would only get harder in the future.

So this time, she wouldn't let it slide.

"You?" Nanny Cheung, in immense pain, squeezed out the word through gritted teeth.

"You what? How dare you, an old servant, act so brazenly in front of me? Luo Tingye is my husband, and Banquet Night Courtyard is my home. Who are you in this courtyard, and what are you to my husband? How dare you, an old maid, try to boss me around?"

Yan Li was furious. Mrs. Lau had gone too far, and Nanny Cheung and her group were getting way too arrogant.

"Me? This?"

Nanny Cheung was at a loss for words. She wasn't anyone special to the Eldest Young Master or even to this courtyard. In the end, she was just a servant bought by the Luo Mansion. What she didn't expect was how formidable the Great Young Madam was. Wasn't she supposed to be from a small village? Didn't Nanny Lau say she would be easy to handle? Sure, she had a sharp tongue, but no one mentioned she'd actually fight back. What was going on? She swallowed nervously, clutching her aching side, and looked at Yan Li with fear.

Mei'er stepped forward, scoffing, "Great Young Madam, that's not right. We were sent by the Madam to take care of the Eldest Young Master. She's your elder; you can't just go against her wishes."

Mei'er was bold and immediately brought up the Madam's authority.

"The Madam?" Yan Li chuckled, "So if the Madam tells you to jump off a bridge, you’d do it? Or if she tells you to eat dirt, you’d go ahead?"

"You—"

Mei'er was embarrassed. They were brought in by the Madam, who promised that if they could win over the Eldest Young Master, they'd live a life of luxury. How could she pass up such an opportunity?

Yan Li sneered, "What the Madam does is her business. What happens in the Banquet Night Courtyard is mine. And don't forget the most important thing: there's only one legitimate heir in the Luo Mansion. You might want to think twice before going against me."

That mention of the legitimate heir snapped everyone back to reality. If you really thought about it, the Eldest Young Master's branch was the only legitimate one in the Luo Mansion. The Second and Third Young Masters were... well, not. And they had all forgotten that the Madam was just a concubine. If it weren't for the Old Master being so busy, a concubine wouldn't be running the household affairs.

Everyone's faces turned pale. At some point, they had started to overlook this crucial detail, and somehow, they began to follow the lead of a mere concubine. What was even more frightening was that they hadn't considered the consequences of opposing the Banquet Night Courtyard. The vast estate of the Luo Mansion would ultimately fall into the hands of the Eldest Young Master, not Mrs. Lau. If they made things difficult now, how could they expect any good outcome in the end?

"What?" Nanny Cheung's face turned ashen. They had forgotten the most important point.

Yan Li scoffed, "It's not too late to realize your mistake. If you quietly leave the courtyard, I'll pretend this never happened. But if you remain stubborn, don't blame me for being unkind."

This was ridiculous. Did they really think they could challenge a legitimate heir? Did they believe my sickly husband would be easily manipulated? How laughable.

Leave?

Nanny Cheung and the others looked even more distressed. "Great Young Madam, we can't. We were ordered by... oh no, the lady made it clear that if we failed, we'd be sold off. Please, have mercy and let us stay to serve the Eldest Young Master. I swear, we'll be loyal to you from now on."

She was genuinely afraid. The courtyard might look glorious, but beneath the surface, it was treacherous. They were just servants, trying to survive.

Spare them? Loyalty?

"Sorry, I can't agree to that," Yan Li replied coldly. "I may have come from the countryside, and I might not know all the rules of this grand mansion, but one thing is clear to me: if your intentions were good, you wouldn't have followed Mrs. Lau's orders. If your intentions were good, you wouldn't have come here to throw your weight around in the Banquet Night Courtyard. If I hadn't spoken harshly, you would have continued your schemes against me and the courtyard. With such opportunistic behavior, do you really think I'd want to keep you around?"

Did they really think Yan Li was that naive? People were already taking advantage of her, and she wasn't about to let a few smooth words brush it off. Keeping them around would only spell trouble.

"Zuo, Ayuv, tie up these two maids and toss them out. Let everyone in the courtyard see that the Banquet Night Courtyard isn't a place anyone can mess with."

Yan Li gave her orders without hesitation.

Zuo and Ayuv were thrilled. How long had it been since the lady of the house had been secretly bullying the Banquet Night Courtyard? Seeing the Great Young Madam stand up for them like this was truly satisfying.

"Yes, Great Young Madam."

They respectfully accepted the command and grabbed some rope to bind Nanny Cheung.

Nanny Cheung, with her experience, quickly rolled away to dodge the rope, exclaiming, "Great Young Madam, are you trying to send us to our doom? How can your heart be so cruel?"