The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 231 Zhiwan: My Cousin Will Be Angry
The slender Shuang'er suddenly fell to the ground.

"Shuang'er—" Zhiwan's heart sank, and she rushed over to help her up, but two old women twisted her arms.

"How dare you!" Zhiwan shouted angrily.

"You're the one who's being insolent!" Just then, an old, displeased voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate.

Zhiwan turned her head and saw that Old Madam Lu was walking in, supported by Lu Jinglan.

Seeing this, Zhiwan suppressed her anger and asked, "What is the old lady doing? Why are you tying up my maid?"

Before Madam Lu could speak, Lu Jinglan suddenly stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.

"Zhiwan, the Lu family has raised you for so many years, and instead of repaying them, you dare to speak to the old lady like that? Do you have any conscience at all?"

Suddenly slapped across the face, Zhiwan's mind went blank.

It took her a long while to recover. She raised her eyes and looked coldly at Lu Jinglan.

Startled by her cold gaze, Lu Jinglan hesitated for a moment, but then she remembered that neither Madam Wei nor Lu Zhenbei were in the mansion and no one could save Zhiwan, which reassured her.

She made no attempt to hide her contempt and disdain for her, saying, "Zhiwan, as a person, you must recognize your own status and understand your own position. A prodigy like Jinzhi is not someone you can even dream of."

"It's not something I can covet, but do you think you can?" Seeing that she wasn't even pretending anymore, Zhiwan couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. "But no matter how much you covet, my cousin won't even look at you. Besides, you're not much more noble than me. Don't forget, you came from a beggar background! What, after being adopted by the old lady, you've forgotten your place and origins?"

Lu Jinglan was furious, but instead of shouting, she nestled in Old Madam Lu's arms and cried pitifully, "Mother..."

Madam Lu immediately said with heartache, "Don't listen to this little slut's nonsense. You are my daughter, a young lady of the Lu family, and not someone this little slut can compare to."

Hearing her call Zhiwan "little bitch" repeatedly, Lu Jinglan felt pleased and gave Zhiwan a provocative look.

Zhiwan ignored her.

She knew perfectly well that the old lady dared to treat her so brazenly because her aunt was not in the mansion.

How to do?
Who will help her and Shuang'er?
The entire courtyard is now filled with the old lady's people. Apart from her and Shuang'er being restrained, the other servants have also been put under guard.

Jiang Shi was in the mansion, but he was in the outer courtyard. How could he know her situation?

Zhiwan quickly racked her brains for a solution.

Judging from the old lady's behavior today, she probably already knows that her cousin wants to marry her, which is why she's making things difficult for her.

"The old lady wants you to come in."

Just then, she was pushed hard by the old woman and almost fell.

After regaining her balance, she gave the old woman a cold look.

The old woman shrank back when she was stung by the girl's gaze, muttering to herself: This young lady usually looks very weak, but now her eyes look like she could eat people alive.

Thinking of how much the mistress loved this woman, the old woman unconsciously let go of her hand and said awkwardly, "Miss, please go in quickly, don't keep the old lady waiting."

When Zhiwan entered the room, Old Madam Lu was already sitting on the soft couch, scrutinizing her boudoir with a critical eye.

Every single one of those ornaments was exquisite.

Seeing that her room was decorated so luxuriously and beautifully, Old Madam Lu was very displeased.

It's clear that Lady Wei is treating Zhiwan like a pampered young lady.

The more Madam Lu looked, the angrier she became. When she saw Zhiwan come in, she immediately retorted, "Zhiwan, a person should know their place. The Lu family has raised you for so many years, why are you still lingering here?"

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan was no longer surprised.

Madam Lu's visit today seems ill-intentioned; she appears to want to get rid of me.

She paused for a moment, then said calmly, "I was going to leave, but my cousin wouldn't allow it. I... I'll listen to my cousin."

Old Madam Lu thought she would at least be embarrassed and ashamed, but she never expected that she would show no shame at all, and instead so confidently bring up Jinzhi. Old Madam Lu was displeased and said unhappily, "Do you think you can bewitch Jinzhi with your seductive tricks? Don't you know your own status? Are you worthy of Jinzhi? Of course, if you really want to serve Jinzhi, I'm not unwilling to give you a chance. I can elevate you to be Jinzhi's concubine."

Lu Jinglan's gaze toward Zhiwan was filled with disdain and contempt.

So what if she seduced Jinzhi with her seductive tricks?
The old lady would never agree to let her marry Jinzhi.

Given her status, she was destined to be a concubine.

She wanted to see an embarrassed expression on Zhiwan's face, but she was disappointed. Zhiwan's face was calm and expressionless.

"Madam, you are mistaken. It was not I who seduced my cousin. It was my cousin who insisted on marrying me. How could a weak woman like me, who is powerless to even kill a chicken, resist my cousin? Besides, my cousin is so much older than me. It is my cousin who is not good enough for me."

As for becoming a concubine, that's absolutely impossible.

There is no precedent in my family for someone to be a concubine!

If the old lady refuses to accept me, then I'll have to tell my cousin to marry into the Zhi family! My cousin used to go to great lengths to become my son-in-law.

"What? What did you say?" Old Madam Lu clutched her chest, looking at her incredulously.

Lu Jinglan was also incredulous. "Zhiwan, do you know what you're saying?"

Zhiwan glanced at her. "It's understandable that the old lady has poor hearing due to her age, but how come Aunt Jinglan, who is so young, also has such poor hearing?"

Lu Jinglan dug her sharp nails into her palms to suppress the anger in her heart.

How come she never noticed before that Zhiwan was so quick-witted?

Is it her cowardice and timidity?
"Zhiwan, you've really kept it well hidden!" After a long while, Lu Jinglan narrowed her eyes and said.

“You’re no less impressive!” Zhiwan retorted sarcastically.

Lu Jinglan clenched her fingers tightly.

Madam Lu was furious; the sight of Zhiwan's beautiful face only fueled her anger.

She suddenly grabbed a cup from the table and threw it at her, shouting, "You vixen! I really underestimated you! Tell me, what do you want in return for leaving the Lu family?"

Even as she swept her gaze toward the teacup, Zhiwan had already dodged to the side.

Looking at the cup that had fallen to the ground and shattered into pieces, with tea spilled all over the floor, she shook her head and said, "My cousin even personally chose the date for our wedding. I'm not leaving, otherwise he'll be angry."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Lu nearly choked on her own breath. "Who gave you the audacity?"

“Cousin,” Zhiwan said calmly.

Madam Lu trembled with anger, "If I had known you were a wolf in sheep's clothing, I shouldn't have agreed to let you live in the Lu family back then."

"Why does the old lady keep criticizing me? If you are not satisfied with my marriage to my cousin, you can go directly to Jiangning to find my cousin and ask him to give you an explanation. Why make things difficult for me?" Zhiwan frowned, clearly displeased.

Her cousin insisted on marrying her, but instead of causing trouble for her cousin, the old lady made things difficult for her.

Is she easier to bully?

Madam Lu was so angry that she couldn't speak.

Lu Jinglan frowned, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, "Zhiwan, you are too presumptuous..."

"Snapped!"

Before Lu Jinglan could finish speaking, she received a heavy slap across the face.

She covered her face, looking at Zhiwan in disbelief.

Zhiwan lowered her slightly numb hand and looked at her coldly, "The affairs of the Lu family are none of your business, a beggar!"

(End of this chapter)