Chapter 75 – Too Simple-Minded, Always Trying to Scheme Against Others

Xia Tian stood still, watching the third madam, Madam Ye, rush towards her without care, raising her hand to strike. Ye’s mouth was curled in a cold smile.

As Ye swung her hand, Xia Tian was ready to grab her wrist. Standing behind her, Cuiyun saw that Madam Ye was about to strike, and in a moment of panic, she swiftly moved to block Xia Tian.

“Smack!” Cuiyun’s head tilted, and five finger marks appeared on her face, the spot where she was struck now swelling painfully.

Ye looked at her, realizing she had struck the wrong person, and quickly shoved Cuiyun aside before raising her hand again. Xia Tian narrowed her eyes, grabbed Ye’s wrist, and with a swift push, sent her flying backward.

Ye staggered a few steps before her maid caught her, stabilizing her stance.

Xia Tian took a few steps forward, and before Ye could react, she raised her hand and slapped the still-standing Shen Yi on the side.

Shen Yi froze for a moment, then cupped her face and cried out in shock.

Seeing this, Ye’s fury surged. How dare this wild girl strike her precious daughter! She immediately yelled, “Someone, hold this wild girl down. If I don’t beat her to death today, it will be a miracle!”

“Who are you planning to beat to death, Third Aunt?” Before anyone could rush over, Shen Nian stepped forward, with Mu Chen following behind.

“This wild girl is being disrespectful and dared to strike Yi’er. Don’t you think she deserves to be punished?” Madam Ye shouted, hands on her hips, panting.

“Hmph, Third Aunt sure knows how to turn the tables. If you hadn’t rushed over to strike me, would Cuiyun have been slapped? Would I have taken action?” Xia Tian’s face darkened. “Third Aunt is the elder. I can’t strike you directly, so your daughter has to take the blow.”

“Look at this insolent behavior. Shouldn’t I be teaching her a lesson?” Madam Ye angrily pointed at Xia Tian and questioned Shen Nian.

“As for me, it’s not up to Third Aunt to teach me anything,” Shen Nian replied coldly. “Also, please remember, she is not a wild girl. She is the legitimate wife of the heir to the family. If I ever hear anyone disrespecting the heir’s wife again, don’t blame me for being rude.”

After saying this, Shen Nian turned and grabbed Xia Tian’s hand, leading her away without wasting any more time on Madam Ye.

Mu Chen and Cuiyun quickly followed.

On the way, Shen Nian held Xia Tian’s hand as she listened to her recount the earlier events.

After hearing it all, Shen Nian smiled and praised, “Good job. From now on, no matter who it is, if we are in the right, don’t be afraid.”

But then, she became more serious and reminded Xia Tian, “In the future, if someone strikes, don’t just stand there. What if you get hurt?”

Xia Tian’s heart warmed. “Don’t worry. I’m much stronger now. She won’t be able to hit me. I just didn’t expect Cuiyun to block me and take a slap instead.”

“She’s a loyal protector. Well done.” Shen Nian nodded, expressing her satisfaction with Cuiyun’s actions.

Shen Nian then saw Xia Tian to the door of Jinglan Courtyard before returning to Lingyun Pavilion.

Xia Tian hurried inside and called for Ning Xiang and Ning Xue to bring some ointment and ice. She had Cuiyun sit on a stool, and personally wrapped ice in a cloth to soothe the area before applying ointment. After carefully inspecting the injury, Xia Tian spoke with concern, “You should not have done that. Madam Ye is nothing, and I can guarantee she won’t be able to harm me.”

She also felt moved, “But still, thank you for taking the slap for me. Rest for the next few days. Once the swelling on your face goes down, we’ll deal with it.”

“Thank you, Madam. This is what I should do,” Cuiyun replied humbly.

Ning Xiang and Ning Xue, hearing that Cuiyun took the slap for their lady, urged her to rest for a few days. They also asked about the details of the situation and, in their hearts, began to dislike Madam Ye.

Seeing that Xia Tian seemed alright, the maids eagerly gave their advice on what to do if something like this happened again, making Xia Tian laugh with delight.

Touched by their loyalty, Xia Tian decided to show her gratitude. She took out some of the jewelry she had saved and let them pick. These were not the ones from Shen Nian, but the ones she had bought while shopping, intended as gifts.

She asked Ning Xue to call in Cui Xin, Cui Ling, and Cui Qiao so they could choose too.

The maids laughed and each picked one, while Xia Tian also selected something for each of them. They happily thanked her and began comparing whose gift was the best.

Xia Tian watched them with a smile and then gave Cuiyun a five-liang silver ingot as a reward for taking the slap.

Cuiyun hesitated to accept it, but the other maids quickly urged her to take it, joking that they would snatch it away if she didn’t.

“Quick, take it, or we’ll be jealous and steal it.”

“Oh, Madam, next time, you must bring me along! Why didn’t I get a turn to help?”

“Exactly, Madam always favors Cuiyun and doesn’t take us along.”

Laughter filled the room, and all the frustration caused by Madam Ye’s actions faded away.

Meanwhile, in her own courtyard, Madam Ye was still fuming. She grabbed Shen Yi and dragged her into the room.

While applying medicine to Shen Yi’s face, she complained to her husband, “That Xia Tian is too crude! Not only is she disrespectful to her elders, but she also dares to strike someone. Look at what she did to Yi’er’s face.”

“And Shen Nian—he doesn’t care about family ties. He only protects that wild girl!”

“I’m so mad! I’m going to find the old madam to settle this!”

“Calm down. You know that girl is no pushover. Why provoke her?” her husband, the third master, replied impatiently. “Shen Nian is the heir now, and the whole Duke’s estate will belong to him. Whoever he wants to protect, no one can touch.”

“Hmph, what’s so great about being the heir? Isn’t my elder brother still alive? I don’t believe he’ll dare to do anything to me.”

“Then try it and see. Look at how things are going for your sister-in-law and Shen Ke now. If Shen Nian hasn’t been involved, I don’t believe it.”

“You have a simple mind, always trying to scheme against others,” the third master added, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Madam Ye, dissatisfied, huffed but didn’t argue further with her husband.

The fifth madam, Zheng, heard about Madam Ye’s trouble and only muttered, “Fool!”

When Madam Ye came to her for advice, Zheng warned her not to provoke the main family. Madam Ye scowled and left, unwilling to listen.

Zheng didn’t care. With the year-end approaching, she was busy handling family matters, sending gifts to various relatives. She had no time to deal with Madam Ye’s trivialities.

On the other hand, Xia Tian, though also busy, took some time to practice embroidery with Ning Xiang and Ning Xue in the warm pavilion.

With just over ten days before the New Year, Xia Tian also managed to stop by Yayi Studio. Besides handing over a custom-made painting, she took the opportunity to shop as well.

However, just after leaving the studio in the evening, she received a message from Mu Feng saying that the shopkeeper at Yayi Studio, Xiao, requested she visit again tomorrow.