Chapter 65: Filing a Complaint

Seeing the scene, Lu Man was furious and shouted, “Stop right there!”

The maids turned back upon hearing the shout, seeing the disheveled Third Young Madam, they sneered disdainfully. One maid even remarked, “Who did I think it was? It’s the Third Young Madam. I told you, Eighth Young Master, don’t make things difficult for us.”

Ignoring them, Jiang Zhankui yelled, “Halt, my Third Sister-in-law is here.”

The maids pretended not to hear and continued walking.

Lu Man finally caught up to them, shouting, “Stop right there and release Qichang!”

One of the maids glanced at the breathless and disheveled Lu Man and replied, “Third Young Madam, the Second Master ordered to take this large dog outside to be put down. It scared one of the Young Master, and we can’t disobey. If we don’t listen, we’ll be punished and lose our jobs.”

In a stern tone, Lu Man said, “There are people in this household whose words carry more weight than the Second Master. I will go to the Princess to plead for mercy.”

Upon mentioning the Princess, the maids hesitated to continue towards the outer courtyard. They looked at Lu Man in disbelief, amazed at her audacity.

Lu Man added, “Let’s go. We’re heading to the Crane Hall.”

With that, she picked up Jiang Jiu. The young girl’s face was tear-stained and sweaty. Glancing at Jiang Zhankui, he no longer appeared mischievous but rather swollen-eyed and bruised, with a bump on his forehead, disheveled hair, and dust all over his clothing.

Jiang Zhankui rushed over, snatched the sack from the maids, and struggled to open it. With great effort, he lifted Qichang out.

Qichang looked even more pitiful, tightly bound with hemp rope, lying on the ground, whimpering and tearful upon seeing Lu Man. It appeared to be quite injured and utterly despondent.

Lu Man instructed, “Untie the rope.”

One maid shook her head, “I dare not. If this large dog injures someone again, our punishment will be severe.”

Without further argument, Lu Man commanded, “Do not put Qichang back in the sack. Place it on top of the sack and carry it that way.”

Several maids stood still, unwilling to comply, questioning why they should follow her orders.

Lu Man turned to Tao, Lan Zhi, and the others, “Since they are too refined to walk, you will carry Qichang.”

Tao, Lan Zhi, Lu Ying, and Ling Zhi lifted Qichang on the sack, each holding a corner, following Lu Man.

Reluctantly, the maids had no choice but to follow Lu Man and her companions to the Crane Hall.

Lu Man wiped Jiang Jiu’s face with a handkerchief, soothing her, “Don’t cry. Trust me, I won’t let them harm Qichang.”

Jiang Jiu nodded, holding onto Lu Man even tighter, tears flowing uncontrollably. Jiang Zhankui stayed silent, gripping Lu Man’s skirt with one hand while wiping away sweat and tears with the other, his face contorted with worry.

As they approached the entrance of the Crane Hall, the gatekeeper, familiar with Lu Man, exclaimed, “Oh my, Third Young Madam, what happened?”

Lu Man explained, “Please inform Princess Changting that I am bringing Eighth Young Master and Second Young Miss to seek mercy, asking them to provide a way out for them. I cannot directly confront the Second Master, so I must seek the Princess first.”

The maids were startled and exclaimed, “Heavens, why is Third Young Madam speaking to us this way?”

“Wait here.” the gatekeeper said, sensing a serious matter, and hurried inside to relay the message.

Shortly after, she returned and informed, “Third Young Madam, the Princess requests you, Eighth Young Master, and Second Young Miss to come in for a discussion, also inviting these maids.” She gestured towards the group.

Together, they carried Qichang into the main hall. Except for the younger Jiang Zhanyan, Deyu, and the siblings, who were guided to a side room, everyone else sat in the main hall with the Princess.

Seeing Lu Man carrying one and trailing another, followed by four maids carrying the tightly bound large dog and a few other maids, the Second Master loudly demanded, “You three are disheveled, crying, what kind of behavior is this! Why hasn’t this dog been taken out to be put down yet?” He realized that Lu Man had brought up the incident involving the mistreated children to target him.

Ignoring him, Lu Man gently set down Jiang Jiu, wiped her tears, then did the same for Jiang Zhankui, comforting them quietly before leading them to the Princess. The three of them bowed before her.

Observing the disheveled group and the tightly bound dog, the Princess inquired, “Who has mistreated you?”

Jiang Zhankui explained, “Grandmother, this afternoon, my sister and I were waiting with Qichang on the veranda. Eldest Sister-in-law arrived with cousin Deyu, Younger Sister, and Younger Brother. Qichang is usually well-behaved and adores them, but today it was agitated. I warned them not to approach. Perhaps due to his fondness, brother Deyu ignored the warning and reached out to Qichang, causing it to bark and scare him. Qichang didn’t bite anyone, it’s gentle. However, those maids went to Qingfeng Courtyard to beat Qichang, claiming it was Father’s order. They wanted to kill it for scaring Deyu. When I intervened, they pushed me down and nearly killed the dog. My sister and I pleaded with them, but they ignored us. It was Sister-in-law who stopped them and brought us here.” He wiped his tears with his sleeve.

Lu Man admired the courage of this young boy. Despite his tender age, he remained brave, articulate, and composed in a crisis.

The maids, trembling, kneeled down in fear. One maid explained, “Your Highness, we were following the Second Master’s orders. He said the large dog frightened Young Master Deyu, and he wanted us to take the dog outside and put it down. We have been bitten by this dog multiple times.”

This maid was recognized by the Marquis, as she served at his wife’s side, dragged the Marquis household into the troubles of the second household, leading to the Marquis’s stern expression.

This afternoon, Madam Hong was at the Crane Hall. Seeing her grandchild with tear-streaked faces, she grew furious upon learning the incident. She had long been unhappy about the second household keeping a large dog inside, especially since it frightened individuals, particularly her grandchildren, who were drawn to it despite warnings.

Years ago, Jiang Zhanwei had a dog that accidentally entered the inner courtyard and startled the women, prompting the Second Master to order its demise. Following this incident, Jiang Zhanwei disappeared for two days and nights. Upon his return, he brought back a puppy, which the Princess reluctantly accepted. As the dog grew larger, Jiang Zhanwei surprisingly allowed it into the inner courtyard for his siblings to play with…