Chapter 272: Chang Huilan, How Hypocritical You Are
The city walls were tall, but today, Ye Jiamei’s elegant spring-colored silk robe shimmered under the sunlight, along with the two gold hairpins and gemstone floral ornaments on her head. The dazzling sight made Chang Huilan squint slightly.
It had been many days since she last saw this place, and the sight of a grand city rising from the wilderness was already enough to leave her shaken. But now, looking up at the mother and daughter dressed in luxurious garments, adorned with gold and jade, Chang Huilan felt as if she had stepped into a different world.
It wasn’t the feeling of returning after a long time to find things changed—it was the shock of seeing those who were once beneath her now standing above, forcing her to look up at them, filling her heart with envy and resentment.
They were all from the Yu family. They had all been exiled. So why was it that the once-lowly concubine’s branch, who used to live next to the servants, now possessed such a magnificent city, commanding the loyalty of tens of thousands?
And what about her?
She came from a prestigious family and rose in status after marrying into the marquis household. Her daughter was now the Crown Prince’s consort, and both her sons were talented in both literature and martial arts, even earning military merits at a young age.
Her husband was once a noble heir of the capital, and they had lived harmoniously, treating each other with respect. His daily concerns were about where he could take her for leisure, not about how much work needed to be done or how many firewood bundles had to be collected.
Truly, times had changed, and fate had shifted.
“Lady Ye, how can you be so heartless as to treat an elderly woman this way? Even if you hate her, must you humiliate her like this? Now that my mother-in-law is dead, we no longer have the means to challenge you. Please return her body to us.”
Suppressing the fury in her heart, Chang Huilan tried to maintain a calm demeanor as she called out to Ye Jiamei.
At her words, Ye Jiamei and Yu Luo exchanged knowing glances, as if suddenly understanding something.
“So Yu Xiaoxuan thinks Old Madam Chen is dead? Haha, I never expected Chang Huilan and Yu Xiaoxuan to be so ruthless. If they truly believed Old Madam Chen was dead, yet still remained this composed, it says a lot about them. Perhaps Chang Huilan, as a daughter-in-law, had long wished for her to die so she wouldn’t have to serve her anymore.”
Ye Jiamei’s face was full of amusement, making Yu Luo struggle to hold back laughter.
“Chang Huilan isn’t stupid. Given our current strength, she knows she can’t defeat us. But as a daughter-in-law, she had to at least make an appearance, which is why she’s being so polite in asking for Old Madam Chen’s body.”
“So what do we do now? Old Madam Chen hasn’t suffered enough yet. We definitely can’t return her body to them.”
The thought of that wicked old woman, who had enjoyed decades of luxury as the marquis’ wife, made Ye Jiamei determined to let her suffer more—perhaps even forcing her to grind grain like a common laborer. There was no way she was handing her over so easily.
“Don’t worry, Mother. There’s no way I’d let Old Madam Chen go so easily.”
After reassuring Ye Jiamei with a playful wink, Yu Luo looked down at Chang Huilan below.
“Chang Shi, you should just go back. Consider your duty of filial piety fulfilled for today.”
With that, Yu Luo led Ye Jiamei away from the city wall, disappearing from the sight of the mother and son below.
“Yu Luo, my mother-in-law is already dead! Can’t you at least let her go? I’ll kneel to you!”
Watching the two figures vanish, Chang Huilan raised her voice in desperation.
She knew Yu Luo could hear her. Whether or not she would listen, however, was another matter. But this was something she had to do.
After her outburst, Chang Huilan immediately dropped to her knees. Just as she was about to continue pleading, the archers reappeared atop the city walls.
“Our Lady and Madam have left. Consider this a warning—if you don’t leave, we will shoot!”
Wang Xiao signaled to the archers, who swiftly raised their bows. Seeing this, Yu Xiaoxuan turned pale and immediately yanked Chang Huilan to her feet, dragging her away as they fled.
“Hahaha! And here I thought Chang Huilan was so devoted. Turns out she’s just another coward who values her own life. Are you doing this just so you can go back and give Yu Zhengqing an excuse? Hahaha! Chang Huilan, how hypocritical you are!”
Watching the two of them flee without hesitation, Ye Jiamei couldn’t help but lean over the city wall, laughing heartily.
“Ye Jiamei actually saw through our plan! She’s truly insufferable!”
Ye Jiamei’s mocking voice was so loud that even from hundreds of meters away, Chang Huilan could hear every word clearly.
Having her hypocrisy so bluntly exposed, Chang Huilan, who valued her pride, was absolutely furious.
“Mother, ignore them. They just want us to stay and get shot full of arrows. We’ve done our part—honestly, even if Father and Big Brother had come today, they might not have been able to retrieve Grandmother’s body either.”
“You’re right. We should just focus on living our lives. There’s no one to blame but Yu Luo for being so ruthless.”
Yu Luo had long since seen through the hypocrisy of the legitimate heirs of the Yu family. Once Chang Huilan and Yu Xiaoxuan were completely out of sight, she immediately ordered for Old Madam Chen to be brought up.
“Mother, check her condition. She looks like she’s unconscious—let’s make sure she’s not actually dead. We still need to get information from her about my biological grandmother.”
“Alright, don’t worry. These are just flesh wounds—they hurt, but they won’t kill her.”
Upon examination, Ye Jiamei found that Old Madam Chen was running a high fever and had completely lost consciousness.
The arrow wounds alone wouldn’t have caused this. It was likely due to the cold from last night. Having been pampered her whole life, Old Madam Chen’s frail body couldn’t handle such hardship, which had resulted in her falling ill.
Ye Jiamei administered a fever-reducing injection before ordering her men to take Old Madam Chen to where Lan Shi and Yu Mei Yao were laboring.
“Have someone tend to her wounds and give her a bowl of porridge. I don’t want her dead—I want her to suffer. Do you understand?”
“Understood!”
Wang Xiao accepted the order respectfully and immediately had his men carry the unconscious Old Madam Chen away.
Old Madam Chen woke up in agony.
Wang Xiao’s men had given a packet of medicine to Lady Lan and Yu Meiyao, instructing them to treat Old Madam Chen’s wounds.
Seeing the barely-alive old woman and the guards keeping watch, Lady Lan had no choice but to comply.
Truthfully, she wished Old Madam Chen would just die.
After all, she still remembered how Old Madam Chen had ordered Yu Zhengqing to sell her and Yu Meiyao in Feng City.
Beyond that, there were all the years of suffering under Old Madam Chen’s rule, and even after she had served her so diligently throughout their exile, she had still nearly been abandoned in the end.
Lady Lan could never forgive her.
