newbobooks Chapter 519 This is how I, as a mother, protect my child.
Chapter 519 This is how I, as a mother, protect my child.
How can the lintel of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel's residence be compared to that of the Duke of Zhenguo's residence?
Madam Wang felt a sudden "buzz" in her head, and all the color drained from her face.
She knew that Chu Ruohan was not joking.
This Duchess may appear gentle, but her methods are far beyond those of ordinary women in the inner quarters.
She really will go, and she really dares to go.
At that time, it won't just be the Wang family's reputation that will be lost, but also her husband's future!
"Lady Duchess, spare me! Spare me!" Lady Wang could no longer care about her dignity and crawled a few steps on her knees.
She tried to tug at Chu Ruohan's skirt, but was blocked by the maid and couldn't reach her no matter what she did.
She turned around abruptly, grabbed her terrified son, and cried out in anguish.
"You unfilial son! Kneel down! Kowtow to your brother Xuan and apologize! Do you want to kill our whole family?"
Wang Shuo had never seen his mother so distraught. He was so frightened that his legs went weak, but he still stubbornly refused to move.
"Snapped!"
A crisp slap echoed throughout the entire flower hall.
Madam Wang used all her strength to slap Wang Shuo's face, turning it to the side and leaving a bright red handprint.
"I'll make you kneel down!" she roared, her face covered in tears and snot.
Wang Shuo was stunned by the beating and burst into tears. This time, it was no longer a triumphant cry, but a cry of genuine fear.
His mother pressed him firmly to the ground, forcing him to kneel down in the direction of Chu Ruohan.
The guests were all silent, even their breathing was slowed down.
No one expected that a perfectly good full moon celebration would turn into such an embarrassing scene.
Master Gu's face had already turned ashen.
His grandson's full-month celebration was repeatedly disrupted by people from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The anger and frustration in his heart almost burst out of his chest, but seeing Chu Ruohan's unyielding appearance, he had no choice but to suppress it.
He couldn't let the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel's mansion truly break off relations, nor could he let his own family's banquet become a laughing stock in the entire capital.
"Cough!" Master Gu coughed heavily, stood up, and walked to the center of the arena with a stern face.
He first glanced at the Wang family mother and son kneeling on the ground, wailing, his eyes filled with disgust. Then he turned to Chu Ruohan, his tone carrying a hint of an elder's admonition: "Enough."
"The children's squabbles are nothing to worry about. Madam Wang has already disciplined them. Why be so aggressive and damage the harmony between the two families?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, he characterized the matter as "a minor incident".
Chu Ruohan slowly raised her eyes, looking at Master Gu with a clear and unwavering gaze, showing no intention of backing down.
“Third Uncle.” Her voice was flat. “Xuan-ge’er is the eldest grandson of my Zhenguo Duke’s Mansion. People are pointing fingers at him and calling him a bastard without father or mother.”
"If you consider this just a 'minor incident,' then I would like to ask, in your opinion, what constitutes a major issue?"
Master Gu was speechless for a long time after being silenced by her words, his face turning red.
Chu Ruohan ignored him and turned her gaze back to Madam Wang.
"I don't want to repeat myself. You choose whether your son kowtows to my son now to admit his mistake, or I will personally go to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow to 'reason' with Vice Minister Wang.
Madam Wang trembled, no longer daring to hesitate for a moment. She grabbed Wang Shuo by the back of the head, forcing him to slam his head against the ground.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
One dull thud after another struck the hearts of everyone.
"Speak quickly! Tell me you were wrong! Beg Young Master Xuan for forgiveness!" Madam Wang cried and urged.
Wang Shuo cried and mumbled incoherently, "I was wrong, I was wrong, little brother Xuan, I was wrong, please forgive me..."
Chu Ruohan watched expressionlessly until he kowtowed more than a dozen times, his forehead turning red, before she calmly said, "Stop."
She turned to Lu Ge'er, her voice unconsciously softening: "Lu Ge'er, do you think that's enough?"
No one expected that she would ask Brother Lü.
Lu Ge'er's straight back relaxed slightly. He knew that his aunt was supporting him and telling everyone that what he had done today was not wrong.
He stepped forward and bowed to Chu Ruohan, saying, "Aunt, I think that Young Master Wang is young and doesn't know any better. Now that he has admitted his mistake, that's enough. However..."
His tone shifted abruptly, and his sharp gaze fell upon the several servants sprawled on the ground.
"But these few unruly servants, with their vicious words and insults to their master, must not be let off lightly!"
"Someone come here." Chu Ruohan didn't even glance at the servants again, but only instructed the head maid beside her, "Do as I just said, send them away immediately."
“Tell their masters that the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion does not accept any form of apology, and only hopes that they will discipline their servants properly in the future.”
"Yes, Madam." The head maid responded and immediately summoned several burly old women, who dragged the crying and begging servants away.
The farce has finally come to an end.
But the atmosphere in the flower hall was colder than an ice cellar. The joy had been completely washed away, leaving only a mess and awkwardness.
Madam Gu, holding her precious grandson, stood frozen in place, her face more ashen than if she were crying.
Her meticulously planned full moon celebration turned into a complete joke.
Chu Ruohan walked to Lu Ge'er's side, raised her hand, and straightened his slightly disheveled clothes from his hurried arrival, the same action she had taken when she came.
"Well done," she said softly, her eyes filled with undisguised approval. "You're the older brother, it's only right that you protect your younger brother."
Lu Ge'er nodded vigorously. He would protect both Lan Jie'er and Xuan Ge'er...
Chu Ruohan stopped looking at anyone in the hall, took Lu Ge'er's hand, and said to the maid beside her, "Let's go back to the manor."
"Yes."
"Chu Ruohan!" Seeing her about to leave, Master Gu couldn't help but call out again, his tone complicated.
Chu Ruohan didn't stop walking, but simply left a sentence: "Third Uncle, today is the third branch of the family's big day, so your niece-in-law won't stay any longer."
"I just want to offer a word of advice: children are the future of the family. If you can't protect your children's reputation, you can't protect the future of the family."
"I hope you understand this principle."
After saying that, she took Lu Ge'er and Lan Jie'er and left straight away amidst the complicated gazes of the crowd.
The carriage of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion slowly drove away, leaving behind the guests of the three branches of the Gu family and a full moon banquet that could no longer be disguised.
Master Gu stood there, Chu Ruohan's last words like a needle piercing his heart.
Looking at the sleeping face of his grandson in his arms, and then thinking of Xuan-ge'er who had been humiliated in public and Lu-ge'er who had stood up for him, he felt a mix of emotions.
For the first time, I began to waver in some of my long-held beliefs...