Chapter 150: The Slap - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter
Chapter 150: The Slap
As they walked to the courtyard gate, Bai Sihan suddenly remembered, "Wasn't Siruo out with her? Why hasn't she returned? Could something have happened to her too?"
Grabbing Lin Mama beside her, she started to worry, "Quick, send someone out to find her and get her back quickly. We mustn't provoke the Princess, or she'll be the one to suffer!"
Lin Mama also felt anxious and immediately nodded, instructing people to go out and search.
Meanwhile, Bai Siruo, still blissfully unaware at the Feng residence, had no idea that trouble had befallen the Bai family.
When the Bai family servants found her at the Feng residence, Bai Siruo was already somewhat intoxicated. Hearing about Bai Sihan being beaten shocked her sober.
"Is she okay?"
"When Second Miss was carried back, she was covered in blood. We don't know her current condition. Madam asked us to find you and have you return home quickly."
"Let's go," Bai Siruo said, lifting her foot to leave. Then, remembering the host behind her, she smiled apologetically, "There's an urgent matter at home, so I must leave now. We'll meet again another day."
Xiao Mu Qian worried that she might be scolded by her elders for returning in this state, so after some consideration, he followed her, "I'll escort you home."
His firm tone left Bai Siruo unable to refuse, allowing him to take charge.
Once they left, the gathering naturally dispersed. Su Cheng volunteered to escort Xu Mingyue home, but was intimidated by the glare from Feng Jinlin, as though he had done something wrong. In the end, he pretended to be drunk and was 'escorted' away by Yin Canwen.
Thus, the task of escorting Xu Mingyue home fell onto Feng Jinlin.
Feng Jinyao stared at her brother for a while before instructing him, "There's much gossip outside. After escorting Sister Xu home, hurry back. I have something to discuss with you."
Her prolonged stare made Feng Jinlin somewhat uncomfortable, while Xu Mingyue remained unaffected and straightforward, refusing to be looked down upon.
"Take care on the way home, Sister Xu. We'll meet again another day."
"Mm."
After Feng Jinlin escorted Xu Mingyue until her departing figure gradually disappeared, Feng Jinyao finally retracted her smiling expression. It was unexpected that Bai Sihan had been beaten, but considering the temperament of Princess Changlin, Bai Sihan must have ruined something for her to act like this.
It seemed like the Wens were about to experience 'joy at the doorstep.'
The moon hung high, and the lively scene in the streets gradually dissipated, leaving only tens of thousands of lanterns dimly lighting up the night sky.
At the Bai residence.
In the third courtyard, people crowded around. Bai Xiang had never stepped into this courtyard before and never expected it would be under such circumstances.
The incident at Changchun Tower where Bai Sihan was beaten had already spread widely. Claims of disrespecting royalty and offending a princess were all one-sided accusations.
Bai Xiang had long heard of the reputation of Princess. The reason she hadn't been impeached was not because charges wouldn't work, but because she knew such accusations were futile. A princess who held the emperor's secrets tightly could not be brought down unless she touched the emperor's core interests. Otherwise, it was all empty talk.
"How is Sihan?"
After all, she was his granddaughter, and now her life hung by a thread, so he had to ask a few questions.
"Four or five doctors have examined her. They all say it's very critical. If she can make it through the next two or three days, there might be hope."
The doctors summoned were renowned in the Eastern Capital, and their conclusions were nearly unanimous. It appeared that whether Bai Sihan could survive this ordeal depended solely on her own strength.
Inside the room, Shen Shi cried uncontrollably, her words filled with curses. She didn't dare to confront the princess directly, with the Master outside overseeing everything. Instead, she took out her frustrations on Dongqing, who had been at Bai Sihan's side.
"Four or five doctors have assessed her condition and all say it's very critical. If she can make it through the next two or three days, there might be hope."
The physicians summoned were renowned in the Eastern Capital, and their conclusions were nearly unanimous. It appeared that whether Bai Sihan could survive this ordeal depended solely on her own strength.
Inside the room, Shen Shi cried uncontrollably, her words filled with curses. She didn't dare to confront the princess directly, with Master outside overseeing everything. Instead, she took out her frustrations on Dongqing, who had been at Bai Sihan's side.
"You wretched servant girl! Look at what's happened to Han'er, why haven't you just died?"
Dongqing cried, her eyes swollen like walnuts, cheeks marked with handprints, blood trickling from her mouth. Shen Shi showed her no mercy.
As a mere servant girl, how could she stop the fierce guards of the princess's mansion?
No matter how much she tried to explain, faced with Shen Shi's rage, she could only bow her head and endure the beating and verbal abuse, unable to speak back.
Princess Wen Yi couldn't bear to listen any longer. She ordered her mother to take Dongqing away. The Bai family didn't have a custom of beating servants arbitrarily, and moreover, this incident wasn't Dongqing's fault, so why should she bear all the blame?
But Shen Shi's fury was far from spent. She refused to let Dongqing leave, and in the struggle, even Princess Wen Yi's Maid received a few blows. Hearing the commotion from the women inside, Bai Xiang, who hadn't been angered in many years, fiercely slammed a cup to the ground, splashing scalding tea everywhere.
Bai Lin, who had just entered the room, was startled, then immediately heard the voices from inside.
Her face turned ashen, and she scolded loudly, "Are you all deaf? How can there be such a brawl in the house? Hurry up and pull them apart!"
Only after her outburst did the nearby servants dare to intervene. Over a dozen of them separated Shen Shi from Dongqing and her mother. Soon, the two sides were pulled apart. Dongqing's hair had been yanked out in several places, visibly painful.
"Take her away and treat her wounds."
Princess Wen Yi glanced at her maid. Though she wasn't physically hurt, her complexion was pale. She said, "You should rest as well."
"Yes, ma'am."
Soon, only Shen Shi remained inside, muttering angrily. Bai Sanlang, sitting in a circle chair, gripped the armrests tightly. His veins bulged, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, he stood up and entered the room, knocking Shen Shi down in a fit of rage.
With a crisp slap, she finally quieted down.
"If you speak out of line again, I will dismiss you. Han'er needs peace and quiet. Go and tidy yourself up."
His words were cold, devoid of any comfort, more filled with disdain for her current state, which had embarrassed him in front of his father and sister-in-law.
Shen Shi covered her cheek, knowing it had swollen high, and Bai Sanlang's strength was so great that she felt a little dizzy. Seeing herself in such a state, Shen Shi's anger subsided.
Turning back, she glanced at the unresponsive Bai Sihan and rushed over, starting to cry bitterly. At this moment, only a mother's heart remained, devoid of the earlier arrogance and fierceness.
"Sister-in-law, please forgive me."
"Third brother... you should offer more comfort. Brothers and sisters are also having a hard time."
Bai Lin couldn't express her feelings at the moment. She and her husband had always been loving. Although they occasionally argued, it was also part of the joy of family life. Seeing her fourth brother and sister-in-law like this, and the eldest brother and sister-in-law at home, she never expected that her third brother would turn out to be this kind of person.
Shen Shi was coarse, vulgar, indecent, and wanted to climb the social ladder. But her feelings for Bai Sihan were genuine.
In contrast, this third brother, when his daughter was in trouble, didn't show any urgency or anger, didn't seek revenge from others, only vented his anger on his wife, caring only about his own reputation. It was truly pitiful and lamentable.
For the first time, looking at Shen Shi's expression, there was a trace of indescribable pity.
When Bai Siruo entered the door, she was sober. On the way, she heard a lot from the steward, and her complexion was not very good at this time. When she entered the door and saw Bai Xiang, she fell to the ground with a bang.
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