Edited by: Foenix8/Nix-sama

Chapter 9: The Infuriated Elders

When they had both gone back to their own manor, Pan Yi gave Han Xia Yu a letter that she had received from the Lightning Owl. She was dismissed to feed rat meat to the owl and eagle, and Han Xia Yu read the letter as she leaned her back on the seat.

She wrote a letter back and called the Earth Eagle.

"Send this to this person." She showed him a fabric to let him sniff the scent. As soon as he recognized the scent, he flew out of the window.

When it was dinner time, the guard outside of her room announced her mother's arrival.

Pan Yi whispered in her ear, "Concubine Wei is seeking audience with miss. She also brought seventh miss along. Give permission to enter or not?"

Although the maid asked such a thing, Han Xia Yu knew that she didn't have the same gut as Pan Ai or Pan Liu to say no to the concubine or the misses.

"Just let her in," Han Xia Yu said without delay. Since she was in mourning period, her dinner only consisted of vegetarian dishes.

She was not in the mood to eat and who knew what her mother wanted. She might eat that old woman and that bloody sister of hers instead of the meal in front of her.

"This concubine greets second miss. This concubine apologizes if she has bothered your timely dinner," Concubine Wei said without a shred of sincerity on her face, not even bothering to kneel down like she was supposed to.

"Younger sister greets older sister," Luo Xi Yun said arrogantly with her flat chest pointing upward proudly. She didn't even bow.

Han Xia Yu didn't even give them a glance as she replied with a short hum while her finger played with her cup of wine.

"Hm."

Concubine Wei's smile slowly curved downward. She appeared to be displeased by the manner Han Xia Yu was showing her, and adding up to the main reason she was here, Concubine Wei became angry.

"Since when have you befriended that wretched woman's child?" Concubine Wei spouted angrily.

Han Xia Yu glanced at her and put the wine down.

"Since when have you eaten pig nose? Why does everything that comes out of your mouth sound like that thing in my ears?" Han Xia Yu mocked.

"Insolence! I'm your mother!" Concubine Wei's face turned red instantaneously.

Before Concubine Wei could add more, Han Xia Yu didn't give her chance to say anything as she continued.

"I don't even put the elders of this manor in my eyes and now a lowly concubine dares to scold me? Who is the impudent one now? I dared to punish even the elder, I don't even need a reason to punish you! Guards!" Han Xia Yu spoke out loud for everyone around to hear.

The guards outside of her rooms were all women but their powers were as mighty as any powerful men. They were hired even before Han Xia Yu made her name in the academy to protect her courtyard. When they heard their master calling, not one delayed in their speed.

"This concubine has interrupted my dinner and dared to behave ill-mannered in my courtyard. Take her away and throw her into the ancestral hall. Convey my word to the head patriarch, saying that 'If someone still dares to bother me during the mourning period, I will cut all relation to the Luo Manor.'"

Cutting ties with Luo Manor would make it much easier for her to kill them all. Stupid people would think that cutting relations with the Luo Manor was an idiotic decision, but cunning people like Luo Zheng would definitely understand that if she had no ties, killing them was a small matter and she also wouldn't be implicated with the title of ungrateful bastard by the imperial court.

When the guards dragged away Concubine Wei, they didn't forget the seventh miss.

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As she was being dragged by the female guard by the hand, Luo Xi Yun accidentally made eye contact with Han Xia Yu and her whole body shuddered from indescribable fear. Han Xia Yu's eyes were cold and darker than the night. The shadows behind her made her appear as if she was a devil incarnate.

At that time, Han Xia Yu was thinking.

'Sending you there is just to encourage you guys to find more trouble so that I won't feel guilty when I kill all of you.'

Meanwhile, at the ancestor hall.

"Lord Zheng, it is your fault for not being able to manage your courtyard peacefully. Although Yu Er has been rude to you and the elders, she has the upper hand in this matter. If she was to bring this matter to the court and ask for justice from the emperor, she would naturally win in this case and win the public's heart."

"A step-sister who demanded justice for an abandoned daughter, it was the most benevolent act ever," Elder Bu Zian said as he combed his straight white beard with his hand. He was a chubby man. His head was bald, whereas only his face had facial hairs.

"Elder Bu, are you saying that we should listen to the impudent child?!" Elder Ban Guo glared at the elder sitting opposite of him. After witnessing his courtyard being emptied by the wretched child, he immediately complained to the head patriarch. He was also the one that threw oil into fire to Luo Zheng so that Luo Xia Yu would be punished according to family law for being rude to her elders.

However, this old man in front of him dared to meddle in his plan. If he couldn't punish that wretched child, his name wouldn't be Ban Guo anymore!

"This matter weighs a lot even though it is only the death of a concubine-born daughter. This old one implores you to think more, Lord Zheng," Elder Bu Zian said, without answering Ban Guo, as he stared at the man sitting on the stage.

Another elder with long white hair and a short white beard interrupted them.

"Both of you elders need to calm down. Yu Er might be rude to her elder but according to what she said, Lord Zheng is also the one at fault."

"Elder Wu Sheng, what do you mean by that?" Luo Zheng, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. He narrowed his eyes at Elder Wu Sheng, as he was angered by the old man's words.

"Before she left to the academy, she asked you to take care of the fourth miss, isn't that right? She didn't ask for money or for you to change the girl's courtyard because she knew that the child's mother committed a sin; therefore, she took care of everything else except for personally attending to the child.

You as that child's real father, what are you doing?" Wu Sheng berated him.

Elder Wu Sheng has promised Xia Yu's maternal grandfather that he would protect the girl on his behalf. He was only away for a year in seclusion to cultivate because he thought that the girl would not be harmed while she was at the academy. However, these people still managed to harm her. He just got out of the seclusion because the elders said that Xia Yu made a problem.

He didn't even see the girl yet and these people had managed to anger him.

Just as Luo Zheng was about to explain, he heard noises from outside of the hall.

"Aiya!" Concubine Wei exclaimed in pain as she was thrown by the guards in front of the ancestral hall.

"What is happening here?" Luo Zheng walked out of the hall with the elders and saw Concubine Wei and the seventh miss get thrown by the female guards.

One of the guards walked forward and repeated every single word that Han Xia Yu said to them. Then, they all returned to the flame cloud courtyard after finishing what they were told to do.

"Impudent! Who does she think she is?!" Ban Guo smashed his cup on the table by exerting his qi.

The maids had to clean his mess up quickly, fearing that they will taste his wrath.

Concubine Wei wanted to say something but she didn't know what to say in this kind of situation. If the other misses did this to her, she would definitely win Luo Zheng's favor but it was her own daughter that did this to her.

"Concubine Wei, you can return to your courtyard first. When everything has been settled, I will head there." Luo Zheng said to appease Concubine Wei.

"This concubine understands..." She lowered her head and took her daughter with her as she left the place.

Concubine Wei walked out of the hall seemingly sad but in her heart she was happy to hear that the master would be coming to her place today. She told the servants to prepare everything so that the master would stay until tomorrow morning.

Luo Zheng's face darkened as soon as he remembered what the guard said. He sat back on his seat, and in a cold tone, he said to the steward Du beside him.

"Send my words to every courtyard. Do not bother with the second miss and no one is allowed to visit her courtyard even if there is an important matter. Anyone who won't obey will receive a punishment according to the family's law. "

Steward Du bowed and left immediately while bringing a few servants with him to convey the master's words to the other courtyards.

Although it infuriated Ban Guo so much, he also didn't have a solution to this matter. He was an elder but he had to listen to the lowly concubine's daughter. His own daughter was the furen of this house and his grandson was the royal tutor's disciple, but that concubine's daughter's prestige was even higher than the crown prince of this kingdom.

It was as clear as the day of the meaning behind her words.

'That wretched concubine-born daughter cannot be allowed to cut her relations or the emperor will end our lives,' Ban Guo thought to himself.

Luo Zheng massaged his temple as he pondered about this matter.

After a minute of silence, he told the elders to return to their own courtyard and to forgive Xia Yu this one time.

Every elder except for Wu Sheng had an ugly face when they left the ancestral hall.