Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“Lord Chu, I believe you wouldn’t shield the Su Family now, would you?!” Mrs. Zhang said in a threatening tone.

“Madam Magistrate, rest assured, I will certainly not shield anyone,” Magistrate Chu replied. “However, it seems inappropriate to barge in rashly; it would be better to send someone to announce our presence.” Magistrate Chu was a smart person and naturally would not blindly follow Mrs. Zhang’s foolish actions. It was risky to storm in without knowing the situation inside. If they encountered someone of import, he couldn’t afford the repercussions. Moreover, there had been no previous grievances between him and the Su Mansion, and their relationship had even been quite good. His presence was a matter of necessity.

“The old master is right, it’s better to announce our arrival,” added Madam Wei, the county magistrate’s wife, supporting his decision. She naturally sided with the Su Family, hoping to provide them time to prepare should there be any issues. Ever since her two daughter-in-laws became pregnant, Madam Wei had felt an unprecedented friendliness and gratitude towards the Su Family. Furthermore, Mrs. Zhang seemed too overbearing and unforgiving, almost certainly not the fault of the Su Family.

“Why announce it, so they have time to flee? What great calculations you have! Don’t think that I’m unaware of your relationship with the Su Family. You wish to side with them, but don’t even think about it!” Mrs. Zhang glared at Madam Wei venomously, as if she had committed an unforgivable crime, and charged inside with her servants.

The Su Mansion’s servants put up a token resistance at first but did nothing further. Mrs. Zhang moved through unobstructed, grabbed a servant girl to ask for directions, and headed towards the main courtyard.

Magistrate Chu and his wife exchanged a glance before following Mrs. Zhang. Magistrate Chu intended to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, while his wife was thinking of how she could lend a hand.

The Su Mansion’s servants were not surprised to see Madam Magistrate leading people inside. They showed no sign of alarm, glanced over, and quietly went back to their work. Mrs. Zhang and her daughter were so intent on troubling the Su Family that they missed these details, but Magistrate Chu noted them, further confirming his suspicions.

A maid guided Mrs. Zhang and her entourage into the courtyard. Mrs. Zhang was about to ask questions when she heard voices and laughter from inside. While Mrs. Zhang had never met Su Wenyue, Mrs. Sun immediately recognized her voice.

“Mother, it’s definitely here. That wretched Mrs. Su is inside.”

Once affirmed, Mrs. Zhang didn’t need to question the maid further and barged in: “Servants, seize these audacious and presumptuous troublemakers for me”

Mrs. Zhang’s words were cut off midway, followed by a thud. Mrs. Sun, who trailed behind, lost her voice as she entered and saw the august old woman in the imperial edict attire sitting straight ahead. They were all part of Official’s Families and, even if they lacked discernment, they couldn’t fail to recognize the attire of the imperial edict as belonging to a second-rank official.

Mrs. Zhang and her daughter knelt down, followed by those who had rushed in with them. Magistrate Chu and his wife, hearing the commotion ahead, hurried forward to offer their respects.

“Lower officer pays respects to Marquess’ Lady; may you be well,” said the magistrate’s wife, following suit in offering obeisance. However, Magistrate Chu addressed the identity of the old lady directly. The room’s occupants were shaken upon hearing the address of “Marquess’ Lady”. They wished they could bury their heads into the ground. Intending to seize criminals, they had instead encountered a high-ranking figure of the Marquess Mansion – and now misfortune was inevitable.

Old lady Su, seeing that Magistrate Chu had correctly identified her, cast a half-second look at him. Since he could name her, he must be closely connected with the Su Family. They had followed Mrs. Zhang’s entourage and the underlings had been very restrained, giving her some peace of mind.

Old lady Su glanced over the people kneeling before her and finally spoke, “What sort of people are these? Has the world become so chaotic now? Any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to barge into my Su Family and even scold me to my face. Do they not regard me at all, or is it the Marquis Bei’an Mansion they overlook, or perhaps they just plainly disregard the Imperial Court?”

Old lady Su’s words were relatively calm, but they terrified those kneeling on the ground. What was she saying? How dare they disrespect the Imperial Court, which carried the crime of rebellion?

“Grandmother, this lady happens to be the wife of the Yiyang Prefecture’s general magistrate, a figure of significance here. No wonder she dares disregard the Imperial Court,” Su Wenyue chimed in with a chuckle. “I hear she even intends to strip Lord Chu of his post. Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never heard of women from the inner house interfering in matters of the court. The times indeed have changed.”

Hearing these words from Su Wenyue, Madam Magistrate’s already pale face turned even paler. At that moment, she was too preoccupied to bear any resentment towards Su Wenyue. If the Marquis’ Lady pinned those crimes on her, not only would she be ruined, but the Sun Family would face serious trouble. Loss of official post was a minor issue compared to disrespecting the Court, equivalent to treason, which meant the punishment of extinction of the family line!

“Is that the case, Mrs. Wang? Could this be true?” asked old lady Su in a cold voice, seemingly weighing something.

Responding to Marquis’ Lady’s question, Mrs. Zhang blurted out, “Even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn’t dare to disrespect the Imperial Court or interfere with its matters. I was just speaking nonsense earlier, which cannot be taken as truth. Please forgive me, Marquis’ Lady. I shall never dare again,” her words stumbling out nervously.

“You wouldn’t dare indeed! But it’s true you sought trouble with my granddaughter. Su Wenyue is nearly five months pregnant now. If any misfortune befalls her due to some people’s malice, see if I’ll spare anyone!”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Mrs. Zhang and her daughter, reprimanded by the Marquess’ Lady, were scared out of their wits, begging for mercy. They could have never imagined that a merchant’s daughter like Su Wenyue would have such a formidable background. Otherwise, even a hundred times the courage wouldn’t have been enough for them to show up. Mrs. Sun, on the other hand, was filled with regret, having thought it was only a rumor, only to discover it was the truth. She had been misled by Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Wang.

Magistrate Chu and his wife also felt their hearts skip beat by beat, their legs numb from kneeling. Though the situation seemed unrelated to them, it was occurring under their jurisdiction in Xinye and, above all, they were intimidated by the Marquess’ Lady’s authority. However, it was Su Wenyue who helped them up and invited them to sit down. Mrs. Zhang and her daughter were not so lucky; despite their sore knees from kneeling so long, without the Marquess’ Lady’s permission, they could only kneel obediently.

As they supported each other out of the Su Mansion, Mrs. Zhang and her daughter felt nothing but cold sweat, their legs weak, the whole body on the verge of collapse. Marquis Beian’s Lady was indeed terrifying, with a glance seeming to penetrate right into their hearts.