Upon hearing this, Old Madam Lu’s face instantly darkened. She snatched her hand back and said, displeased, "Lady Wei, I had thought you were a reasonable and magnanimous person. Now it seems you’re nothing but a narrow-minded, jealous shrew!"

Lady Wei gave her a cool glance, the corner of her lip quirking up into a smirk. "If Mother feels I am so improper, you can simply have me repudiated. That would save me the trouble of being an eyesore in your presence!"

The moment she said this, Old Madam Lu’s expression changed. "You... you... Do you think I truly wouldn’t dare to have you repudiated?"

"I wouldn’t dare think such a thing. After all, Old Madam is so powerful; there is nothing you wouldn’t dare to do," Lady Wei scoffed, her tone unhurried.

Old Madam Lu was incensed. She pointed a trembling finger at her and snapped, "You audacious Lady Wei! Just wait until Zhenbei returns! I’ll make him teach you a proper lesson!"

"I’ll be waiting, then," Lady Wei replied, entirely unafraid.

Old Madam Lu clutched her chest, too enraged to speak.

Yet, there was nothing she could truly do to Lady Wei.

After all, among the Lu Family’s grandchildren, only Lu Zhan was the most promising and the most resolute. He had always held his mother, Lady Wei, in high esteem.

Furthermore, her own son, Lu Zhenbei, also sided with this woman.

’Lady Wei dared to talk back to her like this only because she had the backing of those two.’

The more Old Madam Lu thought about it, the angrier she became, her face turning ashen.

"Madam, how can you speak to Old Madam Lu like that? You’ve upset her terribly," Aunt Wang said in disapproval, stepping forward thoughtfully to soothe the old woman by rubbing her back.

"When we are speaking, what place is there for a mere concubine like you to interrupt? Nanny Fang, slap her!" Lady Wei’s face hardened.

At this, Nanny Fang immediately advanced with several maids.

Aunt Wang’s face paled. "You... you dare?"

Nanny Fang had long found her an eyesore and was eager to vent her mistress’s anger.

Now that she had her mistress’s order, how could she possibly let her off?

Nanny Fang seized Aunt Wang by the hair and yanked her forward.

The maids were quick-witted, immediately twisting Aunt Wang’s arms behind her back to keep her from struggling.

Nanny Fang wound back her arm and began to slap Aunt Wang’s face with all her might.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

The sound of slapping echoed endlessly.

"This is rebellion! Utter rebellion!" Old Madam Lu was practically fuming. "Stop this at once!"

But Nanny Fang and the others turned a deaf ear, striking with even more vigor.

"Mother!" Lu Xuan cried out, ramming into the group of women. "Let my mother go!"

"You little brat, you’re asking for it!" Caught off guard, Nanny Fang stumbled from the impact. With a backhand motion, she shoved him to the ground.

"Nanny Fang, how dare you!" Old Madam Lu nearly fainted from rage. She pointed at Lady Wei and screamed, "Wei Minghui, are you not going to tell them to stop?"

Just as Lady Wei was about to speak, a sudden force shoved her, sending her stumbling to the ground.

Before she could even react, she saw Lu Xuan rush up to her. He raised a dagger, his expression ferocious. "You old hag! You dared to have my mother beaten! I’ll kill you!" With that, he swung the dagger, stabbing toward Lady Wei.

Zhi Wan’s expression changed. She rushed forward, grabbed Lu Xuan by the collar, and swiftly knocked the dagger from his hand before giving him a backhanded slap. "How dare you disrespect my aunt! The audacity!"

Lu Xuan turned his head, glaring at her with vicious eyes. Then, catching her off guard, he grabbed her arm and bit down hard.

AHH—

The searing pain made Zhi Wan cry out.

"Miss!" Shuang’er’s face turned pale. She lunged forward, trying to pull Lu Xuan away, but he bit down stubbornly, refusing to let go.

"Let her go!" Lady Wei was terrified. Ignoring the pain in her hip from the fall, she scrambled up and desperately tried to pry open Lu Xuan’s jaw by pinching his cheeks.

But Lu Xuan kept biting ferociously into Zhi Wan’s arm, as if he meant to tear a chunk of flesh from it.

Chen Jiu, who had just driven the carriage into the residence and come back out, saw this scene and was scared out of his wits.

He charged forward and, with a single karate chop to the neck, knocked Lu Xuan unconscious.

Zhi Wan’s arm was finally freed, but she was in so much pain she nearly fainted, her face deathly pale.

Lady Wei’s heart ached terribly. Seeing the blood seeping from the wound on her niece’s arm, she felt a murderous urge toward Lu Xuan.

She held Zhi Wan tightly in her arms and said to Chen Jiu, "Quick, go get a doctor!"

Chen Jiu took off at a run, only a single thought echoing in his mind. ’It’s over. I failed to protect her. When the Princely Heir returns, he’ll skin me alive!’ 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Take this animal and lock him in the estate’s dungeon! No one is to let him out without my order!" Lady Wei commanded, her face grim as she pointed at Lu Xuan on the ground.

Servants immediately came forward to take Lu Xuan away.

"Don’t any of you touch him!" Aunt Wang threw herself over Lu Xuan like a madwoman to protect him. Then she knelt at Lady Wei’s feet, begging piteously, "Madam, Xuan is still just a child! He doesn’t know any better! He only did such a foolish thing because he was worried about me! I beg you, Madam, please be lenient and don’t stoop to the level of a child!"

"He nearly tore the flesh from Wan’er’s arm, and you call that ’not knowing any better’?! Nothing you say today will matter. He is going to the dungeon!" Lady Wei kicked her aside, her face full of disgust.

"Wei Minghui!" Old Madam Lu rebuked furiously. "Even if you won’t show me any respect, you must consider the bigger picture! Xuan is Zhenbei’s son, after all! How will you explain yourself to Zhenbei for punishing his son over an outsider?"

"In my eyes, Lu Xuan is the outsider! Wan’er is my heart’s treasure! It’s already merciful of me not to have killed Lu Xuan for daring to harm her! If you dare to keep pestering me with this nonsense, I’ll send him to the government authorities! After all, he just tried to kill me with a dagger!" Lady Wei was absolutely livid.

This threat stunned Old Madam Lu and Aunt Wang into silence.

"Take him away!" Lady Wei commanded in a low, dangerous voice.

Aunt Wang snapped out of her stupor and scrambled to stop the servants from taking her son.

"Madam, you can’t be so heartless! Xuan is still so young! He won’t survive in the dungeon! If you’re angry, take it out on me..." Aunt Wang wailed, tears streaming down her face.

Losing her patience, Lady Wei ordered the guards, "Aunt Wang is so concerned for her son. In that case, lock her in the dungeon as well. Let the mother and son be reunited."

"You can’t do this to us! I want to see the Duke!" Aunt Wang shrieked hysterically.

Lady Wei ignored her. She gave Nanny Fang a look, then helped Zhi Wan inside the residence.

Nanny Fang silenced the still-wailing Aunt Wang with a sharp slap across the face.

"Drag them away!"

Soon, mother and son were both dragged off.

Her face ashen, Old Madam Lu ordered a servant, "Hurry and summon the Duke back!"

「Yaoguang Pavilion.」

When she saw the wound beneath Zhi Wan’s sleeve, Lady Wei was both shocked and enraged. "That little bastard! He dared to hurt you! I will make him suffer for this!"

Shuang’er’s eyes reddened with distress. Squatting beside Zhi Wan, she gently blew on the wound and choked out, "Miss..."

Tears welled up in Zhi Wan’s eyes from the pain. Seeing how upset they were, she forced herself to endure the agony and offer some comfort. "It’s alright. It just looks scary."

Chen Jiu quickly returned with the doctor.

It was not proper for him to enter, so he could only pace back and forth anxiously in the courtyard.

When he finally saw Shuang’er escorting the doctor out, he rushed forward and asked urgently, "How is she? Is the Miss alright?"

The doctor stroked his beard and sighed. "Though it is a bite wound, the one who bit was truly vicious. The flesh was nearly torn off. I had to put in a few stitches. For a young lady with such delicate skin, this is a terrible ordeal."

Hearing this, Chen Jiu felt his world come crashing down.