Noble Lady

He Shuang’s eyes widened.

How would my mother know?

Although she didn't say anything, her expression was enough to confirm what Zhang said.

"You, you evil creature! When did you have a secret meeting with that little beast Zhang Youcai?!" Zhang's eyes turned red with hatred.

She took every precaution, but still couldn't prevent it!

"No, no..." He Shuang was so scared that she was trembling like a quail.

Zhang took a deep breath, dragged her daughter back into the house, and pressed her into a chair. "Tell me the truth, how far have you and Zhang Youcai gotten?!"

"No, really not..." Tears welled up in He Shuang's eyes and her voice was trembling.

She cried and said that the last time Zhang sent someone back to her parents' home to deliver a letter, her cousin Zhang Youcai sent someone to bring her a gift and a message, inviting her to visit their academy today.

After a few more threats from Zhang Youcai, she took out all the gifts Zhang Youcai had given her, then curled up in a chair and burst into tears.

"This Zhang Youcai actually dared to covet my daughter. He's unworthy!"

Zhang gnashed her teeth in hatred, grabbed the cane that had been hanging on the wall for several years and whipped He Shuang with it.

"Ow—"

He Shuang jumped off the chair in pain and dodged left and right.

But Zhang was not willing to let her go. She grabbed her back and continued to beat her.

She already regretted sending a message to her mother's family. What kind of mother's family was that when she let an uneducated playboy abduct her daughter and elope?

They even want to get close to the Wu'an Marquis Mansion. Are they worthy?!

"He Shuang, I'm telling you, from now on you are not allowed to have any contact with the Zhang family!"

He Shuang was so scared that she shrank behind the chair, her shoulders trembling, and there were at least ten marks on her body from the whipping.

This was without any force. If he had used any force, she would have been covered in blood.

Zhang smiled coldly and continued, "Don't think I'm like Liu, who would just say a few words and put someone under house arrest and forget about it."

"If you let me know that you have any dealings with Zhang Youcai again, I will break your legs! In my place, there is only one outcome for running off to meet a wild man—"

He Shuang was still not afraid of death, and even asked in a tearful voice: "What will happen?"

"Even if I strangle you to death myself and then turn myself in, it's better than waiting for you to elope and bring shame upon the whole family! At least I can preserve the good reputations of your two brothers!"

Meeting Zhang's red eyes and the majestic rattan, He Shuang shuddered violently. This time she was really scared.

……

In the afternoon, news came from the second house that the third daughter, He Shuang, had contradicted the old lady of the second house, and was beaten by her and locked in her room and not allowed to go out.

Confused, Liu gloated over the misfortune, "Zhang used to say her daughter was well-behaved, but now she's rebellious, she's still beaten. Let's see what position she'll take in the future. She'll say I can't control my daughter."

Mother Huang chimed in, "That's right. I heard from the maid that the Second Old Madam was really ruthless. She beat the man so hard that his skin was torn and he was locked up in the room and wouldn't let him out."

"Why hit so hard?"

"Yeah, I heard everyone went to the pharmacy to buy wound medicine."

Mrs. Liu thought for a moment and said, "Then why don't you call a doctor? From what you said, if you beat her so hard and leave scars on her body, it will be difficult for her to get married."

"How would we know? Maybe the second old lady is reluctant to spend money." After saying this, Mother Huang covered her mouth and chuckled.

Liu also laughed, and she felt much better after the anger she had endured from Zhang in the morning.

……

The news that the second wife beat her daughter spread throughout the mansion, with all kinds of rumors circulating.

Some people said that He Shuang had an affair with a man outside her family, which made the Second Old Lady unhappy; some people said that He Shuang was dissatisfied with the marriage arranged for her by the Second Old Lady, so she was beaten;

There are even more outrageous stories, saying that He Shuang fell in love with a high-ranking official and wanted to be his mistress, but the second old lady refused to let her, so she took action.

The news that Yuzhu reported back was, "The Second Madam discovered that the Third Miss was secretly interacting with her nephew Zhang Youcai, and she immediately locked him up and beat him."

"He also said that if the third girl dared to associate with Zhang Youcai again, he would break her legs."

"He also said that if she really did something that would damage the family's reputation, he would rather strangle her to death and then turn himself in than bring disaster to the family's reputation."

Logically speaking, He Shuang and Zhang Youcai were cousins, and there was currently no evidence of an affair between them. Even if Zhang was against their relationship, she wouldn't have reacted so violently, even threatening to strangle her own daughter to protect her innocence.

Although the world is harsh on women, the He family is a noble family, so it is not impossible for them to be more demanding of their own daughters.

But Xue Chenyu always felt something was strange.

After much thought, there is only one possibility, that is, Zhang is likely to be reborn like her, and knows that He Shuang will elope with Zhang Youcai and end up in a miserable situation.

That's why she reacted this way.

Combined with Zhang's previous abnormal behavior, the fog surrounding Xue Chenyu's heart finally dissipated at this moment.

But she couldn't help but have new doubts.

If the second old lady Zhang was reborn like her, why would she be so respectful to her?

In her previous life, she was invited by He Minzhi and was assassinated in Qinglong Temple. The He family was in good shape, but she was the only one left in the Xue family.

Where did Zhang's respect and flattery towards her come from?

Could it be that something happened after her death that made Zhang feel that she still had great value?

These new mysteries are entangled together and cannot be solved for the time being.

"Did the second old lady beat the third young lady harshly? Was it really like what they said?" He Jixiang asked Yuzhu nervously.

Yuzhu: "No, they just whipped her with a cane about ten times and then locked her up. After all, she is their own daughter, and the Second Old Lady is also distressed."

In comparison, she is indeed much stronger than Liu.

He deserves to be beaten and scolded.

As for Liu, apart from putting on an act and preaching principles, he always just threw people there and left them alone.

After the job is done, they are expected to grow up to be well-educated and proficient in everything, and it would be best if they could bring honor to the family.

Look, it’s been so long, and none of them noticed that the fourth girl was here with her.

"Sister-in-law, I want to go see the third girl. I have some medicine. It would be nice if you could give it to her first."

"Go quickly and come back quickly, don't attract too much attention."

He Jixiang nodded, "I understand."

After He Jixiang left, Xue Chenyu asked Yuzhu, "What does the fourth lady do in Mingyu Pavilion?"

"Reading and writing." Yuzhu said seriously, "Although her handwriting is not beautiful, she is diligent. Besides, the fourth girl is also ambitious. Qiuhua Dongyue and I have all been asked to write by her."

Xue Chenyu didn't mind that she wanted to study.

It's normal to have ambition, just don't have bad intentions.