Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 30 - I'm Not Trying to Stir Up Trouble

Why wouldn't he get to see what his child looks like?

Could it be that he would die before the child is born?

Zhang Xiaoshan didn't think this kind of thing would happen. After all, behind him was Yang Shi, the matriarch of the Song family.

He opened his mouth, wanting to mock Song Yan with a few words, but didn't know what to say. For some unknown reason, a feeling called regret slowly welled up in his heart. Perhaps he shouldn't have gotten involved in the conflict between the First Mistress and Song Yan.

Song Yan no longer paid any attention to Zhang Xiaoshan, just raised his head and glanced at the Duke's mansion. 'If the upper beam is not straight, the lower ones will be crooked.' There were few good people in this Duke's mansion.

Some scores would have to be settled slowly.

After a few breaths, Song Yan shook his head, turned around, and said to Luo Tianyi: "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"Home."

Just then, screeech~~, a teeth-grating sound came from behind them. The originally tightly shut main gate of the Song family finally opened. A white-haired old man walked out from inside. It was Butler Wang.

This Butler Wang was one of the few people in the Duke's mansion who had not bullied those concubines and their illegitimate children. Even as the head butler, his status was higher than that of the concubines and their children. On a daily basis, he always had a kind and benevolent appearance, greeting everyone with a smile. Coupled with his plump body, he looked just like a Maitreya Buddha enshrined in a temple.

A good old man, probably like that.

But at this moment, this good old man had a face full of anger. As he passed by Zhang Xiaoshan, he raised his right hand and slapped him.

SLAP!

The crisp sound carried far. Half of Zhang Xiaoshan's face immediately swelled up.

"You bastard, who gave you the guts to block the Ninth Young Master's return visit?"

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He had been hit, and then scolded. Zhang Xiaoshan felt a little indignant and wanted to explain that this was the First Mistress's arrangement, but seeing Butler Wang's face, he ultimately didn't dare to say anything.

After giving Zhang Xiaoshan a slap, Butler Wang hurried over with a trot and blocked Song Yan's path.

The early morning was still a bit cool, but Butler Wang was covered in sweat.

The Duke's mansion had not been peaceful during this period. Because of the matter with the dowry at the wedding, the Duke's mansion had lost all face and was covered in dust. For the first time, Song Hongtao had spoken harsh words to Yang Shi, calling her a foolish woman who only knew of petty gains.

Song Hongtao was eager to restore the Duke's mansion's face. On one hand, he was preparing to supplement the dowry, but Yang Shi was still being coy and difficult, crying and wailing, saying: "Without this money, how will we live in the future!" She annoyed Song Hongtao to no end. If not for his apprehension of the Langya Yang family, he probably would have already hit her.

On the other hand, he also wanted to use the opportunity of the return visit to ease the relationship with the Luo family.

Therefore, early in the morning, Butler Wang had specifically instructed Zhang Xiaoshan to receive them well and not be neglectful in any way. But he never thought that this Zhang Xiaoshan would actually make Song Yan and Luo Tianyi's group use the side gate!

The First Mistress, is she trying to get back the face she lost before?

How can she be so foolish?

Regardless of whether the relationship between Luo Yuheng and the Ning Emperor had eased, she was an imperial relative acknowledged by an imperial edict. To make an imperial relative use the side gate, could it be that the prestige of your Duke's mansion is even greater than the imperial palace's?

He had further not expected that Song Yan's current temperament would be so explosive, unable to suffer the slightest grievance, and would turn to leave on the spot.

If Song Hongtao hadn't asked him to come and check why Song Yan and the Luo family party hadn't arrived, and he hadn't happened to hear the commotion here, things would probably have become very troublesome. He immediately had someone go and inform the Old Master.

Gu Banxia looked at her Young Master-in-law with some admiration. On the way here, the Young Master-in-law had already guessed that something like this might happen and had even prepared a response. Pursing her lips, she looked up at the old man opposite her:

"Butler Wang, is this the Song family's way of treating guests?"

"Regarding the matter of the dowry, my Madam has already decided not to pursue it with the Song family and still prepared lavish gifts for the return visit. But you actually want us to use the side gate. Do you really think the Luo family is easy to bully?"

Gu Banxia's voice was ice-cold. Butler Wang hurriedly put on a smiling face and repeatedly said it was a misunderstanding.

Seeing Butler Wang's appearance, Zhang Xiaoshan's vision went dark, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Even if he were a fool, he would know that he had truly messed with the wrong people this time.

He didn't know what kind of punishment he would receive now.

However, this was, after all, something the First Mistress had instructed. He reckoned the First Mistress would protect him... Thinking this, the fear in Zhang Xiaoshan's heart dissipated quite a bit.

Just as Zhang Xiaoshan was muttering to himself, hurried footsteps came from within the gate. When he saw the person's appearance, Zhang Xiaoshan's expression changed slightly. It was the Old Master... He racked his brains, thinking of how to explain himself, but Song Hongtao gave him no chance to speak at all. As soon as he reached the gate, he lifted his right foot and kicked.

The kick landed squarely in the middle of his chest.

With a Thwack, Zhang Xiaoshan's body instantly fell backward, the side of his forehead smashing hard against the corner of the gate.

Fresh blood flowed freely.

It hurt a lot, but Zhang Xiaoshan could only kneel on the ground, shivering and constantly begging for mercy. He didn't dare to say another word. The blood flowed into his eye socket and slid down his face. He looked rather pitiful.

However arrogant he had been before, that's how pathetic he was now.

On the way over, Song Hongtao had already learned the gist of the situation and also knew this was Yang Shi's arrangement. A woman who can only spoil things!

Glaring hatefully at Zhang Xiaoshan, he had already put on a smiling face by the time he turned around. He held the esteemed rank of Duke, yet he had to personally come and welcome these juniors. He felt truly aggrieved in his heart.

His gaze swept past Song Yan and finally landed on Luo Tianyi.

"Second Young Miss, this is all a misunderstanding. The Song and Luo families are in-laws. Why must it come to this?"

Although it was understandable that Luo Tianxuan couldn't accompany Song Yan for the return visit due to her health, but... there was no logic in having the younger sister accompany the brother-in-law for the return visit, was there?

But then he thought of that Luo Yuheng, and it no longer felt strange.

The other party was a Duke. It was no longer appropriate for Gu Banxia to respond at this time. Luo Tianyi tilted her head, trying hard to recall in her mind the words Song Yan had taught her before, and then spoke in a monotonous tone:

"Your Excellency the Duke must be joking. What kind of status does my Luo family have... how could we dare to aspire to the Duke's mansion? My mother said, the Duke's mansion looks down on the Luo family, looks down on the imperial relatives... but my Luo family cannot be without etiquette. This return visit, we must still go... uh... but after the return visit, the Song and Luo families will have no contact with each other until the day they die.”

She was an expert at practicing martial arts, but when it came to reading and writing, she was even worse than Luo the Third. No exaggeration, she was truly worse than that Luo the Eighth who almost ate shit!

Memorizing this long passage was really a bit difficult for her.

It was strange. She could flip through a thick martial arts secret manual once and remember seventy to eighty percent of it, but for a single chapter of the 'Analects', which was only five hundred characters, she would still stumble through it even after studying for several years.

This brother-in-law just loves to make things difficult for people.

Thinking this, she glared at Song Yan.

That reproachful glare inexplicably made Song Yan's heart tremble.

This little sister-in-law, although her face was like ice, always felt quite like a vixen when she was in front of him.

Song Hongtao's slightly fat body shivered. Listen to this tone, could it be any more sarcastic?

The events of the wedding ceremony had been brought back to the palace by that detestable Eunuch Wei. Although the Emperor had not issued an edict to strip him of his Duke title, he had given his second brother, Song Jincheng, a harsh scolding. Even his eldest son, Song Huai, and his second brother's two nephews who were officials at court, were dismissed from their posts by the Emperor on some random pretext.

Normally, as the elder brother and the head of the family, even if his second brother's official rank was higher, he couldn't be disrespectful to him. But this time, it concerned the future of the younger generation. Song Jincheng had also written a letter, sent by fast horse, complaining bitterly about him.

If this happened again, he was afraid that all the younger generation members of the Song family serving as officials in the court would be completely stripped of their posts.

When that time came, it wouldn't be as simple as just a letter of complaint. Affecting the future of all the younger generation of the family, it would be a question of whether he could even keep his position as the head of the family.

Thinking this, a cold sweat broke out on Song Hongtao's forehead. He had no choice but to look towards Song Yan, hoping that Song Yan could help smooth things over.

Song Yan sighed and slowly took a step forward. Song Hongtao was delighted in his heart. Sure enough, his own son. Although he had been wronged, in the end, he was still on his side.

But what Song Hongtao didn't expect was that Song Yan didn't say anything to Luo Tianyi. Instead, he looked at Butler Wang: "Uncle Wang, did you not instruct Zhang Xiaoshan?"

Butler Wang smiled bitterly: "I did instruct him..."

Song Yan sighed and then said: "Normally, for a concubine's son like me who has already married out, what happens in the Duke's mansion doesn't have much to do with me... but..."

"Father, I'm not trying to stir up trouble."

"I just feel that the Duke's mansion needs to be cleaned up a little."

Song Hongtao was slightly stunned. The Duke's mansion, cleaned up?

Clean up who?

The servants, of course!

Why clean up the servants?

The servants aren't listening.

If the servants don't listen to this Old Master's words, then whose words do they listen to?

Only Yang Shi's!

Song Hongtao's expression suddenly changed, and his eyes narrowed. Butler Wang was also slightly stunned. The gaze he directed at Song Yan became strange. It seems everyone had underestimated this Ninth Young Master before.

Others might not have sensed anything, but Butler Wang knew just how vicious these seemingly casually spoken words were.

A person like Song Hongtao cared most about the power in his hands.

Everyone in the entire Duke's mansion knew the relationship between him, Butler Wang, and the Old Master. His words were the transmission of the Old Master's will. Yet this Zhang Xiaoshan, because of Yang Shi's words, had directly disregarded the Old Master's command.

What is this called? This is called 'only knowing the First Mistress, and not knowing the Old Master'...

This was an untouchable reverse scale, a direct hit on the bullseye.

And that Zhang Xiaoshan's expression also suddenly changed. Only at this moment did he finally understand what Song Yan's words meant.

This was aimed at him!