Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 106

Yu Ruhai was now completely unsettled. Hearing what Old Madam Yu said, he replied anxiously, “Since the He family sent her back, they must be planning to come after me.”

But Madam Yu had a different take. She spoke quietly, “Not necessarily. The prescription for Old Master He was indeed written by her. As long as we throw Meng Yujiao out of this house, and the He family comes to confront us, we’ll take it to the yamen and reason it out. All you have to do is put all the blame on her.”

“Will the He family really let this go so easily?” Yu Ruhai asked, clearly worried.

“Maybe they sent her back precisely so we could handle her ourselves,” Madam Yu speculated.

Seeing the two of them whispering with ill intent, the cold mockery in Yu Jiao’s almond-shaped eyes deepened. She couldn’t be bothered to listen further and turned to leave the main hall.

Yu Ruhai called her back, his aged face grim and stern. “Your prescription harmed Old Master He. Our Yu family can no longer tolerate your presence. You’ve ruined my reputation and shamed the medical skill of the Yu family. I could overlook all that, but the disaster you’ve caused with Old Master He, you must bear full responsibility. We’ve fed and clothed you without ever treating you unjustly. If you still have a shred of conscience, you’ll take this guilt upon yourself.”

Yu Jiao almost wanted to applaud Yu Ruhai’s shamelessness. She strolled leisurely to a chair, sat down, and replied with a relaxed smile, “If I remember correctly, you were the one who took the prescription and gave it to Old Master He without telling me, weren’t you? What does that have to do with me?”

Seeing her attitude, completely dismissing his words, Yu Ruhai’s anger flared. He shouted with authority, “So what if I used your prescription? It came from you! Now that it’s harmed someone, you’re naturally to blame!”

Yu Jiao narrowed her eyes, glaring at Yu Ruhai. “When it comes to shamelessness, you really do take the crown. No one could outrank you!”

Yu Ruhai’s beard trembled with rage, the wrinkles on his old face scrunched together. He roared, “You wretched brat! If you don’t want another beating, then get out of this house at once!”

Madam Yu quickly tried to calm him down. Ever since the He family had caused a scene at their home, Yu Ruhai’s health had been deteriorating. He’d lost all vitality and aged rapidly.

She shot a vicious glare at Yu Jiao, then shouted toward the west wing, “Third! Get in here and beat this wretched girl out of our house! She’s a curse, a jinx reborn! Ever since she came into the Yu family, we’ve known nothing but trouble. She must never step foot into this home again!”

Yu Hanshan and his wife Madam Zhao had been eavesdropping from the west wing. At Old Madam Yu’s shout, he rushed out, grabbed a broom by the door, and charged at Yu Jiao in a fury.

Yu Jiao furrowed her brow, a glint of coldness flashing in her eyes. This third son of the Yu family was truly despicable, only brave enough to hit women, yet he turned into a coward when facing outsiders.

She dodged swiftly from the chair and grabbed a teacup from the table, hurling it straight at Yu Hanshan’s face. Yu Hanshan jumped aside to avoid it but was still splashed with hot tea, which only enraged him further.

Old Madam Yu lunged forward to grab Yu Jiao. Though she was old, she had a fierce strength to her, just like her personality.

Chaos broke out in the room. As Old Madam Yu grabbed hold of Yu Jiao and Yu Hanshan raised the broom to strike, a figure strode quickly in from the entrance. With a swift step, he moved in front of Yu Jiao and caught the broom mid-swing, shielding her.

Yu Jiao looked up at the back of Yu Qizhe. Though his frame was thin, in that moment he felt especially solid to her. Her nose stung with emotion, reminded of her senior brother in her past life who had also shielded her during a patient dispute.

“Fifth Brother, step aside!” Yu Hanshan barked as he tried to wrestle the broom free from Yu Qizhe.

Yu Mengshan, dragging his prosthetic leg, entered the room with his wife, Madam Song, in tow. “Mother, what are you doing?! How can you hit Meng girl like that?”

Limping forward, Yu Mengshan snatched the broom from Yu Hanshan’s hand and scolded, “Third Brother, Meng girl is part of our second household. If she’s done something wrong, you as an elder can scold her, but hitting her? That’s going too far!”

Yu Hanshan hadn’t expected Yu Mengshan, even with a crippled leg, to be that strong. He snapped angrily, “Second Brother, this wretched girl is nothing but bad luck! Always bringing trouble to our family! Stop meddling! Father and Mother said she’s to be thrown out!”

Madam Song, now braver than before, marched up and pried Old Madam Yu’s old hands off Yu Jiao’s wrist, pulling the girl behind her protectively. “Father, Mother, Meng girl just got back, what are you doing now?!”

Seeing even Madam Song daring to defy her, Madam Yu angrily shoved her aside. “You think you get a say in this house? Move aside! Are you trying to anger your father to death? Her prescription harmed Old Master He, how can we possibly keep such a cursed thing in our family?!”

Yu Jiao quickly steadied Madam Song, her beautiful face cold as ice. She said firmly, “I’m not leaving. Don’t waste your breath. If you think you can wash your hands of the He family this easily, keep dreaming.”

Hearing this, Yu Ruhai became even more certain that Yu Jiao must have badmouthed him in front of Lord He. Enraged, he cursed, “You damned brat! Did you slander me to Lord He? I’ll beat you to death!”

Seeing nothing handy nearby, Yu Ruhai grabbed a wooden stool and aimed it at Yu Jiao’s head.

Yu Qizhe quickly yanked Yu Jiao behind him. He and Yu Mengshan reached out at the same time to block the blow. Fueled by pure anger, Yu Ruhai didn’t actually have much strength. The stool was easily taken from him, and the effort made him stumble and nearly fall.

Shaking with fury, Yu Ruhai panted heavily, yelling, “Second! Are you rebelling now? Turning the heavens upside down?! Do you even recognize me as your father anymore?!”

Yu Mengshan looked helpless. He tossed the stool far enough that Yu Ruhai couldn’t reach it and said, “Father, we’re all family. Can’t we talk things out? Why do you insist on raising a hand to a girl like Yu Jiao?”

The eldest son and his wife had also arrived, but seeing the chaos in the room, they stood frozen in the corner, too afraid to speak.

“Fine, I won’t hit her,” Yu Ruhai spat through clenched teeth. “Second, then you throw this troublemaker out of the house right now!”

Just as he finished, he choked on a mouthful of phlegm and couldn’t catch his breath.

Old Madam Yu panicked and rushed to pat his chest, trying to help him breathe. At the same time, she glared fiercely at Yu Jiao. “If you don’t want your father to collapse, then get her out! If the He family shows up and drags your father away, will his old body survive it? Second, if your household still protects her, you’re being unfilial to your father!”