Time Is Slow - Chapter 32

A mere maid was naturally unable to stop Second Miss Li Jiao.

Or rather, Binglu was quite clever. The Eldest Miss and her own mistress were natural rivals, so of course, she had to stand firmly on her mistress’s side. Meanwhile, the Second Miss was the most highly regarded among all the Li family’s young ladies, someone even her own mistress had to be careful to please. If she obstructed Li Jiao too forcefully, she would only be making enemies on her mistress’s behalf.

And so, Li Jiao barged in.

When she entered, Qiao Zhao was just about to take a sip from an empty teacup. Hearing the commotion, she lifted her eyes lazily toward the doorway and then calmly picked up the teapot to pour herself more tea.

That nonchalant posture was like a stab to Li Jiao’s heart.

She had no recollection of Li Zhao ever daring to treat her so lightly!

Striding forward, Li Jiao’s phoenix eyes slanted upwards as she looked down on her. 

“Li Zhao, is this your etiquette? You see me coming, and you just sit there drinking tea?”

Qiao Zhao put down her cup and smiled openly. 

“I thought Second Sister wasn’t one to care for such formalities. So, you don’t follow the rules yourself, but you expect others to?”

Li Jiao’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Had she heard wrong? Li Zhao actually dared to speak to her this way?!

Behind her, Eldest Miss Li Jiao was equally stunned.

How dare she!

Meanwhile, Fifth Miss Li Shu kept her head down, doing her best to remain invisible.

“Have some tea, Second Sister.” Qiao Zhao personally poured a cup and handed it over.

Her expression was calm, her tone composed, but in Li Jiao’s eyes, it was pure provocation.

When they were younger, these sisters had still argued with her, but as they grew older, that had all but disappeared.

That was precisely why Li Jiao couldn’t tolerate it now. Furious, she reached out and slapped at that pale, outstretched hand.

The teacup was knocked away, landing squarely on Li Jiao’s toes.

A searing pain shot through her, and she let out a piercing scream, instinctively hopping on one foot. But she slipped on the wet floor, lost her balance, and with a loud “thud,” she tumbled to the ground, sliding all the way to Li Jiao’s feet.

Li Jiao was utterly dumbfounded.

Li Jiao was burning with humiliation. 

“Idiots! Why aren’t you helping me up?!” she snapped furiously.

A flicker of cold amusement crossed Li Jiao’s eyes, but she quickly masked it and bent down to pull Li Jiao to her feet.

By now, Li Jiao’s toes had gone numb from the pain, and the palm of her hand had been sliced by a porcelain shard, stinging fiercely.

Her face was deathly pale as she glared at Qiao Zhao. 

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?!”

“It was Second Sister who knocked the cup over,” Qiao Zhao patiently explained.

That only enraged Li Jiao further. She raised her hand, aiming to slap Qiao Zhao across the face.

Qiao Zhao simply tilted her head to the side, dodging lightly. Li Jiao, thrown off balance, slammed her hand against a screen and let out another sharp cry.

Qiao Zhao reached out just in time to steady the wobbling screen before it could topple over.

Li Jiao was startled and hurried to support Li Jiao. 

“Second Sister, are you alright?”

“It hurts—” Li Jiao bent over in pain.

Springtime shoes for young ladies were soft and delicate. Today, Li Jiao had chosen a pair of pearl-embroidered shoes in pale moon-white, and now, the shoe that had been hit by the teacup was already stained red.

A rush of satisfaction nearly broke through Li Jiao’s composed expression, but she quickly lowered her gaze and cried out urgently, “Oh no! Second Sister, your foot is bleeding! Someone, call a doctor immediately!”

She turned to look for a maid, only to realize that none had followed them. Li Jiao and Li Shu had come alone as well.

At this moment, Fifth Miss Li Shu was ghostly pale and on the verge of collapsing, clearly of no help.

Li Jiao then turned to Qiao Zhao and shouted, “Third Sister, Second Sister is hurt! Send someone to call for a doctor immediately!”

But in her heart, she was thinking. If Li Zhao acted foolishly and refused to call for a doctor now, things would become even more interesting.

Unfortunately, Li Jiao was quickly disappointed.

Qiao Zhao, completely unruffled, instructed Binglu, “Go to Qingsong Hall and inform the Old Madam that Second Miss has injured her foot. Have someone skilled in bandaging come to tend to it, and also send a strong servant woman to carry her back.”

“Understood!” Binglu found today far too exhilarating. She answered swiftly and darted off.

Heaven help her mistress! May she not be devoured by the Old Madam of the Eastern Courtyard. That titled noblewoman doted on Second Miss more than anyone!

Ah Zhu, silent all this time, now fetched a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess.

Li Jiao snapped, “Don’t touch it! Leave it just as it is!”

She shot Qiao Zhao a venomous glare. 

“Trying to destroy the evidence, are you?”

Ah Zhu hesitated, looking to Qiao Zhao for guidance.

Qiao Zhao gave a slight nod.

“Leave it for now.”

Still uneasy, Ah Zhu glanced at her mistress again. Seeing her calm expression, she felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance and quietly stepped back.

Meanwhile, in Qingsong Hall, Second Madam Liu was pouring her grievances out to Old Madam Deng.

“Old Madam, didn’t I say so? Ever since that Third Girl came back, our household has been in chaos! Look at what happened! Earl Changchun Manor immediately broke off the engagement! Sigh, with Third Girl bringing such disgrace upon us, what will happen to the other girls in the future?”

Old Madam Deng’s brows twitched slightly.

Hmm… now that she thought about it, the only good thing about Third Girl’s return was this.

This annulled engagement was a blessing in disguise.

Her eldest granddaughter had been just about to marry into that household, and the thought of her pure, innocent granddaughter being given to such a disgraceful wretch had robbed her of sleep for countless nights.

Now, the engagement was off, and they didn’t even have to worry about the Gu Changbo family harboring any resentment. It was the perfect outcome.

Feeling rather pleased with herself, Old Madam Deng reached for a fruit from the platter and took a bite.

The old madam had strong teeth.

Crack! 

With a crisp sound, she bit off a small chunk of the fruit.

Madam Liu twitched the corners of her mouth in frustration, but she held back. Then, gritting her teeth, she simply burst into tears. 

“Old Madam, I still have two daughters who haven’t married yet! If you don’t give me an explanation today, I will—”

“And what will you do, Sister-in-law?” Madam He stepped in, her steps brisk as she entered the room. She first paid her respects to Old Madam Deng and then immediately turned to face Madam Liu. 

“I just knew it! If I came even a step late, you’d be trampling my daughter into the mud! What, your daughters are precious young ladies, but mine were blown in by the wind? Or maybe they’re just some cheap goods given away with a rouge and powder purchase on the street?”

After saying her piece, she dramatically turned to Old Madam Deng and started crying. 

“Waa waa waa! Old Madam, you must stand up for me! What kind of aunt relentlessly forces her niece to the brink like this? Aren’t we supposed to be a family of scholars? I’ve never seen such shameless behavior, this is truly eye-opening!”

“He Shi!” Madam Liu’s temper flared instantly.

Who talks like this? How could someone be so blunt and vulgar? Hmph, a merchant’s daughter will always be crude!

“Waa waa waa! Mother-in-law, listen to this! Sister-in-law is being so rude to me. Yes, I may be a second wife, but I was still properly married into this family, carried in through the main gates in a grand wedding procession.”

Old Madam Deng cast a sidelong glance at Madam Liu.

Madam Liu was so angry she nearly rolled her eyes. She kept reminding herself: Don’t stoop to the level of a merchant’s daughter. Stay dignified, be courteous!

“…Elder Sister-in-law,” she finally forced out through clenched teeth.

Madam He immediately stopped crying and responded brightly, “Oh!”

Old Madam Deng took another bite of her fruit.

She wasn’t angry. If she truly let herself get worked up over these two daughters-in-law, she would’ve died of rage long ago!

At that moment, the head maid, Qingyun, hurried in with Binglu following behind.

With a thud, Binglu fell to her knees. 

“Old Madam, Second Miss has injured her foot.”

As soon as those words fell, Old Madam Deng’s eyelid twitched.

Madam Liu’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk as soon as she saw that it was Binglu. 

“Oh my, isn’t this Binglu, who serves Third Miss? Is Second Miss at Third Miss’s place? How did her foot get hurt all of a sudden?”

Madam He immediately jumped up. 

“Old Madam, I’ll go check on her first!”

Old Madam Deng stood up and instructed the nearby maid. 

“Nanny Rong, take Nanny Gui with you to Yahe Courtyard. Qingyun, go to the Eastern Courtyard and report to the Marchioness.”

After giving her orders, the group set off in a grand procession toward Qiao Zhao’s residence.