Chapter 41: Schemes, Part One

Just as Liu Mei was preening with triumph, she failed to notice that while she was busy berating Luo Li, the entire hall—from the Clan Head and the Great Elder down to the youngest disciples of the Hen family—had turned deathly pale. Luo Nongyou’s expression, in particular, had darkened to a terrifying degree.

Not content with merely lecturing Luo Li, Liu Mei dragged her cohort, the First Madam, into the fray.

"First Madam, this is the wretch I told you about, the one trailing after that good-for-nothing Hen Queqian! Not only did the two of them ruin my ice plums, but they even uprooted your favorite Luoyang Red!"

Hearing this, the First Madam stormed forward, raising her hand to strike Luo Li across the face. While women in this world generally held low status, both madams were convinced that Luo Li was someone Hen Queqian had picked up from the streets, and thus, her status would be even lower than their own. In their minds, it was simply a matter of those with higher standing disciplining those below them. After all, they were well-acquainted with every noble lady in Nine Skies City, and this girl was a stranger to them.

"Stop!"

Luo Li was trembling with rage at Liu Mei’s words. Never in her life had she been subjected to such humiliation. Blinded by her fury, she failed to notice the First Madam’s hand arching through the air, inches from her cheek.

A veil of cyan mist erupted from Luo Nongyou’s body, and in a blink, he appeared beside Luo Li, catching the First Madam’s descending hand in a vice-like grip as he let out a sharp, thunderous rebuke.

Only then did Luo Li snap back to reality. She stumbled back a step, staring in shock at the hand that had nearly struck her, before glaring daggers at the First Madam.

"Miss Luo, are you alright?" The entire sequence of events—from Liu Mei’s venomous insults to the First Madam’s attempted assault—had unfolded in a heartbeat. When Clan Head Hen Ruochen, Hen Ruofeng, and the others finally processed what had happened, they rushed over, their faces etched with concern.

The two elders, Hen Ruofeng and Hen Rugang, stepped forward and each delivered a resounding slap to their respective wives.

Liu Mei and the First Madam were stunned into silence. They were bewildered to see Luo Nongyou, an honored guest, intervene so aggressively, and even more shocked to hear the Clan Head address the girl as "Miss Luo." The realization hit them like a physical blow: she was not some random woman picked up outside Nine Skies City, but an esteemed guest from the Luo family who had arrived at the Hen manor that very day!

Luo Li’s face remained ashen, though she was physically unharmed. She shook her head slowly, yet her dark, smoldering eyes remained fixed on Liu Mei and the First Madam with unyielding hostility.

"The Hen family—we have certainly seen your true colors today! Not only are your disciples ignorant and unlearned, but you harbor such malicious, bullying shrews! Enough, that is quite enough! Miss, say no more. We shall return to Luofeng City at once. I will report the truth to the Clan Head, and I am certain he will never consent to your marriage into the Hen family!"

Luo Nongyou bellowed, his angry gaze flickering toward the shamefaced Hen Ruochen and his kin. Naturally, he did not spare the two instigators, Liu Mei and the First Madam, from his icy glare.

Luo Li opened her mouth, intending to calm Luo Nongyou, but no words came to her. Meanwhile, the two elders continued to berate their wives.

Just as the tension in the hall reached its breaking point, Hen Queqian’s voice rang out from the doorway: "Oh? What’s going on here? It’s so quiet—truly a more drastic shift than a chemical reaction!"

With these words, Hen Queqian strolled in, grinning, standing in stark contrast to the heavy, oppressive gloom that filled the hall.