Next day in the morning, Wang shi came to House of Peaceful Ages to visit Old Madam Sheng, feeling terrified but also excited. However, as she just started the conversation, Old Madam Sheng said coldly, “So you failed.” Wang shi, with an embarrassed look, pretended to be indignant, “I have tried my best to persuade my sister, but she got muddleheaded and just wouldn’t listen…”

“Forget about it.” Old Madam Sheng interrupted Wang shi with a flat tone, seeming to be impatient to hear the latter’s explanation, “I never expected that you would treat this thing seriously. Fine, just leave it alone.”

“Well…” Wang shi, shocked, couldn’t believe that she just got through this so easily without even giving the speech that Aunt Kang had taught her. Then Wang shi tittered inwardly, ‘My sister is like a prophet. My mother-in-law couldn’t do anything to me as she has expected.’

“However…” Old Madam Sheng suddenly said something, which made Wang shi nervous again.

“There’s one thing you should keep in mind. You didn’t give birth to Minglan, so I couldn’t force you to care about her. However, you are one of the Sheng’s family, you should stop taking other people’s side!”

Hearing Old Madam Sheng’s voice gradually turning strict, Wang shi could only put on a reluctant smile, “How’s that possible…?”

“Get on your knees!” Old Madam Sheng suddenly shouted. With Wang shi’s knees suddenly giving way reflectively, she knelt on the floor of the hall of House of Peaceful Ages. Luckily, now was summer and there was a felt carpet on the ground, so Wang shi’s needs wouldn’t get cold.

“I won’t give you too many lectures.” ‘The foolish woman wouldn’t understand the lectures anyway.’ Old Madam Sheng thought, feeling both angry and disgusted. She didn’t even bother to speak too much, “I’ve said that Madam Kang was not allowed to come to our family, but you always invite her behind my back. You are being unfilial by disobeying my words so many times. Now I’m going to punish you for that, are you going to argue with that?”

Wang shi was astonished, not knowing what to say.

“Now, you’ll kneel here for an hour. If Madam Kang comes again next time, you’ll kneel on the ground of the outer yard.” Old Madam Sheng stood up slowly and walked to the inner room with the support of Mama Fang while her voice still coming through, “If you are not convinced, you can go find your master. If you still have complaints after meeting your master, you can go back to your parents’ home. I’ll talk with your mother…”

Wang shi, ashamed and furious, knelt tremblingly without daring to stand up. The windows of the hall were all open. The maids and servants who passed by dared not to gossip, but the curious looks in their eyes were already able to bring enough humiliation to Wang shi. She could only cursed Old Madam Sheng to die early.

Liu Kun’s wife felt the situation going worse. Then she ordered someone to invite Hualan at once. However, the Yuan’s mansion was very far and Hualan had only arrived at the Si Hour(9 a.m.).

“Eldest Lady, please talk to Madam. This time she suffered a great humiliation!” Liu Kun’s wife said in a low voice. Hualan, eyebrows knitted, walked into the main room in a hurry. Before she got in, she already heard a loud curse from the inside.

“Get the hell out! You wish that I could die early, right? Get out!” It was Wang shi’s voice.

A few maids went out with broken pieces of china, followed by an old servant. The latter took a glance at Liu Kun’s wife and said with a low voice, “Madam is enraged and hasn’t eaten breakfast yet.”

“Mother!” Hualan lifted the sandalwood curtain and walked into the room.

Wang shi was half lying on the bamboo bed now, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. There was a red silk blanket on her legs. As she saw her eldest daughter, with her tears flowing hard right away, she cried and scolded, “You heartless girl! Where have you been these days? Your mother is going to be killed! If you still don’t come, you can only pick up my body!”

Hualan sat beside her mother at once. Then she wiped Wang shi’s tears while saying immediately, “Mother, I am here now. Don’t cry. The others will laugh at you! This will only bring yourself humiliation.”

“Humiliation?!” Hearing Hualan mentioning that word, Wang shi got even angrier, crying and shouting, “I was already utterly humiliated! I have married into the Sheng family for decades, getting through all those hardships. Now I have three children. Never have I been forced to kneel before. Your father not only let this happen, he also blamed me for being unfilial in the morning. I don’t want to live anymore…” Wang shi hated herself for being scared of the pain and death. She didn’t have the gut to cut her own throat, hang herself or swallow gold, otherwise she could at least bluff others.

Hualan sighed inwardly, feeling her mother like an ignorant child. Then she held Wang shi in her arms, patting and coaxing the latter, while listening patiently to Wang shi stammer the whole story twice.

“… tell me, is this my fault? How can I interfere with your aunt’s business?!” Wang shi got all snotty while sobbing, “Old Madam punished me fiercely without reason. How am I able to discipline the others from now on?”

When Hualan had been on the way to the room, Liu Kun’s wife had already told her the cause and effect of the whole thing. Hualan complained her mother for being so foolish inwardly and was also disgusted by Aunt Kang’s deceitful behavior. Then she sighed, “Mother, grandma didn’t punish you because you can’t interfere with my aunt’s business, she’s just angry that you can’t see who’s truly close to you.”

Wang shi, with her powder sticking on her watery eyes, was still very confused. Hualan said tenderly, “Mother, think about it carefully. My uncle hasn’t worked for so many years and my cousin is just a deputy governor. Not many families in the capital truly respect the Kang family now. My Sixth Brother-in-law is favored by His Majesty now and his family is utterly prestigious. Minglan was a mandated madam of the highest ranking. Who does my aunt think she is? She used to curse and censure Minglan all the time, why should Minglan respect her? Even you don’t go to the Gu’s mansion so often, but my aunt just straightly went there and put on air in front of Minglan. To say it bluntly, my aunt is a leech. She has been borrowing the Sheng’s power to adorn herself!”