Madam Jing was furious!
So furious her teeth gnashed together!
But under the Little Princess’s smiling yet sharp gaze, she reluctantly pulled out the keys from her waistband and tossed them to the Little Princess.
The keys brushed Yun Chunnuan’s fingertips and fell to the ground.
In the past, her nature would have been to forgive and forget.
For example, Lian Qiao even poisoned her, yet she didn’t hold a grudge.
Because she saw that at heart, Lian Qiao wasn’t evil, she just needed to be taught a lesson.
But Madam Jing was different.
The evil was in her bones, and her daughter was equally malicious.
Hearing Qiao’er describe her deeds, it was all clear: she took advantage of her family’s Barbarian General’s kind heart and good looks!
Even though he drank her milk, what he did for this woman was already more than enough.
"Pick it up."
Madam Jing hastily tried to make her escape, but Yun Chunnuan stopped her.
She turned, staring in disbelief at the girl whose smile faded away.
"General... Little Lie..."
To bend down and pick something up in front of that Central Plains woman was intolerable for Madam Jing!
The number of times she bowed and scraped before the General was so few she could count them on one hand; why should she bend now before a Central Plains woman?
Madam Jing looked to Yelyu Lie for help, only to find him turned away, pretending ignorance.
Madam Jing burned with hatred!
She didn’t want to leave! She just wanted to tear that wretched woman’s face apart!
But under Yun Chunnuan’s condescending, warning gaze, she bent in half, picked up the keys from the ground, and respectfully returned them to the Little Princess.
Once they were taken, Madam Jing squeezed out a meager smile, "Pardon me, Princess, may I leave now?"
"Go ahead," Yun Chunnuan waved dismissively.
Just as Madam Jing turned to leave, Yun Chunnuan added, "By the way, remember to prepare a generous dowry for your daughter. With her temper, she will surely suffer at her husband’s house. With a bigger dowry, she might toughen up a bit."
Madam Jing: "!!!"
She turned back, glaring incredulously at the Little Princess.
All she could think was: This is a demon! A demon that eats people alive!
Since that night, no one had mentioned finding a husband for Ah Yang. She advised Ah Yang to stay low at home, avoid the General, and in time she would plead for clemency. Who needed to punish Ah Yang?
But this woman!
Truly abominable!
"General!" Madam Jing, now panicking, could only turn to the General, who had been silent throughout.
Yun Chunnuan, however, took one step forward, blocking her family’s Barbarian General. "Madam Jing, I trust you’ve heard: from now on, the General Mansion is under my management. Pleading with your General is pointless. Even he has to listen to me, right?"
She turned her head slightly, winking at the man.
Afraid that he might not cooperate.
After all, he had a bit of a chauvinistic streak, being a man of ancient ideas; he treated her well in private, but in public he would certainly put on a show of manliness.
However, this would lead to the servants not listening to her.
She wanted gossiping Madam Jing to spread the day’s events around so that no one would dare act up in the future.
Even Lian Qiao’s incident was permissible only once.
If it happened again, regardless of intentions, the offender would be expelled from the General Mansion!
She had declared that this man was hers, and thus his home was Yun Chunnuan’s.
Managing hundreds was no easy task, even if it meant earning a bad reputation, she wouldn’t allow anyone to bully the Barbarian General with a good heart and beauty.
What Yun Chunnuan didn’t expect was that Yelyu Lie had no notions of male dominance at all...
No, perhaps he did hold such notions, but because of her, that ridiculous male dignity meant nothing.
He held her hand, his face filled with tenderness, "The Princess is the wife I have long dreamed of marrying, naturally everything must be in line with my lady’s wishes."
Yun Chunnuan: "..."
Good heavens!
I asked you to support the act, not to spring a surprise confession!
Her face flushed red.
Her soft little hand gave his palm a gentle squeeze.
He smiled, using his little finger to draw a small circle just away from the center of his palm.
The other four fingers held her tightly.
Yun Chunnuan’s pretty face turned even redder, yet she had to maintain a serious facade, "That’s it, two months to marry off your daughter, otherwise this Princess will personally select a husband for her."
Madam Jing was so furious that the blood rushed to her head!
Just about to protest, she saw the girl’s lips move silently, forming two words.
It terrified her, sending cold sweat down her back, and sneaking a glance at the General, she quickly fled.
After she left, Yun Chunnuan took Yelyu Lie to the chicken coop.
She watched a splendid rooster strut around regally, having just serviced a hen named Er Bao, then chased another hen brought along from the Royal Palace.
Yun Chunnuan turned slightly, looking at the man beside her, "Why don’t you ask me what I said to Madam Jing?"
Yelyu Lie raised an eyebrow, smiling wryly, "It was most likely that girl Qiao’er, getting chatty again."
"You knew?!"
This was something Yun Chunnuan never expected.
She knew how important the military camp was to him, and Madam Jing’s talk of business, whatever it was, touched on his most sensitive nerve.
In fact, this already amounted to a crime.
According to their camp’s rules, even speaking a few words could lead to beheading, let alone a matter of private trade.
Yelyu Lie’s expression remained unchanged, but a hint of pain gleamed in his light eyes.
"When I was young, my elder brothers, along with that beast you saw during the day, pushed me into an ice hole, watching as I sank. Even though I was pulled out, my legs soaked so long in freezing water were rendered useless.
It was she, risking punishment, who dragged me out of that ice hole.
Ever since, in my heart, I vowed to treat her as my own mother.
Actually, she wasn’t my wet nurse, though calling her that gave her more regard after I brought her to the General Mansion...
I don’t know how things changed... I don’t understand... Maybe I’m just a jinx, turning a good person bad after staying at my place for a few years..."
Listening to him speak of his childhood so lightly, yet it was hard to look back.
Yun Chunnuan felt a wave of heartache, "You fool, you’re not a jinx, otherwise how could you meet me, a fairy who descended from the heavens?"
Yelyu Lie was taken aback, then couldn’t help but laugh, "Yes, yes, all the luck of my life was spent to meet you..."