Chapter 6
It was ironic that a couple that was once loving would end up like this.
Xiao Baoxin stepped forward. The couple was too busy arguing to notice anything. Xiao Baoshan kicked away the elderly woman who was holding onto his thigh and was about to rush towards Madam Cai.
Judging from his posture, he was clearly intending to beat someone up.
Her elder brother was really blatant for causing trouble even in his stepmother’s yard.
At this time, Xiao Baoxin couldn’t care less. She stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Baoshan’s wrist, gently twisting it to stop him.
Xiao Yun’s martial arts were exceptional, and he used his troops like a god. However, none of his sons and daughters had inherited his capabilities. Xiao Baoxin had only learned a bit before she was stopped by Madam Xie, as she was afraid that she would end up big and burly. Furthermore, his two sons were not even comparable to Xiao Baoxin, and they did not even learn the basics.
Xiao Baoshu could still dodge her punches usually, but this Xiao Baoshan was purely a scholar who had no strength to truss a chicken.
If she had not seen it with her own eyes, Xiao Baoxin would not have believed that the person who charged forward wanting to beat someone up like a mad dog was her elder brother. His last bit of manliness was all used on beating pregnant women.
As expected, when Xiao Baoxin touched Xiao Baoshan’s wrist, she felt his intense hatred. It was as if his entire body was clamoring for Madam Cai to pay the blood debt.
He did not seem to realize that Madam Cai was pregnant with his child.
“Brother, what are you trying to do?” Xiao Baoxin controlled her strength, unlike how she treated her younger brother. But even though she held back her strength, Xiao Baoshan still couldn’t help but bare his teeth, his face turning red.
“If the two of you have something to say to each other, we can talk it out. What kind of manners is it to cause a ruckus in Mother’s courtyard?”
Xiao Baoshan endured the pain in his hand and said angrily, “Ask Madam Cai! Does she have something to say? This vicious woman had killed my son!”
“So, is this your reason for causing trouble in my mother’s courtyard?” Xiao Baoxin’s face fell when she saw that he could not understand what she was saying.
In the first place, the relationship between both of them was not deep. Now that he had acted this way, she couldn’t even put on a smiling face. No matter what, her mother was officially married by her father and she usually gave him face. But what was he doing now? Who did he take seriously?
“Brother, you’re a scholar, so you should act virtuously. If Sister-in-law is in the wrong, you can sit down and discuss what you should do. But my mother is your elder and the female figurehead of the Xiao Family. No matter how sad and angry you are, you should still care about your manners towards seniors. Moreover, Brother is currently working for the emperor. If news of this matter spreads out, it will be disadvantageous to your reputation. At that time, how will you be able to explain yourself to the Emperor?”
If she couldn’t reason with him, she should just go straight to the point.
Xiao Yun had the merit of aiding the Emperor, and he had never lost a battle, so he was deeply favored by Emperor Yu Heng, almost comparable to the Emperor’s eldest son. When he was twenty years old, he left the imperial court and took on the role of a yellow gatekeeper by the emperor’s side. He was placed in an important position by Emperor Yu Heng.
If it was said that the matter of raising a mistress may be small, then it would be immoral to treat the female figurehead with disrespect.
Although the role of a yellow gatekeeper was classified a fifth-ranked official, he had always been favored by the imperial censors because he personally served the emperor. In particular, a while ago, a royal censor was released after being accused of misconduct. The officials at the imperial censorate were so pumped up to perform that they would only put their heart at ease after making one or two reports. They were full of energy, afraid that they would be accused of ‘inaction’ and be dismissed like the previous imperial censor.
Xiao Baoshan was working for the emperor, so he knew what was going on in the imperial court. Xiao Baoxin’s words hit his soft spot. His mind immediately cleared up, and his twisted face instantly returned to normal. It was just that his face was slightly pale. However, it was unknown whether it was because of his ‘murdered’ son or the pumped up imperial censors.
Unexpectedly, when Xiao Baoshan stopped, Madam Cai jumped out and ranted.
“Xiao Baoshan, you’ve spoiled your concubine and let down your wife. The Cai family will not let this matter rest—”
“That’s enough!” Madam Xie felt a headache coming on. However, it was inappropriate for her to stay out of such a family scandal. She said unhappily, “We’ll take our time to think about this matter. You’re all adults, and you’ve all been educated well. You should understand the principles. Don’t argue here. We can’t let the servants see us as a joke.”
Madam Cai sneered, “I’ve already been bullied by Xiao Baoshan above my head. Do I still care if the servants laugh at me?��
“Madam Cai, don’t be so shameless.”
Xiao Baoxin’s appearance was similar to Xiao Yun’s. Usually, when she met people, she would smile a little, but now, her cold face showed that she was very fierce.
“Brother, Sister-in-law, are you guys bullying my mother because she’s nice?” Xiao Baoshu couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up with a cold smile.
At the age of twelve or thirteen, he was already half a head taller than Xiao Baoxin. When he stood out, he had quite an imposing air.
“If you want to fight, please go back to your own courtyard. Don’t make a scene here! Who are you making a scene for? Brother scolded Sister-in-law for killing his son, Sister-in-law scolded Brother-in-law for spoiling his concubines. How about both of you stop pointing at each other’s noses and scold each other? If my mother can’t control you, why don’t you go and see the officials and ask them to decide how to resolve this, alright?”
His words vented her anger. Now that Madam Xie had someone to back her up, even her back was straight. She didn’t think that the person who supported her was the one who had made a fuss about becoming a monk an hour ago.
However, his words could only rebuke them for a moment of enjoyment, but if he were to call upon an official, neither the Xiao family nor the Yuan family could afford to lose face. If Madam Xie was the second one to disagree, Xiao Baoshan would probably be the first to disagree.
“… I don’t have any intention of disrespecting you, Madam. It’s just that I lost control of my emotions due to the pain of losing my son.” Xiao Baoshan bowed deeply to Madam Xie. “I hope that Madam will forgive me. Your son will listen to Madam’s decisions.”
“Sister-in-law.”
At this moment, Xiao Baoxin stepped forward and gently held onto Madam Cai’s arm. “Even if you don’t think for yourself, you still have to think for the child in your womb. You should go back to your room and rest first. The Xiao family definitely won’t let you suffer.”
In reality, if she could, she really didn’t want to touch Madam Cai. However, she really couldn’t stand the sight of her fighting to death with her huge belly. No matter how much she disliked her, and the numerous conflicts in the past, Madam Cai had married into the Xiao family and was isolated and helpless. If she were to stand by and do nothing now, her conscience would not be able to bear it.
As expected, the moment Xiao Baoxin touched Madam Cai, she immediately felt her overwhelming resentment, mixed with all kinds of complicated emotions.
‘I must be blind to think that this fellow is a good person!’
‘As expected of someone from a small family! No integrity at all! I curse you to suffer from pus on your head and feet and die a horrible death!’
‘I’m just a lowly daughter. If I were a legal daughter, I wouldn’t have to tangle with them here. I’d just return to the Cai family. I refuse to believe that my family doesn’t care about me!’
It was true that Madam Cai was born as a concubine’s daughter. The Cai family had wealthy and powerful businesses, but they were not valued at all. Even so, when she married into the Xiao family, she still acted arrogant and almighty. It was also her arrogance when she was in love with Xiao Baoshan that caused Xiao Baoshan to gradually become arrogant too.
However, no one had expected that this loving couple would fall out with each other.
The situation had changed so drastically.