The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 279 - 283: The Struggle in the Inner Courtyard (Part 9)

Chapter 279: Chapter 283: The Struggle in the Inner Courtyard (Part 9)

Zhushu patiently knocked on the door with the copper button again.

"We are here by Old Madam’s order to fetch the young lady back," they said.

Gai Yinyin, who was leaning against the door from the inside, was very frustrated and had made up her mind to walk away, ignoring these people from Duke Ying Mansion.

But upon hearing the name of the Old Madam, her leg-lifting motion slowed down.

Gai Yinyin bit her lip, indecisive, a struggle flashing in her eyes.

She had lived well over the years, not much different from when she was sheltered under the wings of her parents.

The hardships and worries she once went through had long been cast away to some unknown corner of her memory.

When she thought of the Old Madam now, all that came to mind was her kindness to her.

The knocking from outside continued uninterrupted, and the struggle in Gai Yinyin’s heart intensified.

If she couldn’t figure it out, then she wouldn’t think about it.

When she was unsure, she would go to her daughter.

That had become her habit over the years.

Su Li had long since become her backbone.

Hesitantly clutching the hem of her clothes, she walked into the courtyard where Su Li was sipping tea with a pregnant belly.

"Mother, let the people in," said Su Li.

"Ah, okay," Gai Yinyin’s eyes sparkled, and she lifted her skirt and ran outside.

She wasn’t surprised at all that her daughter, who had not moved an inch, knew exactly what was happening outside the door.

Instead, past experiences told her that following her daughter’s instructions would certainly lead to no problem.

Zhushu was wondering what he should do if they firmly refused to open the door.

Who knew that in the next second, the gate would be opened from the inside.

It was the same girl as before.

Huffing, she swung the door wide open and turned to leave first.

"Aren’t you going to follow?" she demanded.

Zhushu had just set one foot inside when he was stunned by the scenery before him.

The doubts in his mind grew like a snowball, and he suddenly questioned whether he could accomplish the task given to him by his master’s family.

The layout of the courtyard was very delicate; even some places in the Duke Ying Mansion couldn’t compare to what he saw now.

Orchids, which were pricelessly expensive outside, were casually used here as ordinary decorations, placed along the corridor.

There were many other similar displays.

Zhushu looked on, seeing so much along the way that he became numb to the sight.

What kind of remarkable person had the former Madam remarried?

The scorn and indifference in his heart were put away. He felt uneasy; what should have been a sure thing had encountered twists, giving Zhushu a bad premonition.

The deeper he followed the girl into the compound, the more he felt he might return today without having achieved anything.

"Here we are."

A beautiful girl in the courtyard lay on a small couch in a carefree sprawl, devoid of proper etiquette, yet the posture executed by the girl in front was effortlessly elegant, full of grace and charm.

The girl was truly beautiful, Zhushu only glanced at her once and dared not look any longer.

Her beauty even surpassed that of Miss Su Ying, known as the number one beauty in the Capital.

Such an appearance, yet unknown to anyone in the Capital, was truly strange.

"What did Duke Ying want you to do?"

Zhushu was startled, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly explained, "It wasn’t Lord’s command, it was the Old Madam from home...."

"Oh, is that so..."

Faced with this noble young lady of unknown identity, Zhushu felt somewhat timid.

It was as if he was being seen through completely, even more nerve-wracking than facing Lord himself.

Truly bizarre.

Zhushu shook off the strange feeling arising within him and continued with a bold front, "Indeed, the Old Madam has been very concerned about the Second Young Lady of the mansion, so she specially sent us to welcome the young lady back...."

Gai Yinyin, puffing up her cheeks in anger, interrupted Zhushu’s words, "What Second Young Lady, we don’t have your mansion’s Second Young Lady here."

Despite being bluntly contradicted by Gai Yinyin, Zhushu still spoke calmly, "The Old Madam has longed for Miss Su Li, wanting to take her back to the mansion, after all, she is of the Su Family’s bloodline."

Zhushu pointed out the identity of the Second Young Lady directly, his eyes gleaming as they darted between Su Li and Gai Yinyin, keen to see their reactions.

Since he entered the courtyard, the only things he had seen were the two beautiful girls in front of him, but the lurking gaze, like a shadow, had never been absent.

As someone who also trained in martial arts, he could be considered a second-tier practitioner in the worldly society.

So, he was confident that in the darkness, there must be guardians present.

Su Li instead gave a smile, "But I heard there are only two young ladies in the Duke Mansion, aren’t they both there at your place? Why are you coming here to look for which young lady?"

Gai Yinyin, her face turning crimson with anger, "My daughter has no relations with the Su Family at all, the Su Family genealogy does not record the name Su Li."

"The Old Madam..." When speaking of the Old Madam, Gai Yinyin’s voice softened, her words twisting, "The Old Madam already has two granddaughters and a doted grandson, I suppose she wouldn’t care for one more."

Gai Yinyin, recalling her past experiences, did not harbor resentment but still had unresolved feelings.

The surprised look on Zhushu’s face was quite attractive, "You, you are the former Madam?"

Then rudely pointing at Su Li, "And you are the young lady."

Observing closely, one could indeed find a trace of Lord’s resemblance on her face.

Su Li: "Stop using the Old Madam as a shield, go back and tell Su Shi, what he wishes for will naturally not come to fruition, so stop dreaming."

The reason Su Li had allowed the person to come in was only to have her message delivered to Su Shi, and nothing more.

She believed this cunning Second Housekeeper would relay all he had seen and heard here, accurately, to Su Shi.

When the time came, if Su Shi still wanted to pin the blame on her, it would depend on whether he had the capable means to force her to comply.

"Alright, you can leave now." Su Li waved her hand nonchalantly, and continued to lean casually against the small couch.

Seeing her daughter speaking up, Gai Yinyin also hastily shooed him away like chasing a fly, waving her fists, "Go, go, go, we do not welcome people from your mansion here."

Zhushu forced a stiff smile, "Miss, isn’t this inappropriate? Regardless of what you say, the Old Madam and Lord are your biological grandmother and father. We in the Jin Dynasty value filial piety the most, acting like this, I’m afraid you’ll be drowned by the spit of the public."

This was indeed an outright threat, and as soon as Zhushu finished speaking, he felt targeted by a chilling aura filled with murderous intent.

His muscles tensed involuntarily, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he stood rigidly, not daring to move an inch.

Gai Yinyin, hearing this, was both anxious and angry, uncertain about what to do.

She didn’t want her daughter to reconnect with that family, nor did she want Su Li to face the public’s slander.