Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Ate a Bear’s Heart and Leopard’s Gall

Old Madam Lu stared at Zhi Wan in shock.

She seemed not to have expected Zhi Wan to be so formidable.

She was so stunned she forgot to react.

Lu Jinglan was about to go mad with rage.

’That bitch, Zhi Wan, actually dared to lay a hand on me?’

’And she called me a beggar!’

Gazing at Zhi Wan’s beautiful face, a crazed look flashed in Lu Jinglan’s eyes.

’Zhi Wan is so brazen because she has that face to rely on, right?’

’If she lost that pretty face, how would she win Jinzhi’s favor? Jinzhi would surely cast her aside without a second thought!’

At this thought, Lu Jinglan suppressed the fury in her heart and declared righteously, "How dare you act so insolently before Old Madam Lu? Zhi Wan, you are utterly ill-mannered. Today, I will teach you some discipline in your parents’ stead!" With that, she ordered the servants below, "Pin her down for me!"

Although the maids and older female servants below all belonged to Fushou Hall, they knew very well that Lady Wei was the one truly in charge of the Lu Family now.

And Lady Wei held Zhi Wan in such high regard.

For a moment, the servants exchanged glances, and no one dared to move against Zhi Wan.

"Are you all dead? Didn’t you hear what I said?" Lu Jinglan screeched in frustration.

The servants still dared not move, instead looking to Old Madam Lu for her command.

Seeing this, Lu Jinglan’s expression turned ugly.

’These people are usually so eager to flatter me, but at the critical moment, not a single one will listen to my command.’

Seething with hatred, she turned to Old Madam Lu, her face a mask of tearful grievance. "Mother, Zhi Wan was rude to you and even struck me. She’s so audacious, showing you no respect at all! If we don’t teach her a lesson, won’t it be a blow to your authority?"

Hearing this, Old Madam Lu finally snapped back to her senses.

She was already displeased with Zhi Wan, and Lu Jinglan’s prodding instantly stoked her anger. "Men!" she roared. "Pin that wretched girl down, give her a sound beating, and then throw her out of the Duke Dingguo Mansion!"

This time, the servants no longer dared to hesitate. They surged forward to grab Zhi Wan.

CRASH!

Zhi Wan had snatched a vase from the table and smashed it on the floor. "If any of you dare touch me today," she declared sharply, "my aunt and my cousin will absolutely not let you off! You’d better think this through!"

Her imposing aura and her words stunned the servants.

It was true.

Old Madam Lu ordered them to teach the Miss a lesson, but once Lady Wei and the Princely Heir found out, nothing would happen to the Old Madam. They, the servants, however, would be the ones to suffer.

The last time someone in the mansion merely spread a few rumors about the Miss, the Princely Heir had them all sold off.

The Princely Heir’s methods were swift and ruthless; they could not withstand his fury.

The more the servants thought about it, the more frightened they became. One of the older women even dared to plead for Zhi Wan. "Old Madam, the Miss is frail. If anything were to happen to her, it would be difficult to answer to Lady Wei and the Princely Heir. Why not... why not just send her out of the mansion?"

Hearing this, the other servants quickly nodded in agreement.

Old Madam Lu’s face was terrifyingly dark. She never imagined that her own people would be frightened off by a few words from Zhi Wan!

"Useless!" Lu Jinglan was also seething with rage. "Are you going to disobey even the Old Madam’s orders?"

"We truly don’t dare..."

With that, the crowd of servants simply knelt on the floor.

Old Madam Lu’s face turned ashen with fury. She slammed her hand on the table. "I’m not dead yet, and you’re already refusing my orders? You fear Lady Wei and the Princely Heir, but you don’t fear me? If you won’t obey my command, I’ll have all of you sold off right now!"

The servants shuddered and dared not speak again.

Lu Jinglan sneered, "You dare defy the Old Madam’s orders? Do you no longer wish to stay in the Duke Dingguo Mansion?"

Hearing this, the servants dared not hesitate any longer. They rose and lunged toward Zhi Wan.

"Our apologies, Miss!"

Zhi Wan quickly snatched a fruit knife from the table and swung it at them.

SLASH!

The woman in the lead couldn’t pull her hand back in time and was slashed across the back of it.

Blood instantly gushed from the wound.

The woman screamed, her face deathly pale.

This sudden turn of events left everyone in the room stunned.

As they recovered, all eyes turned to Zhi Wan.

The once charming and delicate young woman’s face was now a mask of ice, and she tightly gripped a blood-stained knife.

Her ferocious expression struck fear into everyone’s hearts.

Fearing they would be the next to bleed, the remaining servants retreated in terror.

"Zhi Wan, you dare to commit assault?" Lu Jinglan, having come to her senses, was both shocked and enraged.

Zhi Wan shot her a cold glance. "You were the ones assaulting me. I was forced to defend myself!"

"This is rebellion! Utter rebellion! To commit violence in my Duke Dingguo Mansion! Men, seize her at once!" Old Madam Lu had also recovered by now, and she bellowed with fury.

But the older women, intimidated by Zhi Wan’s ruthlessness, dared not step forward.

Lu Jinglan was furious. She clenched her fists and said, "Zhi Wan, the Duke Dingguo Mansion has not treated you poorly! What do you think you’re doing now? Put down the knife!"

"Put down the knife so you can seize me?" Zhi Wan shot her a contemptuous look. "Don’t think I don’t know what wicked schemes you’re plotting. If you have the guts, come and get me yourself!"

Lu Jinglan’s face stiffened. In her heart, she wanted nothing more than to tear Zhi Wan to shreds, but she was wary of the knife in her hand and didn’t dare to approach.

Seeing the servants cowering, Lu Jinglan grew both angry and anxious. She grit her teeth and said, "She’s only one person! If all of you go at once, there’s nothing she can do! Whoever captures her, I’ll reward them with one hundred taels of silver!"

At this, the servants couldn’t help but feel tempted.

Zhi Wan let out a cold laugh and shouted, "Whoever can capture Lu Jinglan and give her two slaps, I’ll reward them with two hundred taels!"

Hearing this, the servants couldn’t help but look at Lu Jinglan, a few appearing eager to try.

Seeing this, Lu Jinglan was so enraged she could taste blood in her throat. "Don’t listen to her!" she roared. "She doesn’t have any silver!"

"Even a beggar like you has silver, so why wouldn’t I? I’m far wealthier than a beggar like you!" Zhi Wan retorted sarcastically.

Hearing Zhi Wan call her a beggar again and again, Lu Jinglan was driven to the brink of madness. "Zhi Wan, shut your mouth!"

Zhi Wan ignored her, her gaze sweeping over the servants. "I am a woman of my word! Whoever can capture Lu Jinglan and tie her up, I will give them 300 taels! Afterward, I will ensure they remain safe! You should all know, my aunt treasures me, and the Princely Heir favors me and wants to marry me. The wedding date has already been set for the twenty-third of next month. I trust you can figure out who holds more weight here!"

The servants, who had been hesitant just moments before, now scrambled over each other as they rushed toward Lu Jinglan.

"You... you insolent wretches... AHH, Mother, save me..." Lu Jinglan shrieked in panic.

Old Madam Lu stared at them in disbelief. When she finally reacted, she slammed her hand on the table. "Have you all eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard? How dare you lay a hand on Jinglan? Stop! All of you, stop right now!"