Lu Zixiu followed Mo Qinghuan all the way back to the General's Mansion. He looked up at the gilded plaque of the mansion and hesitated for a moment before stepping in.
Lan was originally sitting in front of a stone table, doing needlework while looking at a basket. When she saw Mo Qinghuan bringing a man back, she was so surprised that she immediately stood up.
At the same time, she cursed secretly in her heart, "This little bitch always says that my precious daughter, Mo Yao, does things that disgrace the General's Mansion. But isn't she even more excessive now? Walking in the street with a man in broad daylight, not caring about the reputations of the General's Mansion and the Regent's Mansion at all."
"No! She's moved back. Could it be that she was divorced by the Regent for having a lover?!"
But then she thought it didn't seem right. If it was a divorce, the whole capital should have heard about it. There was no way she could still be so arrogant.
While her mind was filled with such thoughts, she didn't notice that Mo Qinghuan had already walked up to her.
Mo Qinghuan said in a voice only audible to the two of them, "Madam Zhang, why are you still here?" Her voice was full of playfulness.
The title "Madam Zhang" made Lan freeze on the spot like a statue.
It took her a long time to come to her senses. "What do you mean? Are you trying to drive me away?"
Mo Qinghuan twirled the ring on her right index finger and gave Lan a sidelong glance. "Of course. Before Mo Yao... oh no, Zhang Yao's identity was exposed, it was okay for you to stay here. But now that her identity is known, it's not appropriate for you to stay any longer, is it?"
Lan originally thought that Mo Qinghuan only knew that Mo Yao wasn't the general's biological daughter. She never expected that Mo Qinghuan even knew who her father was.
But now that Minister Zhang was dead, she could just deny everything. As long as she could stay in the General's Mansion, she was willing to do anything.
Thinking this way, she grabbed Mo Qinghuan's arm and looked at her pitifully. "Huan'er, considering the years I've spent managing the General's Mansion, even if I don't have any great merits, I've at least suffered a lot. Please let me stay in the General's Mansion. I'm so old. If you drive me out, where can I go?"
Mo Qinghuan wasn't swayed by her act. The original owner was killed by this bitch and her daughter. Mo Qinghuan had already shown mercy by not killing them directly. There was no way she would let them continue to enjoy the good life in the General's Mansion!
Thinking this, she pried Lan's fingers off one by one and said coldly, "The world is so big. There must be a place for you. If not, you can go back to the Prime Minister's Mansion on the left."
Seeing Mo Qinghuan's determined attitude, Lan slumped to the ground and burst into tears.
"You're so heartless! Your parents died so early. I raised you with so much hard work. I don't expect you to repay me, but can't you at least leave me a way to live?"
Mo Qinghuan saw her sitting on the ground, beating her legs and crying so sadly.
So she squatted down and said with a smile, "Hey, shout louder. I hope everyone can hear and see. Let's see if what I'm doing is right. Let everyone judge whether I should keep a bitch like you in the General's Mansion with a noble family tradition."
Lan was intimidated by Mo Qinghuan's words and her voice immediately became softer.
"By the way, before you leave, you can't take anything from the General's Mansion except your clothes! This includes the house deeds and land deeds."
Lan slumped to the ground. She had originally planned that if this dead girl was really heartless, she would take the house deeds and land deeds with her. That way, even if she left the General's Mansion, her life wouldn't be too miserable.
But now, seeing Mo Qinghuan's attitude, it seemed that she was going to drive her to a dead end!
Since that was the case, she might as well fight her! If she was lucky, she might even be able to regain control.
Thinking this, she suddenly got up and rushed towards the stone table. Fortunately for her, she managed to grab a pair of scissors.
Then, with a crazy grin on her face, she stabbed at Mo Qinghuan fiercely.
As the scissors were about to pierce Mo Qinghuan's chest, the smile on her face became even more unrestrained, as if she had already seen victory.
But at the last moment, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her wrist. The next moment, the scissors in her hand had fallen into Mo Qinghuan's.
She looked over and saw that it was the young man beside Mo Qinghuan who had grabbed her wrist. His grip was as strong as a pair of pliers, almost crushing her wrist bone.
"Your Highness, please spare my life!" Seeing that she had failed, she immediately knelt on the ground with weak legs.
Lu Zixiu took a step forward and stood in front of Mo Qinghuan, afraid that this poisonous woman might have other actions.
Mo Qinghuan, however, walked up to Lan nonchalantly and squatted down.
"You wanted to assassinate me?"
She grabbed Lan's hand and put the scissors back into it.
Lan withdrew her hand tremblingly, and the scissors fell to the ground.
But even though she was so scared, Mo Qinghuan didn't intend to let her go. She suddenly thought that such a person was a disaster if left alive. Maybe one day when she was walking on the street and was seen by Lan, Lan might suddenly rush out and stab her...
Thinking this, she had an idea. She reached into her sleeve, took out a piece of cotton wool, picked up the scissors, and wiped them.
Lan was wondering what she was doing when the scissors fell into her hand again.
"I'll give you another chance. If you win, I'll let you stay in the General's Mansion, okay?" She looked at Lu Zixiu with a smile. "Zixiu, don't help me."
Lu Zixiu looked at her in confusion, not knowing what she was up to. But he knew that she was a smart and decisive woman, so he didn't question her actions.
After Mo Qinghuan finished speaking, she stood up and walked towards the yard.
Lan was now completely bewitched. She stared blankly at the scissors in her hand. After a few moments of hesitation, she really stood up and stabbed at Mo Qinghuan.
Mo Qinghuan didn't dodge. The scissors hit her shoulder firmly. Lu Zixiu's pupils constricted suddenly. He stepped forward and kicked Lan away. Lan pulled out the scissors.
"Do you know what you're doing?" He hugged Mo Qinghuan and covered her wound tightly.
She didn't expect it to hurt so much. But she still managed to pull the corner of her mouth towards Lu Zixiu. "I'm fine. I just suddenly thought that if I let her go, maybe one day..."
Lu Zixiu shook his head painfully. "Stop talking. Dan'er, go and call the doctor."
The smile on Mo Qinghuan's face became even deeper. "Why call the doctor? You forgot. I'm a doctor myself. Dan'er, help me back to my room."
Seeing that Mo Qinghuan was about to go back to her room, Lan rushed over again regardless. "Your Highness, you can't go back on your word!"
Mo Qinghuan looked back and smiled. "Of course not. I'm the most honest person. Guards, take her to the dungeon. Disperse all the people in her yard."
Only then did Lan realize that she had been tricked by Mo Qinghuan. She rushed towards Mo Qinghuan like a madwoman, but was stopped by the guards who had rushed over.
Lu Zixiu frowned and followed Mo Qinghuan to the door of her courtyard. After thinking for a while, he stopped.
He walked to a nearby stone table and sat down.