Before the meal was over, everyone at the table changed their expressions. Especially Liu Yuyu and Liu Yumei, their faces as pale as paper, were trembling with fear.
"Miss Yu, this is the soup the old lady specifically told the kitchen to make for you. I heard that you were frightened by a ghost some days ago. Drinking this soup will calm your nerves, just as the doctor prescribed." Mama Xie placed the soup bowl in front of Liu Yuyu. When she lowered her eyes and saw what was in it, she let out a scream and fell to the ground, her face as terrified as if she had seen a ghost.
The soup bowl contained a handful of off - white teeth, mixed with a large amount of hair. Boiled in clear water, the teeth and hair were all tangled together in knots. Just looking at it was extremely disgusting.
Liu Yushu sneered inwardly. It was Liu Yuyu who had used these two things to scare her before, and now she was just reaping what she had sown. She deserved it!
"Miss Yu, please drink it quickly. It won't taste good when it gets cold." Mama Xie said with a faint smile. There was not a shred of emotion in her eyes; if anything, it was just mockery.
"No, Grandmother, please forgive me. I don't want to drink it. If I drink this soup, I'll die. I really will." Liu Yuyu knelt on the ground, crying in a mess. She begged for mercy in a hurry. Through her tear - blurred eyes, seeing that the old lady had no intention of sparing her, she crawled on all fours to Liu Daqiang's feet, grabbed his legs with both hands and shook them, pleading humbly, "Father, please save your daughter. Your daughter really did encounter a ghost. I'm not lying. Please save your daughter's life. Mother is already injured. Your daughter can only rely on you."
Liu Daqiang felt pity and was about to bend down to help Liu Yuyu up when the old lady sitting in the main seat said, "Since you were really haunted by a ghost, you should calm your nerves properly. Otherwise, the whole household will be restless because of you."
"Your grandmother is right. Drink the soup quickly." After Liu Daqiang said this, he pretended to eat and ignored Liu Yuyu. Seeing this, Liu Yuyu collapsed on the ground as if her heart was dead, and her tears never stopped.
Mama Xie waved her hand, and two servants immediately came over to pull Liu Yuyu up from the ground. A maid stepped forward, pinched her chin with her hand, and forced open her mouth with a silver spoon. Liu Yuyu had a ferocious expression and refused to open her mouth. But in the end, she couldn't resist the maid. The spoon scratched a cut on her mouth, and fresh blood flowed out.
Liu Yushu turned her head away. The scene was too cruel for her to watch.
Liu Yuyu's mouth was forced open, and the soup with teeth and hair was poured into her mouth. She cried, swallowed, and vomited at the same time. Her blood - red eyes were full of resentment as she glared coldly at Liu Yushu. She hated Liu Yushu to the core.
In Liu Yuyu's view, Liu Yushu was just a sickly girl left by a weak and incompetent first wife. Even her father didn't dote on her. Why should she regard her as an elder sister? Bullying Liu Yushu was a favor to her. It was Liu Yushu's honor. If she gave Liu Yushu a smile, Liu Yushu should be grateful. Her father doted on her, so she should be the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor. But Liu Yushu fawned on the old lady in every way, and the old lady helped and protected her. Liu Yushu was really a shameless schemer.
Liu Yuyu longed for the status of a legitimate daughter. Even if she couldn't get it officially, she wanted to enjoy the treatment of a legitimate daughter. She would eliminate anyone who stood in her way.
Putting teeth in Liu Yushu's food and hair on her door were all things Liu Yuyu had done.
The so - called haunting by a ghost later, and finding a lecherous Taoist priest to ruin Liu Yushu's innocence were also all her ideas. Concubine Sun had just done as Liu Yuyu told her.
Over the years, Liu Yuyu had been lying low in the mansion. She had been humble in front of Concubine He and her daughter who had died, looking for a chance to bring them down. She knew that Liu Yanhao was lecherous, so she deliberately found a diseased prostitute and quietly got close to him. Then she went to Concubine He's place pretending to give gifts, but actually sowing discord and giving her advice, asking Concubine He to change Liu Yiyi's pants into those infected with syphilis.
Everything before was carefully planned by Liu Yuyu. She had already dealt with Concubine He and her three children. Liu Yumei was no match for her at all. Only Liu Yushu was the one she couldn't bring down.
Liu Yuyu had tried to harm Liu Yushu several times but failed. She gritted her teeth in hatred and secretly sighed that Liu Yushu was really lucky. Every time, someone would come to her rescue. This only deepened her resentment towards Liu Yushu.
Why, why couldn't she get rid of Liu Yushu! If this legitimate daughter, Liu Yushu, died, she, Liu Yuyu, could become the eldest daughter of the Liu family in a legitimate way. She could enjoy the treatment of a legitimate daughter, marry into a noble family as the first wife in the future, and never have to worry about food and clothing again. She would never have to live carefully, watching others' faces.
After a bowl of soup was forced into her stomach, Liu Yuyu was half - dead. She fell to the ground motionless as if she were dead. Zhenxia panicked and shook her body. She retched and vomited on the ground. What she vomited was all teeth and hair.
"Sister Yu, are you okay? Don't scare this servant." Zhenxia cried miserably. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the old lady non - stop. Her forehead was broken. "Old lady, it was all this servant's idea. It was this servant who instigated it. Please punish this servant. Miss Shu is innocent. She has been frightened and bedridden these days. Her body can't stand such torture. This servant can't let her die unjustly."
"I haven't settled accounts with you yet. Why are you in such a hurry?" The old lady snorted. "Since you say it was all your idea, fine, Mama Xie, drag Zhenxia out and give her a hundred blows with the board. Let all the servants and maids in the mansion see what will happen to those who sow discord and slander the young ladies behind their backs."
"Yes." Mama Xie immediately carried out the order and asked the servants to drag Zhenxia out.
Liu Yushu was stunned for a moment in fear. The boards used for beating in the Liu Mansion were different from those in ordinary families. The old lady was the daughter of a military family and knew very well how to punish serious offenders. The board was as thick as half a finger and as wide as half an arm. A weak servant couldn't even lift it. After just five blows, blood would surely be drawn.
With Zhenxia's physical condition, not to mention a hundred blows, thirty would be enough to take her life. There was no way she could survive this.
She was just scared, and she felt no sympathy for Zhenxia at all. These people had bullied her before. Why should she feel sorry for them!
In her previous life, she was too soft - hearted and was bullied by others. In the end, she ended up in a miserable situation. After being reborn, she had to learn to be tougher.
She had sworn that she would make Concubine Sun and her daughter come to a bad end. Now that the old lady was helping her take revenge, it had finally resolved her knot.
"Why aren't you eating? Are you tired?" The old lady was a bit worried when she saw Liu Yushu in a daze.
Liu Yushu smiled sweetly. "Grandmother, don't worry. I'm fine. There are just too many delicious dishes. I don't know which one to eat first." She would eat and drink as usual. She wouldn't let others affect her mood.
"Miss Shu has recovered a lot these days." Liu Daqiang echoed with a smile. He gave Liu Yushu a look, meaning for her to say some good words for him in front of the old lady. Liu Yushu sneered inwardly with contempt. She didn't care at all and just pretended not to see it.
Outside, Zhenxia let out a few screams and then there was no sound. As for Liu Yuyu, who was lying on the ground weakly, she cried and mumbled, "Grandmother, your granddaughter is innocent. Your granddaughter doesn't know anything. Your granddaughter has been kept in the dark all along. It was all Zhenxia's fault. She harmed me and my mother." Since Zhenxia was surely going to die, she simply shifted all the blame to Zhenxia. She had to save her life first. There would be plenty of time in the future. As long as she had her life, she wouldn't worry about not having a chance to take revenge on Liu Yushu.