The crowd: "..."
What Madam Liu said was... rather shrewd. If the First Madam, angered by the Second Madam, were to regret her decision and refuse to hand over the keys, then the young master's words would be nothing but unprovable empty boasts.
"You..."
Madam Wang pulled Nan Yujin's arm, took out the storeroom key from her embrace, and calmly said to Madam Liu, "Here, take it!"
Madam Liu's pupils contracted. She hadn't expected Madam Wang to actually produce the key.
"Yu'er..."
Madam Liu beckoned the maid beside her, wanting the maid to step forward. Madam Wang's slightly curved lips were framed by wrinkles that seemed to hide endless mockery. Her voice was weak, and her pale complexion made her look like she was on her last breath. As Yu'er was about to obey, Madam Wang clutched the key tightly in her hand.
"Madam Liu, have you no respect for me to this extent?"
Although she appeared sickly, her gaze at Madam Liu held a sharpness. Her prolonged bedridden state couldn't suppress the commanding presence of the primary wife!
Madam Liu's entire body tensed, as if transported back to the day she first entered the manor and met Madam Wang.
She had knelt before the hall then, hands cupped around a teacup, offering the ceremonial tea to Madam Wang, the primary wife. Once Madam Wang drank this tea, she would become a legitimate and honored concubine!
Madam Wang's presence back then was even more imposing than it was now.
Madam Liu's fear flickered, quickly replaced by shame and anger. By now, their situations and statuses were vastly different from before. To think she would still feel fear towards her was simply preposterous!
"Dare not? You're afraid of me?"
Seeing Madam Liu hesitate, Madam Wang looked at her with surprise.
Yu'er, caught in a dilemma, turned to Madam Liu for help. Madam Wang wouldn't let go, and she dared not snatch the key.
"Afraid of you? That's a joke!"
Madam Liu burst into laughter, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world. Once she finished laughing, she strode purposefully towards Madam Wang.
Yu'er stepped aside, making way for Madam Liu.
Madam Liu reached Madam Wang and extended her hand, "Give me the key!"
Madam Wang turned her hand over and opened her fist.
Seeing this, Madam Liu reached for the key.
Madam Wang suddenly raised her hand, aiming for Madam Liu's face. However, Madam Liu, as if anticipating it, grabbed Madam Wang's wrist. Her face was full of smugness, "Heh, I knew you had no good intentions. You want to slap me, you..."
Madam Wang's palm opened, letting the key in her hand fall. Then, she raised her hand and struck Madam Liu fiercely on the face. The crisp sound of the slap echoed through Li Wan Pavilion. The servants in Li Wan Pavilion gasped, witnessing the scene.
For so many years, no one had dared to treat Madam like this!
"You dare hit me, you..."
Madam Wang said nothing. Taking advantage of Madam Liu's shocked anger, she flung Madam Liu's hand away and slapped her hard on the other cheek.
She used almost all her strength. The two powerful slaps directly left clear handprints on Madam Liu's face.
"Hmm, now it's symmetrical!"
With that, Madam Wang lowered her hand to Nan Yujin's arm. Feeling his mother's hand tremble with the suppressed killing intent she was trying hard to conceal, Nan Yujin simply placed his hand over hers.
Madam Wang gritted her teeth. Only when she tasted a hint of metallic sweetness in her mouth did she manage to quell her murderous rage. She then gasped and said to Madam Liu, "The authority to manage the household is returned to you!"
As she spoke, she seemingly stumbled and stepped on the key, then continued to grind it under her shoe as if she hadn't noticed it.
Madam Wang patted Nan Yujin's hand, and Nan Yujin led her towards the doorway.
"You, you actually hit me, I'll fight you to the death..."
Madam Liu's eyes were bloodshot. Her face was swollen like a pig's, and her hair, disheveled by Madam Wang's blows, had fallen to one side. She looked like a madwoman lost in frenzy, shouting as she lunged at Madam Wang.
"Madam!"
The servants of Li Wan Pavilion cried out in alarm.
"Madam, be careful!"
Madam Wang's maid, seeing Madam Liu's charge, shouted a warning while rushing behind Madam Wang.
"Madam, please calm down!"
Just as Madam Liu was about to wrestle with Madam Wang's maid, a figure appeared before Madam Liu, blocking her movement.
Madam Liu turned and saw that it was the guard beside the Master.
"Get out of the way!"
"Your subordinate cannot!"
"Who do you think you are, to block me? Be sensible and leave quickly, or I'll report you to the Master!"
"Madam is welcome to report!"
"You..."
"What is all this commotion?"
Nan Chaoyin strode in, his face filled with anger. He had received news when Madam Wang and Nan Yujin went to Li Wan Pavilion, but he only showed himself after things had settled.
"Master~"
Upon seeing Nan Chaoyin, Madam Liu's earlier arrogance vanished. She shoved the guard away, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. In the past, this appearance might have been described as a willow weeping in the spring breeze, but now, her swollen cheeks expanded her mid-face, squeezing her once large, bright eyes into slits. As she cried now, her eyes also swelled, making her look like a pig washing its face with tears!
Nan Chaoyin felt a hint of disgust. Seeing Madam Liu rush towards him, he endured his impatience and pulled her into his embrace.
"Master, Sister hit me!" Madam Liu complained tearfully!
Madam Wang simply leaned against Nan Yujin, watching Nan Chaoyin with a calm expression.
Her eyes seemed to hold a blade, causing Nan Chaoyin to frown. He lowered his head and said to Madam Liu, "I have been standing outside for a long time and heard everything!"
Madam Liu understood the implied meaning of the Master's words and subconsciously bit her lower lip.
"Mas..."
"Enough, no need to say more. Since Madam has allowed you to temporarily manage the household affairs, you shall continue to do so. When Madam's health improves, it can be returned to her." Nan Chaoyin interrupted Madam Liu's performance. This scene was within his expectations. He had only not anticipated that Madam Wang's lesson to Madam Liu would merely be... a slap!
"Yujin, take your mother back!"
"Yes, Father!"
Nan Yujin helped Madam Wang leave Li Wan Pavilion. Madam Liu wanted to say more, but under Nan Chaoyin's gaze, she could only swallow the humiliation she suffered today.
The Master actually allowed the First Madam to hit Madam!
This was not good news!
However... upon thinking of the First Madam's sickly appearance just now, the active minds of everyone present subsided. The First Madam likely didn't have much time left. Even if she gained the Master's favor in her final days, ultimately, this entire Nan manor would fall into Madam's hands.