Wang Granny pointed directly at Qin Zheng and cursed, “Everyone in the village says you have a heart like a Bodhisattva, helping everyone repair their houses and teaching them to make bricks and tiles.
Who would have thought you were hiding such malicious intentions, wanting to betroth my granddaughter to such a person! You were probably degraded in the water bandits’ den, rejected by your husband, and now you’re afraid my granddaughter will be valued by your husband...”
“Smack!” A very loud slap landed on Wang Granny’s face.
Wang Dama swung her arm directly to deliver this slap.
Wang Granny’s mouth spat out a few bloody yellow teeth, her mouth full of blood.
Now, she truly cried out in fear and pain, “Murder! Lin Family’s nurse wants to kill me, a childless old woman...”
“Smack!” Another loud slap.
Wang Granny’s emaciated face now had two symmetrical palm prints, and she had lost a tooth.
Wang Xiu was about to scream but was silenced by a stern look from Wang Dama.
Although there was hatred in her eyes, she didn’t utter another word.
Wang Dama pointed at Wang Granny and cursed, “You old hag with no virtue in your words, no wonder your son died early! That’s Yama punishing you!
Do you even remember that the tiles on your roof were made by the military strategist’s wife?
Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?
Without the military strategist’s wife, would you and your granddaughter still be standing here?”
She then glared fiercely at Wang Xiu and continued, “Look at what kind of person you’ve raised? Do you think the gossip outside is not harsh enough?
You both have no shame, and the village chief still tolerates you!
Shameless things! Once I report to the village chief, both of you will get out of the village!”
Listening to Wang Dama’s insults, Wang Xiu almost dug her palm with her nails.
She raised her head and looked directly at Wang Dama, no longer pretending to be pitiful, and sneered, “Shame? How many people in this village have given me that thing?
Just because my mother was a prostitute, I’ve been chewed out by those gossiping women in the village, and when I was bullied by the rascals in the West Village,
I had to endure their ridicule! Whether I did those things or not, I was mocked and ridiculed by them anyway. So why shouldn’t I just admit to what they said?”
Wang Dama, unable to bear it, said, “You’re just willingly debasing yourself! How did I teach you before?”
Wang Xiu continued to smile sarcastically, her eyes full of irony. “Wang Dama, do you think your reputation is so great? People call you a demon behind your back!”
Wang Dama retorted, “Even if I am a demon, so what? Can someone be choked to death by others’ words in this world?”
Wang Xiu’s smile became even more mocking. “Those backstabbing words didn’t fall on your own ears. In your mouth, they’re just words. I’ve been called a prostitute for more than ten years, cursed as the illegitimate child of who-knows-who, enduring the humiliation. Should I just admit it all with a smile?”
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to be born from a prostitute. I would want to be like Lin Zhao, born as the young lady of the village, pampered by everyone.
Or like He Yunjing, having a father who dotes on me and can cut off the tongues of anyone who dares to criticize me...
But I’m just born by a prostitute. What can I do? Harassed by a group of rascals, pointed and gossiped about by those women, should I just accept it?
They said I was only fit to marry a cripple widower. I insisted on marrying a man with power and status to shut their filthy mouths!”
Listening to her granddaughter’s words, Wang Granny felt heartbroken and began to cry. “Xiu grew up in bitterness. With this incident, the village chief and the military strategist must take Xiu in, otherwise, she will never be able to hold her head up again.”
Qin Zheng finally understood. These two were taking “I’m weak, so I’m right” to the extreme.
She didn’t want to stay a moment longer, saying to Wang Dama, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Wang Dama, who had a bit of a soft spot for Wang Xiu after hearing her words, turned cold again after hearing Wang Granny’s words. “You’ve given up hope. In the future, even Qi Yun Village won’t tolerate you!”
She intended to leave with Qin Zheng, but Wang Xiu screamed loudly, “I know you’ve only been pretending to be nice to me all these years, you didn’t really care about me at all!”
Before she could finish her sentence, she was slapped again, not by Wang Dama but by Qin Zheng.
Half of her face was numb and painful.
Wang Xiu covered her face, seemingly not expecting Qin Zheng to strike.
Wang Granny exclaimed in shock, standing in front of Wang Xiu, “Don’t hit my granddaughter, don’t hit my granddaughter...”
Wang Xiu licked her lips, looking at Qin Zheng with a sneer, “You’re not pretending to be kind now? I thought you were quite capable, but it turns out you’re just like the other women in the village, getting angry at the slightest mention of your man.
You know you’re dirty, so you’re afraid I’ll steal him away? Do you know what he and I did that day?”
Qin Zheng had used force in that slap.
She flicked her hand and looked coldly at Wang Xiu, saying, “I’ve never claimed to be a good person. Just because I can make bricks and tiles, am I just a bricklayer’s daughter? That’s disappointing, Miss Wang. My family background is decent.”
Wang Xiu’s face looked ugly, her eyes full of resentment.
Qin Zheng continued, “Ignoring you is because I don’t want to lower myself by talking to you. Slapping you was not because you’re getting close to my husband, but because you have a sharp tongue. When Ah Zhao and I were captured and taken to Panlong Gou, the government troops wiped out Panlong Gou. Whether I am innocent or not, doesn’t need to be judged by Miss Wang.”
“And...” Her gaze became as cold as frost, “Does Miss Wang have any misunderstandings about her appearance? When you went to deliver the steamed buns that day, my husband said he didn’t dare to sleep without turning off the lights for several nights, afraid of dreaming of ghosts.”
Qin Zheng never liked using appearance or background to attack others.
She only said such disgusting things to Wang Xiu because she had been disgusted by Wang Xiu.
“You...” Wang Xiu was indeed angered to the point where her face turned pale.
While her appearance was still passable, compared to Qin Zheng, it was like heaven and earth.
She cursed, “You’re truly malicious!”
Qin Zheng raised an eyebrow lightly, “Not as malicious as Miss Wang. Speaking of which, I am somewhat curious. Didn’t Miss Wang claim to be deeply in love with the village chief? “
Wang Xiu seemed to be stabbed, sneering repeatedly, “You don’t need to use these words to insult me. Do you think I really fancy the village cheif? Bah! If I could, I would kill all the men in the world! “
Her words surprised Qin Zheng somewhat.
Wang Xiu seemed to hate him to the core, her fingers digging into the mud as she laughed heartily, her eyes full of resentment, “Lin Yao never even looked at me properly. Do you think I would like him? If he wasn’t the chief of Qi Yun Village, I wouldn’t even bother to look at him!
Giving your man steamed buns wasn’t because I was interested in him. It was just that Lin Yao had become useless.
The whole village followed his orders, so who holds power, I marry. I just want the power they hold! I want to trample all those who look down on me underfoot, tear the mouths of those gossiping women apart, and sew them back up! See how they can still frame me!
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Those scumbags who bullied me, chop off their hands and feet, and throw their descendants into the Yuan River to feed the fish!”
As she spoke, her eyes became wild, and her whole being exuded a sense of madness.
Years of buried hatred and resentment were now laid bare, no longer needing to be hidden.
Wang Xiu felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Wang Granny looked at her with complex eyes, silent for a long time.
Wang Granny also seemed stunned, unable to believe that this was her granddaughter who had always endured grievances and swallowed them.
Qin Zheng frowned, “So you want to marry Lin Yao just to get back at those people?”
Wang Xiu sneered, “Otherwise, did you think I was as foolish as He Yunjing? Your man, who you cherish so much, is nothing to me!”
Qin Zheng suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Wang Xiu was hateful and detestable, with no self-awareness, but she had ruined her own reputation, just to retaliate against those who had once oppressed and humiliated her.
Calling her stupid? Indeed, she is stupid, but also quite pitiful.
Qin Zheng asked her, “Do you think you have avenged yourself enough now?”
Wang Xiu’s eyes were filled with fierce hatred, “You want to mock me? Mock me all you want. Don’t say these things to disgust people. Without this face, what are you? How much better are you than me?”
She sneered, “Oh, you’re better at reincarnation than me.”
Qin Zheng ignored her sarcasm and raised her eyelids lightly, “You said you were born in a bad environment and were arranged since childhood.
When Ah Zhao and I entered the bandits’ den, weren’t we arranged just like you?
Don’t blame everything on your background.
Without this appearance, I still have other abilities to rely on. Why do you think people in the village call me ‘Master Qin’?”
Wang Xiu sneered, “Rolling in the mud is considered having other abilities to rely on? People respect you because of your man. Do you really believe it?”
Wang Dama scolded, “All you can see with your shallow eyes is this. The bridge and road at the foot of the mountain were built by the Military Adviser’s wife.
The cableway for transporting grain from the back hill last night was also built by the Military Adviser’s wife.
Otherwise, do you think the trouble you caused could be resolved so quickly?”
Wang Xiu’s mocking expression stiffened.
She had never been in contact with the other things Qin Zheng had done.
She had always thought that Qin Zheng could only make bricks and tiles, and many people in the village went to learn from her, feeling grateful to her.
Wang Xiu didn’t think that was anything remarkable and had always looked down on it.
She even thought that after Qin Zheng returned, her husband treated her well not because of anything else but because of her excellent appearance.
Building bridges and roads, these things were too far away for Wang Xiu.
In her eyes, those were not things a woman could do.
At this moment, she suddenly realized that the gap between herself and Qin Zheng was not about appearance but about some deeper, incomprehensible things that she would never have the chance to understand.
Wang Dama was extremely disappointed in her, but still said, “Living in this world, every breath is earned by oneself. Second Master He Laozhi died, but why is He Yatou still living well?”
The fierceness that had supported her for more than ten years suddenly dissipated.
Wang Xiu sat dumbfounded in place, and Wang Granny hugged her, crying incessantly.
Today was supposed to be a visit to the Wang family for condolences, but it ended up like this, which was unexpected by anyone.
.....
When she returned, Wang Dama saw that Qin Zheng was not in high spirits and comforted her, “That girl from the Wang family is crazy. Don’t take her crazy talk to heart. After all the dirty things she did, I’ll report to the village chief. From now on, there will be no place for her and her grandaughter in Qi Yun Village!”
Qin Zheng said, “You can tell the village chief about what she did truthfully. As for my grievances with her, they were settled with that slap. You don’t need to say much to the village chief for my sake. She did wrong and should receive the punishment she deserves.”
Wang Xiu had reached this point due to external factors such as her background and upbringing, but a large part of it was her own fault.
She had harmed many people, and Qin Zheng neither sympathized nor pitied her.
Even the things she did couldn’t stir up any emotions in Qin Zheng.
The only thing that made her think deeply was Wang Xiu’s confession that she had schemed so hard to gain power and retaliate against those who had hurt her.
She had risked everything, but her way of climbing up was just to marry a powerful man.
Was it stupid? But for women in this era, it seemed quite normal.
If the original book’s crown princess being slandered and reviled by thousands of people was the cruelest persecution of women in this world, then Wang Xiu showed Qin Zheng the thick calluses that most women’s minds were entangled in in this era.
Even the most intelligent and wise woman couldn’t break free from the constraints of the big environment.
Once she crossed the line, it was like being cut by a sharp blade.
And those women at the lowest level, as lowly as dust, couldn’t even find a direction to strive for.
Qin Zheng, as an ordinary bystander, sighed after feeling this.
But now she was the Crown Princess of Chu, and if Chu Chengji succeeded in restoring the country one day, she would stand shoulder to shoulder with Chu Chengji in this world.
Even in the position of a ruler, she could only sigh?
Qin Zheng asked herself over and over again, and the answer in her heart became clearer and clearer.