Chapter 329 - Back to the Prefectural City (1/2)

Madam Zhang looked at the situation and silently cursed Yu Xiaocao for causing trouble. If that little brat wasn’t here, how could the royal prince not allow her to get on the carriage? One had to admire Madam Zhang for her self-confidence!

Madam Zhang was about to say something but Zhu Junyang had long lost his patience, “You have two choices. The first is that he takes the carriage alone. The second is that neither of you are allowed to sit in the carriage!!”

Yu Bo noticed that the royal prince had already become angry and hurriedly spoke to his mother, “Mother, I’m not a child anymore so I don’t need you to escort me! I’m already familiar with the prefectural city and I have an old schoolmate there. We’ve already come to an agreement that I’ll lodge at his house. Don’t worry! Just wait at home for the good news.”

Madam Zhang hatefully glared at the carriage as if she could see through the exterior and look straight at that brat, Xiaocao.

Fury rose up in Zhu Junyang’s heart, so he snapped the whip in his hands towards Madam Zhang with a loud and crisp snap. Madam Zhang retreated a few steps out of alarm and her legs softened beneath her. She sat on the ground stupidly and the cruel expression on her face immediately changed to frightened.

“Let’s go!” Zhu Junyang commanded the driver. ‘This prince was helping your son out of the merciful kindness of my own heart because Yu Bo is Xiaocao’s younger uncle, but this old woman still dares to glare at Xiaocao. Are you trying to court death here?’

Although Madam Zhang wasn’t sure why Royal Prince Yang suddenly became angry, she knew that if the carriage left now, her son would need to spend an entire day to get to the prefectural city. Furthermore, he would have to spend money to do so. She didn’t know where she got the courage and strength from, but she flung herself at the carriage and grabbed the wheel with her two hands. She shouted loudly, “Royal Prince, it was this old woman who was greedy. We’ll do as you say and only my son will go along…”

“I’ve changed my mind. Neither of you two are allowed to sit on my carriage! Unless…” Zhu Junyang looked at Madam Zhang with disdain as he waited for her to react.

“Unless what?” When Madam Zhang saw that there was still leeway, she hurriedly asked.

“Unless you apologize to Xiaocao!” Zhu Junyang remembered her previous poisonous glare and felt hate bubble up.

Madam Zhang wanted to refuse and asked, “Why?”

“We can set aside what you were thinking about earlier, but don’t tell me you don’t remember how you treated her whole family in the past? Do you truly believe you don’t owe her an apology?” Although Zhu Junyang really didn’t want to talk to this old woman, he had a ball of resentment in his heart towards her.

Madam Zhang opened her mouth to reply when her youngest son pulled on the corner of her jacket. Yu Bo was speechless in front of his mother, who had no idea of the gravity of the situation. Royal Prince Yang could just lift one finger and destroy their family. They should be doing all they could to follow his wishes, yet his mother kept wanting to press her luck. Was there any benefit to be had if they offended Royal Prince Yang?

Only now did Madam Zhang recall that she was asking for a favor from the other person. People needed to learn when to bow and submit and when to stand tall. For the sake of her son, she was willing to back down, “Xiaocao ah, in the past, it was Grandmother’s fault. However, our family was poor, so we didn’t have a lot of food. We had many mouths to feed, so we couldn’t just do things for the sake of you and let everyone else starve ah! After all of these years, now your family is doing very well, so please just let bygones be bygones ah!”

Was this an apology? From the words that she used and the odd intonation in her voice that sounded vaguely of jealousy, this was words of dissention disguised as an apology, right? Yu Xiaocao wasn’t someone to take a loss for nothing, “Old Lady Zhang, we don’t have such a malicious grandmother in our family. Don’t forget, my grandfather has already peacefully separated from you!”

“In addition, don’t try to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes as if we’re all stupid, okay? When I was ill, you were able to use the excuse that the family was poor so you couldn’t take out any money for me to see the doctor. That was somewhat acceptable. However, when my father’s leg was savaged by a bear, the three hundred taels that Uncle Zhao gave us after selling the bear had all been given to you. We didn’t hold back a single copper. But what did you do? You were so miserly that you couldn’t bear to spend a single tael to let the doctor treat my father’s leg. When we split from the family, you were even more cruel. We were thrown out of the house as if we were a bunch of beggars and were given next to nothing. If it wasn’t for my grandfather insisting on it, I reckon that we wouldn’t have even gotten the few taels that we did! That was three hundred taels ah! At the time, we had the injured, the sick, the weak, and underage children with us! Anyone with a speck of morality within them wouldn’t have hogged all of the three hundred taels without giving us even a little bit!!”

‘Weren’t you trying to use your connection with us to gain an advantage ah? I’ll broadcast it loud and clear to everyone around us, so they can discuss who is right and wrong.’ Popular opinion was turning as people’s hearts generally knew what was fairness and justice. At this moment, there were quite a number of people surrounding the Royal Prince’s luxurious carriage to send the Yu Family’s brother-sister pair off. All of them were giving Madam Zhang dirty looks.

Yu Bo felt his face heat up in embarrassment as shame settled into his heart after hearing what his mother had done.

Yu Xiaocao continued, “The horrible things you’ve done to us can be somewhat explained as my father isn’t your biological son. After all, people will always be selfish. However, a married couple is a different story. My grandfather had spent over twenty years with you and helped you raise your oldest son, who’s not blood related to him. In his old age, for the sake of supporting your family, he went out to sea every day, in rain or shine, to fish without rest. But how did you end up treating him? You couldn’t bear to spend some money to treat a minor illness and let it become a serious infection. Then you threw him into a cramped, damaged room to let him die. You didn’t even give him any water to drink. If I didn’t come by to visit in time, my grandfather wouldn’t have died from his illness but would have perished of thirst or starved to death!”

“If the heavens didn’t pity us, my whole family along with my grandfather would have all been bankrupt and perished from your actions! But you just easily say that we should ‘let bygones be bygones’ to forgive your sins. But isn’t that covering everything you have done?” Everything that Yu Xiaocao mentioned was giving Madam Zhang a giant slap on her face. Her dirty deeds had finally been let out into the open.