Chapter 2 The Arrogant Servant

In the past, whenever she raised her voice like this, no matter how angry Madam Shen was, she had to suppress it and endure in silence.

"Say that again."

Chu Mu's expression had gone beyond mere darkness; a chill seemed to emanate from his entire being. He watched as Granny Liu behaved with a practiced arrogance, as if she was long accustomed to treating Shen Zhao in this manner. The other servants showed little reaction, clearly used to such scenes—it was an everyday occurrence for them. He had never realized how outrageously Granny Liu acted behind the scenes.

Such blatant insubordination, daring to force her mistress to apologize—who gave her such audacity?

Though Shen Zhao was overbearing, she was still his wife, the mistress of the general’s household. Her lack of respect toward his mother was indeed wrong, but it was not a servant’s place to humiliate and threaten her so.

Granny Liu was startled by the look in Shen Zhao’s eyes—an imposing gaze, not unlike the general’s when he was angry. She had only seen such a look when the general lost his temper with Madam Shen. But remembering the Old Madam, Granny Liu straightened her back once more.

"I can say it as many times as I want. The Shen family has fallen—you’re nothing more than a stray dog now. If not for the general’s household taking you in, you’d have suffered the same fate as your family. Now get up and attend to the Old Madam’s toilette."

Granny Liu, however, refrained from demanding an apology from Shen Zhao now, for the look in Madam Shen’s eyes had grown even more terrifying—a look reminiscent of the general when he punished Madam Shen.

"Help me dress," Chu Mu said grimly, for indeed he was about to meet his mother. His mother was kind-hearted and generous to her servants—she must have been fooled by Granny Liu’s outward loyalty. He could not let this wretched old servant tarnish his mother’s reputation.

A snort escaped from Granny Liu. "Shen Zhao, have you gone mad? Who are you expecting to help you dress?"

"You still think you’re the legitimate daughter of the Minister’s household? Still living in the days when you and the general had just married? The general long since lost interest in you. If not for his kindness and Miss Lin’s frail health, you’d have been stripped of your title long ago."

"And now, after dressing yourself day after day, you suddenly want to act like some noble lady?"

Granny Liu could not help but sneer further.

"Where are my maids?" Chu Mu frowned at Granny Liu, loathing the heartless, treacherous old wretch. He remembered that Shen Zhao had brought three personal maids and a nursemaid as dowry attendants. If not for his own inability to put on women’s attire, he would never ask a woman to help him dress.

"Oh? Still dreaming, are you?" Granny Liu jeered. "One of your wretched maids offended Miss Lin and was beaten to death by Deputy Zhang on the general’s orders—have you forgotten? She’s been dead nearly a year. Aren’t you afraid, daring to mention her name?"

"Another caught the second young master’s fancy and was dragged to his bed. But the little hussy would rather die than submit, claiming she was your dowry maid, and that for the second young master to defile her would tarnish your name."

The incident caused such a stir that the second madam found out. She ordered the maid flogged to death, and Granny Liu still remembered how the second madam fed the maid’s corpse to wild dogs.

The more Chu Mu listened, the heavier his heart grew. He had never ordered Deputy Zhang to execute anyone by caning. Nor had he known his second brother capable of such depravity—forcing himself upon his sister-in-law’s maid. This was not only a blow to Shen Zhao’s reputation, but a slap in his own face.

"And the last maid and the nursemaid?" he pressed, though he already feared the worst. He and Shen Zhao once shared deep affection; before their marriage, they had grown close through her elder brother. Shen Zhao had always been forthright and generous, a bit of a tomboy before their wedding. In the early days of their marriage, their love was strong, and Shen Zhao even showed a gentler, more feminine side.

When had she changed? She had become aggressive, unreasonable, argumentative, and scheming, even a source of household discord. She was disrespectful to his mother, unfriendly to her sisters-in-law, constantly at odds with his brother and sister-in-law—even when he’d told her more than once that he and Lin Jiaojiao were nothing but siblings, with no romantic feelings whatsoever.

But she wouldn’t believe him. She repeatedly mistreated Lin Jiaojiao, abusing her authority as the mistress to make Lin’s life hard. All his generals saw it—he could not take Shen Zhao’s side.

Lin Jiaojiao was an orphan now. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have lost her brother or fallen ill with a broken heart. He had to treat her kindly.

Yet things now seemed very different from what he once knew.

"Your nursemaid offended the Old Madam and was locked in the woodshed for three days and nights. The wretch was about to die, forcing the Old Madam to repent at the Buddha’s feet for a long time."

"The Old Madam is devoted to Buddha and abhors killing. Later, she ordered your nursemaid thrown to the wolves—so it wouldn’t count as her taking a life. Your nursemaid was eaten by wolves, not killed by the Old Madam’s hand."

Chu Mu could not believe it. His mother was a devout Buddhist, a vegetarian who would not even step on an ant—how could she kill someone? Surely the servants misunderstood her intentions. Hadn’t this wretched old servant said the Old Madam had repented for a long time after nearly causing the nursemaid’s death? The lower servants must have committed these crimes behind his mother’s back.

"And the last maid?"

Granny Liu answered impatiently while urging him to hurry: "Wasn’t she sent out of the household to manage your shop for you?"

"Hurry up and dress—the Old Madam needs to chant scriptures at the hour of Chen."

No one came to help Chu Mu dress.

He clumsily put on the skirt and blouse, then followed Granny Liu and the others toward his mother’s quarters. He was now Shen Zhao—he could not rush to reveal himself to his mother. She was old and could not withstand such a shock. Besides, their souls had switched bodies; they might yet switch back, and such a bizarre occurrence must not be known to outsiders. If his guess was correct, the person now residing in his own body was Shen Zhao.

When they reached the Old Madam’s quarters, Granny Liu deliberately had him stopped at the door.

"Shen Zhao, wait here. I’ll go announce you to the Old Madam."

Chu Mu watched Granny Liu’s departing figure. Just moments before, she’d been in such a hurry, irritated by any delay. Now that they had reached his mother’s rooms, she left him waiting outside. Clearly, the servants truly had become tyrannical, and this cunning old woman was about to poison his mother’s ear against him.

It was late autumn, and the air was cold. Chu Mu had never feared the cold before, yet now he pulled his thin clothing tighter around himself. He recalled Shen Zhao’s robust health and skill in martial arts—she should not be so sensitive to the chill.

After a quarter of an hour, a maid finally summoned him inside.

As soon as he entered, a teacup came flying at his face.

"What airs you put on, making me wait so long!"

Chu Mu stared in shock at the shattered cup at his feet, wisps of steam rising from the thick carpet. His mother had thrown a cup of scalding tea at him.

It must have been that old viper Granny Liu filling his mother’s ears with slander, causing her to misunderstand Shen Zhao.

"Mother…" Chu Mu began, but the Old Madam snapped,

"Who gave you the right to call me mother? You wretched creature—address me as Madam Chu. Have you remembered that?"