Chapter 155: Unveiling Lin Jiaojiao's True Face 2

"General, Miss Lin is still unmarried, yet you are leading such a large crowd to tour her private chambers. How is she supposed to face the world and find a good match from now on?"

Shen Zhao smiled faintly and replied, "Our Southern Chu customs are open and progressive; we do not burden women with such rigid restrictions. Why is it that Deputy Zhang is so eager to impose these conventional shackles upon Miss Lin?"

His expression turning cold, Shen Zhao continued, "It was Deputy Zhang who claimed that my Grand General's Manor mistreated Miss Lin. To prove our innocence, my wife and I have no choice but to let everyone see for themselves whether or not we have wronged Miss Lin. Is Deputy Zhang trying to stop me now out of a guilty conscience, terrified of being exposed?"

Startled, Zhang Cheng raised his hands, staring at the General in shock. He had done no such thing! How could the General accuse him so unjustly? He had only tried to stop the General out of concern for Miss Lin's reputation. It was all the fault of the Madam and her calculated schemes against Miss Lin; if not for her making such a scene today, the General would never have suspected him of claiming the manor mistreated Miss Lin. In the past, the General had placed absolute trust in him and Miss Lin, and the only reason he was doubting them now was because of the Madam.

Glaring angrily at Chu Mu, Zhang Cheng thought that she alone was to blame. Why should he and Miss Lin bear the consequences of her malicious mischief?

The unprovoked hatred and hostility in Zhang Cheng's eyes made Chu Mu completely disillusioned with him. He knew that Zhang Cheng was shifting the blame onto his Ah-Zhao.

"This subordinate did no such thing, General! It was the Madam who hired people to make a scene at the gates, and she is deceiving you to ruin Miss Lin's reputation!"

Chu Mu longed to plant his foot squarely in Zhang Cheng's ignorant and foul mouth.

"Deputy Zhang, can you produce any proof that these people were hired by my wife to cause a disturbance? Since the General returned to the manor, have you ever seen or heard me utter a single word against Miss Lin in his presence? Was it I who instigated the General to let everyone follow us into the manor? All of this rests entirely upon your baseless conjectures. You fling mud at me again and again—pray tell, what is your true motive?"

Before Zhang Cheng could retort, Zhang Liang and Liu Zhong immediately stepped forward to intervene.

"Zhang Cheng, do not be disrespectful to the General and the Madam."

"Miss Lin is Feihu's sister, and the General would never wrong her. We are all watching here; the General will certainly not show favoritism to anyone. Get up and clear the way for the General."

Gripping Zhang Cheng by the shoulders, Zhang Liang and Liu Zhong hoisted him up from the ground. Zhang Liang warned him in a low voice beside his ear, "You are in the wrong today. The General is our master, and in all these years following him, he has never treated us poorly. He is strict and fair-minded, and he would never wrong Miss Lin simply because of the Madam's alleged ingratitude. Just watch and see how this unfolds. This concerns not only the Madam's reputation, but the General's as well."

Zhang Cheng opened his mouth to argue further, but meeting Liu Zhong's stern glare, he finally clamped his mouth shut. He cast an apologetic look toward Lin Jiaojiao.

Furious at his spinelessness, Lin Jiaojiao thought: He closes his mouth and abandons her just because he received a little reprimand? He had sworn up and down to be her good brother, but if he truly were, he should be risking everything to protect her right now instead of standing by while she was being cornered by the crowd.

She shot a resentful glare at Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng faltered, a pang of bitterness piercing his heart. Was Miss Lin angry at him for failing to stop the General? But he had already done his best.

"Oh my... What's so precious about a place to stay that makes it such a delicate matter? Back in Linjia Village, Jiaojiao used to work in the fields every day and show her face to everyone without ruining her reputation. We just wanted to see what kind of luxurious life our Jiaojiao has been living in the Grand General's Manor, making her forget all about her parents, brother, and younger brother," chimed in Mrs. Lin, stepping forward. She could clearly see that this General Chu held no affection for Lin Jiaojiao anymore.

"Isn't it just a place to live? There aren't that many ridiculous rules. Let's see it!" interjected Lin's father, who was too impatient to wait. He was still hoping to move in himself.

Lin Jiaojiao clutched her hands tightly inside her sleeves, her long nails digging deep into her flesh. Were they completely blind to her worth? These were no family members; they were outright enemies.

The crowd began to murmur and stir, voicing all sorts of opinions. The general consensus was that a mere peasant girl, having lived off the hospitality of the Grand General's Manor for a few years, actually believed she was a noble lady. Not even young ladies from prestigious aristocratic families were as pretentious as her.

Their stinging remarks made Lin Jiaojiao's face burn with humiliation. How could these lowly wretches dare to lump her together with mud-legged peasants? She was now Miss Lin of the Grand General's Manor!

"Everyone, quiet down. Follow me, and judge for yourselves whether the Grand General's Manor has mistreated Miss Lin, and whether I, Chu Mu, am an ungrateful wretch who allowed Miss Lin to suffer grievances beneath my roof."

Upon hearing Shen Zhao's words, Lin Jiaojiao's expression shifted instantly. Brother Mu must have misunderstood her! No wonder he had broken with his usual demeanor to stand up for Shen; he was merely afraid that others would think his household had wronged her. She had never said any such thing, nor did she mean it that way at all. What she meant was that the wretched woman Shen was tormenting her!

"Brother Mu..."

Lin Jiaojiao started to plead, but Shen Zhao did not even afford her the chance. Choosing to ignore her entirely, he led the crowd directly toward her Western Courtyard.

Being thus disregarded by Brother Mu, Lin Jiaojiao came close to tears of anxiety. Brother Mu was truly angry with her; he refused even to acknowledge her. How could things have come to this?

Accompanied by the throng, Shen Zhao arrived at Lin Jiaojiao's Western Courtyard.

The moment they stepped inside, their eyes were dazzled by the sheer opulence before them. How could they not be? Aside from the second branch's quarters, the furnishings in Lin Jiaojiao's courtyard were hardly inferior to theirs.

The courtyard was elegant and exquisite; although it was late autumn, exotic flowers and rare plants bloomed profusely, filling the air with fragrance the instant one crossed the threshold. The indoor furnishings were equally refined, exuding wealth and luxury at every turn. Hearing the commotion, the servants assigned to the courtyard rushed out to greet them.

There were over twenty maidservants and matrons combined—completely exceeding the regulations permitted even for daughters of high-ranking noble families.

A servant from an aristocratic household remarked in astonishment, "Our young miss only has two senior maids, four junior maids, two governing matrons, two rough-work matrons, two rough-work maids, and one sweeping maid—only eleven people in total. Yet this young lady requires over twenty servants to wait upon her. This truly opens our eyes."

Someone else asked, "Which noble household do you serve? Our young miss only has eight attendants, and her household is already considered exceptionally grand."

Raising her head, the first speaker replied, "The Duke's Manor." She did not specify which Duke's manor it belonged to.

Though ignorant of the exact house, the others could easily gather from the conversation that this Miss Lin possessed more than twice the number of attendants compared to anyone else. If she still claimed to have been mistreated in the Grand General's Manor, they would never believe it even if they were beaten to death.

Even the daughter of a Duke's manor did not command so many servants. For Lin Jiaojiao to still cry grievance was pure pretense, sheer affectation, and utter ingratitude.

As the crowd buzzed with criticism, stopping just short of calling her an ingrate, Lin Jiaojiao burned with shame. Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Cheng stepped forward once more to defend her.

"Everyone has misunderstood. Miss Lin fell ill with heartbreak after the sudden passing of her brother, which is why she requires more people to tend to her."

At that moment, an elderly man stepped out from the crowd.