Chapter 9: Su Manjing Punished

"What on earth is going on?" Su Hu was increasingly displeased with the words coming out of Zhehe's mouth and quickly asked.

"According to Dad, this is what happened. I just woke up today and my second sister came to see me. This should have been a happy occasion, but my second sister liked the Emei snow buds I had and asked for some. I thought my second sister came to see me with good intentions, so I didn't mind giving her some tea leaves.

In the past, when my second sister asked me for things, I always thought she was still young and it would be better when she grew up, so I always gave in, including some of our late mother's belongings. But this time, I felt that my second sister was not so young anymore, and it was not appropriate for her to act like this, so I said a few more words.

It's not a big deal for my second sister to ask for these things in my yard, but it's not appropriate to do the same at other people's houses. I don't want her to be looked down upon. Who knew that just a few words would make my second sister misunderstand me like this. If I had known, I wouldn't have said anything."

As Zhehe spoke, she became increasingly upset, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. It was clear that she was a loving older sister who was heartbroken by her immature younger sister.

"Dad!" After Zhehe explained the situation, Su Manjing knew that Su Hu already understood the whole story. She looked at Su Hu pitifully and fearfully.

Seeing Su Manjing with tears in her eyes, Su Hu felt a pang of heartache.

Before Su Hu could fully soften, Zhehe immediately knelt down and said, "Dad, I have always known that you don't like me, you like my second sister, and you have high expectations for her. But I will always be your daughter. I just woke up and kindly reminded my second sister to be careful with her words and actions when she goes out in the future. But now I have been falsely accused. Since the house cannot accommodate me, and I don't want to cause trouble for Dad, I am willing to go to the ancestral temple to pray for Dad."

"Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? How could Dad bear to let you go to the ancestral temple?" Su Hu quickly helped Zhehe up and said.

With her head down, Zhehe's expression was inscrutable. She inwardly sneered, of course, he wouldn't bear it. If I went to the ancestral temple, it would be difficult for him to explain to the Zhongyong Marquis's mansion, and there would be endless gossip. Your other daughters would be ruined.

After helping Zhehe up, Su Hu turned to Su Manjing and reprimanded, "Do you know your mistake?"

"Jing'er knows her mistake." With just a light reprimand from Su Hu, Su Manjing was scared and knelt down.

"Where did you go wrong?" Su Hu clearly wasn't going to let Su Manjing off easily, or else he wouldn't be able to give Zhehe an explanation. He was also afraid that Zhehe would go to the ancestral temple in a fit of anger.

"I shouldn't have failed to explain the situation clearly, causing Dad to misunderstand my older sister. And my older sister, as a mother figure, it's also right for her to discipline me." Su Manjing knelt on the ground, biting her lip and saying, inwardly adding another mark against Zhehe.

Seeing that Su Manjing still wanted to deny it, Zhehe said, "Since my second sister knows that Dad misunderstood you, why didn't you explain it to Dad from the beginning?"

"Older sister, you misunderstood me. I didn't mean to not explain to Dad, it's just that I'm not good at explaining. Please forgive me this time. I really didn't mean it."

"Alright, let's stop here. Since Jing'er knows her mistake, she will copy the precepts a hundred times as punishment and return all the things she asked for before." As a high-ranking official who had been in the political arena for many years, Su Hu could not fail to see the struggle between the two. One was his legitimate daughter, and the other was his daughter with high expectations.

Since the fault lay with Su Manjing, she had to be punished, and besides, this matter should not be made public.

After punishing Su Manjing, he looked at Zhehe and said, "He'er, you have suffered. You know that you are the eldest sister, and Jing'er is your younger sister. She is still young, so you should bear more responsibility for her in the future."

"Yes. In the future, I will definitely teach my younger sister well. Dad, please don't feel sorry for her." Zhehe bowed, deliberately twisting Su Hu's original meaning.

Thinking of passing this burden to Su Manjing, she really thought I was stupid. She even said that Su Manjing was still young, which was simply a joke. She was only two hours younger than me.

After being blocked by Zhehe, Su Hu had already spoken and couldn't take it back. He could only say, "Jing'er also said just now, as the eldest sister, you should teach them a lesson."

After that, he waved his hand impatiently and said, "You can all go back." He was afraid that saying a few more words would make Zhehe sick.

"Yes."

Although Zhehe was not very satisfied with this result, she could still accept it. Su Hu had pampered Su Manjing for thirteen years, and now he had punished her. This was a good start, wasn't it?

Seeing Su Manjing return with a mournful face, Li Min asked in confusion, "Jing'er, what's wrong with you?"

"Mother, please don't bother me." Su Manjing saw Li Min, her eyes flashed, and then she said.

A mother knows her daughter best, seeing Su Manjing's evasive words, she immediately guessed what had happened and asked, "You troublesome girl, did you go and cause trouble for that girl again?"

"Mother, what's the matter with that despicable person? Ever since I woke up last time, she's been completely different." Since Li Min had already guessed, Su Manjing no longer concealed anything.

"You really went to pick a fight with that girl, didn't you? Oh, you, have you completely ignored everything I've told you before?" Li Min looked at Su Manjing and reprimanded her with frustration.

"Mother, do you also think I'm not as good as Su Yuehe, always having to give in to her?" Su Manjing said with a sense of injustice.

"Do you still want to be the legitimate daughter? Have you forgotten what I told you before? Su Yuehe is now favored and protected by the Yu family. If you still want to be the legitimate daughter, you must please her. Only when the Yu family agrees, can I be officially recognized as your mother."

"But mother, you are the daughter of the Li family, the daughter of the current prime minister. Are you afraid of Su Yuehe?" Su Manjing said with some dissatisfaction.

"I'm not afraid of her, but even if I'm not afraid, what can I do? This is the rule of the world. If the Yu family doesn't relent, your grandfather can't do anything. Even if I'm forcibly recognized, it will be criticized by the public." Her daughter's future identity would be very precious, and she couldn't let her daughter be tainted by such a stain.

"Mother, what should we do now?" Although Su Manjing disliked Yuehe, she loved the position of the legitimate daughter even more.

"What else can we do? We must find a way to make peace with that girl. Jing'er, you must remember, only when you know what you want, can you understand how to deal with that girl."

After the two incidents today, it seemed that her efforts over the years had been in vain. Li Min frowned and said, "We'll see how you behave at dinner tonight. I believe that in front of your father, that girl won't refuse to give you face."