Chapter 1579 – Striking Nie Liang, Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Aimed at the World (117)
The house maids were so worn out by the disturbances that they could hardly recognize Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia. Yet, the higher-ups demanded to cater to the ladies’ whims, so they could only hold their noses and endure. Inside, they were cursing them viciously, wishing for their early demise.
“Those two little hussies, if it weren’t for their good luck in marrying well, how could they be so arrogant?”
A few old maids huddled in a corner, downing yellow soup, and after a couple of bowls, their faces were flushed, their tongues loosened.
How to unify a group of women of varying ages?
Of course, by bashing the same despised targets!
These maids and old women, usually scheming for a bit of reward or a chance to shine in front of their masters, were now united in their grievances against Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia.
You look at me sideways, and I glare back at you—backbiting and throwing mud at each other was common.
But they dared not put these matters out in the open; otherwise, they’d face the wrath of their masters and find themselves sold off.
Recently, they had had enough of the “persecution” from Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia, so they temporarily united against them, grousing and cursing like a pack of scorned cats. Even those who usually didn’t get along were gossiping together now.
“Hmph, they can’t be arrogant for long, those blind and foolish ones.” A certain sharp-faced maid sneered, “What time is it? The menfolk’s lives hang in the balance, and they’re still fussing over their makeup and fragrances. When their men really are gone, their lives won’t last long either. Let them be proud for now; they’ll be crying soon enough.”
Another round, plump old woman, seemingly so kind, was actually a gossiping busybody.
“I actually pity those two little gals; they’ve been crying so much their voices are hoarse. Everyone else can’t help but feel sorry for them, yet the two mothers don’t even care. They’re just a piece of flesh they’ve lost; how heartless! It’s only been a short while, and the kids look like beggars.”
The crowd gathered to lament about how cruel and heartless Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia were, abandoning their husbands and children, merely indulging in pleasure, doing their best to stay pretty into death. Little did they know, without their husbands, their status would crumble, and without their children, all hope would be lost.
“Even illiterate folks know better than that; how can those two not get it? Alas, raising them in luxury doesn’t guarantee they’ll turn out good.”
Everyone agreed with this sentiment.
The house maids looked down upon the well-read noble ladies, who, despite their extensive education, seemed to know less than these commoners.
A hint of superiority flickered in a few of them, feeling themselves above the “noble ladies.”
As they chatted, they spun elaborate rumors. For instance, the indifference of Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia toward their children and husbands might mean they were keeping other men, maybe even a few lovers. Who knew, the children might not even be their husbands’!
After gossiping enough to satisfy their cravings, they reluctantly dispersed.
The next day, news came to them that delighted their hearts and served as “ironclad evidence” of the disregard of Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia!
Yang Tao, the husband of Yan Shuyao, was trapped by the rebel army but had refused to surrender, even if it meant losing his wife and children.
Hearing this news, the maids were elated deep inside but feigned sympathy on the surface, treating Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia with a lot less respect, even showing hostility. With the tides turned, how long could these abandoned women still prance about? Their lives were surely numbered.
Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia noticed that the maids, who used to keep a keen eye on them, were now increasingly lazy and indifferent.
Such a drastic change in attitude led them to suspect something had happened to Yang Tao.
The maids, seeking to avenge the grievances of previous days, deliberately leaked the news about Yang Tao abandoning them and prepped to watch the spectacle unfold.
As expected, those two shortsighted women started throwing tantrums and even got aggressive.
“Crazy witches!”
These maids, proud of having served the nobility, had never seen such wild women!
“Shuyao, the timing should be about right, right?”
Yang Roujia hid her emotions, looking pityingly at her now-thin son, who used to be so chubby but now looked terribly sad.
But what could they do about it?
The two children had always lived in luxury, often spoiled and crying at whim. She and Yan Shuyao’s plan couldn’t go awry; they could only harden their hearts and let the two kids go hungry for a bit, breaking their habits of crying and whining. This was also to catch the maids off guard.
Looking at it now, the plan was working splendidly; those maids hated them, steadily bringing them down to the dust, utterly oblivious to their escape plan. Why were Yan Shuyao and the rest working the maids so hard? It was to memorize their looks, figures, manners, activities, and duties for when they used an appropriate identity to escape with their children!
To ensure the plan’s success, every detail had been weighed, awaiting the right moment to act.
“It’s time; we’ll find a chance to leave tomorrow or the day after. Delaying any further puts us at a disadvantage.”
The worse the maids treated them, the more “crazy” they acted, and their tempers flared accordingly.
On the third day, they officially sprang into action.
To avoid suspicion, Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia had designated a few maids to deliver meals first. They mixed in with the serving maids, and the targets they had set their sights on would deliver meals right to them. On the designated day, they had the targets come over, seizing the chance to ambush and knock them out.
In a bid for speed, Yang Roujia had already prepped her disguise and dressed up to match the maid’s stature as closely as possible.
Since the target maid was rather plump, she strapped her son to her belly.
Not long after, everything was in place.
Yan Shuyao disguised as a skinny old maid with a broader frame, making for easier disguise, tucking her son inside a food box. Fortunately, the little boys were worn out and wouldn’t wake up for a couple of hours, so they weren’t worried.
They could mimic voices to nearly perfect accuracy.
While inside, they started imitating their usual spoiled antics, throwing things and causing a ruckus, playing off each other.
Before long, two maids, dirtied and flustered, were unceremoniously tossed out.
The thin maid sneered, “You little hussies, just wait; once your men are dead, let’s see how arrogant you are!”
The stout maid, nursing her bruised face, felt a pang of empathy.
By this point, the sky had darkened, and they had been beaten and scolded while delivering meals. Though the maids felt schadenfreude, a hint of sympathy lingered too.
“Ugh, I’ve never seen such shameless women; they’ve ruined our family name. They’re on a tear now; you maidens better keep your distance,” the stout maid warned, “Not eating? They’re sending back good food; you better believe they’ll call for something at midnight.”
The maids mused, “Then let them starve it out; who’s going to send them meals at midnight? They’re practically dead anyway; no need to attend to them.”
Now that the darkness had fallen, the distance between the maids and the two women made it easy for them to go unnoticed. They tried to keep their heads covered, hoping it wouldn’t show the bruises from the earlier altercation.
The maids envied and resented the hefty food box the thin maid carried.
As they spat in the direction of the retreating figures, one remarked, “And they dare gobble up such treasures, the two old bags of bones—don’t they fear cutting their lifespans short?!”
Despite appearing calm on the surface, Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia were a bundle of nerves inside.
Luckily, the kids were still asleep, so they had no energy to fuss. They slipped out of the house through the back door without a hitch.
Yan Shuyao and Yang Roujia had studied their guards thoroughly; the two portly maids were the least disciplined, often vanishing with a bit of cash to gamble.
Their gambling partners were usually shady characters or house servants, who often colluded to swindle the maids’ money.
So, their absence from the household was common and aroused no suspicion.
Once outside, they took a narrow alley and switched into different clothing, planning to mingle among the common folk when the city gates opened at dawn.
“Thank goodness those kids lost some weight; otherwise, anyone would see they’re not from a common family…”
After feeding the kids, they finally let out a sigh of relief.
“They’ve been starving hard these past few days; eating this much at once!”
Yang Roujia remarked, “Better than having no life at all.”
At dawn, they disguised themselves as mourning farmer women, leaving the city separately with two cheap donkeys to continue their journey.
As they moved on, the watchers finally discovered the two bodies hidden in the corner.
The main characters were gone!
