Without waiting for Jiang Ning's response, Jiang Yuan was already reaching out to open the box.
On the other hand, Jiang Yan shifted uncomfortably and whispered in her sister's ear, "Fifth Sister, I don't think this is a good idea. Father will be angry when he finds out."
"Don't worry. This is just a joke between sisters. Father wouldn't get angry over such a small matter. Besides, I'm Father's favorite." Jiang Yuan waved the sixth lady's worry away and roughly opened the box without further prompting.
The box was so full of trinkets that some of the things dropped out at the brute force. They even knocked down a teacup by the table. But the two girls didn't seem to care or notice. The two young ladies hesitated momentarily at the sight of miscellaneous things before them.
A small scroll rolled to the front of Jiang Yan's feet. She bent down to pick it up and saw a small seal peaking in the corner of the scroll. She couldn't help unscroll it curiously.
The moment she saw the painting, her eyes widened.
Jiang Ning had been watching the scene calmly, not really bothered if they messed with the junks Old Li gave her.
The girls were being rude all afternoon. They talked about her as if she couldn't understand a single word and even invaded her privacy by looking through her stuff without asking for permission. She was lucky that there wasn't anything precious in that box.
And if they wanted to take the junk, then who was Jiang Ning to stop them?
However, when she saw her foster daddy striding in from the corner of her eye, Jiang Ning couldn't help but act on the mischievous plan her brain had quickly concocted.
She purposefully stood up from the wheelchair and instantly fell to the ground. She picked up a broken porcelain cup on the floor with trembling hands and squeezed out a few drops of tears.
When Jiang Ruobai came in, his eyes widened at the scene he saw.
His youngest daughter he had just found was crying on the ground as his two other daughters stood on the side, messing with Jiang Ning's valuable possession.
These two illegitimate daughters bullied his youngest legitimate daughter.
Jiang Ruobai flew into a rage and slapped Jiang Yuan on the face. "You bastard child! Who allowed you to bully your younger sister?"
Jiang Yuan was stunned.
Her father's slap wasn't what surprised her. It was Jiang Ning's acting skills.
She couldn't care less about the burning heat on her face and her hand shaking like a lead as she pointed at the "crying" girl, "She, she, she... She's
Slap!
Another slap.
Jiang Ruobai became even angrier when he thought the girl was insinuating that Seventh Lady was a cripple, "Your Seventh Sister's legs were fine when she was born. She became like this because she was hurt after being abducted!"
Jiang Yuan cried at the accusation.
Ignoring the eldest girl in the room, Jiang Ruobai hurriedly carried his youngest daughter and placed her back in the wheelchair. He squatted in front of her and wiped each tear that rolled down her cheeks with grief, "Xiao Qi, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"It's so painful. Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister were bullying me." Jiang Ning tearfully said. Jiang Ruobai once again faced the two girls, his anger burning even more. With his back to the youngest girl, Jiang Ning winked at the two girls.
'You're nothing, big sister. I can fight three of you combined, even with my crippled leg. Don't underestimate me.'
"I didn't..." Jiang Yan waved her hand in a hurry.
"You're an accomplice!" Jiang Ruobai said furiously.
Jiang Yan was speechless.
"You know what kind of life she's been through, yet you still dare to take her things?" Jiang Ruobai saw the sunset painting in her hand and hurriedly snatched it back. He carefully rolled it back and put it in the box.
'Do they think this was a joke? These trinkets were all given by the Emperor.' Jiang Ruobai thought to himself.
'If there were any accidents, how many heads would the Jiang family have to give to placate His Highness?'
'Damaging these items is the same as committing a grave sin!'
Usually, his two illegitimate daughters were very obedient and cute, but who could have thought this was their true color?
They dared to bully the weak and pitiful Xiao Qi.
"Xiao Qi, it's not safe for you to stay here. I'll take you to your mother's courtyard for a while and let you and your mother get to know each other better, okay?"
"I still have a mother?"
"Silly child, you're the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family. Your mother is the matriarch of the Jiang family," Jiang Ruobai explained softly as he personally pushed her wheelchair, "Come, I'll take you to see your mother."
Before they left the room, he turned back to look at his other two daughters, "If you dare to touch your Seventh Sister's things again, I'll cut off your fingers!"
He didn't even dare to touch those things, but these two girls dared to touch them with such careless hands.
If Emperor knew that the Jiang family had bullied this little girl, he would be in deep trouble.
After bringing Jiang Ning back to the manor, he had already sent someone to investigate who this "Old Li" was. He found out that the Emperor had indeed been visiting Jiang Ning frequently in those times, and they had a very good relationship.
As for the reason, he could roughly guess.
Lin Zizi, Jiang Ning's mother, was the most beautiful woman in Chang'an City, and she was also the white moonlight to His Majesty's heart.
Back then, to everyone's surprise, including himself, Lin Zizi had chosen him over the Emperor.
Letting her go must've been His Majesty's greatest regret.
Could the reason behind those priceless gifts be because His Majesty had taken a fancy to Zizi's daughter and wanted to make her his concubine?
Jiang Ruobai's back was covered in sweat as the thought crossed his mind.