Zi You continued, “If you’re not taught a lesson today, you will treat this General’s Manor as a place that you can do what you want. Someone, drag him out and beat him sixty times with the military rod for this Xiaojie!”
“You dare? I’m your father’s confidant and guard! You have no right to touch me!”
Yang Qingjun never thought that Zi You would punish him in front all the servants. He anxiously and angrily shouted.
Zi You sneered disdainfully. Her body exuded an awe-inspiring prestige. A layer of ice covered her jade-like white face and emitted endless chill.
It was still her unique and soft voice. It contained a tone like a peach blossoms in March on snow-capped ice mountains. Ice and fire blended into sonorous words. She enunciated like jade hitting ice and echoed in the main hall. “You are just one of my father’s dogs. I am his daughter. I want to see if father will discipline me for a dog like you. Drag him out!”
Zi You was furious. The sun on her clothing seemed to become a fiery red flame, immersing her body in a tremendous atmosphere. Her eyes were dark like an endlessly dark night. The smile on her beautiful face was like a blooming flower.
She withdrew a silver soft sword from her waist. The silver swordlight shone brightly in the hall, carving a cruel light in everyone’s eyes.
She pointed to Yang Qingjun, Wei mama, and Liulu and shouted, “Today, I will discipline you arrogant and insubordinate slaves for my parents. My parents are kind and allowed you to make trouble. But I will not let anything stain the General’s Manor. Bring these three insubordinate servants who inquired into their masters’ business and beat them each with the military rod sixty times and the punishment board forty times! I will take the blame if my parents pass blame.”
The girl’s face was shrouded by the sword’s light, like a ghost. Her normal weakness could not be seen anymore.
The entire hall of servants, including Nee Liu, all looked at her and were stunned motionless.
At this moment, everyone seemed to have seen the military prestige that a soldier like Old General Mu had. At this moment, no one dared to despise this underage twelve-year-old little girl.
When they saw Zi You’s bright sword in her hands, Yang Qingjun, Wei mama, and Liulu were feeling regretful. They never thought that a peony-like delicate flower would have iron bones and a cold weapon her white jade-like hand.
Yang Qingjun wanted to say appeasing words, but it was too late. Zi You waved her hand and two of the four guards whom Old General Mu had sent had pounced on him like a tiger and dragged him out.
Wei mama and Liulu were dumbfounded. They didn’t think that Zi You would actually dare to take action against them. When they reacted, they were dragged out by some strong mamas.
Before they had time to cry out for help, they were already pressed down on stools. Solid boards had smacked down.
The three people cried out together. Their piercing voices sounded out. A sharp sneer appeared on Zi You’s face. “Gag them for this Xiaojie.”
She lazily went to sit down on a chair. She looked at the servants in the main hall. She slowly said, “You know what a qualified servant should do and should not do, right? What is the most important thing? Tell me.”
The servants looked at the underage girl sitting down. An unknowing fear had subconsciously formed. They rushed to answer, “Obedience.”
“Diligence, can’t be lazy.”
“…….”
“Wrong!” Zi You’s deep purple eyes glanced over everyone like a blade. She coldly said, “It’s loyalty. It’s loyalty to your masters. Don’t forget who your master is and who is the real master in this General’s Manor. Yes, it is my grandfather, Old General Mu.”
“Think about your futures if he isn’t here. The saying goes, ‘When the nest is upset, no egg is left intact.’ [When one falls in disgrace, the whole family is doomed.] If something happens to the General’s Manor, what will happen to you all? Maybe you weren’t clear on what you should do before. But now, from this moment on, I want you all to remember: If the General’s Manor lives, then you live. Otherwise, only destruction will be waiting for you!
“It’s good today that you dared to expose the schemes of those with ulterior motives. Grandfather wants to reward you each with two silvers. Is there anyone who did not go to Yiping Ju? If there is, the reward is doubled. The ending will be the same as the three people outside for whoever dares to hold other intentions and betray their master!”
When Zi You finished speaking, the soft sword in her hands gently waved. The servants didn’t see what happened, but two candles on the table were cut down the middle. They split open and fell onto the table.
Zi You was as gentle as water, but everyone heard the coldness in her voice that once again resounded in the main hall. “My Yinxiao Sword hasn’t seen blood yet. I don’t want to use your blood to bless the sword.”
Wang Yiping hurried over to the main hall and saw this scene. The hall’s servants stared at the lazy Zi You sitting on a chair like they were staring at a god. Her nanny, first-rank maidservant, and her new lover, were tied to stools and stuffed with a rag in their mouths. They were beaten until their flesh was lacerated and blood was flying.
Wei mama and Liulu had fainted. Yang Qingjun was moaning. He was almost unable to hang on.
Wang Yiping rushed into the main hall and was so angry that she trembled. She looked at Zi You and Nee Liu as if they were criminals who had killed her mother. She scolded, “You…… How dare you hit my people? You’re going overboard!”
You finally can’t help it and stuck your head out.
“Daughter pays respects to mother.” Zi You stood up and walked over to curtsy to her. She pretended to comfort her as she walked Wang Yiping outside. She said loudly, “Mother, I know that you are kind and can’t bear to punish the servants. But take a look at how spoiled they’ve become. They can impersonate you to pass fake news this time. I don’t know what they will do next time. We can’t be lenient anymore. You can’t bear to punish them, so I will punish them on your behalf. If they want to hate someone, they can hate me……”
Wang Yiping tried desperately to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not break free of Zi You’s grasp. Thus, she was literally dragged out of the main hall.
The two people left, but a sweet and clear voice still sounded in the main hall. “Mother, daughter is doing this for you. Think about it. Although your servants did this, but how will other people think? They will think that you instigated them. They’ll say that you’re vicious and malicious. To grab the management power and provoke the relationship between me and my father, you would do whatever it takes. If this is spread out, it won’t do you any good.
“Do you really want to have a divorce? Do you really want father to expel you from the family? How can daughter bear to watch such a thing happen? Although you and father have many misunderstandings towards daughter, but daughter cannot watch our first household be expelled from the General’s Manor!
“If that happens, can you and father still live like humans? If you’re angry, you can be angry at daughter. Daughter will let you scold and beat her. But please don’t make a scene during the holidays. Grandfather can’t bear it……”
Zi You’s voice was getting smaller, but Wang Yiping’s vicious cursing sounded clearly into the ears of everyone in the main hall. “You sinister little wench! You won’t die a good death! You should be like your mother and die in the eighteen levels of Hell!”
Everyone in the main hall was stunned! They first looked at Nee Liu in horror. Then they quickly bent their heads.
Almost everyone understood one thing: Xiaojie’s stepmother was vicious. All the love that she had shown Xiaojie before was fake. No wonder the matter of Xiaojie pretending to be a ghost and hitting her birth father happened today. Such a matter must have happened for a reason. Perhaps Xiaojie wasn’t pretending. Perhaps the deceased furen could not stand seeing the stepmother and father bullying the orphaned girl and really taught First Laoye a lesson.
There was another possibility. That was, First Laoye and First Furen, in order to frame Xiaojie, self-directed and acted in a play to show how Xiaojie was disobedient and unfilial.
No wonder Lao TaiYe is so angry. If it was me, I would be furious too. I would drive this cruel and cold-blooded son and daughter-in-law out of the house.
Wang Yiping did not know that matters had hugely reversed. The play of Mu Zi You being unfilial and disobedient and hitting her own father that she had worked so hard on had turned into the stepmother unable to tolerate the deceased wife’s daughter. Together with her husband, she had framed the bullied first wife’s daughter.
She saw that no one was around and knew that all the servants were in the main hall. She could not suppress her resentment anymore. She lowered her voice to a level that only Zi You could hear and cursed her maliciously.
She didn’t know that Zi You was waiting for just this opportunity. As long as her words and deeds were improper, then her true face would be exposed in broad daylight.
Zi You’s spiritual power could amplify Wang Yiping’s voice and spread it far away.
Zi You saw that she had revealed her true face and immediately pretended to be aggrieved. She cried sadly, “Daughter can endure it no matter how you scold daughter, mother. As distance tests a horse’s strength, time reveals a person’s heart. You will know that daughter did this for you and father. Do you want grandfather to know that you told your servants to do this? Do you really want a divorce? What did daughter do to you that makes you hate daughter this much?”
