Xiangyun blinked, not quite grasping the meaning of Lin He’s question, but she wasn’t dull. Instead of answering directly, she simply replied, "This servant is just a subordinate; it’s not a matter of liking or disliking. Whatever the master commands, this servant will certainly see it done."

"Very well, Xiangyun," Lin He continued to probe, "tell me, who is your master?"

"This…" Xiangyun glanced at Lin He, somewhat confused, but still replied respectfully, "This servant’s masters are naturally Young Master and Young Mistress."

"Oh? Xiangyun, are you certain that besides the Young Master, you also consider me your mistress?" Lin He asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Xiangyun looked at Lin He and replied with a definite note of reluctance, "The Young Mistress is naturally this servant’s master."

"Excellent. Since you know I am your mistress, you should also know that servants who misbehave must be punished, correct?" Lin He’s tone was remarkably light, as if casually asking if someone had eaten their meal.

Yet, this Lin He startled everyone present. The Young Mistress had been in this courtyard for so long, yet she had never once punished a servant; never mind punishment, she hadn't even raised her voice. But that wasn't the most astonishing thing at this moment.

What puzzled everyone most was that although the Young Mistress spoke of punishment, the smile on her face remained brilliantly warm, as if sharing a joke. But upon closer inspection, that smile seemed not to reach her eyes, creating a baffling contradiction. What exactly did the Young Mistress mean?

Xiangyun, standing before Lin He, was also stunned. She instantly failed to grasp Lin He's intention and remained motionless in the kitchen, forgetting what she should say next.

However, Ziqing and Ziyu, standing beside Lin He, knew that the Young Mistress was truly angered this time. Their Young Mistress had always been generous and reasonable, generally quite lenient with people—that is, everyone except the Young Master.

Any other Young Mistress, upon first entering and seeing these maids, would likely have already devised ways to dismiss them, or at the very least, found ways to make things difficult. After all, no woman would remain generously unconcerned knowing several beautiful, alluring women were trying to seduce her husband.

But the Young Mistress truly seemed unbothered. She treated those few maids and everyone else in the courtyard equally. Whether it was work or monthly allowance, the Young Mistress had never treated them poorly. Sometimes Ziyu would frequently complain to Lin He about those maids pretending to run into the Young Master; Lin He would only smile casually and let it pass.

But this maid, Xiangyun, clearly didn't know her place and had actually angered the Young Mistress. She truly deserved a penalty. Thinking this, Ziyu immediately stepped forward and asked, "Young Mistress, how should she be punished?"

"According to the rules of the courtyard," Lin He stated. "How should a servant who shows disrespect to the master in our courtyard be punished?"

"These servants don't know the specifics; we'd have to ask Shunzhu and Shuncai," Ziyu shook her head.

"If that is the case, then I shall set the rule. First, have someone drag her to the courtyard and administer twenty strikes with the board. I will consider the rest later," Lin He announced.

Ziyu quickly agreed and went out to call people to drag Xiangyun away. At this point, everyone in the room finally reacted, and Xiangyun snapped out of her stupor. She glared at Lin He with deep unwillingness, saying, "Young Mistress, on what grounds do you punish me? How was I disrespectful to you?"

"Heh. A servant who doesn't even know how she was disrespectful to her master deserves an additional penalty, ten more strikes," Lin He said lightly.

"This room isn't your final say. Even if you must punish me, we must wait for the Young Master to return and decide," Xiangyun said, her face etched with indignation.

"Your Young Master is not home. Right now, I am the one in charge of this house. If you want your Second Young Master to back you up when he returns, tell him to find me after the beating is done. Ziyu, have someone drag her to the courtyard and strike her," Lin He’s voice turned decidedly cold.

After speaking, Lin He swept her gaze across everyone in the kitchen. "You all put down what you are doing and go watch Xiangyun receive her beating in the courtyard. Watch closely. If anyone commits the same mistake as Xiangyun next time, the punishment will only be more severe. Understood?"

The other maids and the few older women in the kitchen bowed their heads and replied submissively. Lin He gave these people a cold look and, ignoring Xiangyun's evident defiance, turned and walked toward the courtyard. She smiled coldly inwardly. You want your Young Master to support you, do you? Today, even if the Heavenly King himself came, the beating would happen first. If that bastard Young Master dares to say a word when he returns, I'll make him regret it.

Meanwhile, Ziyu had already summoned two older women accustomed to heavy labor. They each gripped Xiangyun by an arm and dragged her toward the courtyard. Xiangyun struggled continuously, but with her slight build, she was no match for the two women, who easily hauled her out.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Shunzhu and Shuncai had already prepared the boards and waited there. Seeing the Young Mistress leading the way with Xiangyun being dragged behind, they looked somewhat curious, but dared not delay. They paid their respects to Lin He and stood by quietly.

Lin He sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, picked up the tea resting there, and took several sips, watching as Xiangyun was pinned onto the stone slab by the older women, while Shunzhu and Shuncai stood nearby holding the boards, making no move to strike.

Lin He raised an eyebrow and watched them silently. Shunzhu felt a shiver run down his spine and immediately asked, "Young Mistress, shall we begin the beating now?"

Lin He remained silent, maintaining her previous posture. Ziyu, standing behind her, quickly interjected, "Do you think the Young Mistress called you here just to watch the spectacle with the boards in hand?"

Shunzhu immediately complied, raising the board high and bringing it down hard on Xiangyun. After the first few strikes, Xiangyun didn't scream loudly, only letting out muffled groans. After about ten strokes, Xiangyun seemed to glance toward the entrance, then suddenly burst into tears. Her cries rose and fell rhythmically, truly evoking pity.

Lin He slightly lifted her gaze toward the courtyard entrance and saw Wen Ningxuan walking into the courtyard in a green robe, striding with purpose. Lin He curved her lips slightly. So, the backer had arrived; no wonder Xiangyun was acting this way.

From a distance, Wen Ningxuan saw the courtyard filled with people and a great commotion. However, he didn't focus on what was happening initially. He merely searched the crowd with his eyes, and upon spotting the figure of the woman in the light lotus-colored gown by the table, the corners of his lips curved gently as he walked into the courtyard.

When Wen Ningxuan entered, everyone in the courtyard immediately bowed in greeting, but Lin He did not move. She remained seated by the table, drinking her tea, not even sparing Wen Ningxuan a glance.

Wen Ningxuan nodded, surveying the scene in the courtyard, and casually inquired, "What has happened?"