Upon learning the full extent of the matter, the steward was equally vexed. In his view, the easiest course of action would be to simply dismiss the two servants for badmouthing their mistress behind her back. However, the Eldest Miss now insisted on administering a severe beating first, followed by selling them off to work in the mines. The steward felt the Eldest Miss’s proposed punishment was unduly harsh and lacked human compassion, causing him to hesitate immediately.

Seeing the steward fail to comply at once only fueled Xia Wanyu’s anger. She could tolerate the servants not respecting her when she was merely the legitimate daughter of a concubine—that was understandable. But now she had been formally recorded under the Madam’s name as the true-born daughter, and she was soon to marry into the Fu family, long-standing associates of the Xia household. How could the servants in the manor still hold her, the Eldest Miss, in such low regard?

Thinking this, Xia Wanyu glared at the steward and demanded, "Do you believe these people deserve no punishment for gossiping about their mistress behind her back?"

Hearing Xia Wanyu’s words, the steward inwardly groaned. How could he possibly think that? It was just that he felt the Eldest Miss’s punishment was too severe. But faced with the clearly furious Eldest Miss, he dared not openly defy her. In the past, he could have easily ignored this young lady's demands, but now she was the true-born daughter. Furthermore, he had observed that the Madam had adopted a hands-off approach towards the Eldest Miss lately; no matter how much trouble she caused, no response came from the Madam’s side. This uncertainty about the Madam’s true feelings prevented the steward from intervening rashly. Unfortunately, these two unlucky maids had now given the Eldest Miss the perfect pretext, making it impossible for him to defend them.

The steward could barely keep the distress off his face. He managed a forced, dry laugh. "Eldest Miss, what are you saying? How could this old servant possibly think that? It’s just that there is no precedent in the manor for selling servants to the mines. Perhaps, in the old servant’s humble opinion, it would be best to request instructions from the Madam first?"

Since the steward had put it this way, Xia Wanyu had no choice but to swallow her frustration. It was not the right time to argue with him, as she lacked the authority for many decisions. However, the moment she recalled those two wretches implying her marriage was stolen, she desperately wished to beat them to death. That marriage was precisely what she had taken from Xia Wanting, making it the one topic she most desperately wished no one would bring up. Although she sometimes enjoyed using it to provoke Xia Wanting, that didn't mean she wanted to hear it spoken aloud by others.

Bottling up her rage, Xia Wanyu let out a cold snort. "Hmph, don't use the Madam to pressure me. Today, I absolutely must punish these two wenches severely, to show them the clear distinction between superior and subordinate! See if they dare gossip about their masters again in private! Steward, what do you say? Shouldn't they be punished properly?"

The steward’s headache worsened. Since the Eldest Miss had asked so directly, he couldn't afford to argue much further. Moreover, he certainly couldn't openly oppose her now, as that would only provoke her more. Even sending someone quickly to report to the Madam was impossible to do right in front of her. At this point, the steward could only silently pray that the masters of the manor would hear of this soon and intervene.

The two young maids kneeling on the ground were already sweating profusely from fear. Now that they had fallen into the Eldest Miss's clutches, they realized there would be no turning back. They were filled with both regret and terror; if they truly faced the punishment the Eldest Miss threatened, they would likely lose their lives.

Very quickly, Xia Wanyu commanded, "Let these two wretches each receive twenty hard strikes first! Steward, what do you think?"

The steward found himself in an impossible position—neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He let out another nervous chuckle. "The Eldest Miss is compassionate; surely she wouldn't punish them too harshly. Besides, our manor is famous for its kindness toward servants. I am sure the Eldest Miss would not wish to tarnish our manor’s reputation."

"Hmph! That depends on the servant! These two need no such mercy. Start with twenty strikes apiece!" Xia Wanyu declared coolly.

"Er... yes, Eldest Miss," the steward reluctantly agreed.

Upon hearing the sentence of twenty strikes—and knowing this wasn't the final punishment—the two maids on the ground were certain they wouldn't survive. They immediately dissolved into suffocating sobs, unable even to plead anymore.

The steward, looking helpless, ordered men to take the two away for the execution. However, Xia Wanyu stopped them. "Wait a moment. Why find another place? Let's carry out the beating right here!"

The steward glanced at Xia Wanyu, then gritted his teeth, waved his hand towards the two servants, and instructed his subordinates to prepare the instruments of torture.

At this point, Xia Wanyu’s own body was failing her. She was naturally frail, and the exertion of managing the situation had drained her entirely.

Still, this was her moment of triumph, and she certainly wasn't stepping down so quickly. She ordered a servant to bring a chair over; she intended to sit there and personally watch the flogging.

However, just as everything was being made ready, Nanny Gu, who attended the Madam, arrived.

The moment Xia Wanyu saw Nanny Gu approaching, she knew the execution planned for today would likely end inconclusively.

"Oh, isn't this Nanny Gu? Why are you not attending to the Madam at this hour?" Xia Wanting spoke first.

Nanny Gu bowed to Xia Wanyu and replied, "Replying to the Eldest Miss, the Madam just heard about what is happening here and instructed this old servant to bring them over for questioning. I hadn't expected the Eldest Miss to be here as well."

"Oh, since the Madam wishes to take them, let's postpone the punishment until after the Madam has questioned them!" Xia Wanyu said, unwillingly. Though frustrated, she knew she couldn't contend with the Madam right now, so she conceded. Of course, once she married into the Fu family, she wouldn't have to be suppressed by the Madam anymore.

Xia Wanyu continued, "Then Nanny Gu should take them away quickly, lest the Madam waits too long. I have been out for quite a while and am utterly exhausted; I must return to rest now. I won't tag along to watch the excitement."

Saying this, Xia Wanyu led her own maids away, abandoning her earlier thought of visiting Xia Wanting.

After Xia Wanyu and her maids departed, Nanny Gu commanded, "Expel these two gossiping maids from the estate immediately. Do not hire such girls again."

Nanny Gu was the Madam’s confidante, so the steward naturally showed her deference. Since Nanny Gu had issued the order, the steward raised no objection and promptly agreed, "Nanny Gu, rest assured, I will send these two girls away instantly. When selecting maids in the future, I will certainly keep my eyes sharper."

"That’s good. The Madam will be relieved to hear it," Nanny Gu stated.

With that, before the steward could say more, Nanny Gu hurried back toward the Madam’s courtyard. The truth was, her earlier statement hadn't been an actual command from the Madam; the Madam was resting. Upon hearing the maids' report, Nanny Gu hadn't disturbed her mistress but had acted on her own initiative. Upon arriving and learning the Eldest Miss intended to punish the servants, she couldn't help but lie. Now that the situation was resolved, her personal ordeal wasn't over; she still had to go and ask for the Madam's pardon. Although she was the Madam's trusted aide and treated differently by her mistress, she was, ultimately, a servant. By using the Madam’s name to act today, if the Madam ever discovered this, even if no reprimand was spoken aloud, there would certainly be resentment festering in her heart. Therefore, seeking forgiveness was imperative.

After Nanny Gu left, the two maids who thought they were doomed wept in each other’s arms. They were finally spared by the Madam; even being expelled from the estate was infinitely better than twenty strokes followed by sale to a place like the mines.

The steward shook his head watching them. Alas, trouble comes from the mouth; why did these girls never learn? They only remembered after suffering a loss.

"You two were quite lucky today; otherwise, you might have lost half your lives," the steward remarked, then led them out of the garden.

Meanwhile, Xia Wanyu returned seething after her attempt at intimidation failed. Unable to vent the anger brewing inside her, the moment she entered her room, she furiously smashed a teacup. She continued smashing things until she became adept at it, soon progressing to aggressively throwing anything breakable in the room onto the floor until the ground was littered with shards.

Yet, even after destroying everything throwable, Xia Wanyu’s fury remained unchecked. "I’m absolutely infuriated! That vile creature actually dared to say such things! If they dare to speak like that, who knows how all the servants in the manor are talking behind my back? Saying I stole Xia Wanting's betrothal! Hmph, so what if I did? It only proves that Xia Wanting is useless! And they dared to say that my illness isn't cured, that the marriage will eventually fall to Xia Wanting! Pah! Even if I gave up this marriage, it would never fall to Xia Wanting! Hmph!"

Chunlan, who had followed her back, watched the somewhat hysterical Eldest Miss and cautiously tried to console her. "Eldest Miss, please calm your anger. You shouldn't be upset over such trivial matters right now! Think about it, the wedding date with Young Master Fu is already set. Everyone who needed to know already knows. Even if someone wanted to change the engagement now, it would be impossible. So, you really shouldn't be angry about this."

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