Jiang Xingyan, her face dark and somber, walked through the moon gate of the secluded courtyard. Faintly, she could hear scolding voices coming from the main room, mixed with Xiao Ya’s crying.
Her heart clenched, and she quickened her pace.
As she drew near the main room, she could clearly hear Xiao Ya’s heart-wrenching sobs inside, along with Nanny Baozhu’s furious shouts: “You lawless little sluts!”
“Just because the Young General called you over to serve for a few days, you think you’re above everyone else!”
“Daring to gossip in front of the Young General! Today, I’ll have you all sold off to the lowest brothel! Let’s see if you dare act so arrogantly then!”
“Someone! Tie these two up for me! Sell them off along with that little misfortune-maker!”
“If the Young General asks, just say these two wretched maids stole the young mistress and ran away!”
Jiang Xingyan felt her blood surge, rushing straight to the crown of her head.
Very well. So you insist on their deaths, is that it?
Then let’s see who dies first!
In one swift stride, she leaped into the main room. She saw Qiuyan and Chunxue desperately shielding the bed, while Nanny Baozhu stood with one hand on her hip, using the other to direct two matrons forward to grab them.
Qiuyan and Chunxue’s hair was disheveled, their cheeks red and swollen—clearly, they had been slapped.
A figure flashed in the doorway. Baozhu turned her head and immediately saw the Young General, emanating a murderous aura.
The panic in her heart hadn’t even fully overridden her anger when she saw the Young General grab a nearby incense burner and hurl it straight at her.
There was no time to dodge. In the blink of an eye, the bronze incense burner struck her squarely on the forehead.
Before she could even cry out in pain, she hastily dropped to her knees.
Blood instantly gushed from her forehead, pooling on the floor.
The gruesome image of Jinzhu’s fate suddenly flashed in her mind.
She trembled with terror: “Young General— Ah!”
Jiang Xingyan stomped a foot onto her back. Caught off guard, Baozhu fell flat on her face.
The two rough matrons nearby were already scared witless. With two thuds, they knelt on the ground, kowtowing like pestles pounding garlic.
“Spare us, Young General! We were just following orders!”
Furious, Jiang Xingyan kicked each of them, sending them sprawling. “A fine way to ‘follow orders’!”
“If you’re told to hit your masters, you hit them. If you’re told to kill, would you kill too?”
“Are you actually people, or just dogs she keeps?!”
Jiang Xingyan pulled the sword hanging by the bed from its scabbard, held it against Baozhu’s shoulder, and demanded: “Which hand did you use to hit them?”
Baozhu trembled all over, not daring to say a word.
Jiang Xingyan sneered. “Good. Very good. Then let’s make it so you don’t need either hand!”
When Yuzhu walked in, the first thing she saw was the Young General swinging the sword down towards Baozhu’s right hand.
Yuzhu, both flustered and terrified, instantly dropped to her knees, pleading in a trembling voice: “Young General, please calm your anger! Don’t dirty the room.”
“The smell of blood is too heavy. If it frightens Xiao Ya, it would only add to Baozhu’s crimes.”
“Perhaps… perhaps have her tied up and taken to the main courtyard for punishment? That way, the Old Madam can also be informed.”
Jiang Xingyan narrowed her eyes.
Among her mother-in-law’s four personal maids, Yuzhu was the only one who had never laid a hand on them.
Yet, she was the most difficult to deal with.
She was smooth and slick, knew exactly how to adapt to circumstances, never forced herself into the spotlight—it was hard to catch her making a mistake.
But, all the methods her mother-in-law used to torment her were thought up by Yuzhu.
One could truly say they were endlessly inventive.
This person was like a venomous snake, hiding in the shadows, slithering out now and then to bite you.
What she just said sounded humble, but the subtext was clear: she was telling Jiang Xingyan that Baozhu was the Old Madam’s person.
She couldn’t be arbitrarily disposed of over a few words, or for disciplining the manor’s maids.
Jiang Xingyan couldn’t care less about that.
Right in front of Yuzhu, she cleanly severed both of Baozhu’s hands.
Just as Baozhu was about to scream in agony, Jiang Xingyan stomped down, shattering her jaw.
All Baozhu could manage were guttural, hoarse rasps from her throat, like a dog drawing its last breath.
The rough matron nearby was so terrified she lost control of her bladder, then hurriedly used her clothes to clean up the mess.
Yuzhu, kneeling by the doorway, was scared pale, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
“Someone!”
The servants waiting in the courtyard felt their hearts leap into their throats. They rushed in frantically, terrified that if the Young General was the slightest bit dissatisfied, they’d end up like Jinzhu and Baozhu.
“Tie these three up! Take them to the main courtyard and make them kneel! Beat their mouths until they’re pulp!”
“And inform my mother that Nanny Baozhu trespassed into the secluded courtyard, not only striking my people but also frightening Xiao Ya.”
“Considering her years of service to Mother, I’ve merely applied light punishment and spared her wretched life.”
“As for these two rough matrons—they are devoid of conscience and humanity. Beat them and throw them out! Get two fierce dogs to replace them, to guard my gate.”
The servants kept their heads bowed, assenting without delay, swiftly carrying out Jiang Xingyan’s orders.
They all had one thought in mind: The General’s Manor is about to change hands!
Yuzhu stared blankly at the unyielding Young General. She felt that something had changed, but couldn’t quite put her finger on what.
(A flashback to earlier that night, from Yuzhu’s perspective:)
Late, near the end of the Hai hour (around 11 PM), a group of matrons had woken Baozhu, weeping to her about being driven out by the Young General.
Baozhu became convinced it was the maids in the secluded courtyard gossiping that made the Young General suspicious.
She immediately took people and, seizing the moment the Young General was away, went back to teach those two wretched girls a lesson.
If only, at that time, I could have held her back a little… Yuzhu thought.
But they had all been too eager to quickly remove Jiang Xingyan and Xiao Ya, these two thorns in their mistress’s side, for the Old Madam.
They never imagined the Young General would care for Xiao Ya so deeply.
It seemed they would have to be more careful from now on.
(End of flashback)
Jiang Xingyan watched coldly as Yuzhu’s expression shifted several times. Finally, she spoke in an icy tone: “From now on, without this General’s express permission, no one is to set foot in this secluded courtyard half a step.”
“Those who violate this order will be shown no mercy. Kill them on sight.”