The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 16 - 15

Chapter 15

Elder Mu Furen slightly narrowed her eyes, intently observing the elderly servant before her while contemplating internally. She had been through a lot and although recently she seemed disengaged from the affairs of the household, focusing more on Buddhism, it didn’t mean she was oblivious to what had transpired over the years within the manor.

The audacity Bai Lijun’s people had was growing larger day by day. Normally, she had no intention to interfere with whatever they did, unless it was absolutely necessary. However, this time they had crossed her boundaries!

Struggling for power and favor within the household were tolerable...but to infringe upon and harm her granddaughter, no matter who it was, was something she could not overlook!

Elder Mu Furen watched the desperate struggling of the elderly servant for a moment before asking, “You want me to investigate this matter? Then, do you have any evidence to prove that Ying’er’s servant is the arsonist?”

Auntie Yang, who initially harbored hope of finding an escape route for herself, was about to respond, but then realized she only had the word of one servant - no concrete evidence or reliable witnesses.

Auntie Yang pursed her lips tightly. Since she couldn’t present any solid proof, she decided to take a gamble, “I have a witness, Miss!”

“Hmm?”

Elder Mu Furen raised her eyebrows. Auntie Yang quickly pointed to a servant named Bi Qiu, who was crouching on the floor. When her name was called out, Bi Qiu looked alarmed and scurried forward on her knees.

“Esteemed Elder Furen, my name is Bi Qiu,” she began, “I serve in Seventh Young Miss’s quarters. A few days ago, while I was putting things away, I inadvertently overheard a conversation between Su Su and Seventh Young Miss. Su Su mentioned that people from the capital were nearing Qingyun City, and if they discovered what she and the Young Miss had done, they would be in grave trouble.”

"After that, Seventh Young Miss responded, ’We must keep our mouths tightly shut. Do not let anyone from the capital find out at all costs.’ This is all I overheard with my own ears, Miss!"

Bi Qiu concluded, quickly bowing deeply. Auntie Yang then reiterated, "Based on that conversation just now, I had people summon Su Su for an inquiry, only to find that she indeed had secrets to hide. No matter how she was asked, she refused to speak. Therefore, I had to beat her to make her confess the truth."

"Is that all?"

Elder Mu Furen, who had been listening intently, raised her voice to inquire, causing Auntie Yang’s heart to skip erratically. She looked up in confusion. Elder Mu Furen continued, "Just based on these words, you ordered people to apprehend a servant from another quarter and punish her at will like that?"

"No...No, it wasn’t like that, Miss,"

Auntie Yang responded in a disjointed manner, perplexed by the situation before her and unable to comprehend Elder Mu Furen’s reaction.

"It seems you have been intoxicated with power in your hands, acting upon your whims, overlooking an old woman like me!"

Elder Mu Furen expressed sternly, widening her eyes to glare at the old servant who behaved as if she was the master, ignoring her presence with such cold eyes. Auntie Yang felt a chill spread across her back.

"I said I had conducted an investigation, but you disregarded my words, initiated your own probe on a servant from another quarter, and punished her without reporting to me first. Humph...You must have really forgotten this old woman!"

Elder Mu Furen continued relentlessly, her mocking smile widening. Auntie Yang, sensing an ominous foreboding, desperately banged her head against the floor.

Bang!

"Please have mercy, Elder Furen. I had no such intention!"

Bang!

"Please have mercy, Elder Furen. I had no such intention!"

The sound of her head hitting the floor echoed, mingled with her pleas for compassion. As Elder Mu Furen remained silent, commanding no stop, Auntie Yang had to continue her desperate appeal.

After a while, Elder Mu Furen finally ordered a halt. Auntie Yang’s forehead swelled with a prominent red mark, but just when she thought she might have escaped the worst, a young man wearing a mask knelt to report in front of Elder Mu Furen.

"Miss, I am Lu Jiu, a servant in Seventh Young Miss’s quarters. As I was one of the witnesses to the conversation Bi Qiu mentioned, I wish to clarify the matter."

"Proceed," Elder Furen nodded in approval.

"In the days before, Seventh Young Miss instructed the servants in her quarters to cut out auspicious characters from red paper to gift to the Second Furen. After finishing, she planned to arrange those characters into a congratulatory phrase and affix it onto a large paper scroll."

“Because Seventh Young Miss wanted to create a surprise for the Second Furen, she kept this matter a secret from everyone else. Only a few people in our quarters knew about it. What Su Su mentioned, fearing the consequences if people from the capital found out, likely referred to the possibility of the gift becoming rumored once those returning to Qingyun City knew of it, thereby ruining the surprise for the Second Furen upon their return to the capital."

"For this reason, Seventh Young Miss emphasized the need to keep the matter absolutely secret from anyone from the capital, aiming to maintain the surprise element for the Second Furen..."

After Lu Jiu finished speaking, everyone in the room displayed a change in their expressions, particularly Auntie Yang, whose face looked as if she had seen a ghost. Why was the story she had heard so different from what she thought?

"You’re lying!"

Auntie Yang quickly countered, unable to accept this new truth. Lu Jiu continued, "Besides me, there are three other servants who were aware of this matter: one from the main house and two from the quarters."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three mentioned servants stepped forward, knelt before Elder Mu Furen, and presented a scroll to Su Ming, "Everything Lu Jiu just said is true, Miss. Here is the evidence.”

Su Ming unrolled the paper to reveal meticulously arranged auspicious characters cut from red paper, forming a blessing phrase exactly as described.

The Elder Mu Furen gazed over it with a slight smile, not expecting her little granddaughter to be so creatively thoughtful.

Meanwhile, Auntie Yang seemed to lose all her strength for a moment, collapsing onto the floor, powerless. With such overwhelming evidence and testimony against her, she could no longer deny the truth!

It turned out she had misunderstood the whole situation entirely!

The same conversation, the same sentence, yet the perceived meanings were worlds apart...

Fuming, Auntie Yang clenched her jaw and glared hatefully at Bi Qiu. It was all because of this one servant! If not for her, she wouldn’t have misunderstood and caused such a major incident.

"You just wait. I will make you pay for this!"

Auntie Yang hissed through clenched teeth, threatening Bi Qiu with a venomous look that made the servant’s heart skip in fear. Bi Qiu quickly retreated to join the other servants, trying to hide from Auntie Yang’s murderous gaze.

"Well then...the truth has been revealed, and there’s nothing more to discuss," declared the Elder Furen, her eyes scanning over the crowd of culprits before her. "It’s time to settle accounts!"

While the tension in the hall peaked, unnoticed were two pairs of eyes peeking through a gap on the door, watching the unfolding event.

One pair sparkled with satisfaction, the other with amusement, as if they were spectators at a grand theater...

"Acting on your own accord, not reporting to your master, causing Seventh Young Miss to be seriously injured...For just this, you already deserve death!"

Upon hearing this, Auntie Yang’s body immediately trembled. Death penalty!

At this moment, she was utterly confused. Why had everything since her arrival in Qingyun City seemed so awry? Nothing had gone as she had thought.

As if mysterious hands were orchestrating these events behind the scenes – the fire incident, this misunderstanding, and the injury of Seventh Young Miss. All these occurrences seemed too coincidentally aligned!

Yet, she couldn’t fathom who might be pulling the strings behind all this or their intentions. After much contemplation, she had no answers and tried to console herself that it might just be a streak of bad luck.

"Yang Yifei, remember one thing," Elder Mu Furen addressed the elderly servant with a cold face and continued, "Though you belong to Bai Lijun and the Bai family, now you are residing in the Mu family’s manor!"

"Ye...Yes, Miss,"

Auntie Yang replied, her voice shaking. Since she had followed her mistress to live in the Mu Manor, she had never seen Elder Furen display such anger. She feared she had indeed crossed the line this time.

"You should have been punished with death by beating, but since you belong to Bai Lijun and the Bai family, I have to consider their face..."

Auntie Yang listened intently with a pounding heart, sensing a glimmer of hope. Since the Elder Furen said this, she might be able to evade the misfortune. However, the next words quickly extinguished that faint hope, leaving her face deathly pale.

"Spare you from the death penalty, yes, but not from punishment! Take Yang Yifei away and administer fifty lashes! Make sure she does not die!"

Thud!

Auntie Yang’s body swayed momentarily before she fainted, collapsing to the floor with a loud thud upon hearing her sentence. Her panic surged to its peak.

Fifty lashes!

If it didn’t kill her, it would cripple her!

The Elder Furen was merciless, executing such a severe sentence!

The remaining servants looked at Auntie Yang’s unconscious form with wide eyes. Under normal circumstances, they would have rushed to her aid, but given the current situation and without a word from Elder Mu Furen, none dared to act impulsively.

A clear example of the consequences had just been demonstrated!

Elder Mu Furen glanced indifferently at the unconscious body before her, "Drag her away for the punishment. She will wake up eventually."

Hiss~

The servants all winced. They never thought that the Elder Furen, who was usually so compassionate, could be this ruthless when it came to taking action!

“As for you all,”

The people associated with Auntie Yang, who were guilty, were startled instantly when they saw Elder Furen’s piercing gaze. They trembled like little birds, fearing they would meet the same fate as Auntie Yang.

Elder Mu Furen scanned each one of them before sighing deeply, “Considering that you all were just following her orders, you shall each receive thirty lashes and be expelled from the manor!”

“Thank you, Elder Furen, for your mercy,”

They wept in gratitude. Though they deserved death, Elder Furen showed leniency, omitting their death penalty. Despite receiving thirty lashes and being expelled, they could at least save their own lives.

With a wave of her hand, Elder Mu Furen allowed Su Ming to assist her in approaching the inner room to check on her granddaughter. What they saw upon entering greatly distressed them.

On the wide bed lay the frail figure of her little granddaughter, unconscious, her head bandaged and her usually vibrant face now pale and sickly. A bandage wrapped around her torso indicated severe injuries to her ribs.

Not far from her bed, on a medium-sized daybed near the room’s edge, lay another figure, also wrapped in bandages, only her arms and legs exposed. This was Su Su, the personal servant of Seventh Young Miss.

Elder Mu Furen observed both with troubled heart. They were injured to this extent, and this happened within her own manor. What had she been doing while all these events unfolded?

She sat beside her granddaughter, gently holding her small hand while tears streamed down her face.

“Ying’er...it’s all grandmother’s fault for not taking better care of you.”

“This is my fault...”

Su Ming watched the weeping Elder Furen with a heavy heart, fearing that the day’s events would burden her mistress with guilt for a long time.

“Sob...Ying’er, please wake up soon. Grand...grandmother promises to take better care of you from now on.”

Elder Mu Furen then kissed her granddaughter’s forehead, her tears wetting the girl’s cheeks, before she stood up to leave, allowing the child to rest.

Before departing, Elder Mu Furen instructed the servants one more time, “Let the young miss recover here for now. Once she regains consciousness, we’ll move her back to her quarters in the eastern wing.”

“Have someone cleaned the bloodstains in the hall. If possible, replace all the items in the hall to erase any remnants of this brutal memory."

"Yes, Miss,"

The servants from the main house and the east wing, who were specially ordered to take care of the young miss during her recovery here, responded in unison. It seemed that the old residence of the Second Furen would definitely be transformed into another residence for Seventh Young Miss.

After issuing her commands, Elder Mu Furen left immediately and headed straight to the manor’s courtyard to personally oversee the punishment.

That very day, the Mu Manor was filled with incessant wailing noises, causing the neighboring manors to wonder what had transpired in the Mu Manor to warrant such a grand punishment...

Once the former residence of the Second Furen returned to tranquility, the servants dispersed to resume their duties as instructed. The area outside the inner chamber was left with only the personal attendants of Mu Yingying, who were placed there to stand watch in place of other servants.

Lu Jiu checked everything was in order once more before opening the door and entering the inner room. He approached the large bed and said, "Everyone has left now, Miss."

The severely injured figure who had been unconscious on the bed suddenly sat up, stretching her arms and legs to ease the stiffness, "Finally, they’re gone. I’ve been lying still on this bed for so long that I’ve become sore all over."

"The Young Miss says she’s sore, but I think I’m even more so. Look...I’m wrapped in bandages from head to toe, it’s difficult to even move."

Su Su, who was initially more severely injured than anyone else and had lost consciousness before the young miss, managed to get up from her daybed and walked over to Mu Yingying with difficulty due to the bandages that wrapped her entire body making it hard for her to breathe.

"Come on, Su Su, there’s no one here now anyway, and we’ve successfully gotten through this performance!" Mu Yingying teased Su Su cheerfully, eliciting a chuckle from her.

"How did I do, Miss? Was my acting realistic enough?"

Su Su asked with sparkling eyes, awaiting praise from her young mistress. Mu Yingying then flashed a wide smile, "Absolutely! Su Su, your performance was so convincing I thought you really were being beaten!"

"You can trust me, Miss. Having rehearsed so often with Lu Jiu and the others, how could it not be realistic?" Su Su said confidently.

Days earlier, the young miss had called her and those undercover in the Mu Manor to quietly plan. Mu Yingying decided it was time to eliminate the remaining people linked to the Second Furen in Qingyun City and teach Auntie Yang a lesson.

At first, Su Su was confused about why the young miss needed to do this and why she seemed like a completely different person. Mu Yingying felt it was the right time, so she shared the stories of her past experiences with Su Su, who believed wholeheartedly.

How could she not believe it when she had witnessed all the changes herself!?

Once Su Su became aware of the past events, she seemed to mature instantly. She developed thoughts and determination to stand by and assist the young miss in her quest for revenge and to change their fate.

Now, there were two people aware of Mu Yingying’s reincarnation to rectify her past: Uncle Wang and Su Su.

As for her other confidants who were placed undercover, Mu Yingying did not disclose or clarify this particular intrigue. Ultimately, they were expected to obey her orders without question.

After finalizing their scheme, they initiated their plan by having two servants talk secretly within earshot of Bi Qiu, a spy for the Second Furen. The dialogue was intentionally ambiguous, allowing it to be interpreted in various ways.

Convinced that the greedy Bi Qiu would report this ambiguous conversation to Auntie Yang in hope of a reward, events unfolded just as anticipated.

Mu Yingying had instructed Uncle Wang to tailor special clothing, designed to have thick padding stuffed inside, more than two inches thick, to absorb any impact or blows.

Once they received these garments, they commenced their grand performance with Mu Yingying and Su Su wearing these specially tailored clothes underneath their outer garments. Consequently, they appeared slightly bulkier than usual, yet this went unnoticed amidst the unfolding drama.

Mu Yingying stationed someone to watch the main house. Once Auntie Yang was confirmed to have left, she directed for chicken blood, prepared earlier by Uncle Wang, to be poured on Su Su’s undergarments at the back, allowing it to seep into the padding.

When Su Su was taken to be beaten, the strikes landed on the thick padding, causing the concealed chicken blood to seep out, mimicking severe wounds.

The force of the blows was absorbed by the dense padding, sparing Su Su from actual harm. Her screams and the apparent blood were merely an act, with the blood actually being harmless chicken blood...

Meanwhile, Mu Yingying was prepared at her quarters, awaiting news. Upon being informed, she feigned shock and rushed to assist Su Su, with Lu Jiu sent to fetch the elder.

Reaching the Second Furen’s old residence, Mu Yingying pretended to intercept the beating for an almost fainting Su Su, wearing similar padded attire. When struck, she merely fell, cushioned by the chicken-blood-soaked padding, simulating injury without truly being harmed.

The prepared chicken blood then appeared to flow from her back wounds, feigning serious injuries. The two girls continued their performance for a considerable period until the Elder Furen arrived, ending the act with the pretense of being thrown to the ground, feigning a head injury.

Mu Yingying had concealed a small packet of chicken blood within her hair bun, which burst open upon impact, creating a pool of blood that mimicked a severe head wound.

Following this, both girls feigned unconsciousness, leaving Lu Jiu and others to continue the act, with Lu Jiu taking on the role of revealing the truth and discrediting Auntie Yang.

As for Doctor Yao, he was specifically prepared by Uncle Wang to be a guest star in today’s performance.

Once everything concluded, it was up to the Elder Furen’s decision on how to proceed, who did not disappoint them and handled the situation as they desired without fail.

The grand show of the day thus went smoothly, justifying the efforts and investments they had put into it. With this, the Mu family of Qingyun City was now devoid of Bai Lijun’s influence, ensuring a smoother path for any future endeavors.

If there was any discomfort about today’s events, it would probably be the feeling of guilt that was building up inside Mu Yinying’s heart. She genuinely felt the love and care from her grandmother. Raising her hand to wipe away her grandmother’s tears that stained her face, her eyes brimming with emotions.

This performance scene...unfortunately brought sorrow to her grandmother.

Moving forward, Mu Yingying might have to adopt different strategies to prevent further distress to her grandmother, honoring the love and affection she had always received from her...

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