Qiu Yue, who had enjoyed a privileged life following Madam Lin Lang, died after forty-two lashes. Blood flowed down the stool, a sight that stirred some pity in Madam Wen, but her resolve was set, and there was no turning back.
Her lingering pity was thus extinguished by the dignity befitting a matriarch.
"Give ten taels of silver to her family. When a person dies, the lamp is extinguished. Send the body back."
"The First Mistress is merciful," Zhu Jin cried out loudly. The maids and servants standing in the courtyard also knelt in unison, echoing the praise.
After this incident, no one in the courtyard dared to slight the First Mistress and the legitimate son again, unless they wished to die.
When Feng Jin Xu returned to the manor at dusk, he was suddenly informed of the matter. He felt a degree of dissatisfaction with Madam Wen's swift and decisive action.
However, upon seeing He Huan beaten black and blue and unconscious, his scales gradually tipped towards Madam Wen.
As an official of the Dali Temple, he had reviewed many case files. Coupled with his inherently impartial nature, the servants and maids who had been detained for half a day, upon hearing of Qiu Yue's beating to death, frantically confessed the truth, shifting the blame onto Madam Lin Lang.
It was unclear who started it, but one by one, they revealed many instances of the concubine's past arrogance and abuse of power.
The more Feng Jin Xu listened, the more his expression grew solemn. By the end, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and veins throbbed on his forehead.
His earlier affection for her was merely a way to spite Madam Wen. Later, she had been gentle and obedient, and had borne him a son, which had led to a sliver of genuine affection.
He never expected that she would be given such authority and act so wantonly in the inner courtyard.
The lowly servants were no different. Not only did no one dare to testify against her, but they had also helped her commit so many misdeeds.
If one cannot even sweep a room, how can they sweep the world? He had always considered his household to have strict principles, yet he never imagined such a concubine would be fostered under his very nose.
His gaze towards Madam Wen became more complex.
Had she endured all these years like this?
He pulled her to sit beside him, his brows furrowed as he looked at her. Though he said nothing, Madam Wen already understood his thoughts.
She whispered softly, "My lord, I am fine. It is just those below who are unfortunate. They suffered along with me, their mistress, and almost lost their lives."
As she spoke, she recalled many past events and sighed with genuine emotion.
Fu Yi clenched his fists. If that person were not the lord's concubine, he would have beaten her to death long ago.
The thought of his sister, whom he had doted on for years, being beaten into a state of bedridden helplessness, was unbearable.
But this was the inner courtyard. The lord and the First Mistress had not spoken, and he, as a subordinate, could not act on impulse. Therefore, only by requesting the lord to punish the concubine could he quell his anger.
He immediately knelt on the ground, begging the lord to bring justice for his sister.
"My lord, He Huan entered the manor and sold herself into servitude entirely because her stepmother arranged a marriage for her carelessly. My sister and I lost our mother at a young age. Our father remarried, and we thought we had a home. But we never expected her to harbor wicked intentions, trading my sister's lifelong happiness for wealth. My sister was unwilling, which is why she sought refuge with the Feng family."
His eyes reddened as he spoke of his sorrow.
"It is also my fault as an elder brother for being careless and almost harming her. If... if my sister can escape this calamity and wake up, I beg the lord and the First Mistress for their mercy and to release her. This subordinate will arrange for her properly and will never cause trouble for the lord and the First Mistress."
After speaking, he kowtowed fiercely three times. When he rose again, his forehead was already red and swollen.
Madam Wen, seeing how he protected his sister, was reminded of her own siblings. She was the eldest daughter of her family. Since her marriage, she had stayed in Dongdu City with Feng Jin Xu and had not returned to Shuzhou for a long time.
Seven or eight years had passed; she wondered what they looked like now.
A wave of emotion washed over her, and she felt a surge of sympathy. "Today was an undeserved disaster. Rest assured, once He Huan is healed, I will release her."
Receiving the First Mistress's assurance, the guard Fu Yi was deeply moved and felt a greater respect for this usually inconspicuous First Mistress.
Feng Jin Xu's expression was grim. Thinking of Madam Lin Lang again, he felt nothing but disgust.
"Summon Lin Lang. I want to see what else she has to say!"
Soon, the two mammas, Lin and Guan, "invited" Madam Lin Lang over. In the main hall, the lord and the First Mistress sat high above. The maids and servants kneeling below had faces ashen. The old servant woman leaning by the door immediately started to accuse her upon seeing her enter.
"Concubine, save me! Save me! This old servant was only following your orders. Save this old servant!"
The maids beside her, as if grasping at a life-saving straw, immediately crowded around, begging for help frantically. They pulled at Lin Lang's hair, wrinkling her clothes, and she exuded an aura of ruin.
"My lord, save me, save me."
She appeared wronged and tearful, completely devoid of the arrogance she had displayed while beating He Huan in the courtyard earlier.
Feng Jin Xu watched with a blank expression. Fu Yi, standing beside him, wished he could devour her bones and drink her blood.
Zhu Jin and the other senior maids also wore expressions of mockery. Finally, karma had come full circle. Madam Lin Lang, who had been arrogant for so many years, was finally going to face retribution!
"Drag them away. Give these servants and maids ten planks each, and then find some slave traders to sell them off first thing tomorrow."
His tone was stern and unyielding. Madam Lin Lang, struggling to save herself, could do nothing for them.
The weeping maids and servants now realized they had been blinded by greed and had followed the wrong master.
"My lord, my lord, I was misled by that maid Qiu Yue today. She said He Huan was always opposing me, and... and that she was bought by the First Mistress to seduce you. That is why I was so hasty and struck her a bit too hard. My lord, it was because I was concerned about you that I acted this way, my lord..."
She cried profusely, beating her chest, pushing all her faults onto the deceased Qiu Yue, and feigning a look of unrequited love.
Feng Jin Xu was utterly disappointed in her this time.
His eyes, devoid of any past tenderness, regarded her like a street performer, unmoved.
Seeing this, Lin Lang's heart sank. She scrambled towards Feng Jin Xu.
"My lord, I was also deceived, which led me to commit such a grave mistake. You must consider Yun Li's sake and spare me this once."
Yun Li. The thought of her young son finally stirred a flicker of paternal emotion in Feng Jin Xu's otherwise impassive face.
"Very well. You are fortunate to have Yun Li to protect you. From today onwards, you are confined to your courtyard and are not to leave. If there is a next time, I will send you to the estate and you will never see Yun Li again!"