Chapter 41 Breaking the Siege - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter
Chapter 41 Breaking the Siege
After lunch, several people accompanied Madam Feng for the entire afternoon.
Putting aside everything in the past, at this moment, Madam seemed to be reborn. She was gentle yet polite, articulate, and knowledgeable. Previously, she had appeared as a sickly wooden beauty but now she seemed refined, well-read, and cultured.
With the assistance of Feng Yunhe and Feng Jinyao by her side, Madam Feng had a greatly improved impression of her.
"I used to talk to you less, but I didn't expect you to be so witty and knowledgeable about many things outside. Please come to visit often and chat with me."
"Mother-in-law doesn't dislike her daughter-in-law's coarseness. I will come often in the future."
After breaking the ice, the two of them became much closer than before.
Feng Jinyao had something on her mind, and her smiles were somewhat perfunctory. Feng Yunhe noticed and whispered to her softly, "What's wrong, Aunt? Are you feeling unwell?"
Feng Jinyao raised an eyebrow. She was already so shrewd at such a young age; she would become even more formidable in the future.
She ruffled his hair, temporarily setting aside the past and her worries. "I'm not feeling unwell, just didn't rest well. You stay here and accompany grandmother and mother. I'll leave first."
With that, she got up to take her leave.
Knowing that she was tired, Madam Feng and Madam Wen didn't insist much, just reminded her a few times before letting her go.
Once outside the Yunhai Courtyard, Feng Jinyao still couldn't shake off her concerns. She felt it necessary to remind her elder brother to be cautious around Wen Mengsheng, so she turned and headed towards his courtyard.
Just as she entered the courtyard, she saw Concubine Lin punishing a maid.
Huanhuan had two large handprints on her face, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth, her hair and clothes torn and scattered all over the ground. At that moment, she was kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with defiance as she looked at Concubine Lin.
Concubine Lin, on the other hand, had an air of superiority. She scolded while maintaining her noble demeanor, "You wretched girl, daring to be so insolent just because of your looks? Do you think entering this courtyard means you can climb into the master's bed? Dream on!"
After speaking, she kicked Huanhuan in the chest, her face filled with anger.
Huanhuan's face turned purple from the kick and she spat out a few mouthfuls of blood.
Before she could say anything in defense, several maids rushed forward and delivered several slaps to her face, rendering her unable to speak.
Feng Jinyao stood at the door, watching. Concubine Lin's behavior was becoming more and more outrageous.
A maid, at most, was half a master, yet she dared to openly punish servants in the courtyard. This audacity was beyond belief. It was evident how much Concubine Lin had been indulged by the elder sister-in-law in the past. Thinking of some events from her previous life, Feng Jinyao's eyes grew even colder.
One bad apple could spoil the whole barrel and the influence of a few rotten ones could outweigh the good ones.
With a stern expression, she entered the courtyard. Yunxu, who was standing beside her, immediately raised her voice and shouted, "Miss San is here."
Concubine Lin, who was scolding, never expected Feng Jinyao to come at this moment.
Today, the master was not around and Madam Wen was also absent. It was a good time to discipline these maid as she pleased. However, she had just started when someone caught her in the act and she didn't even know how long Feng Jinyao had been there or how much she had heard.
"Aren't there people arranged outside to watch? Why didn't they report when someone came?" she wondered, though she didn't say it out loud.
"Don't look anymore. We came through a different route." Yunxu explained, her eyes showing anger towards Concubine Lin.
As servants, being punished by the master was seemingly justified. However, after serving under the young ladies for so many years, she had never been treated like this before. Therefore, she looked at Huanhuan with more sympathy.
"You're being disrespectful. I'm talking to Miss." Concubine Lin said, not daring to do anything to Feng Jinyao. Instead, she vented her anger on Yunxu, but unfortunately, Yunxu had already undergone a transformation and was no longer a servant who could be easily bullied.
"What you said is correct, Yunxu's interruption deserves punishment. But, Aunt, what about your flagrant abuse of power in the courtyard during broad daylight? How do you justify that?"
"You..."
Concubine Lin was frightened by Feng Jinyao's words, her forehead breaking out in a cold sweat. But there was no turning back now, she was determined to set an example and make those maids who thought they could climb into the master's bed pay the price, using Huanhuan's fate as a warning.
So, she secretly signaled a maid next to her, who immediately knelt in front of Feng Jinyao and began to plead.
"Please, Miss, intervene on behalf of Concubine Lin. Huanhuan doesn't know her place; her mother only spoke a few words of reprimand and she dared to challenge Concubine Lin. If a few of us hadn't stopped her, Concubine Lin might have been pushed over by her."
As she spoke, she even revealed bruises on her arms, showing her determination to protect her mistress. Feng Jinyao felt disgusted by this blatant attempt to shift blame onto an innocent party.
Huanhuan, despite appearing somewhat dazed, refused to be falsely accused. Struggling, she tried to move forward, her eyes fixed on Concubine Lin with an intense glare.
Concubine Lin pretended to be scared and fell to the ground, crying. For a while, people were comforting and consoling her, showing her skill at shifting blame.
It seemed that the elder sister-in-law had suffered similar indignities as well; otherwise, how could such an affectionate couple have reached this point?
"That's enough!"
Feng Jinyao shouted, and the maids who had been beating Huanhuan stopped immediately.
Huanhuan, who had been beaten, was now more out of breath than in, lying on the ground with her eyes closed.
Thinking of her brother's situation, Feng Jinyao became more calculating.
"Yunxu, go find a few maids and tie up all those who caused trouble here. Take them to the woodshed and lock them up. Also, go tell the elder sister-in-law that the troublemakers from last time haven't learned their lesson and she should come and investigate. If there are any problems, let her call the person who manages the slaves to come and sell them."
"Yes."
The words were harsh and severe, frightening the maids who had just been arrogant and rampant. They knelt down and banged their heads on the ground desperately.
Unfortunately, Feng Jinyao wasn't buying it.
Soon, more than ten maids responsible for managing the backyard arrived, each carrying hemp ropes and strips of cloth. They were all tied up tightly, and Concubine Lin, seeing that the situation was hopeless, began to cry in earnest this time.
"Miss San is truly perceptive. It's just that this maid and I have a little conflict. Her mother was only standing up for me. Why go to such lengths? Perhaps you could hand them over to me and I will discipline them properly."
The maids, their mouths gagged, could only make muffled sounds, but their eyes were full of hope and pleading.
"Take them away!"
"Yes!"
Yunxu ignored their pleas and ordered the maids to take them away.
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