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Chapter 21: A Little Maid Hidden in a Desolate Courtyard
In the Dingyuan Marquis Household—and indeed, throughout all of Dingyuan Prefecture—Huo Yunqing was the absolute heavens. A mere flick of his eyes was enough to stir up a tempest across the entire region.
He uttered only two words, and his tone wasn't even particularly loud, yet it carried an innate, chilling authority.
“Slap her mouth?”
Huo Yingyun bit her lip, growing increasingly certain that Xiangwu had somehow thoroughly enraged her father. But before she could dwell on it, Nanny Li perked up at those words and chimed in eagerly, “Yes! This servant will beat this little thief within an inch of her life right away!”
Saying so, she prepared to charge forward and lay into Xiangwu with a vengeance.
Who could have guessed that after taking just two steps, Baijian and Zhuyi would suddenly spring forward? One pinned her arms behind her with a swift chopping motion, while the other raised a hand and delivered a vicious crack across her face.
It was worth noting that Baijian and Zhuyi were female slaves raised directly by Huo Yunqing’s side from childhood. They possessed exceptional martial skills and formidable strength. A single slap from Zhuyi was more than a grown man could handle, let alone Nanny Li. The old woman couldn’t even keep her footing, her whole body swaying unsteadily from the impact.
Clutching her stinging cheek, Nanny Li stared at Zhuyi in absolute disbelief. Why on earth was Zhuyi hitting her?
She cupped her face and protested defensively, “What wrong has this old servant committed? Why are you hitting me, Miss? The thief is Xiangwu, not me!”
Yet even as she pleaded, Zhuyi stood before her with a tense, entirely expressionless face—the spitting image of the Dingyuan Marquis himself.
Before Nanny Li could blabber any further, Zhuyi raised her hand again. A rapid barrage of slaps rained down on her, each hit harder and more brutal than the last, sending Nanny Li reeling like a leaf caught in a gale.
By the time the brisk ‘slap-slap-slap-slap’ finally ceased, Nanny Li was left kneeling like a stray dog—her face burning hot as if set ablaze, swollen beyond recognition, and bleeding from the corner of her mouth.
Panicked and hopelessly confused, she wailed, “Marquis... Marquis, what is the meaning of this...?”
She didn't dare curse Zhuyi. As a long-serving servant of the estate, she knew all too well that the Marquis deeply favored and relied upon these two maidservants. Forget her, even the young master and young lady walked on eggshells around them!
Yet sitting in the high seat, the Dingyuan Marquis, Huo Yunqing, didn't spare her so much as a single glance.
In desperation, Nanny Li turned a pleading look toward her young mistress, Huo Yingyun, only to find Huo Yingyun looking back with a cool, detached expression, as if the matter had absolutely nothing to do with her.
“Miss—” Nanny Li clutched her face, preparing to weep and beg for help.
“This treacherous servant really is far too arrogant,” Huo Yingyun remarked, standing beside Huo Yunqing with an agreeable air.
Nanny Li’s heart instantly plunged into ice. What in the world had she done wrong? Why wasn't the young mistress standing up for her?
She was utterly baffled. Shouldn't they be beating Xiangwu? How had ‘she’ ended up taking the thrashing instead?
Nanny Li’s mind was completely blank.
Meanwhile, Huo Yingyun stood to the side, looking as though nothing were amiss on the surface, but inside, her thoughts were spiraling into chaos.
‘What is going on?,What is Father doing? Just how big of a mess did Xiangwu make to get him this furious?
Or... is Father targeting me?
Does he know I pretended someone else's needlework was my own to deceive him, so he's deliberately having my servant beaten to teach me a lesson?’
Looking at Nanny Li's swollen, beet-red face, Huo Yingyun’s heart pounded with unease. She simply couldn't fathom her father's true intentions.
Right at that moment, Huo Yunqing’s cool, detached gaze landed squarely on her.
A shudder ran down Huo Yingyun’s spine. She forced a trembling, obedient smile and cooed, “Father...?”
Regardless of who had caused this disaster, she was the one suffering for it now. She could distinctly feel her father's displeasure with her.
Huo Yunqing spoke, his tone unreadable. “She ate berries, so she’s a thief?”
The “she” in Huo Yunqing’s mouth naturally referred to Xiangwu.
Huo Yingyun was now so nervous she didn't even know whether she ought to nod or shake her head. After a brief internal struggle, she ultimately nodded. “Yes, Father. She stole the berries, which breaks the household rules”
Huo Yunqing, however, stated coolly, “Those were in my study. I tried feeding them to my panther, but the brute refused to eat them. So, I casually tossed them to this little maid.”
‘Wait... WHAT?!’
Huo Yingyun was struck dumb with shock, while Nanny Li’s face turned the color of chalk.
“If this little maid is a thief,” Huo Yunqing added, “does that make me a thief as well?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Huo Yingyun’s knees gave out, and she hit the floor with a heavy *thud*. “It is all my fault, Father! I was foolish and listened to the instigation of the servants under me, mistakenly thinking those berries were stolen. I truly had no idea! This is all Nanny Li’s fault!”
Nanny Li’s body went utterly limp, nearly collapsing where she stood.
‘The little maid was rewarded those berries by the Marquis himself?! How—how could this be?!’ To accuse that girl of being a thief was essentially calling the Marquis a thief!
And more importantly, for a lowly servant girl to receive a reward directly from the Marquis implied an unthinkable amount of favor! What kind of cursed luck was this? Of all the people to cross, she had to go and offend a favorite of the Marquis!
Only now did Nanny Li realize the gravity of her error,she had made a terrible, fatal mistake. She shouldn't have picked on the softest target in the room just because it seemed easy.
She desperately wanted to crawl forward and beg for mercy, but her eyes were glassy, her legs devoid of strength, and her lips trembled uncontrollably. “Marquis, spare me! Marquis, spare me! This old servant knows her mistake! Please, have mercy!”
Huo Yunqing merely raised a hand in a dismissive gesture. Bai Jian and Zhu Yi understood instantly. Stepping forward, they dragged Nanny Li out by her arms like a dead dog and tossed her unceremoniously into the courtyard.
Once thrown out, there were naturally people designated to handle her. Standard procedure called for a dose of muting poison before selling her off. In fact, it wouldn't stop at Nanny Li alone, her entire lineage of children and grandchildren in the estate would be packed up and thrown out right along with her.
The Marquisate of Dingyuan had no mistress of the house to manage the domestic affairs, so everything was governed by strict, military-style household rules. Once a line was crossed, there was zero leniency.
---
With Nanny Li dragged away, the room fell into a deathly quiet—so silent that the soft rustle of leaves outside sounded almost deafening.
Huo Yingyun suddenly felt a suffocating chest-high pressure.
‘Just what on earth did Xiangwu do in the study for Father to reward her with berries?’
‘How... how could she have possibly gained his favor?’
The more Huo Yingyun thought about it, the more panic seized her heart.
If this wretched girl was trying to seduce her father and become his concubine... then what would become of *her*? Wouldn't she become the laughingstock of the entire noble circle?! How could she ever face a girl she used to boss around like a dog if they ended up like that?
Yet right at that moment, she saw her father glance down at Xiangwu.
With sharp perception, she noticed that his gaze held not a single shred of affection or pity—only sheer detachment and cold disdain.
Huo Yingyun bit her lip and let out a faint sigh of relief. She had overthought it.
There were quite a few women housed in her father's Wanxiu Pavilion, and he treated all of them reasonably well—certainly never looking at them with a look so thoroughly disgusted.
Most likely, Xiangwu just happened to be in the study when the black panther turned up its nose at the fruit. Given her father's unpredictable nature, he had simply tossed the leftovers to the nearest servant girl.
---
Meanwhile, Xiangwu’s heart was currently breaking into a thousand tiny pieces.
She felt like she had taken a colossal loss.
Based on her past experience, this was the moment where she was supposed to get scolded, beaten, and then casually banished from the estate to be married off to some random man.
That was the exact, ideal outcome she had been praying for!
And yet here she was: she had already endured the humiliation of being framed as a thief, bravely accepted the agonizing pain of a beating, and was sitting on standby waiting for her glorious exile... only for the Marquis to dramatically step in.
He cleared her name.
So... ‘does this mean she’s not getting dragged out to be married anymore?!’
Xiangwu’s heart sank, a cocktail of anxiety and profound disappointment churning in her gut.
What kind of man was Huo Yunqing? A single glance at her dropped jaw was all it took to read her inner thoughts like an open book.
A cold smirk played at the corner of his lips. He dismissed her from his sight and turned his attention to his daughter. "Giving this maid food yesterday was nothing more than a passing whim. Accusing her of theft was indeed a false charge. A mere maid dying is of no real consequence, but if word of this spreads, it will sound unsightly. It would tarnish your reputation as a young lady and ruin the standing of the Marquisate."
Huo Yingyun, who had been holding her breath in terror, instantly relaxed upon hearing her father's explanation. Relieved, a wave of warmth and gratitude washed over her.
She quickly bowed her head. "Father speaks the truth. Your daughter knows her mistake now. I was young and foolish, nearly allowing myself to be used by wicked servants. I will certainly act with greater caution in the future."
Huo Yunqing nodded slowly. "Since you recognize your mistake, you shall remain indoors copying Buddhist scriptures to reflect on your conduct for half a month. During these fifteen days, you are not to step a single foot out of this courtyard. Furthermore, your monthly allowance for the year is forfeited, and your seasonal allocation of new jewelry and fine clothes for the year is suspended."
....Huh?!
Huo Yingyun’s eyes widened in sheer horror. ‘Isn't... isn't this way too harsh?!’
Forfeiting a whole year's allowance? Being grounded for half a month?!
Madame Chu's grand birthday banquet was coming up in just a few days—she had planned to make a dazzling appearance and outshine everyone!
And suspending her seasonal clothes and fine jewelry for an entire year?! Was she supposed to embarrass herself by stepping out in last season's old rags?! She was at the prime of her youth, and in just a couple of years, it would be time to arrange her marriage! Did her father understand *anything* about raising a daughter?! How could he treat a young lady like this?!
Huo Yunqing raised an eyebrow softly. "Is there a problem?"
That single, quiet question instantly struck terror into her heart.
Though her mouth tasted of bitter defeat, Huo Yingyun dared not utter a single word of protest. She bowed her head deeply. "No... Father. Your daughter obeys."
Gathering his robes, Huo Yunqing stood up, preparing to take his leave.
As he brushed past Xiangwu, he lowered his gaze, looking down at the pitiable little maid kneeling trembling on the floor.
"Had it not been for her, such trouble would not have arisen in the first place," he said coolly. "Lock her in the abandoned woodshed in the rear courtyard to reflect on her actions."
Hearing those words, Xiangwu remained kneeling, her vision filled only with the hem of his dark, embroidered silk robe.
Panic fluttered in her chest. By the time she gathered the courage to steal a glance upward, the cold, impossibly arrogant Marquis had already swept past her and walked away.
Xiang Wu's grievances had been cleared, and everything had finally been settled, yet she was still being sent to the firewood room.
After carefully considering and weighing the situation, Huo Yingyun decided that she had simply been overthinking things.
Although there were plenty of beautiful women at Wanxiu Pavilion, her father did not seem to be the sort of man who was particularly enamored with female beauty. Judging from his temperament over the years, he actually seemed to dislike delicate and alluring women like Xiang Wu.
What he favored were women like the two sturdy female attendants by his side, Bai Jian and Zhu Yi.
As for Xiang Wu, it was obvious that her father disliked her greatly. Otherwise, knowing full well that she had done nothing wrong, he would never have punished her like this.
Huo Yingyun breathed a sigh of relief. If her father had truly taken a liking to Xiang Wu, she would have had to rack her brains to recall all the times over the years when she had ordered Xiang Wu around and treated her harshly.
Fortunately, she no longer needed to worry about that.
As for the punishment she herself had received, of course she was troubled by it. Very troubled indeed. But things had already come to this point, so all she could do was think of another solution.
Once she had figured this out, Huo Yingyun looked at Xiang Wu again. Seeing the girl with tears streaming down her face, she comforted her.
“This was my fault. I wronged you. Since you weren't stealing, why didn't you say so? I would have felt terrible otherwise. Now that Father has punished you to reflect on your actions, you should reflect properly. Once you've finished, you can come back.”
When Xiang Wu heard this, her heart went completely cold.
So much for being sent away and married off to a man!
Still, since Miss was speaking to her like this, Xiang Wu couldn't simply ignore her. She could only force a smile and say that it was fine and that she didn't mind.
Seeing her like this, Huo Yingyun comforted her a little more before having someone take her to the rear courtyard.
Xiang Wu was taken to a remote courtyard. The buildings were old and worn, and weeds grew throughout the yard. At a glance, the place looked particularly desolate.
Yueqing and the others came to see Xiang Wu off. When they saw the state of the place, they couldn't help crying, hugging Xiang Wu and comforting her.
Xiang Wu blinked and looked around the courtyard.
Actually, she wasn't particularly sad.
She hadn't managed to get herself sent away and married off to a man, so she felt she still had to keep looking for one.
Now that she had been sent here, the place wasn't far from a small side gate at the rear of the residence, and people frequently passed through that gate.
This was an opportunity.
Xiang Wu felt that perhaps being temporarily removed from Miss's courtyard might actually make it easier for her to find a man here and get married.
After the several young maids left, the black gate was closed, producing an old, heavy creak.
Xiang Wu looked around the courtyard.
The wooden gate was dilapidated, weeds grew nearly half a person's height, and cobwebs covered the old buildings. A grasshopper even cautiously hopped past her.
She sighed.
Who knew how long she would have to remain here reflecting on her mistakes?
She might as well clean up the room first.
But just as she picked up the broom, she suddenly heard an “Awooo” from the base of the wall.
She jumped in fright.
Then, remembering something, she hurriedly looked over.
There stood a large black panther, its entire body pitch-black. It had hunched itself up like a cat, tilting its round head to one side as it watched her, its two round ears standing upright.
Under the sunlight, its black fur revealed beautiful, ring-like patterns.
This was the Marquis's black panther.
Xiang Wu suddenly realized something.
She hurriedly raised her head and looked over.
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