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Chapter 20: “Slap Her”
Yueqing, Lan Ruo, and Hua Meng all rushed forward to protect Xiang Wu. Nanny Li, however, brought several people with her and directly dragged Xiang Wu outside.
“Three Sisters, I'm fine. I'm not afraid. You don't need to stop them!”
In the end, Xiang Wu was dragged out.
Yueqing was heartbroken.
“Xiang Wu was afraid of getting us involved, which is why she said that. She's actually terrified!”
Lan Ruo and Hua Meng wiped away their tears as well.
“We always said Xiang Wu was foolish, but she's actually wise in her own way. She's much smarter than us!”
By this time, Xiang Wu had already been dragged outside by Nanny Li and taken directly to the outside of the mistress' bedchamber.
Nanny Li then cautiously said, “Miss, I've brought that girl Xiang Wu over. She's waiting outside. Let's see how you want to deal with her today.”
Xiang Wu bit her lip and knelt there with her head lowered, her fists clenched tightly. She remained completely silent as she waited, hoping to finally be married off to some man.
Meanwhile, inside Huo Yingyun's bedchamber, Dingyuan Marquis Huo Yunqing sat there, leisurely savoring his tea. The fragrance of tea drifted through the room, while his stern and dignified face revealed nothing of his thoughts.
While standing nearby and attending to Huo Yingyun, she happened to glance at the two sturdy female attendants standing beside her father, and her heart gradually sank.
The two women, one dressed in white and the other in red, were named Bai Jian and Zhu Yi respectively. Both were highly skilled in martial arts and had been following her father since childhood. Her father relied on them greatly.
Under ordinary circumstances, however, they rarely appeared.
Whenever they did appear, it meant that something was bound to happen in the residence.
Huo Yingyun began to feel increasingly uneasy.
These two maids were no ordinary people. Why had Father brought both of them to her room?
What exactly was he planning to do?
Had she done something wrong?
Or had one of the maids under her committed some offense serious enough to warrant bringing out these two?
Huo Yingyun thought about it again and again, growing increasingly anxious. In the end, she could only think of Xiang Wu.
Could that girl have caused some kind of trouble in Father's study? Had she stolen something?
If that were the case...
Huo Yingyun secretly bit her lip. Whatever happened, she absolutely could not let that girl implicate her.
She had gone to the study before to copy calligraphy and paintings. If something had happened, she could simply say that she knew nothing about it and completely distance herself from the matter.
Just then, Nanny Lin brought Xiang Wu over. No matter how carefully they tried to move, there was naturally some noise.
“What is that noise outside?”
Huo Yunqing took a small sip of tea before asking calmly.
“Outside? Outside...”
Huo Yingyun hurriedly smiled.
“It must be the servants going to call that girl Xiang Wu.”
She looked at her father's deep, unreadable expression and cautiously said, “Father, did one of my maids damage something in your study? This girl is young and isn't very careful in her actions, so that is possible... Speaking of which, this girl caused another incident today. She really is hateful. A maid like this should indeed have been sent away long ago.”
“What did she do?”
Huo Yunqing asked expressionlessly.
“She...”
Huo Yingyun lowered her head and spoke helplessly.
“This girl has no sense of shame. She actually stole something of mine. Stealing it would have been bad enough, but she stubbornly refused to admit it. I've already had someone drag her outside.”
“What did she steal?”
Huo Yunqing asked calmly.
“There are actually thieves in my Dingyuan Marquis's residence. It seems she needs to be properly dealt with.”
“She stole some berries and ate them herself.”
Huo Yingyun sighed.
“Berries?”
Huo Yunqing's voice turned cold and dangerous.
“Where is she?”
Judging from her father's expression, Huo Yingyun became even more certain of her assumption.
Her father did not like people touching anything in his study. That little maid must have accidentally committed some offense, angering her father so much that he had come all the way to her room.
As it happened, this little maid had stolen something, and Huo Yingyun had already beaten her. The best thing to do now was to quickly distance herself from the matter and hand Xiang Wu over to her father, leaving him to deal with her however he wished.
She hurriedly said, “Father, I've already disciplined her. She's waiting outside. I'll have someone bring her in right away.”
As she spoke, she gave the maid beside her a meaningful glance.
Soon, Xiang Wu was brought inside.
And Huo Yunqing saw the little maid who had been beaten.
Her long black hair was slightly disheveled, falling over her shoulders. Both her cheeks were swollen, with red marks across them. Her eyes, clear as mountain springs, were filled with aggrieved tears. Her thin lips trembled, and her slender shoulders shook faintly.
After entering, she stumbled and fell to her knees.
“She stole the berries?”
Huo Yunqing's voice was deep and measured.
A few berries were naturally nothing to the Dingyuan Marquis. He had never cared much for such pleasures of the palate. In previous years, he had simply ordered the berries sent to his two children in the residence for them to enjoy.
This year, however, he had happened to change his mind and kept some behind. Giving a few to this little maid had meant nothing to him. He had merely done it on a whim, treating it as a little amusement.
He had never expected that a few berries would cause such a commotion.
“Reporting to the Marquis, yes, yes, she stole them!”
The answer came from Nanny Li, who had brought Xiang Wu inside.
She hurriedly stepped forward and knelt, speaking respectfully.
“This little maid has always been improper, flirting around with men. And now she's even stolen Miss's things. She is truly detestable!”
Xiang Wu, who was kneeling there, was also startled the moment she entered.
The Marquis was present!
She had originally been eagerly looking forward to being sent away and married off to some man as soon as possible.
But who could have expected that the Marquis would be here?
The Marquis knew the truth!
The moment he heard about the berries, he should know that it was the berries he had given her that had caused all this trouble.
Would he say so?
If he did, wouldn't she be unable to be sent away and married off?
Xiang Wu could no longer feel happy.
She bit her lip and timidly glanced at the Marquis.
“Marquis… please send me away. I did steal the berries…” Her eyes held a pleading look, filled with helplessness.
However, that look naturally led the high and mighty Dingyuan Marquis to misunderstand her.
The young girl was shy and timid, her face streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain. Having suffered an injustice, she was looking at him through her tears, a faint, pleading light shining in her clear eyes.
Huo Yunqing moved his gaze away from the young girl and let it fall upon Huo Yingyun. Only then did he speak.
“She has already been punished?”
His voice remained calm and emotionless as he said this, but everyone in the room inexplicably felt a chill. It was as though a cold wind had suddenly swept through the room, leaving them with an eerie chill running down their backs.
Huo Yingyun's heart sank.
What on earth had this wretched girl done to make Father so furious?
Could she actually end up dying here today?
Huo Yingyun took a deep breath and glanced at Xiang Wu.
In truth, this girl was quite skilled with her hands. Huo Yingyun had originally thought that even if her father punished her today, perhaps by giving her a severe beating, she could still be kept.
She could remain in the courtyard as a rough maid and be assigned some embroidery work from time to time. At least she would still be useful.
But now it seemed that there was no way she could keep her.
She immediately lowered her eyes and sighed.
“Yes. She stole them, and not only that, she even shared them with several other maids. She refuses to admit her wrongdoing and is completely stubborn.”
Seeing this, Nanny Li hurriedly joined in.
“Yes, yes, she stole them. I saw it all with my own eyes. She stole quite a lot! She even dared to sneak food from her master's belongings. In my opinion, she's been indulged far too much in the past, which is why she's become so lawless. Since the Marquis happens to be here today, she should indeed be properly disciplined.”
Huo Yunqing raised his eyes and gave Nanny Li an indifferent glance.
“Slap her.”
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