These three cowards spilled everything like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, revealing all they knew. However, what these three knew wasn’t particularly critical—Prince Liang and Chun Yan wouldn’t have entrusted them with truly important messages. At most, they had accepted silver to help invite Chun Yan to meet someone at the corner gate.

“Besides these three, who else helped you pass messages?” Bai Qingyan turned her head to ask Chun Yan, who was trembling and kneeling at her feet.

Chun Yan bit her lower lip, tears falling drop by drop.

She set down her hand warmer and picked up the hot tea cup, gently blowing on it before saying, “This is a chance for redemption. If you don’t speak, even if Chun Tao kneels before me again to plead for you, I cannot spare you this time.”

One of the bound women kneeling in the courtyard quickly said, “There’s also Granny Liu! I saw Granny Liu pass messages, too!”

The named Granny Liu immediately fell to her knees: “Madam, Miss, please show mercy! This old servant… this old servant only passed one message! Just that one time! I only did it because I saw Granny Wang receive silver, and my heart was moved!”

Pull out a radish and bring up mud—another one revealed.

Granny Wang hurriedly knelt on the ground, trembling like chaff in a sieve.

Dong Shi heavily set her tea cup down on the small table: “Our Duke’s mansion has never mistreated its servants, yet I never imagined there would be such a money-grubbing lot! Anyone else who steps forward voluntarily, I can still spare their life! But if someone else points you out, you’ll be beaten to death immediately without mercy!”

Dong Shi had always managed the household with both kindness and authority, keeping the Duke’s mansion well-controlled. Otherwise, when Dong Shi had strictly ordered that no word should leak about Second Miss Bai Jinxiu’s return home, how could there have been no rumors outside?

Prince Liang had indeed put great effort into pursuing Bai Qingyan… but he had only managed to bribe one gate-watching servant and four gate-watching women.

Chun Yan’s tears fell even more fiercely. With a desperate attitude, she crawled on her knees to Dong Shi’s feet: “Madam! Prince Liang is truly sincere toward our miss, and this servant was only thinking of our miss’s good! Prince Liang heard that the old matriarch in Dengzhou intended to seek our eldest miss’s hand in marriage for her nephew, so despite his serious injuries, he came personally… just hoping to see our miss once. Such deep affection and loyalty—which man in the entire capital could be so devoted to our eldest miss!”

Nanny Qin folded her hands over her lower abdomen, her face stern: “Miss Chun Yan, your words make no sense! If Prince Liang truly has such deep affection for our miss, he could have asked any respected lady to visit our mansion… whether to sound things out or to make a proposal. Why would he need to bribe servants to act secretly? Such underhanded behavior is no different from ruining our miss’s reputation! You are the personal maid on our eldest miss’s side, yet you maintain close contact with Prince Liang’s servants. If our miss hadn’t been clever enough to have Yin Shuang follow you, and if others had discovered this… Your life or death as a servant doesn’t matter, but what about our miss’s reputation?!”

“Madam! Prince Liang truly cherishes our eldest miss…”

“It seems Chun Yan eats our Duke’s mansion’s rice while serving Prince Liang’s mansion!” Dong Shi laughed coldly, saying unhurriedly, “Nanny Qin, in a moment, take Chun Yan’s indenture contract and send her to Prince Liang’s mansion. If Prince Liang won’t accept her, then right there at Prince Liang’s mansion gate, break both her legs and have the human traffickers take her away to sell her to a brothel.”

Chun Yan’s face immediately changed drastically. Like someone seeking rescue, she crawled back to Bai Qingyan’s feet, tears and snot flowing: “Miss! Miss, save this servant! This servant won’t go anywhere, this servant only wants to follow Miss! This servant… this servant will never dare again!”

Though Chun Yan was foolish, she understood… Prince Liang’s willingness to see her was simply because she was the eldest miss’s maid. If she were cast off by the eldest miss, what use would Prince Liang have for her? He certainly wouldn’t want her, and she would surely end up with the same fate as Mingyu.

Thinking of Mingyu, Chun Yan shuddered and cried even more miserably.

Bai Qingyan looked at the panic-stricken Chun Yan and said calmly, “What exactly did you tell Prince Liang about my affairs? Today… you must speak clearly about everything, or even the gods themselves couldn’t save you!”

“This servant, this servant… just told Prince Liang about Miss’s preferences, and some things about Miss’s childhood.” Chun Yan felt very guilty, and her voice became smaller.

“Speak clearly about what things! Don’t leave out a single detail!” She casually picked up her teacup.

It wasn’t that she was being petty, but in her previous life, Prince Liang had known her affairs inside and out, even knowing where she had scars on her body and which scars would itch when it rained—such minute details. If in this life Prince Liang used these things Chun Yan had told him to ruin her reputation, she truly wouldn’t be able to clear her name even with a hundred mouths.

Better to handle this openly today, so that even if Prince Liang truly harbored despicable thoughts in the future, Bai Qingyan would have no worries.

Chun Yan was truly intimidated, sobbing as she spilled everything she had said to Prince Liang or Tong Ji during this time.

When Nanny Qin heard that Chun Yan had even told an outside man about Bai Qingyan’s battlefield injuries and how her shoulder would itch on cloudy, rainy days, she stepped forward and delivered a slap: “Someone! Drag this wretched servant down and beat her to death! Beat her to death immediately! You dared to tell outsiders such private matters about our miss!”

The usually composed Dong Shi was so angry her vision darkened, and she couldn’t sit still and fainted.

“Miss! Miss!” Chun Yan hugged Bai Qingyan’s leg, “Miss, save me! I’ve told everything! Miss, save me!”

“Pull this wretched servant away from me! Don’t let her soil Miss’s clothes!” Dong Shi gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear Chun Yan apart alive.

“Mother…” She shook her head at Dong Shi, then lowered her head to ask Chun Yan, “What else did you tell Prince Liang?”

“Nothing more! Nothing more…” Chun Yan cried and shook her head.

After a long moment, Bai Qingyan set down her teacup and called out: “Chun Tao…”

Having heard that Chun Yan had told Prince Liang so many of the miss’s private matters, Chun Tao was so angry that her whole body trembled and her face turned pale. She immediately knelt: “Chun Tao is here!”

“That day, you knelt before me pleading for Chun Yan’s mercy. Today, I spare Chun Yan’s life, considering that you have already repaid your debt of gratitude to Chun Yan! But while Chun Yan’s death penalty can be forgiven, she cannot escape punishment for her crimes. Give Chun Yan fifty heavy blows with the rod and demote her to a third-class maid! Your monthly allowance will be forfeited for half a year. Do you accept this?” She asked this question to Chun Tao.

Chun Tao kowtowed heavily, immediately overcome with shame, tears streaming down her face: “Miss, please beat me too! I shouldn’t have pleaded for this rotten-hearted, worthless thing!”

She helped Chun Tao up, grasping her hand and saying, “You are loyal, and you have both affection and righteousness. Such character befits someone from our Duke’s mansion!”

Her bone-chillingly cold gaze turned to Chun Yan: “Chun Yan, do you accept this?!”

Chun Yan trembled uncontrollably, only busy kowtowing in gratitude: “Thank you, Miss, for sparing my life! Thank you, Miss, for sparing my life!”

Chun Yan was already dragged away to be punished in front of everyone. The thick wooden rod made dull sounds as it struck her flesh. Chun Yan screamed in agony, wishing for death. Before long, blood stained her clothes red, and Chun Yan was beaten unconscious.