As soon as Qiao Zhao spoke these words, everyone in the room was greatly surprised.

Old Madam Deng thought: Although the eldest girl’s wet nurse and her husband are detestable, they were, after all, left behind by her former daughter-in-law and had nursed the eldest girl. If the third girl wants severe punishment, word of this spreading might give her a reputation for being arrogant and domineering.

He Shi, on the other hand, thought happily: This is indeed her daughter, thinking along the same lines as her. How could such harmful, cunning slaves be let off lightly?

Second Madam Liu Shi lifted her teacup and silently took a sip, thinking: See, see, sure enough whenever Third Miss encounters something vexing, someone else is bound to suffer misfortune. Fortunately, this time it’s the eldest miss who’s unlucky, having nothing to do with her two daughters. Phew, narrowly escaped!

Li Jiǎo could barely maintain the gentleness on her face, her eyes blazing with fire as she stared at Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao paid no attention to how many thoughts her single sentence had stirred among the crowd, saying calmly, “People all value the concept of fallen leaves returning to their roots. The wet nurse and her husband were originally from the Earl of Guchang’s residence. Now, letting them return to spend their old age there, I feel this isn’t punishment but rather a reward. Grandmother, if casually ruining the reputation of young ladies in the residence still has such benefits, won’t all the servants in the residence follow suit in the future?”

After speaking, her expression suddenly turned cold, her voice carrying unquestionable firmness: “I ask Grandmother to severely punish these two, not just to vent my anger, but more importantly to rectify the family conduct, so that in the future there won’t be such cunning slaves who, with one selfish thought, randomly splash dirty water on the sisters.”

Having said this, Qiao Zhao lightly glanced at Liu Shi.

Liu Shi’s heart shook: That’s right! Today’s matter doesn’t leave their second branch uninvolved. If these two damned slaves are let off lightly, the next basin of dirty water might be splashed on her two daughters.

Liu Shi, who had been watching the excitement all along, immediately straightened her spine and said to Old Madam Deng: “Old Madam, Third Miss is truly so reasonable. Today’s matter absolutely cannot be settled like this. We must severely punish these two cunning slaves to make an example!”

Li Jiǎo’s whole body trembled: “Second Aunt—”

Liu Shi smiled: “Eldest Miss, Second Aunt knows you’ve always been sensible. As the saying goes, even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners. Eldest Miss surely wouldn’t protect two cunning slaves, would you?”

“I—” Li Jiǎo, who had always pretended to be magnanimous and sensible, was choked speechless.

Old Madam Deng looked deeply at Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao felt no unease, quietly returning her gaze.

The grandmother and granddaughter’s eyes met—to others it was just an instant, but to them it seemed like a long time had passed.

Old Madam Deng finally spoke in a heavy voice: “I was inconsiderate. Someone come, drag Old Du and his wife to the courtyard, give each of them ten strokes of the rod, then send them back to their hometown in Heyu to guard the house!”

Li Jiǎo was greatly alarmed, throwing herself at Old Madam Deng’s feet to plead: “Grandmother, please don’t! The wet nurse is advanced in years. How can she endure being beaten with rods? And the hometown in Heyu is so remote—”

“Enough, Jiǎo’er! Grandmother is only letting her return to her hometown to live out her years because she was your wet nurse, otherwise, she would be sold directly. Could it be that in your heart, the Li family’s ancestral home cannot even accommodate a wet nurse? Don’t forget, the Li family’s roots are all there!”

Li Jiǎo knew that Old Madam Deng had made up her mind and wouldn’t change it again. In desperation, she clung to a thread of hope and pleaded: “Grandmother, could the wet nurse’s beating be waived? Jiǎo’er begs you, the wet nurse did nurse Jiǎo’er after all. Please give your granddaughter some face—she is my wet nurse after all!”

“No.” Qiao Zhao spoke coolly, standing up and walking to Li Jiǎo.

Li Jiǎo suddenly looked at her.

“Not giving the beating, I also feel there’s no face to be had. Big Sister’s wet nurse made a mistake, and Big Sister still knows to want face. When little sister merely slept once, gossip spread throughout the entire residence—doesn’t she deserve a face too?” After Qiao Zhao finished speaking, she lightly curved the corners of her lips.

She wanted everyone in the residence to see clearly: don’t take on porcelain work without diamond tools. If they truly annoyed her, did they think she would swallow her anger for the sake of some reputation for virtue and gentleness?

“Third Sister, your heart is too cruel. Do you want to force my wet nurse to death?” Li Jiǎo covered her face and wept bitterly. “I’m begging you, please! I’ll kowtow to you in apology, is that acceptable?”

Ten strokes weren’t many, but having someone dragged to the courtyard and beaten while all the servants in the residence watched—could the wet nurse survive that? Even if she returned to her hometown in Heyu in the future, she would be laughed at for the rest of her life, never able to hold her head up again.

The wet nurse was like half a mother to her!

Li Jiǎo buried all her hatred in her heart, bent her knees, and knelt toward Qiao Zhao.

The humiliation she suffered today, she would collect back with interest someday!

Qiao Zhao stepped aside.

She stood in the center of the hall, and with this dodge, Li Jiǎo ended up kneeling directly toward Old Madam Deng.

Seeing her eldest granddaughter, whom she had cherished since childhood, looking so pitiful, Old Madam Deng’s heart softened again.

Before she could speak, Qiao Zhao spoke first: “Big Sister crying and kneeling like this, those who don’t know might think it was my servant who made the mistake. If making mistakes could be resolved by crying and kneeling, pushing the fault onto others, and avoiding punishment, then what would be the need for the Three Judicial Offices? Grandmother, don’t you think that’s right?”

Old Madam Deng nodded unconsciously.

Qiao Zhao still didn’t let up, continuing: “Grandmother handling this fairly is actually for Big Sister’s benefit. Otherwise, in the residence, when Big Sister cries and kneels, the elders give way out of affection for you, letting Big Sister treat crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide as a magic sword for solving problems. When Big Sister marries out in the future and acts this way again, wouldn’t that invite ridicule?”

These words struck like a thunderbolt, making Old Madam Deng suddenly tremble.

The third girl was right. Young ladies are treasures in their natal homes, but in their in-laws’ homes, they’re worth less than grass. Above, they must be filial to parents-in-law; below, they must be friendly with siblings-in-law. At that time, if a daughter-in-law makes mistakes, which elder would show pity?

Thinking of this, Old Madam Deng glanced at He Shi, thinking: Only He Shi has the fortune of fools, encountering such a reasonable mother-in-law as herself.

Indeed, she couldn’t let her affection for Jiǎo’er end up harming her instead.

“What are you still standing around for? Take them out!”

Several burly women immediately came forward, roughly tying up the wet nurse and her husband with many hands, dragging them to the courtyard to begin the beating.

The muffled sound of rods striking flesh came through, with servants gathered in a circle as the one administering punishment counted: “One, two, three—”

Each stroke that fell on the wet nurse couple’s buttocks seemed to also fall on every onlooker’s body.

Although the eldest miss had no living mother, she had always been favored by the household’s old madam, and by extension the eldest miss’s wet nurse had been superior to all the other servants in the residence, with everyone showing her respect in daily life. Who would have thought that offending the third miss would result in being beaten with rods and exiled to their hometown?

Although not everyone was on good terms with the wet nurse couple, their shared status immediately gave all the onlookers a sense of the rabbit mourning the fox’s death.

They couldn’t help but look toward the doorway, suddenly realizing that the third miss had at some point come to stand on the steps outside, watching with calm indifference.