Slap—
The courtyard, which had still been filled with whispered conversations, instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at Mo Zi lying awkwardly on the ground, most faces showing astonishment, completely unaware of what had caused this.
Those senior maids who had served upstairs at the Twin Happiness Pavilion thought that when the mistress called Mo Zi forward, it must surely be to reward her. After all, the story Mo Zi told seemed to have greatly pleased the mistress, ladies, and young misses.
Ai Liu, who followed behind Fourth Mistress, and Ai Xing, Zhang Shi’s senior maid whom Mo Zi had once contradicted, immediately showed gloating smiles upon seeing this scene.
Because Mo Zi had been slapped by the mistress—and it was a vicious, merciless slap at that.
Bai He gasped. Lu Ju even cried out in alarm.
Qiu Sanniang stood right beside Zhang Shi. Under the swaying lamplight, no one could see her expression clearly. But she didn’t move—didn’t move at all—and even blocked Xiao Yi, who wanted to rush forward.
Crack—
Some lamp’s wick jumped.
Only then did Zhang Shi’s confused eyes clear. She slowly lowered her raised left hand. That previous slap had been delivered with her right hand. Feeling unsatisfied, she’d wanted to give Mo Zi another slap with her left hand—who knew the person would fall to the ground? Could the force she used have been greater than she thought? But her palm didn’t hurt at all. Looking at Mo Zi again—she was covering her face with her hand, the back of her hand slightly arched, most likely swollen.
Zhang Shi was satisfied, her voice harsh. “Shameless thing! Thinking that because you can speak well, you can bewitch masters and guests? Who knows what lewd book you read those seductive words and licentious stories from, yet you dared to tell them. Even competing with singing girls from outside? What if you won? It only makes people think our mansion produces low-class little prostitutes, pointlessly ruining your master’s reputation.”
Mo Zi said nothing at all, as if she’d been struck stupid, looking down at the ground.
Hearing Zhang Shi’s last sentence, Qiu Sanniang’s lips curved in a cold smile.
Zhang Shi turned her face to look at Qiu Sanniang, but the cold smile had already disappeared.
“Sanniang, your two older sisters died early, so you’re the legitimate eldest daughter of the mansion—your younger sisters will all learn by watching you. You’ve followed your father traveling outside for years, letting the maids at your side be disrespectful. Those who know understand you’re kind-hearted; those who don’t think you can’t teach properly. I wanted to tell you long ago to restrain those below you more, but seeing you’d only been peacefully home for half a year, I delayed until today. I truly couldn’t bear to watch anymore—I was so angry I struck out. You saw it tonight too, didn’t you? Clearly a shrewish wife not letting her husband take concubines, yet she made up some Lock the Southern Branch lyric—’you and I’—how pretentious! There’s a scheme beneath the novelty. Your rough work maid is quite clever—taking advantage of Ai Liu going to relieve herself, she entered Yan Tower to seduce the masters. The story spoke of not allowing concubines, but I see she herself wants to climb the phoenix branch.” She went on and on, saying Qiu Sanniang couldn’t manage properly, and that Mo Zi had ulterior motives.
“Mother, this is where you’re wrong. If you dislike the behavior of my maids, you should have told me earlier. Would I really let people climb all over my head? Moreover, if Mother had reminded me, no matter what, I wouldn’t have let Mo Zi come upstairs tonight to anger Mother and make you lose face in front of the guests.” Qiu Sanniang’s words were wrapped in cotton but hiding needles—though the needles were somewhat too obvious.
Mo Zi, keeping her head lowered, secretly sighed. With Qiu Sanniang’s temper, since she was enduring, she might as well endure to the end. The same content, said in a gentler way, wouldn’t have let everyone know they were at odds. Though, regarding their poor relationship, everyone in the Qiu mansion from top to bottom had a clear understanding in their hearts.
Qiu Sanniang’s endurance wasn’t successful, but Zhang Shi was stronger in this regard. She wasn’t the least bit annoyed and even put on the appearance of a loving mother. “What does it matter if I lose face? What’s unfortunate is that my dear sister has grown even fonder of Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss.”
Qiu Sanniang truly wanted to pull out the hair of the woman before her. What did she mean Lady Wei had grown fonder of Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss? She’d clearly forced them forward in front of Lady Wei herself. And after she’d told Lady Wei the name Qiu Shuiyun, she’d closed her mouth and never mentioned herself again. Now she was pouring dirty water on Mo Zi’s head.
“Granny An, go get the family discipline rod for me. Today I must beat this lowly thing to death to vent my daughter’s anger.” Thinking one slap truly wasn’t enough satisfaction, and stimulated by Qiu Sanniang’s words, Zhang Shi truly turned vicious, wanting to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys.
The women in the silent courtyard finally erupted in commotion, beginning to whisper to each other, because anyone would have thought this was merely Zhang Shi carrying out a small punishment of a maid on behalf of Qiu Sanniang. Now, however, she was requesting the family discipline rod.
The last person Zhang Shi had used the family discipline rod on was the most arrogant maid in Qiu Wu’s courtyard. Right in front of Fifth Mistress, two sturdy old women beat her a full fifty strokes. When she was carried out of the mansion, she looked as if she wouldn’t survive.
At this moment, Mo Zi raised her head.
Qiu Sanniang saw her face was as usual—neither fearful nor stubborn, perfectly calm. As if the one about to receive family discipline wasn’t her at all. She truly wanted to ask Mo Zi how she could not be afraid at all? It was she herself who had angered Zhang Shi, thereby implicating her.
This family discipline—the five-foot-high rod had been passed down by the grandmother to the legitimate wife. Of course Zhang Shi couldn’t beat Qiu Sanniang with it, but for a maid, to beat her crippled or useless, Zhang Shi could decide. And once it was brought out, Qiu Sanniang couldn’t violate the rules left by her grandmother.
Never before so confused and helpless, Qiu Sanniang at this moment saw Mo Zi’s lips move very, very slowly. She lowered her eyes slightly, turned around, and sternly ordered the three maids behind her who were about to cry to stop pushing her.
Zhang Shi was confident that Qiu Sanniang could do nothing to her, which was why she was venting her anger on other maids without cause, feeling quite pleased in her heart.
Before long, Granny An summoned two strong servant women to carry over the family discipline rod, dropping it with a thud beside Mo Zi. That sound was so heavy it made the timid maids shrink back.
“Mistress, ladies, young misses, please step back a bit to avoid being startled.” Granny An said.
“Just drag her over there a bit.” Zhang Shi was cruel-hearted—how could she fear this? “This trend cannot be allowed to grow. Though this is a first offense, we absolutely cannot be lenient. Give her eighty strokes.”
The whispering voices suddenly grew louder. This was beating someone to death.
Bai He rushed out from the side, falling to her knees with a thud, kowtowing desperately. “Mistress… Mo Zi has always been dutiful… she would never do such a thing… there must be a misunderstanding… Mistress… please spare Mo Zi…”
Qiu Sanniang couldn’t hold back one person, but the second one she deliberately let go.
Lu Ju also rushed forward, prostrating herself on the ground. “Mistress, if you truly must punish her, Lu Ju is willing to share the rod punishment with Mo Zi.”
Bai He hurried to follow suit. “Bai He is also willing. Please be merciful, Mistress.”
Mo Zi hadn’t expected Bai He and Lu Ju would be willing to go this far for her. Though she usually got along well with them, she’d disapproved of their loyal devotion to Qiu Sanniang and had privately evaluated it as servile nature. Now the two of them stood up to protect her like blood sisters, making her both ashamed and deeply moved.
“Sanniang, these maids of yours are too presumptuous—you’ve spoiled them all into having no respect for hierarchy.” Zhang Shi hadn’t expected Qiu Sanniang’s maids to be so united. Her heart burned with even greater fury. “I might as well beat them all to death and have the matchmaker pick good ones for you.”
Clearly wanting to sever her limbs and leave her with no one useful, Qiu Sanniang’s anger was no less than Zhang Shi’s.
“What’s going on here? Before I even enter, I hear all this commotion!” Qiu Wu strode into the courtyard, seeing everyone standing outside—quite lively.
Qiu Si followed close behind. With one glance at Mo Zi sitting on the ground, held by two old women, his face immediately stiffened, though his gaze shifted unpredictably.
“Mother, it’s late.” He said. “Whatever it is, let’s discuss it tomorrow.”