Chapter 26: The Price Of Disrespect

Wei Lan sat on the chair, watching as Cao Qiushuang was tied to a long bench.

The clothes on his back had already been torn open by several guards.

Two of the guards held thick wooden staves, standing on either side of Cao Qiushuang.

Sixty strokes of the board, with the young lady personally watching – after this beating, Cao Qiushuang would be finished.

Since that was the case, they no longer had to fear his retaliation.

And even if Cao Qiushuang could recover, he probably wouldn’t be able to stay in the residence anymore.

“Begin,” Lu Zijin said calmly.

“Young lady, I grew up in this residence since childhood.

Even without merit, I have worked hard.

Will you really do this to me for the sake of this waste?”

Cao Qiushuang was tied up like a suckling pig on a chopping board.

The moment he finished speaking, intense pain exploded across his back.

“Ah!

Ah!

My back!

I am the head of guards of the Lu residence!

How dare you do this to me?!

I’ll make you pay for this later!”

Cao Qiushuang screamed hysterically.

Hearing his threats, the two guards struck even harder.

With the thickest wooden staves wielded by adult male Qiankuns, after just seven or eight blows, Cao Qiushuang’s back was already broken open.

His voice, once arrogant and defiant, now carried a tearful tone, “Young lady, I have been loyal to you, utterly loyal!

You cannot do this to me for Wei Lan’s sake!

Ah!

It hurts!

It hurts so much!”

“Strike harder.

Have you not eaten?”

Lu Zijin asked with a frown.

The two guards certainly didn’t want to incur Lu Zijin’s wrath now, so they put all their strength into it.

Forget Cao Qiushuang; even their own arms were going numb from the effort.

Jingchen Courtyard echoed with continuous wails.

By the thirtieth stroke, Cao Qiushuang’s back was covered in blood.

He no longer had the strength to shout, his life force hanging by a thread, seeming like he might pass out at any moment.

One guard hesitated, then asked, “Young lady, he seems to have fainted?

Should we continue?”

Lu Zijin looked coldly at the guard and said calmly, “Continue.”

If she hadn’t just threatened to sell them all, these guards probably wouldn’t have been so obedient.

Since they wouldn’t obey willingly, she had to find a way to make them obey.

Cao Qiushuang was a perfect example.

The two guards exchanged a glance and had no choice but to continue.

Among the remaining guards, one quick-witted fellow fetched a basin of cold water from the kitchen and poured it directly over Cao Qiushuang’s head.

Cao Qiushuang was jolted awake.

The cold water soaked into the wounds on his back as he weakly looked towards Lu Zijin.

“Young lady, I dare not, I dare not do it again.”

Seeing Lu Zijin unmoved, his gaze actually turned to Wei Lan.

“Master, I was blind and lacked discernment.

I truly dare not do it again.

I will never disrespect you again.

I beg you, save me, save me!”

Cao Qiushuang’s tears and snot mingled, his expression one of utter desperation.

Wei Lan didn’t spare him another glance.

This wasn’t the first time this person had opposed her.

And now, Lu Zijin was managing the household.

Of course, she wouldn’t plead for him; that would disrupt Lu Zijin’s rhythm.

And so, stroke after stroke continued.

The courtyard fell into a terrifying silence, broken only by the relentless sound of wood striking flesh.

By the sixtieth stroke, Cao Qiushuang was completely unconscious.

His back was flayed open, blood gushing profusely.

In this state, if not treated immediately, he wouldn’t live more than a few days.

Lu Zijin hadn’t originally intended to strike with lethal force, but Cao Qiushuang had been so arrogant, treating the Lu residence’s guard squad as his personal property.

She had to punish him severely.

“Throw him aside, out of sight.

You two, go to the back and rest.

Swap in two others to continue the punishment,” Lu Zijin ordered calmly.

The guards practically tripped over themselves to demonstrate their loyalty to Lu Zijin.

Given the day’s events, it was clear the young lady was purging the residence of undisciplined servants.

None of them wanted to be sold off.

The few kneeling on the ground were scared to death.

The head of guards had nearly been beaten to death.

They probably wouldn’t fare much better.

Among them, Wang Yiding regretted it the most.

If he had known this would happen, even if it killed him, he wouldn’t have dared disrespect Wei Lan.

Wang Yiding knelt there, his head buried as low as possible, touching the ground, as if that would make Lu Zijin overlook him.

Seeing his cowardly, gutless demeanor, Lu Zijin chuckled lightly and said, “Bring him here.

Just now, Cao Qiushuang said you were the one who informed him.

What’s this?

Has the Lu residence taken the Cao surname?

Or is it that Cao Qiushuang pays your wages, making you so devoted to him that you show me less loyalty than you show him?”

“Young lady, spare me!

Master, spare me!

This lowly one has eyes but failed to see.

I dare not, I dare not do it again!

You, young lady and master, are my only masters.

I was wrong, I was wrong!

I beg you, young lady, spare me, spare this worthless life!”

Wang Yiding pleaded, incessantly kowtowing to the ground.

The heavy “thump, thump, thump” of his head hitting the ground continued without pause, his forehead already broken and bleeding.

Lu Zijin glanced at him and said, “Tie him up.

Thirty strokes.”

Wang Yiding wasn’t completely beyond hope.

With some severe chastisement, the people in the residence would fall in line.

If she drove away too many at once and brought in a flood of new people from outside, she couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t include spies planted by others.

That would only cause more trouble.

When Wang Yiding heard “thirty strokes,” he even felt a flicker of relief.

But the next moment, he came to his senses.

Thirty strokes was no small number either.

If not treated promptly, he too could lose his life.

“Young lady, spare me!

Master, spare me…”

Before he could say more, he was already tied to the bench by the guards.

These two guards, fresh to the task, had plenty of strength.

The “thump, thump, thump” of the strikes was incessant, of course accompanied by Wang Yiding’s piercing screams.

By the twentieth stroke, Wang Yiding’s back was completely flayed open.

He cried and begged simultaneously, “I dare not!

Young lady, spare me, spare me!

I won’t do it again!

Ah!”

After thirty strokes, Wang Yiding was still conscious, but only had the strength left to breathe.

He couldn’t utter a single sound from his throat; perhaps his internal organs were also injured.

Lu Zijin waved her hand, and the guards, well attuned to her wishes, tossed Wang Yiding aside.

Her gaze swept over the remaining people, and she asked with a smile, “Who’s next?”

The moment she asked this, the kneeling people were terrified, especially the two matrons.

Lu Zijin’s gaze fell on Li Zhufeng and Zhao Linghui.

“Since no one is stepping forward to accept punishment, it will be you two.”

“Young lady, this old servant was wrong.

I dare not speak idly of the master again.

Master, I beg you, I beg you to plead with the young lady for us.

We dare not, we truly dare not do it again.

From now on, we will serve you well.”

Li Zhufeng cried, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Lu Zijin signaled to the guards.

The guards immediately grabbed Li Zhufeng and tied her to a bench.

Another quick-witted guard brought over an additional long bench.

Lu Zijin nodded to him. “Tie her up too.

Twenty strokes each.”

Upon hearing Lu Zijin’s command, several guards immediately went over, seized Zhao Linghui as well, and bound her to the long bench with ropes to prevent her from struggling.

“Young lady, no!

This old servant’s bones are old and brittle.

I cannot withstand such punishment from you, young lady!

Spare me!”

Zhao Linghui’s cries were shrill, audible even outside Jingchen Courtyard.

Li Zhufeng glared fixedly at Yun Xiang.

If not for Yun Xiang misleading them, they wouldn’t have sided with Cao Qiushuang the moment they arrived.

Li Zhufeng hated Yun Xiang for it.

She gritted her teeth and said, “Young lady, if you punish this old servant, I accept it willingly.

But we were truly ruined by Yun Xiang!

She deliberately hinted that you were very angry with the master over this matter.

We thought, as your senior personal maidservant, she must know your intentions.

That’s why we slandered the master.

Yun Xiang’s motives are thoroughly sinister.

Young lady, you must not keep such a vile person by your side!”

“You’re spouting blood!

Young lady, this servant is loyal to you and the master!

I never gave her any such instruction!

She must be spouting blood!”

Yun Xiang panicked and quickly defended herself.

The corners of Lu Zijin’s mouth curled up slightly.

She hadn’t expected Li Zhufeng to be quite clever, able to bite back at Yun Xiang even as she faced punishment.

But knowing Yun Xiang as she did, Yun Xiang had certainly said something.

She raised an eyebrow at Yun Xiang and said with a faint smile, “What she says makes sense.

I recall you’ve been disrespectful to the master more than once before, haven’t you?”

“Young lady, spare me!

Young lady, spare me!

This servant dares not, I will never dare disrespect the master again!”

Yun Xiang was thoroughly terrified now.

After all, Cao Qiushuang was still lying on the ground covered in blood.

She didn’t want to end up beaten into that ghastly state.

Lu Zijin cast a faint glance at her and said unhurriedly, “I have always been one to treat everyone equally.

However, considering you have served by my side since childhood, I can make an exception.”

“Thank you, young lady!

Thank you, young lady…”

“Wait, I haven’t finished.”

Lu Zijin looked at Yun Xiang and said, “I can spare you the beating, but you must still receive your punishment.

One hundred slaps to the face.”

“Young lady, no!

Young lady, I dare not!

This servant dares not!”

Yun Xiang was crying now.

She tried to stand and run, but was held down by the young maidservants Qianxue had assigned.

Qianxue walked over, rolled up her sleeves, and began slapping Yun Xiang across the face.

And so, the courtyard was filled with the continuous sounds of slaps and beatings, accompanied by the screams of Yun Xiang, Li Zhufeng, and the others.

Wei Lan sat there, completely stunned.

This wasn’t what she had imagined.

She had thought she would need to send someone to Yuyaxuan for witnesses to prove her innocence.

But she had barely spoken, hadn’t needed to provide any proof at all, and Lu Zijin had already dealt with all these servants for her.

Truly worthy of being the female lead, efficient and decisive.

Lu Zijin saw Wei Lan looking at her and turned her head to look back, asking softly, “Are you hungry?”

Wei Lan shook her head. “Not hungry.

I’ll eat after you’re done punishing them.”

She was thoroughly enjoying the show and didn’t want to eat at all.

Right now, Yun Xiang’s face was already swollen bigger than a pig’s head.

Wei Lan found it extremely satisfying; it was truly uplifting.

She had tried to treat these people well, but they had just climbed all over her.

Today, because Lu Zijin believed her, she didn’t have to go to any trouble to prove her innocence.

If Lu Zijin hadn’t believed her, she would have been thoroughly drenched in filth by these animals.

So she didn’t think Lu Zijin’s punishment was too harsh.

Some people were just like that; be kind to them, and they’d climb all over you.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Zhufeng and Zhao Linghui’s backs were also torn open.

Their condition was much better than Cao Qiushuang’s; at least they were still conscious.

Lu Zijin waved her hand.

The guards, now quite proficient, immediately untied the ropes and threw Li Zhufeng and Zhao Linghui onto the ground nearby, leaving them to lie face down.

As for Yun Xiang, she had already been beaten unconscious, then jolted awake by a cup of water from Qianxue, only for the beating to continue.

Qianxue was a martial artist by training.

Even her hands were hurting from the effort now, which told you everything about the state of Yun Xiang’s face.

It was, without exaggeration, bigger than a pig’s head, no longer fit for close inspection.

“Spare me, young lady!

My face, my face!”

Yun Xiang wailed incessantly.

Her arms were pulled back by the young maidservants, forcing her to kneel and receive the slaps.

Yun Xiang regretted it bitterly.

If she hadn’t opened her mouth earlier, Li Zhufeng wouldn’t have bitten her back.

And she wouldn’t be here now, receiving a hundred slaps.

Would her face even be recognizable after a hundred slaps?

If her face was truly ruined, would the young master still like her?

Qianxue didn’t care what she thought.

She had long disliked this treacherous Yun Xiang.

If the young lady didn’t still have a use for her, Qianxue would have gladly slapped her to death.

Finally, after a hundred slaps, the punishment was complete.

Yun Xiang was directly spitting blood from her mouth, beaten unconscious.

Qianxue simply had the maidservants dump her in the courtyard, letting her lie there alongside all the others who had been punished.