Shen Wan glanced over and saw Zi Yu fall onto her embroidery frame, her whole body pressing down on it, causing the frame to collapse and the flowerpot to fall onto the "Hundred Longevity" painting.

Shen Wan quickly put down her teacup, got up and went over, followed by Shen Wei, then Shen Ying and Shen Rong.

By the time Shen Wan hurried over, Yin Shuang had already squatted down and moved the broken flowerpots aside to try and save the Longevity Painting. However, it would have been better if she hadn't wiped the mud off with her hands; the more she did, the dirtier the painting became.

Shen Wei gasped, "The Hundred Longevity Scroll is ruined..."

Shen Ying glared at Zi Yu, "Clumsy as a mule, can't you even move a flowerpot?!"

Ziyu was terrified and completely lost her composure. As Shen Wan's personal maid, she knew that this half of the "Hundred Longevity" painting was embroidered by Shen Ying, Shen Rong, and Kuang Shen Wan, and she also knew how long Shen Wan had spent embroidering it. She was so shocked that she had destroyed it. The young lady would definitely not let her off easily.

But she really didn't do it on purpose.

Ziyu knelt on the ground, her face deathly pale, and said, "This servant did not mean to bump into the embroidery frame and knock over the flowerpot. Just now, this servant was carrying the flowerpot and turned around when she suddenly saw someone standing outside the window. This servant was frightened and in her fright, she accidentally ruined the Hundred Longevity Picture that Miss was embroidering for the Old Madam..."

Shen Wan was so angry she couldn't speak. Yin Shuang scolded, "You ruined the Hundred Longevity Painting that the young lady embroidered, and you even scared her! In broad daylight, how could there be anyone outside the window?!"

Seeing that no one believed her, Ziyu said to Chen Wan and Shen Ying, "This servant is not lying. There was a man standing outside the window just now..."

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Wan coldly ordered, "Slap him!"

"Smack!"

Without hesitation, Yinshuang went up and slapped her.

She had wanted to hit Ziyu for a long time.

From Ziyu's betrayal and poisoning of the girl, to framing her yesterday.

Fueled by pent-up anger, she slapped Ziyu across the face, leaving five finger marks.

Ziyu was stunned by the beating, but she was still crying out in grievance, "This servant did not lie..."

Shen Wan's eyes were icy cold. "Do you think the guards of our Pingyang Marquis's mansion are just for show? Letting people barge into the mansion at will, and even coming to my boudoir in broad daylight! If this gets out, not only will my reputation be ruined, but my second and third sisters' reputations will also be implicated!"

Shen Ying also came to her senses, her face long and drawn.

If word gets out, people will say that the young lady of the Marquis of Pingyang's household is having a secret rendezvous with someone in broad daylight.

Even if the eldest sister really was having a secret rendezvous, they were still in the house. It's one thing for Ziyu to be blind, but she also spoke without thinking. No wonder the eldest sister was so angry that she wanted to slap her; she even thought about it.

Seeing Shen Wan's chest heaving with anger, Shen Wei said, "Big sister, calm down, don't hurt yourself."

Shen Wan looked at Zi Yu, "For the sake of our past relationship as master and servant, I will not beat you to death today."

"Someone come here!"

"Gag her, give her thirty strokes of the cane, and throw her out of the mansion!"

Upon hearing that she was to be sold off, Ziyu's face seemed to drain of all color in an instant. She cried and begged for mercy, "This servant is loyal to you, Miss. Please forgive me this time, considering that I did not mean it."

Ziyu lunged forward to hug Shenwan's leg, but Shenwan dodged. When Ziyu tried to come closer, she was grabbed by an old woman who had entered the room, who quickly gagged her and dragged her out.

Soon, the sound of the board being struck came from behind.

But no one felt sorry for Ziyu.

Shen Rong looked at the Hundred Longevity Scroll and said, "Grandmother is very happy to know that eldest sister embroidered the Hundred Longevity Scroll for her, and she is looking forward to receiving it for her birthday..."

Shen Ying said, "Even if eldest sister embroiders day and night, it's impossible to embroider another Hundred Longevity Picture before Grandmother's birthday banquet. This year, we can only prepare another gift to celebrate her birthday, but it's the same if we embroider it next year."

She really knows how to comfort people. Why doesn't she embroider it herself?!

Shen Wan didn't respond. She knew Shen Ying was waiting for her to ask what gift to give the old lady so she could offer some advice.

Shen Wan said, "I'm not in the mood to entertain you anymore, you should go back."

Shen Wei curtsied first, and Shen Ying and Shen Rong didn't say anything more. Anyone would be unhappy in such a situation, so they all left.

After they left, Yinshuang squatted down to tidy up the Hundred Longevity Painting, saying with heartache, "It's such a pity that it's ruined like this..."

Yinshuang didn't understand why the young lady had to destroy the Hundred Longevity Painting when there were plenty of ways to get rid of Ziyu. The young lady had spent a lot of time embroidering it, stitch by stitch. She was heartbroken, not the young lady.

Shen Wan was heartbroken, but asking her to continue embroidering and giving it to the old lady was more painful than killing her. She had hesitated to keep it and give it to her maternal grandmother or someone else in the future, but the whole Marquis's mansion knew that she had prepared this "Hundred Longevity Scroll" for the old lady. Giving it to someone else in the end would not have much sentiment, so it was better not to give it.

Shen Wan said, "Take off the gold thread and burn the rest."

After Shen Ying and Shen Rong left Qinglan Garden, they all returned to their respective courtyards. Shen Ying went to find the Second Madam and told her that Zi Yu had destroyed the Hundred Longevity Painting and had been punished and sold by Shen Wan.

Upon hearing that the "Hundred Longevity Scroll" had been destroyed, the Second Madam didn't feel much, because the scroll wasn't meant for her; the loss belonged to the Old Madam, not her. Besides, even if she didn't receive the scroll, she would have given something else, but Ziyu…

The old lady gave many gifts to the eldest daughter, but the most capable ones were only Wu Mama and Ziyu. However, within a few days, one of them stole something and the other damaged the "Hundred Longevity" painting. Both of them were punished with caning and sold off. The second wife vaguely felt that something was amiss.

But she had watched the eldest daughter grow up; she didn't have that kind of cunning.

Thinking that Shen Wan had taken in Zhou Mama, and that she would know that Zhou Mama's children were also going to leave, and that she would even demand the indentures of the three of them, the second wife felt that the naive and easily fooled young girl from before had changed.

Yinshuang and her maid carried the broken embroidery frame out. When they returned, they saw Shenwan sitting there lost in thought. Yinshuang stepped forward and said, "Ziyu has been sold off. Now, Miss, I am the only head maid left. Miss, who do you think would be suitable to promote from among the second-class maids?"

Shen Wan said, "Bring Haitang up, and send someone to tell Steward Li to have the slave trader bring some people into the manor tomorrow. I want to choose a few maids."

Silver Frost nodded repeatedly.

While the old lady and the second wife are not managing things, the young lady should select the people she will need in the future, so that the old lady and the second wife will have no excuse to put more people around her.

Yinshuang was about to go out to deliver a message when her maid Dong'er came in and announced, "Miss, the young master has arrived."

Shen Wan got up and went out. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw her handsome older brother walking towards her with a string of tempting candied hawthorns in his hand.

Shen Wan, "..."

Shen Wan blushed at the sight of the candied hawthorns. She said, "Big brother, I've already come of age. If you still buy me candied hawthorns, people will laugh at me."

Chen Du said, "So what if you've reached the age of marriage? You're only a year older than last year. Who would dare to laugh at you?"

"Besides, this candied hawthorn was asked by my father to buy for you. He knows that you like to eat candied hawthorn when you are sick, and you also like to eat it when you are angry."

Shen Du handed the candied hawthorn to Shen Wan.

Shen Wan reached out and took it.

I took a bite.

It's very sour.

But deep down, I feel very sweet and warm.