Huang Ningmeng threw the scraps of paper on the ground. "What's wrong with me?"

"I spent all night writing that, and you just tore it up like that!" Hongyan cried.

Huang Ningmeng snorted coldly and slammed her slender hand on the table. "Hongyan, this is my punishment for you. It's my business how I deal with this thing after I got it. How can you be so rude? Do you even have any respect for your master?"

"I won't accept your rudeness!" Hongyan glared fiercely at Huang Ningmeng.

"Disobey? What right do you have to disobey?" Huang Ningmeng said. "Your indenture is in my hands, and I can do whatever I want with you. If you don't obey me, then I can't keep you here."

Hongyan was stunned. When did Huang Ningmeng become so easy to talk to?

"Go ahead and try to argue in the brothel alley," Huang Ningmeng said, standing up with a flick of her sleeve.

"Fireworks Lane..." The red smoke felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over its head, chilling it from head to toe.

If she's sold into prostitution, will she even have a chance to survive?

Hongyan knelt down, crying, and grabbed Huang Ningmeng's sleeve. "Miss, I was wrong. I will never disobey you again. Please spare my life. If I go to a brothel, I will surely not survive. Miss, I beg you! I beg you!"

Huang Ningmeng flicked her hand, and the red smoke flew backward. She then walked out.

Hongyan immediately knelt down, crying, "Miss! Miss!"

Huang Ningmeng remained unmoved and walked into the courtyard.

Rongyin had just arrived with her writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone when she saw Hongyan kneeling in front of the door, weeping bitterly. Her reaction truly terrified her.

When Hongyan saw her, she yelled, "Get out! What are you looking at? You bitch, let me tell you, you'll have your day too!"

Rongyin carried the writing implements to Huang Ningmeng in the courtyard and placed them on the table.

Huang Ningmeng said, "Rongyin, go and call two servants to drag her into the small Buddhist hall in the east wing. Make her kneel before the Buddha to reflect on her mistakes. She is not allowed to get up without my permission."

Rongyin nodded. "Yes, Miss."

After Rong Yin left, the ring popped into her mind. "Master, women are truly terrifying."

"Isn't your master a woman?" Huang Ningmeng said calmly.

"Hehe, of course Master is a woman. Master is different, Little Ring likes Master's personality." The ring said with a grin.

"Was I a bit too extreme in dealing with the red smoke issue?" Huang Ningmeng asked.

“Master, this is normal. What woman can remain calm when she sees her man spending the night with another woman in the same room?” the ring said.

"Little Jie!"

"Oh no." The ring wanted to slap itself. Why did it have to bring up such a sensitive topic?

"I must find out if Jiang Sheng is really Ru Feng!" Huang Ningmeng couldn't forget the scene she saw last night; every time she thought about it, her heart ached.

"Master, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I can only sense Ji Rufeng, but I can't find any connection to him at all," the ring said in frustration.

“Xiao Jie, this is not your fault. He is my man. If I have mistaken him for someone else, I am the one who should feel ashamed,” Huang Ningmeng said.

"Don't think too much, Master. No matter what, I will be with you," the ring said.

Huang Ningmeng nodded, "Luckily, I have you."

Hongyan was dragged away by the servants. Rongyin felt sorry for her and brought her some food, but Hongyan knocked it over and humiliated her.

Rongyin quickly tidied herself up and then ignored Hongyan. She was still worried about Huang Ningmeng, afraid that her mistress had kept waiting.

Rong Yin practically ran up to Huang Ningmeng, took several deep breaths, and then bowed, saying, "Miss, Hongyan is already in the small Buddhist hall."

"I understand." Huang Ningmeng turned to look at her, then glanced at the stool next to her. "Sit down."

"This...Miss, this servant dares not be presumptuous."

"Sit down. If you don't sit down, how can I teach you to recognize and write characters?"

"Yes." Rong Yin obeyed and sat down, but she didn't dare to sit all the way down, only daring to sit a little closer to the stool.

Huang Ningmeng sighed softly, shook her head, and stood up.

When Rongyin saw her stand up, she wanted to stand up as well, but Huang Ningmeng gently pressed her down, and Rongyin sat down firmly on the stool.

“From now on, when I teach you to read, we will no longer be in a master-servant relationship, but a teacher-student relationship.”

These words almost brought Rong Yin to tears, but she hadn't forgotten her place. "Miss, how can this be?"

"You're not listening to me anymore?" Huang Ningmeng used her status as a young lady to pressure her.

Rongyin shook her head, "This servant dares not."

"Hmph. From now on, you are not allowed to refer to yourself as a servant. I don't like hearing those two words. Just call yourself 'Rongyin'." Huang Ningmeng sat back down.

"Yes, Miss, Rongyin understands." Rongyin forced back her tears. If anyone ever said that her young lady was arrogant and domineering again, she would tear their mouth apart!

Huang Ningmeng had worked as a teacher in her previous life, so teaching people was a piece of cake for her.

Moreover, Huang Ningmeng's greatest strength lies in teaching according to aptitude, so teaching Rongyin is no problem at all.

On one side of the wall, a class was being taught. On the other side, Jiang Sheng, longing for Huang Ningmeng, came to the corner of the wall and heard Huang Ningmeng teaching people to read. The feeling was indescribable; he liked it to the extreme.

That evening, after finishing her Buddhist prayers, the Prime Minister's wife learned about Hongyan's situation and came to find Huang Ningmeng.

At that time, Huang Ningmeng was drinking tea.

After talking all afternoon, her throat was slightly sore.

The Prime Minister's wife walked in arrogantly, looking at her with an unfriendly expression. "Huang Ningmeng, it's one thing to act like a spoiled princess at home, but shouldn't you tone it down a bit here? If you do this, you'll offend the gods and Buddhas, and you'll regret it later."

Huang Ningmeng put down her tea and sneered, "I don't believe that gods and Buddhas are unreasonable. Madam, I've already toned it down a lot. If this were the Prime Minister's residence, do you believe I could beat her to death?"

When she met her sharp gaze, the Prime Minister's wife was startled and quickly looked away, almost afraid to meet her eyes directly.

She truly believed him. With Huang Ningmeng's domineering nature, what wouldn't she do? The life of a mere maid was nothing to her, not even to herself.

But Hongyan was no ordinary maid; she was her daughter, her own biological daughter!

Regardless, the priority is to protect the red smoke.

The Prime Minister's wife softened her tone, "Ningmeng, you see, I'm doing this for your reputation. After all, we're in a temple. We'll be worshipping Buddha here for seven days. During these seven days, we should try our best not to cause any trouble. Let those minor issues pass by."

Huang Ningmeng looked at her and smiled, "Madam, aren't you being a little too concerned about Hongyan?"

The Prime Minister's wife panicked for a moment, "I'm just worried about you."

"Oh? Is that so?" Huang Ningmeng looked directly at her.

Under the gaze of those bright eyes, the Prime Minister's wife felt somewhat exposed.