Chapter 26 [VIP]
Upon hearing that Mi Yao wanted to send guards to cause trouble at the Ma family, Pu Qing readily gave them the men first, and then went to send a message to his master, asking whether he should stop the matter.
He didn't walk quickly when he went to deliver the message, because he really wanted to teach the Ma family a lesson.
Speaking of the Ma family, he was also full of anger. Ma Hu's deceased father was his master's colleague. Ma Songping was a good person and had some relationship with his master. In addition, the Ma family did help a lot when his master's mother passed away.
However, this act of helping has taken a turn for the worse.
It's one thing for them to stuff their own relatives into the Xiao family mansion, but to allow Ma Hu to bully Xiao Liang and the others, anyone would think that the Xiao family is subordinate to the Ma family and has to do what the Ma family says.
The master is rarely home, so we don't know just how lacking in manners the Ma family really are.
He wanted to file a complaint, but he didn't know how much the Ma family meant to his master, so he didn't want to bother his master with such trivial matters and could only let the Ma family act arrogantly.
Fortunately, we now have Mi Yao.
Pu Qing began to think that having a lady in the mansion was a good thing. After Mi Yao arrived, the rewards increased, the main kitchen had a cook who could cook, and now the Ma family was about to be dealt with by her.
It would have been even better if she hadn't gotten involved with that scholar before getting married.
*
Then the conversation turned to Mi Yao.
After having Shiya and the others find the accompanying old women, she first called everyone over to let them know what they were going to do, which boosted their morale. When the people sent by Pu Qing arrived, she had the old women loudly knock on the Ma family's gate.
The silence of the night made the knocking all the more loud, and the torches held by the Xiao family members immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding residents.
Upon hearing the doormen's questions about what had happened, the Xiao family's servants, following Mi Yao's instructions, began to complain.
"What else could it be? The young master of the Ma family bullied my eldest son. Taking advantage of his age, he beat my eldest son at the academy and threatened him that if he didn't want to be beaten, he should say bad things about my wife and that she was mean to him!"
"Such a thing actually happened?"
The doorman who was asking the question looked at the slender figure wearing a hood in the center of the crowd, and Xiao Jia Dalang standing next to her.
The mother and son stood very close, and the eldest son did not look timid. The two did not seem to have any estrangement.
"After the young master of the Ma family left, my town magistrate took good care of the Ma family. He found them a house and allowed them to put all their relatives into the Xiao family to work. He really made them more conceited!"
"They've really spoiled them. Their sons don't have a proper official position, but they have money to drink and eat meat every day. They're always in brothels and never home. And then there's Granny Ma and her daughter, adorned with jewels. Every time they come out of the Xiao residence, they're carrying big bags and small packages. When I ask her what's in her bags, she just rolls her eyes and says I'm jealous of her good life."
“A few days ago, the military governor’s adopted daughter, Madam Pan, left the military governor’s mansion. I heard that Madam Pan left because Granny Ma was scolding and beating people at home, and wouldn’t allow Madam Pan to teach her own son.”
“That careless guy has been spoiled rotten by Granny Ma. He steals things everywhere. He even beat up my son. He’s a fatherless brat who thinks he’s the emperor.”
...
They all lived in the same neighborhood, and everyone knew what kind of people the Ma family were. In the past, the Ma family had Xiao Chuan's backing, so no one dared to say anything. Now that Mi Yao, the town magistrate's wife, had come to visit in person, the street was soon lit up with candles, making it even more lively than during the day.
The old women were loudly proclaiming the bizarre deeds of the Ma family, while Mi Yao stood quietly in the crowd. Hearing rustling sounds behind the door, she knew that the Ma family had arrived at the door but dared not open it, so she spoke up: "I brought Dalang here to seek justice, not to stand in the cold wind. If you don't open the door, I will have someone smash it down."
"What right do you have to smash up my house gate!"
Hearing that Mi Yao was about to bang on the door, knowing that she was a troublemaker, the Ma family's gate opened, and Granny Ma rushed out and shouted. After shouting, she didn't dare to look at Mi Yao anymore. Her eyes rolled around, and she pointed at Xiao Yi angrily.
"When you first arrived at the Xiao family, did you forget who helped you find suitable clothes? You used to call me 'Grandma,' but now you're causing trouble at my doorstep! You even complain to your stepmother about the children's squabbles. I've never seen such a petty and narrow-minded young man!"
Seeing that Granny Ma knew she was not to be trifled with and only dared to make veiled insults at Xiao Yi, Mi Yao snorted.
“Children’s squabbles are nothing, but beating my eldest son almost to the point of fracture, making him unable to write, and forcing him to blame all his injuries on me and tell everyone that I treated him badly—these vicious tactics can only be taught by adults, not just children’s play.”
It wasn't that she was picking a fight or making things up by blaming Xiao Yi for his injuries; rather, it was because Xiao Yi saw that she was determined to cause trouble for the Ma family tonight and was afraid that her claim of seeking justice for him wouldn't be convincing, so he revealed the specific details.
Bimo Academy is similar to the Zhao family's private school.
It was mainly built for the children of the Zhao family to receive their education, and it also housed children in addition to the children of the Zhao family.
It wasn't that his cousin's father was successful, but rather that Granny Ma was afraid that if her son died too long ago, their bond would fade, so she took a place in Granny Ma's place.
At twelve years old, he was not bright and didn't like to study. He spent his days following the Zhao family's children around, acting as their lackey to get some good food and drink.
Just now, Xiao Yi didn't think of the Zhao family. He thought that Granny Ma had been wronged and that Ma Jie was bullying him to vent his anger.
Later, Ma Jie, being slow-witted, couldn't articulate his threats clearly. A member of the Zhao family secretly relayed the message, and Ma Jie learned that it was a member of a collateral branch of the Zhao family who had ordered him to take action.
The purpose was to make him falsely accuse Mi Yao, saying that she beat and scolded him in private, and that she was sweet on the outside but wicked on the inside.
After hearing the whole story, Mi Yao felt even more compelled to visit the Ma family.
Let alone whether Xiao Yi will be able to withstand the bullying in the future, they will portray her as a vicious stepmother according to their wishes.
Just because his suffering was caused by her, she felt compelled to make a big deal out of it.
“What does it have to do with adults if a child talks nonsense? I would never teach Ma Jie to say such things!”
The Ma family's house wasn't large, but it housed quite a few people. A dozen or so people stood at the entrance, but none of them dared to approach the guards beside Mi Yao.
After Granny Ma finished speaking, Ma Jie's father immediately patted his son and said, "Quickly explain to the town magistrate's wife that you did not hit Xiao Dalangjun and did not threaten him to falsely accuse the town magistrate's wife."
Ma Jie's father had a strong grip; with a few thuds, he knocked Ma Jie to the ground.
Being woken up late at night, Ma Jie was already scared, and the pain made him burst into tears.
“Madam, look, the child is crying.”
Ma Jie's father looked at Mi Yao with a smirk, hoping she would let the matter drop because the child had cried.
Unfortunately, Mi Yao had no kindness towards children. She gave in to Xiao Shan's crying because Xiao Shan was a child of the Xiao family and because Xiao Shan was good-looking.
The sight of the dark-skinned, ugly boy sitting on the ground with snot and tears all over his face made her eyes hurt.
"So what if he cried? If crying is all it takes to do something wrong, then there's no need for government prisons."
After Mi Yao finished speaking, she immediately ordered the guards to step forward and stuff a strip of cloth into Ma Jie's mouth. When she saw him trying to pry it out, she looked at him coldly and said, "You'd better keep your mouth shut. I hate noise. If you spit out the cloth and keep crying, I don't know if I'll cut off your tongue to shut you up."
"How can you be so domineering? How can an adult argue with a child!"
Grandma Ma knew that Mi Yao was not someone to be trifled with, but seeing her threaten the child in front of so many people, it was as if she had caught her red-handed and wanted everyone to judge the matter.
“I will hold this against the child, and you're not just finding out now, are you?”
Mi Yao glanced at her, not caring as much about other people's opinions as she thought.
So what if she's domineering and unreasonable?
Since they have power, they naturally want to bully others.
"Doctor, please tell me what injuries my son has sustained."
Mi Yao's claim that Xiao Yi's arm was almost broken was obviously an exaggeration, but even the doctor who accepted the Xiao family's consultation fee didn't downplay Xiao Yi's injury.
Children's injuries can range from minor to serious. A few days ago, a child fell and thought it was nothing serious because the wound was small. However, the child ended up lying in bed without breathing just two days later.
Mi Yao's words may be biased, but Dr. Zou is well-known in this area. He said that Xiao Dalang is covered in injuries and his arm may have aftereffects that affect his ability to use his hands in the future.
That means Ma Jie ruined Xiao Yi.
There was a lot of discussion, and all the bad things Granny Ma had done in her life were dug up and she was scolded.
“Governor Xiao shouldn’t have been so kind to take care of their family. In the end, they raised a den of vipers who bullied Xiao’s eldest son and even tried to ruin the reputation of the governor’s wife.”
"Do you know why she wants to ruin the town magistrate's wife? Isn't it just wishful thinking that she wants to marry her daughter into the Xiao family?"
"Her ugly daughter?!"
Hearing people around her say that her family members were ugly and troublesome, Granny Ma looked disgusted, but even more disgusted was Ma Xiaoniangzi, who was called a toad.
"Ma Jie never admitted that he did it, so how can it be determined that he did it?"
Hearing that someone in the Ma family finally had a brain and could move the situation to the next step, Mi Yao had someone remove the gag from Ma Jie's mouth and looked at him, saying, "Did you attack Xiao Yi?"
The guard who retrieved the cloth strip did not leave after taking the item; instead, he stood in front of Ma Jie, glaring at him fiercely with angry eyes.
Ma Jie wasn't afraid of Mi Yao, who looked like a fairy, but he was afraid of the tall, burly guard in front of him, who looked like he could crush him with one foot.
For a moment, he forgot all about his father's words that he would never admit it, and hurriedly nodded, "It's me, it's me."
"You idiot, what are you trying to prove? How did it become you?!"
When Grandma Ma heard Ma Jie admit it, she wanted nothing more than to slap him twice and make him change his story.
Even faster than her was Ma Jie's father, who raised his hand and slapped Ma Jie twice with great force, clearly intending to beat his son into silence.
Mi Yao frowned and had someone stop him.
“If others were angry in this situation, they would repay a hundredfold, but I am a kind-hearted person, so I will repay tenfold.”
After saying that, he pretended not to see that Ma Jie's face was already swollen from being slapped, and ordered the guards, "You all heard what the doctor said, so hit the Ma family boy back ten times as the doctor said."
The guard clenched his fist as instructed. Ma Jie was still dizzy from his father's beating, but he knew his father wouldn't kill him. However, these people in front of him were definitely going to kill him.
Before the fist even landed, he quickly waved his hand and said that he hadn't hit Xiao Yi.
"It was Zhao Shilang, it was Zhao Shilang... He made me threaten Xiao Yi, making him say that his stepmother was a bad woman, not me..."
These words caused another uproar.
Unexpectedly, this has also implicated members of the Zhao family.
Upon hearing this, the Ma family members, instead of worrying that Ma Jie might offend the Zhao family members by speaking carelessly, felt more at ease. Seeing that Mi Yao was no longer afraid, they felt that with the Zhao family involved, she dared not act rashly.
But they're overthinking it; those who deserve to be beaten still need to be beaten.
Just as she had told Xiao Yi, Mi Yao pretended not to hear anything about the Zhao family.
She first had the guards beat Ma Jie's father. As the saying goes, it is the father's fault if the son is not taught. It is not good to be harsh on a teenager. It is fine to keep his father, who is in his thirties and in the prime of his life, bedridden for a few days.
The gate of the Ma family's house was filled with the wailing of Ma Jie's father and the cursing of Ma's grandmother, which silenced the onlookers for a moment.
When everyone looked at Mi Yao's beautiful face again, they all felt a sense of dread.
I thought she was just making a scene and that would be the end of it, but who would have thought she would actually have someone take action?
It's as if they're not afraid of gaining a reputation for being fierce and barbaric.
“Mother, Ma Jie hit me, and now it’s my turn to retaliate.”
After hitting Ma Jie's father, Mi Yao was debating whether to beat Ma Jie up as well. Hearing Xiao Yi's words, she nodded and had someone lift Ma Jie up.
Xiao Yi only punched Ma Jie twice, but Mi Yao could tell that Xiao Yi hadn't held back and had used all his strength.
"Considering the past relationship between our two families, let's leave it at that for today. But if your family doesn't learn their lesson and the same thing happens again, I won't let it go so easily this time."
After speaking to the Ma family, Mi Yao turned to the neighbors who were watching the commotion with lanterns and said, "I apologize for disturbing you all because of my private matters. I will bring a small apology gift during the day. Please do me the honor of attending."
Not all the houses in this area were official residences; there were few servants watching the spectacle, but many homeowners.
Hearing Mi Yao being so polite, knowing that she was usually reasonable, he quickly waved his hand and said not to argue.
"Madam, you don't need to be so polite. We understand that you are just worried about your son."
"The main problem is that the Ma family is truly despicable."
Amidst the noise, Xiao Yi heard the phrase "deeply loving his son." He paused, then couldn't help but glance at Mi Yao's profile.
The firelight in the night was like ink mixed with ochre, and the old yellow light made Mi Yao's face even more radiant and jade-like, like a shining jewel in the crowd.
Upon returning to the mansion, Mi Yao instructed Shuang Hua to distribute the reward money, said a few words of praise and encouragement to the employees who worked overtime, and then leisurely went back to the main courtyard to have a late-night snack.
Before leaving, he asked Xiao Yi if he wanted to eat.
In the past, Xiao Yi would have refused if he was afraid of troubling Mi Yao, but this time, faced with Mi Yao's nonchalant gaze, Xiao Yi nodded as if possessed.
"These are glutinous rice balls made by your younger siblings. If you find them too sweet, ask the kitchen to make you another bowl of noodles."
"The child thinks it tastes delicious."
Hearing Xiao Yi say that, Mi Yao ignored him, finished her late-night snack, went to wash up, and planned to read for a while before going to sleep.
Xiao Yi was waiting for Mi Yao to say a few more words to him, but he didn't hear Mi Yao speak after finishing the sweet soup.
Looking down at the empty bowl, he couldn't tell whether he felt at ease or disappointed.
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