"If they can't even control the people around them, what else can they do?" Eleventh Lady looked stern. "Just do as I say." Her attitude was firm.

Manager Bai did not dare to hesitate and immediately retreated to ask Xu Lingyi for instructions in person.

Xu Lingyi was talking to Zhu Anping and Shao Zhongran. He was a little surprised when Manager Bai asked him to come out. After hearing what had happened, his expression gradually became solemn.

"Since Madam has instructed me to do so, and this does not involve the affairs of the outer courtyard, you can just hand him over to Madam for disposal!"

Manager Bai was greatly shocked and nodded his head in response, "Yes". However, it took him only a quarter of an hour to find out who these servants worked for. He simply tied them all up in front of the hanging flower gate. The stewards gave them a spring stool and had the servants press them to the ground, line them up in a row, and start beating them with boards according to the instructions of the Eleventh Lady.

There were crackling sounds outside the hanging flower gate.

Some of the stewards were too ashamed to say anything, some were so angry that they wanted to see the Marquis, and some simply shouted, "Just beat us all to death."

The servants were trembling at first and dared not make a sound even when being beaten. But when they saw the manager shouting, some of them burst into tears and others shouted, "I am innocent."

You cursed and howled at me in front of the Chuihua Gate, alarming everyone in the Xu Mansion. Some sent their maids to inquire about what was going on, while others hid far away and peeped.

Eleventh Lady then called Mother Song over and pointed at the two mothers who were on duty that day and said, "People like this are useless. Send them out of the house now." She said with a cold smile, "Since you don't take my words seriously, I don't need to care about your dignity."

They have worked in the Yongping Marquis's mansion all their lives, and they are about to enjoy a life of luxury. If they are kicked out of the mansion, how can they put their face aside and how will they live in the future?

The two maids didn't expect that Eleventh Lady would not give them any leeway. Upon hearing what they had said, they crawled in front of Eleventh Lady and kowtowed, "Madam, we were blinded by greed and didn't know the depth of the matter. We committed such a terrible mistake. Please forgive us this time because we once served the Madam. In the future, we will serve you and the Sixth Young Master wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly..."

Before they finished speaking, Eleventh Lady waved to Mother Song, signaling her to take the two out quickly.

"Since you have served the Madam, you should know what to do and what not to do. It is obvious that you are not blinded, but you are arrogant because you have served the Madam. You don't take my instructions seriously at all, and you don't take the two young masters seriously. I should teach you a lesson on behalf of the Madam."

As they were talking, Madam Song had brought in a few maids. As soon as Eleventh Lady finished her words, several people rushed over and immediately carried the two maids out.

The whole house was in an uproar.

"What is she trying to do?" The Second Madam frowned slightly. "If she handles the affairs of the outer courtyard without the permission of the Marquis, won't the inner and outer courtyards be separated in the future? Who will those officials listen to? Where is the authority of the Marquis?"

The fifth lady burst into laughter.

"Well done! These evil slaves only know how to curry favor and flatter, and they don't even care about the safety of their masters." She said, "Huh?" and said, "But this will probably cause a rift between her and the stewards of the outer courtyard. I didn't expect that Eleventh Lady would act so rashly this time." As she spoke, she turned her eyes and said, "Everything has its pros and cons. Taking advantage of her son and daughter-in-law returning home, she used the stewards of the outer courtyard to establish her authority, and made the whole family know about it. When the daughter-in-law comes back, it's impossible for her not to know. In the future, when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law meet, the daughter-in-law will naturally think more about her actions."

Qi Niang ordered the maid to wipe the hands of her stepbrother, whose face was covered with biscuit crumbs, and said with a smile: "Eleventh sister doesn't have as many thoughts as you say, right? This is just a coincidence! As a mother, any mother who encounters such a thing will be furious."

"That's right." Madam Wu smiled and asked Mother Shi, "Where is Brother Chen? Where did he go again?"

Mother Shi smiled and said, "She said she went to play with the Sixth Young Master!"

The Fifth Lady said, "Go and find him. Don't you see Step-brother is here?"

Mother Shi should be.

Qi Niang tried to stop him, saying, "Ji Ge'er is timid. He won't dare to run around even if he is released. Let him sit here and listen to us."

Madam Wu couldn't help but sigh: "Your stepbrother is still obedient. Unlike our two little ones, one is crazy all day and disappears, and I cry when the other one disappears."

"Otherwise, why do they say that parents love their youngest son?"

The Fifth Lady giggled and personally wiped the hands of Cheng'er, who was eating snacks obediently at the side. She chatted with Qi Niang about family matters and waited for the little maid who was sent to the main house to watch the fun to come back with news.

The lady was a little worried.

He sat on the big kang by the window, looking at the camphor tree outside the house, which was still lush with green leaves, without saying anything for a long time, his expression seeming a little obscure.

Mother Du gently placed the teacup that the old kiln Magu presented to her in front of the old lady, and said with a low laugh: "Didn't you also say that the fourth lady is sensible in her actions? The fourth lady is not the kind of person who doesn't know the difference between the important and the unimportant. You can rest assured!"

The lady took a long breath, picked up the teacup and took a sip of hot tea, her face relaxed slightly, "With her like this, who among the managers of the outer courtyard will dare to get close to Jin'er in the future..." She paused, and added, "But it's better this way, so that a good child won't be taught by those with ulterior motives to become a bad person." Although she said so, when she thought of the lively and lovely Jin'er, the old lady still showed a bit of melancholy in her eyes.

This issue is too sensitive.

Mother Du said nothing.

A little maidservant reported through the curtain: "Madam, Ge Jin wants to see you!"

The lady and Mrs. Du were stunned.

* * * * * *

The clamor of crying for parents in front of the hanging flower gate spread throughout the main courtyard. The maids and old women were all trembling with fear, not daring to breathe.

Zhu Xiang walked through the bluestone corridor of the main courtyard with a stern expression and stood firmly under the dripping eaves of the hanging flower gate.

She looked coldly at the butler and servant who were beaten to pieces, and said loudly: "Madam asked me to ask you. The servant from the outer courtyard broke into the main room, contradicted the fifth young master, and instigated the sixth young master to play with firecrackers. Did Madam wrongly accuse you?"

No matter whether it was the person being beaten or the one beating, they were all very surprised by her sudden appearance. They stared blankly at Zhu Xiang who was wearing a gorgeous rose-red bodice with gold all over it. Their cries stopped abruptly as if they were cut by a knife, and the world was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the wind.

Immediately, a manager came to his senses and said, "It was a chaotic day. We all had our own tasks..."

Zhu Xiang immediately interrupted the steward and said, "What a mess? We have always had a clear division of labor in our mansion, so how can there be a mess? Is there something that our Madam doesn't know?"

The steward's unfinished words remained on his lips.

If they admit that there was no rule at the time, the spearhead will be pointed directly at Chief Steward Bai. Given Chief Steward Bai's status and position, the Marquis would certainly not do anything to him, but it's hard to say for them - the reason they are shouting like this is that they hope that Chief Steward Bai will say something good in front of the Marquis and his wife because they are usually respectful to him.

Immediately, a steward glared at the steward and said as if to make amends: "Miss, that's not what we meant. We were really too busy at the time..."

Zhu Xiang waved her hand, signaling him not to say anything more, and said calmly: "The second young master is getting married, and everyone in the mansion is busy. How come only your servant broke into the main courtyard, but no servants from other people broke into the main courtyard? Madam just asked me to ask you, do you feel wronged for crying and making a fuss like this?"

The managers were speechless for a moment.

Zhu Xiang's eyes fell on the person who beat him: "Madam said that anyone who keeps crying and making a fuss will not know what he did wrong even after being beaten. Give him twenty more strokes!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's face changed.

A steward couldn't help but say: "Miss, we are well-known stewards after all..."

"You are well-known and prestigious?" Zhu Xiang said softly, with a trace of disdain in her eyes, "You are well-known and prestigious but that is a reward from the master! Without the master's support, I don't know where your face would be!" Then she pointed at the manager who spoke and said, "Twenty more boards." There was a condescending indifference in her tone that made everyone shudder.

The person who beat the man lowered his head and said "yes".

The wide wooden board fell with a sound of breaking through the air and making a dull "bang" sound, and there was no other sound.

Zhu Xiang turned around and walked into the hall straight away. Only then did she feel a thin layer of sweat on her back.

Eleventh Lady was sitting cross-legged on the big kang by the window in the warm room, watching Jing'er drawing a chick. When she heard the noise, her eyes were still fixed on the snow-white Chengxin paper, and she didn't look up.

"No more shouting?" His tone was not only flat, but also a little nonchalant.

Zhu Xiang bowed in response.

Hearing this, Jinger looked up at his mother, his big phoenix eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Mom, if they keep yelling there, will they be punished with more boards?"

"Yes!" Eleventh Lady smiled and touched her son's head. "Don't rush to make a decision, but if you make a decision, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you must stick to it." Then she pointed to his painting, "Just like you just now, you didn't know what to draw. But if you decided to draw a chick, you must finish it. You can't draw the body and head of the chick, but don't draw the chick's feet because you have other things to do."

Jing'er thought about it, nodded as if he understood, and said, "Then I'll finish drawing the chick." He lowered his head and carefully pointed at four points, drawing a complete chick.

A little maid walked in timidly: "Madam, Xier wants to see you!"

Because Xu Siyu got married, Mr. Zhao gave Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie three days off. When Xu Sijie came to greet Shiyi Niang in the morning, Shiyi Niang asked him about it. He said that he would go to Xu Sizhun's place to practice calligraphy this afternoon.

At this time, Xier should be serving Xu Sijie. I wonder what he wants to talk to her about?

Eleventh Lady thought for a while and said slowly, "Let her in."

"Madam!" Xi'er's face was a little pale, and her words were a little stammering, "Fifth Young Master, Fifth Young Master seems to be in trouble!"

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Among the children, Xu Sijie was the most simple-minded. He was content with having enough food and drink. He did not take it to heart when someone was cold or distant to him. He was not like Xu Siyu who took it to heart, nor was he as sensitive and delicate as Xu Sizhun, nor was he as stubborn and overbearing as Jing'er. Therefore, he rarely had conflicts with others.

Is he in trouble?

What trouble could he get into?

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Thank you everyone, I won the first place in monthly tickets in July!

O(∩_∩)O~

PS: The update is a little late, please wait and read it tomorrow morning!