After many twists and turns, the group arrived at a lane made of blue bricks.
Granny Lu walked at the front, familiar with the way, and knocked on the door of a house as soon as she found it.
A female voice responded from inside the door, and soon a girl dressed as a maid opened the door a crack.
In an instant, the door was smashed open by the burly old women, and a group of people rushed in.
Wang Xiuxiu followed behind the First Madam with her head down.
At this point, everything was understood without words.
When Wang Xiuxiu went inside, the pretty woman in the room had already been firmly held down by several old women and was looking at them in a panic.
The others secretly regretted their slow movements and missed the chance to show their faces. When they saw the First Madam coming over, they quickly moved aside to both sides.
The First Madam's face was gloomy, and her eyes flashed with anger.
Although she didn't say a word the whole way, Wang Xiuxiu saw that the handkerchief in the First Madam's hand looked like it was about to be crushed.
The First Madam walked up to the woman and stood in front of her, looking down at her.
Those who were perceptive immediately brought over a stool and wiped it clean repeatedly.
The First Madam sat down steadily and asked coldly, "What's your name?"
The woman wasn't stupid; she knew it was that nemesis's wife who had come knocking. To avoid further physical harm, she had no choice but to obediently reply, "This servant is Chen San Niang."
"So you have a surname. If I didn't know, I would have thought you were some orphan prostitute!" The First Madam sneered, placing her toes on the woman's chin, her tone full of sarcasm.
The woman struggled to get up, but the women held her down tightly, preventing her from moving an inch.
She could only plead, "Madam, I am a daughter of a good family, and I have really run out of options! Please give me a chance, and I will serve you and my husband every day from now on."
It would have been better if we hadn't mentioned Master Cheng. As soon as he was mentioned, Madam Cheng flew into a rage, stood up abruptly, and slapped him across the face.
The woman was beaten so badly that blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, and her screams echoed through the courtyard.
Seeing this, Granny Lu hurriedly stepped forward to help the First Madam sit down, wiping her hands while scolding, "Madam, there's no need to get angry. This little slut is best left to us to deal with. Don't dirty your hands."
The First Madam sat back in her chair, coldly watching the old women punch and kick Chen San Niang.
The woman could not endure such torment and was making pitiful, incoherent cries.
The First Madam, having apparently heard something, suddenly opened her eyes and ordered everyone to stop.
Only then did Wang Xiuxiu realize that Chen Sanniang was saying that she was pregnant with Cheng Dalang's child.
In that instant, the First Madam's eyes flashed with overwhelming killing intent, and her cold expression made Wang Xiuxiu shudder.
At the madam's behest, the old women began striking the woman's abdomen.
The old woman, eager to show off, kicked the woman's stomach several times.
Chen San Niang's screams gradually weakened, until only painful groans remained.
After an unknown amount of time, Granny Lu returned with a pot of medicine and forced Chen San Niang to drink it.
Chen Sanniang lay there quietly, her eyes empty and lifeless, her body motionless.
The First Madam slowly rose, dusted off her clothes, and slowly walked to Chen San Niang's side and squatted down.
Her eyes were cold and ruthless, devoid of any pity or sympathy.
"You may report to the authorities, but I already know where you live and how many people are in your family."
The First Madam's voice was icy cold: "If this child in your womb is born safely, I will make your whole family pay with their lives."
After saying this, the First Madam turned and left.
Wang Xiuxiu followed behind, a deep chill rising in her heart.
She couldn't help but turn her head and glance at the woman on the ground.
In the pitch-black courtyard, only Chen San Niang lay quietly, surrounded by deathly silence.
The moonlight shone on her, illuminating her lonely and desolate figure.
After returning home, Wang Xiuxiu fell seriously ill.
In her dream, she felt a surge of compassion and wanted to save people, but was captured by the First Madam...
Even after waking up, I was still filled with fear and unease.
After a long time, Wang Xiuxiu finally dared to ask someone for help inquiring about the situation.
The woman not only didn't survive the night, but also hanged herself after they left.
Perhaps out of fear of implicating her family, or perhaps out of utter despair, the woman ultimately chose to end her life in this way.
Wang Xiuxiu gripped the sleeve of the jade belt tightly, her fingertips trembling slightly, her voice filled with urgency and unease: "What about the little maid who guards the courtyard? How...how is she?"
Yu Dai's expression tightened. She looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, lowered her voice and said, "I heard that the First Madam sent her to the pleasure boat in Jinzhou."
"A flower boat!" Wang Xiuxiu exclaimed in surprise, her face turning deathly pale, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Yu Dai quickly covered her mouth, her brows furrowed, her tone tinged with reproach, "If the Madam finds out about this, neither of us will be in good shape!"
Tears welled up in Wang Xiuxiu's eyes, her lips trembled slightly, and her voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "That girl is so young... how could she... how could the First Madam be so heartless..."
Seeing her like this, Yu Dai's heart softened. She sighed, gently patted the back of her hand, and whispered to comfort her, "Don't be too sad. That little maid was originally sent by the First Madam to serve the Master in his study. She was one of their own. But later, the Master sent her to that mistress's house. She knew so many secrets about the family. In this way, she has already been spared..."
Yu Dai hadn't finished speaking, but Wang Xiuxiu already understood what she meant.
For some reason, she lowered her head, and tears silently slid down her cheeks, dripping onto her clothes and spreading out a wet patch.
Seeing this, Yu Dai felt a pang of sadness. She sighed softly, leaned close to her ear, and lowered her voice even further: "Let me tell you, you must never mention this to anyone else except me. The First Madam has been quite dissatisfied with you lately. If she finds out that you are heartbroken over someone from outside, you will probably suffer even more."
Wang Xiuxiu bit her lip, nodded with difficulty, and said in a choked voice, "I...I understand."
Seeing her like this, Yu Dai felt helpless. "Don't be too sad. As servants, we should mind our own business as little as possible and ask as few questions as possible. Protecting ourselves is the most important thing."
Wang Xiuxiu didn't say anything more, but just nodded silently, the tears in her eyes lingering for a long time.
She looked up into the distance, as if she could see the flower boats of Jinzhou slowly sailing across the river, carrying that innocent little girl towards an unknown fate.
But she could only stand there, powerless.
---
After that, life in the Cheng family returned to normal.
Not only did the First Madam continue to manage the household affairs as usual, but even Master Cheng acted as if nothing had happened, coming to her courtyard every few days as usual to maintain the couple's relationship.
The two sat facing each other, sipping tea and chatting happily. Chen San Niang's death seemed to have had no impact on their lives, and everything continued as usual.
The servants in the mansion continued to perform their duties, the flowers and plants in the garden were still trimmed on time, and the smoke from the kitchen still rose gently.
It seems that only Wang Xiuxiu has undergone a dramatic change.
Although I knew that the First Madam was not someone to be trifled with, I had never witnessed her treat human life so lightly.
The screams of Chen San Niang from that day still echo in her ears.
The First Madam's coldness and ruthlessness filled Wang Xiuxiu with fear, and she became increasingly aware that in this deep mansion, she was nothing more than an ant that could be crushed at any moment.
Because of the incident where Wang Xiuxiu fell ill from fright, the First Madam believed that Wang Xiuxiu was timid, incompetent, and unfit for important tasks, and her attitude towards her gradually became cold.
In the past, the First Madam would occasionally summon her to inquire about details of the embroidery or ask her to design new clothes for the young ladies in the mansion.
But now, the First Madam doesn't even bother to look at her.
Wang Xiuxiu didn't seem to care much about it.
She was so frightened that she didn't dare to face the First Madam for a long time.
Every time I see the First Madam's figure in the distance, I instinctively hide away.
In this way, she could take the opportunity to fade out of the First Madam's sight.
She only wanted to be an embroiderer and didn't want to, nor dared to, get involved in anything else.
Even though she tried to immerse herself in embroidery, Wang Xiuxiu could not shake off the fear and unease in her heart.
Whenever the night was quiet, she would think of Chen San Niang's pale face and her despair and helplessness before her death.
Those images haunted her like a nightmare, preventing her from sleeping.
She began to realize that as long as she was in this mansion, she would never find true peace of mind.
Every wall and every door here seemed to be silently reminding her that she was in hell, and that she was a pawn who could be sacrificed at any moment.
At this moment, Wang Xiuxiu's desire for freedom was stronger than ever before.
She desperately wanted to escape this place, to escape this suffocating world.
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