Gu Qinlan turned around and returned to her seat, watching the tragedy unfold, but her heart remained completely unmoved.
She glanced at Xiangzhu beside her and said, "Pass down the order: from now on, Zheng Longyu's family will no longer exist in the Prince Duan's residence."
At this moment, Zheng Longyu's parents struggled to raise their heads and look at Gu Qinlan, their eyes filled with despair and fear.
Zheng Longyu's mother cried out, "Our family never intended to betray you; we were forced into this situation! Princess Consort, please have mercy and let our family be reunited. We are willing to serve the Duan Prince's Mansion like slaves!"
Gu Qinlan waved her hand impatiently and said, "Go down, don't spoil my mood."
The guards dragged Zheng Longyu's parents away, their cries piercing the night. The servants in the Duan Prince's mansion turned to look, shocked by this sudden turn of events.
Just then, a maid suddenly walked up to Gu Qinlan, knelt down, and kowtowed three times.
Her forehead touched the ground with a crisp sound, drawing the attention of the surrounding maids.
"Princess Consort, please forgive me! I was wrong, I was really wrong!" The maid's voice trembled, her eyes filled with tears, and she appeared exceptionally sincere.
Gu Qinlan frowned slightly, looking at the maidservant kowtowing before her. Her eyes held both reproach and doubt. She slowly spoke, "Who are you? What position do you hold in this household? What mistake have you made that has caused you to panic so much?"
The maid raised her head, revealing a delicate face. She sobbed as she answered, "My name is Xiaoman, and I am a flower-watering maid in this household. I have committed a serious offense. I dared to dig up the orchids in the manor to sell for five taels of silver. I know this is a grave crime, but my family desperately needed the money, which is why I did such a thing."
Gu Qinlan's expression softened slightly. She looked at Xiaoman, a hint of sympathy flashing in her eyes.
Being a maid was not an easy life; if there was an urgent need in the household, they often had no way to cope.
"It's good that you took the initiative to admit your mistake," Gu Qinlan said slowly. "I admire those who dare to take responsibility. But you must know that the rules of the manor cannot be broken. You dug up the orchids without permission, which violated the rules. According to the rules, you should be punished."
Xiaoman turned pale with fright and quickly kowtowed, "Your Highness, I am willing to accept any punishment, just please forgive me this once. I promise I will never make such a mistake again."
Gu Qinlan looked at Xiaoman and sighed inwardly.
Although Xiaoman's mistake was serious, her intentions were good. She pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Since you have taken the initiative to admit your mistake and are so sincere, I am willing to give you a chance to be lenient. But you must promise me that in the future, you will strictly abide by the rules of the manor and will not overstep them in the slightest."
Xiaoman nodded quickly: "This servant obeys. I will strictly abide by the rules of the manor from now on and will never violate them again."
Gu Qinlan nodded slightly, looking at Xiaoman with a hint of warmth in her eyes: "Get up."
Xiaoman looked at Gu Qinlan gratefully. She wiped away her tears, stood up, and pleaded, "Princess Consort, please, don't send me to the yamen. I'm willing to accept any punishment, just please give me a chance."
Gu Qinlan frowned, looking at Xiaoman before her, and couldn't help but sigh: How did this maid end up like this? She looked into Xiaoman's eyes and said seriously, "Xiaoman, you know that your actions have violated the rules of the Prince's Mansion and should be punished according to the law. But what I find strange is, why did you choose to steal orchids?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoman's eyes flashed with pain and helplessness. She lowered her head, bit her lip, and then slowly said, "Princess Consort, to be honest, I have an elderly mother at home who is seriously ill and urgently needs medicine. I went to the old lady for help, but she ignored me. I then went to Miss Zheng Huiyi, but she was unwilling to help either, and even told me to find a way myself."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinlan's eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned to disappointment. She hadn't expected Zheng Huiyi to treat a maid's plea for help in this way. She took a deep breath and slowly said, "Xiaoman, since you've already tried your best to seek help, why didn't you tell me?"
Xiaoman raised her head, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes, but she shook her head: "Princess Consort, I know my status is lowly and I dare not disturb you. Moreover, I am afraid that you will blame Zheng Huiyi because of me."
Upon hearing this, a flash of anger crossed Gu Qinlan's eyes. She coldly said, "Xiaoman, that's belittling yourself. In your eyes, am I really that heartless?"
Xiaoman quickly shook her head and said in a panic, "Princess Consort, that's not what I meant. Please forgive me."
Gu Qinlan looked at Xiaoman, her anger gradually dissipating. She sighed and said softly, "Xiaoman, you are a filial maid, and I will not blame you for this. However, if you encounter difficulties in the future, you must tell me and do not break the rules again."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoman's eyes flashed with surprise. She immediately knelt down and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness. I will definitely remember your words."
Looking at Xiaoman, Gu Qinlan couldn't help but sigh: This maid, although she made a mistake, is touching because of her filial piety and resilience.
Then, she smiled and said, "Since you are willing to admit your mistake, you are a good child. I, Gu Qinlan, have always been fair in my rewards and punishments. Today, I will punish you by making you use your monthly allowance to make up for the orchids that were dug up."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoman's eyes widened in astonishment. She had never imagined that her mistake would be punished so lightly. She stared blankly at Gu Qinlan, her lips trembling, and after a long while, she finally said, "This servant... this servant really didn't expect that the Crown Princess would let me off so easily."
Gu Qinlan smiled gently, her eyes full of tolerance: "I've said before that as long as you take the initiative to admit your mistakes, I will give you a chance to make amends. Although your behavior this time can be called stealing, I see that you are of pure heart, so you might as well regard it as borrowing. In the future, if you make such a mistake again, you won't be so lucky."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoman felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This servant understands. This servant is willing to use her monthly allowance to make up for the orchid, and guarantees that she will never do it again."
Spring is in full bloom in the garden of Prince Duan's mansion, and the fragrance of orchids fills the air.
Gu Qinlan sat on the stone steps, watching Xiaoman's retreating figure as she kowtowed, and sighed inwardly: This child is still kind after all.
Gu Qinlan said, "Get up, Xiaoman. I heard that your family is not doing well, and your monthly allowance must be a considerable expense for you. Since I have punished you today, I will give you some more money to help with your household expenses."
Xiaoman was moved to tears. She had never imagined that she would meet such a kind master. She stood up, her eyes shining with gratitude: "This servant thanks the Princess for the reward. This servant will cherish this opportunity and work hard to repay the Princess's kindness."
Hongye quickly stepped forward, gently helped Xiaoman up, her brows furrowed, and looked at her with concern, saying, "Xiaoman, are you alright? Get up quickly, don't bump your head."
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