The three old women were also stunned. They looked at each other but said nothing. Instead, they looked at Su Nuannuan silently, listening to what she would say next.
Sure enough, Su Nuannuan coughed lightly and said seriously, "Don't be in a hurry to thank me. Maybe you will understand after you return home that sometimes, living is much more difficult than dying. So many people have seen what happened today. It is impossible to hide it. I can spare your lives, but I can't stop the gossip. Have you ever thought about what kind of situation you will face when you return alive? Are you mentally prepared to face everything? Face the sarcasm, rumors, and even bullying and insults that are about to come?"
As soon as these words came out, the faces of several wives turned pale. Su Nuannuan sighed and said softly: "I came here specially, not to tell you the good news of escaping death, but to tell you a truth. You are not soldiers, nor are you deserters on the battlefield. That is a crime and must be executed. What happened last night, at least in my opinion, although you are wrong, it is not a crime worthy of death. Life is the most precious thing, and survival is also everyone's natural instinct. You can't sacrifice your life to protect your master, and your heart is punishable; but you just want to survive, I think it is also pitiful. But if you do something wrong, you have to pay the price. The outcome I just mentioned is the price you have to pay. At the moment of life and death when the enemy is approaching, you can make mistakes in order to survive. I hope that in the future, you can also choose to bravely bear the price of this mistake in order to survive, and don't escape death today, but die under those words and arrows in the future."
"Grandma..."
Several wives were shocked, including the three maids: How could a master say these things to them? How could a master go to such lengths to keep them alive? She was the wife of the prince, the master who was high above them. And they were just a bunch of slaves who were as worthless as grass, the most humble group of people in the world. How could this be possible?
Su Nuannuan looked at the bewildered wives, their tears falling like beads from a broken string, but no one remembered to wipe them away, and she suddenly felt sad. In fact, she didn't know if what she did was right, she just couldn't watch it. Several lives were lost because of a not-so-serious mistake.
Sighing, she whispered again, "Living is very difficult. I don't even know if I was right or wrong to ask for your lives in front of you. But I think, no matter how difficult it is to live, it won't be harder than dying, right? You all have families, parents, husbands, and children. If you die, I don't know how many people will be sad for you. So, if one day you can't hold on, think more about those family members who are worried about you and who you can't let go of. Time is the best healing medicine in the world. As long as you survive this most difficult period, this matter will be slowly forgotten, and then you can live a more relaxed life."
"We, the servants...thank you, Grandma...for saving our lives. We, the servants...will definitely live up to your expectations, even if we have to endure the most vicious beatings, scoldings, and curses in the world. We will definitely live well even if we are bullied and insulted. Just as Grandma said, this is the price we have to pay for our heartbreaking thoughts, and we, the servants, will bear it."
There was a wife who thanked Su Nuannuan with trembling lips, then she sat up straight and kowtowed respectfully, and then the other wives followed her example, straightened their bodies and kowtowed respectfully, saying in unison: "We are ruthless and it is our duty to bear the price. We will never let Grandma down for saving our lives, even if we are attacked by swords, we will never give up and die easily."
"Well, you guys are so determined. I finally saved you for nothing."
Su Nuannuan nodded, then turned and walked out. The three maids hurriedly escorted her out. One of them smiled carefully and said, "Grandma is really kind-hearted. In fact, since they had done such a thing yesterday, why should you save them? Their crimes are already unforgivable..."
Su Nuannuan glanced at her, and the woman swallowed back her next words, but she heard Su Nuannuan whispered: "Unforgivable crime? Just because they wanted to survive? Ask yourself, when mom rushed out to fight the enemy last night, didn't she shrink back a little bit in fear? If you were the same age and look as them, can you guarantee that you wouldn't have such a thought?"
The old woman's face turned pale. She thought about what Su Nuannuan said, and she broke out in a cold sweat. She heard Su Nuannuan say calmly, "No one is perfect. I saved them today. If mom commits a crime that is not punishable by death, and I must beat you to death, I will also plead for you."
Watching Su Nuannuan and Xiangyun leave and disappear into the night, the old woman stood on the steps, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, a voice behind her sighed, "You are really old and confused. Isn't it a good thing to be thankful for having such a kind-hearted master? Why do you have to show your hard-heartedness? It makes the grandmother look down on you."
"I am also doing this for grandma's sake. If you are so soft-hearted, I don't know what will happen when you are the manager in the future." Although the old woman was shocked by Su Nuannuan's words, she was unwilling to admit her mistakes in front of her companions and continued to speak stubbornly. But another companion sneered, "Soft-hearted? Think carefully about what the grandma did before. Is that the kind of soft-hearted behavior? I don't know about others, but I know that when Aunt Lu hears the name of the grandma, her shoulders slump a little. If it's the grandma's instructions, she is more attentive than anyone else. Grandma Yun and Second Grandma are still in charge of the family, but I haven't seen her fawning on them to this extent."
"There is no need to say anything else. Just be sure of one thing. Follow the eldest lady in the future, and you will definitely be right. Such a kind, righteous, intelligent and strong master is hard to find even with a lantern. Listen to me, this mansion will definitely belong to the eldest lady in the future. Let alone other things, the few people imprisoned here are all smart people. This time the eldest lady saved them and said such words to them. In the future, their lives will belong to her. This alone is something that the second lady and the Yun lady will never be able to do in their lifetime."
The old woman who had spoken earlier said this seriously, and her words were immediately agreed by her two companions, and the old woman who had been stubborn before also nodded repeatedly.
Here Su Nuannuan left the side hall and walked slowly with Xiangyun under the moonlight.
The night was as clear as a mirror. The moonlight was shining like a silk thread, dyeing the earth silvery white. Xiangyun felt a little cold, and the little girl wanted to go back quickly, but the master seemed to be worried about something and walked slowly. She wanted to urge her, but she didn't dare to speak, for fear of disturbing her grandmother's thoughts.
"Xiangyun. Do you think what I did was right or wrong?"
Su Nuannuan suddenly spoke, catching Xiangyun off guard. The little girl scratched her head. How do I know whether grandma is right or wrong? I only know that I should go back to my room now, otherwise I will catch a cold.
Just when Ai Ai was hesitant and didn't know how to start, she heard a clear voice suddenly sounded in the darkness behind her: "When you argued with me before, didn't you look so confident and righteous? Why are you doubting yourself now?"
Su Nuannuan and Xiangyun turned around suddenly. They saw Duan Tingxuan standing there with a smile not far behind them. They couldn't see his face clearly, but his noble and unrestrained demeanor was more eye-catching under the moonlight. When he saw them looking over, he took a few steps forward. He took the lantern from Xiangyun's hand and said gently, "Xiangyun, go back. Your grandmother is upset. I'll walk with her."
Xiangyun was eager to hear this, so she bowed and ran away. Su Nuannuan looked at the little girl's back and felt embarrassed. She muttered, "You ran fast, but you were not chased by a dog."
"It's early in the morning, the night is cold, and you won't let me sleep in bed, but drag me out to talk. If it were me, I would run away, faster than Xiangyun." Duan Tingxuan laughed and defended Xiangyun. His wife rolled her eyes at him, and she said viciously, "If that's the case, why don't you run away? And why are you still accompanying me to talk?"
"There's nothing I can do. As someone's husband, I have to be more responsible than a maid, right? This is the only way to show that I respect and care for my virtuous wife." As he spoke, the young marquis took off his dolomite cloak and put it on Su Nuannuan.
What a cliché plot.
Su Nuannuan complained in her heart, but after putting on the woolen cloak, she felt warm indeed. The cold air that seemed to have penetrated her flesh and bones seemed to be blocked by the cloak. She looked at Duan Tingxuan sideways, but saw that he was only wearing an ordinary long gown. She felt a little embarrassed and murmured, "I have a cloak on, so I'm not cold."
"It's the coldest at night on this mountain, and your cloak won't help much. Don't worry about me, I've practiced breathing exercises for more than 20 years, and my internal strength is deep, so wearing only a single layer of clothing in winter is nothing."
"This doesn't look like the one you wore when you came up the mountain, right? Did you take off the cloak from the Second Master?" Su Nuannuan looked at her husband suspiciously. Based on her understanding of Duan Tingxuan, he was not capable of doing such a sinister thing.
However, Duan Tingxuan's expression froze, and he immediately said angrily: "Even if you don't believe that I'm a good brother, you have to admit that I'm a good husband, right? How can I wear Tingye's clothes on you? This is what Siping brought when he just went up the mountain."
"Siping is coming up the mountain?" Su Nuannuan breathed a sigh of relief. If she was wearing Duan Tingye's clothes, she would also feel uncomfortable.
"Yes, after the messenger sent out earlier reported safety to the mansion, the old lady immediately sent Siping to deliver clothes. In fact, it was also to inform me that everything was fine at home. But Siping said that the old lady and the madam were still able to keep their composure, while Aunt Lin and the second sister had cried so hard that their eyes were swollen like peaches. The third brother had been shouting that he wanted to fight to the death, but fortunately my father stopped him. Otherwise, if he really rushed in, I don't know what would happen. Although I don't like Tingye, I have to admit that Tingye is much more reliable than the third brother in dealing with such matters."
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