"Go see if you recognize anyone inside?"
Li Chang'an nodded to Li Changsheng, then stood aside and coldly watched the people with their various expressions.
Because he had someone backing him up, Li Changsheng looked particularly smug. He strolled around with his hands behind his back, looking for his target.
"I found her, it's her! Hey, lift your head up! Weren't you so impressive before? Why are you keeping your head down so low now?"
Li Changsheng asked back with a hint of schadenfreude, as if he wouldn't stop until he made a big scene.
"come out."
Ignoring the fact that the maid was now half-dead with fright, Li Chang'an spoke coldly, his words carrying an undeniable authority.
The maidservant stepped out from the row of people, trembling, her head bowed and barely daring to breathe. The others around her were so nervous that they almost stopped breathing.
Do you know what a terrible thing you've done?
Li Chang'an walked unhurriedly to the maid, raised his eyes and looked down at her, asking her a question.
"This servant knows nothing! Please forgive me, Madam, this servant knows nothing!"
The man appeared very nervous in the face of this questioning. Li Chang'an couldn't help but sneer inwardly. If he knew nothing, why was he begging for forgiveness? Wasn't this just a case of protesting too much?
"Guards, drag this unruly servant away and slap him twenty times in the face! I want to see if he can remember anything!"
At Li Chang'an's command, the maid was so frightened that she immediately knelt on the ground, crying and kowtowing, begging for mercy.
Several servants were also at a loss. Their reactions only made Li Chang'an angrier. He couldn't believe that he was now mocking them for not having any weight in their words. It seemed that it was indeed necessary to teach these people a lesson.
Otherwise, they probably wouldn't remember who the mistress of the general's mansion was!
"What, you want me to do it myself? If that's the case, then it won't be as simple as just slapping someone. Chang Sheng, go and get my sword!"
His cold gaze was fixed on the servants. When they heard that Li Chang'an was going to take out his sword, they were so frightened that they rushed forward and quickly grabbed the maid who was kneeling on the ground with a deathly pale face, ready to slap her.
Before long, a crisp slapping sound came from the courtyard, mixed with pitiful cries.
"What's going on? How did things get so chaotic? Why are they fighting? Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way!"
At this moment, Qin Xiashi also rushed over with her people and quickly reached out to stop the scene.
She had just received news that Li Chang'an had brought Li Changsheng to the small kitchen to confront them, so she rushed over immediately.
The two women faced off in the courtyard. However, Qin Xia knew her place, so she suppressed her anger and forced a smile, saying in a gentle voice, "What's going on here? It's so chaotic in the middle of the night. If there's a misunderstanding, try to resolve it properly. Why are you fighting? It's so inappropriate to be crying and shouting like this..."
Li Chang'an snorted disdainfully. This guy is quite good at playing the good cop, but unfortunately, there's no room for negotiation on this matter today.
It's one thing for those servants to be indifferent to my affairs, but now they're actually bullying me. If I don't teach them a lesson, will they just be trampled under my feet in the future?
Moreover, it was Li Changsheng who was wronged this time, so Li Chang'an simply couldn't swallow this insult.
"Did I tell you to stop? If you don't want to slap her, then slap yourselves!"
Li Chang'an frowned and looked at the two old women responsible for slapping her, completely ignoring Qin Xiashi, whom he treated as if she were invisible.
Despite her inner turmoil, Qin Xia knew very well that it was not worth it to have another direct confrontation with Li Chang'an over a maid. So she started to give her all sorts of perfunctory advice, playing the role of the perfect good person.
"Madam, the twenty strokes are finished..."
One of the old women came over and tremblingly reported to Li Chang'an. Seeing that he only nodded slightly and did not say anything more, she quickly fled to the side as if her life depended on it.
The maid who had been slapped was kneeling on the ground, sobbing and crying. Her face was covered with red handprints, and blood was seeping from the corner of her mouth. She looked extremely miserable.
"Royal sister, and this person too! They're together!"
At this moment, Li Changsheng suddenly pointed at an old woman and shouted again.
Turning his head, Li Chang'an realized that this person seemed to have just arrived. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that she must have come with Qin Xiashi.
If I'm not mistaken, it was probably this person who secretly went to inform Qin Xia Shi.
That's an even more serious offense!
"Auntie, save me! I didn't do anything..."
The man was immediately terrified and grabbed Qin Xia's sleeve, begging her to help him.
Because he was afraid of being recognized, the man kept his head down when he returned, but unexpectedly, Li Changsheng still recognized him.
"What... what exactly happened? Madam, if you're going to punish someone, shouldn't you at least explain the situation clearly before you do so?"
Qin Xia shook off the man's hand without making a sound, and then stood up in front of everyone to confront Li Chang'an head-on, looking righteous and indignant.
After all, that person was a distant relative of hers, so Qin Xia felt that she should stand up and stop him, both morally and logically.
"They know best what happened! What else is there to say? Today I just want all of you to understand one thing: since you're serving in this manor, do your job well. If you want to bully others, first consider your status and whether you can bear the consequences!"
Looking at the people around him, Li Chang'an's face was as cold as ice, and the temperature in the entire courtyard seemed to drop a few degrees.
Qin Xia was speechless after being silenced by her words, and a surge of hatred welled up in her heart.
Status and position.
It's all about status and position!
This despicable woman always uses her status and position to put me down!
The more Qin Xia thought about it, the angrier she became. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, would involuntarily clench into fists, her long nails digging into her skin.
A sinister glint flashed in her shrewd eyes, like a poisoned dagger seeking to riddle the person before her with holes.
“Aunt, I think you should listen to these words as well as they are for them. It has not been easy for you to manage the household affairs these past few years. Although I may turn a blind eye to some things, it doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on. You’re smart enough to understand what I mean, right?”
As Li Chang'an spoke these words, a faint smile remained on his lips, but to Qin Xiashi, it was clearly a smile hiding a knife.
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