General, the girl has woken up.
Xie Lingqin turned around in confusion, only to see that Zihe, who had been unconscious just moments before, had now woken up. She looked around, then at the scene before her, with a bewildered expression. "What... what happened?"
"The old woman said you hurt someone," Xie Lingqin said, then asked after a moment, "Are you insane?"
Zihe looked around helplessly, then, seeing the two servants rubbing their arms, she immediately burst into tears, pointing at them, "Miss, you must stand up for me! Just now, these two blocked my way and bullied me... I had no choice but to fight back. I... I'm not crazy."
“You, you’re talking nonsense! We haven’t bullied you at all!” One of the servants immediately stood up to refute him.
Zihe glanced at him, then immediately knelt down and crawled over to hug Xie Lingqin's leg. She didn't say anything, but cried uncontrollably.
And this sorrowful cry, without needing words, evokes sympathy.
General Xie surprisingly remained silent, simply watching.
After a long while, Xie Lingqin finally spoke up softly, "Alright, you say they bullied you, but do you have any evidence? Many people saw it just now. You went crazy and hurt them."
"No, miss, you must believe me, they're the ones who bullied me."
"You're talking nonsense." Xie Lingqin said coldly, her face displeased. "They are just two ordinary servants, while you are my head maid. They have seen you before. Not to mention that the General's Mansion is strictly disciplined, just because you are someone I work with, they certainly wouldn't dare to bully you."
Xie Lingqin spoke each word with obvious disappointment.
Zihe shook her head desperately, her eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly aggrieved and pitiful. "No, Miss, you must believe me. I told you, I am your servant, but... but... they said..." Zihe's voice trailed off as she looked at General Xie and fell silent again.
Xie Lingqin raised her head with a furious expression, "Speak if you want to. With Father here, how do you plan to defend yourself?"
"They said..."
Zihe lowered her voice, her face showing a hint of hesitation.
The back-and-forth between master and servant forced General Xie to speak. The second concubine, however, sensed something was wrong and tried to stop him, but before she could, General Xie looked at Zihe and said in a deep voice, "Speak."
"...They say, they say, so what if I'm just a maidservant to the eldest young lady? Anyway, the eldest young lady is not favored, has no status, and is not valued. She will eventually be married off. If she doesn't take me with her, I will suffer in this mansion. Let them...they have their fun, and they will treat me well in the future...I will not obey, I will..." By the end, Zihe's tears were flowing like water.
As soon as she finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
Beside her, Aunt Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because she saw that General Xie's expression, which had clearly been about to put Zihe to death, was replaced by one of conflict and embarrassment.
So it's clear that Xie Lingqin won even though she didn't do anything.
The second concubine's lips trembled as she touched General Xie's somber aura, and she suddenly fell silent.
It is absolutely unacceptable for the eldest daughter of a general to be so disrespected by two servants and for her maids to be so contemptuous. Even if the general trusts her, he cannot afford to lose face like this. The second concubine realized this and immediately gave the two servants a meaningful look.
"No, General, we didn't, we didn't..."
The two servants were dumbfounded. When they realized what had happened, they immediately kowtowed to prove their innocence.
At this moment, Xie Lingqin took in everyone's expressions and emotions, and finally spoke. She did not question the two servants, nor did she express any doubt about the second concubine. Instead, she looked at Zihe with deep eyes and said, "You said they bullied you, and you said that these are all one-sided stories."
"No, no, no..." Zihe shook her head desperately, biting her lip, her face a mixture of shame and anger. Finally, she rolled up her sleeves. "Miss, look..."
"This..." Xie Lingqin's eyes widened in shock at what she saw. In the next instant, she raised her hand and slapped the two servants away. "You two beasts, how could you hurt Zihe like this? You are not human..."
Two slaps landed on the two servants, leaving their faces bruised and swollen, and they dared not retaliate or utter a word.
The atmosphere was deathly silent.
No one dared to speak, no one dared to stop them; they could only say that the usually gentle young lady was truly angry now.
This is so frustrating!
"This..." At this moment, Consort Wan, supported by her maid, stepped forward and stood in front of Zihe. Looking at the marks on Zihe's arm, she lowered her gaze, her expression changed, and then walked to the general's side. "General, these red marks, are they truly the work of a man..."
General Xie's forehead veins throbbed, his voice sharp but his tone weak. "You beasts! How dare you covet the maids of the young lady? Guards, take them away and beat them to death with sticks!"
"Yes." Immediately, someone stepped forward and dragged the two servants away.
The two men seemed to want to say something, but their mouths were quickly covered.
Soon after, a series of increasingly loud wails began to pierce the air.
"Father, I'll take Zihe down first." At this moment, silence is more effective than words.
General Xie looked at Xie Lingqin, who seemed hesitant to speak, her eyes filled with anxiety, but in the end, he simply waved his hand.
Zihe followed Xie Lingqin closely.
General Xie glanced at Xie Lingqin's retreating figure, then turned to the guard beside him and ordered, "Immediately investigate all the servants and maids in the mansion."
"...Yes." The guard understood that it was better to be safe than sorry. Although the young lady's words were unintentional, they had made General Xie somewhat suspicious of what was happening in the manor.
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