The slap from the garrison commander's wife came so suddenly that it stunned Aunt Li. She staggered a few steps and almost fell, but a maidservant quickly caught her so she wouldn't fly out.
The garrison commander's wife glared at her fiercely before turning away with a livid face.
Upon returning to the inner courtyard, the garrison commander's wife ordered the two courtyard gates to be closed, and all the servants and concubines gathered in front of the hall.
"Bring Aunt Li here! She's to be disciplined!"
At this moment, Aunt Li was trembling with fear: "Madam, I was confused for a moment and said the wrong thing. Please forgive me!"
The garrison commander's wife had always been lenient with these concubines and mistresses, but this situation was different from before, and the surrounding old women and maids dared not utter a sound.
"Beat them! Gag them and beat them!"
The maids and servants in the mansion carried out a wide stool and brought a stick.
Seeing that the lady's face was as white as paper with anger, no one dared to be negligent or say a word. They put Aunt Li on a stool, gagged her, and started hitting her.
Having been pampered in the mansion for several years, Aunt Li had never suffered such hardship. At first, she could struggle and beg for mercy, but later she was like a dead person, letting the stick fall on her body.
The old woman who was in charge of holding people down released them, and the old woman who was enforcing family discipline dared not hit them anymore. They all looked at the lady.
The garrison commander's wife said coldly, "Did I tell you to stop?"
The two old women exchanged a glance, both seeing fear in each other's eyes; the lady was about to kill someone.
The stick was raised again, and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the air as blood dripped down the edge of the wide bench.
Seeing that Aunt Li had fainted, the garrison commander's wife ordered the men to stop.
"Alright, send her back to her room. She'll be fasted for three days, and no one is allowed to visit her!"
She didn't let a doctor treat her injuries, which was clearly meant to make Aunt Li suffer.
The concubines and maids, including Amber and Jade, were already terrified and turned pale.
Everyone noticed that the lady was different today than usual.
In the past, when Aunt Li spoke rudely, the lady would at most reprimand her a few times and confine her to her quarters for a few days, but she had never been so furious.
Lady Liu, the garrison commander's wife, knew perfectly well why she had killed Concubine Li.
She came from a family of a minor official of the seventh rank. Her father had very strict family rules, teaching her to regard her husband as the most important person in the world and not to disobey him. She had been doing just that all these years.
Since their marriage, she has been in charge of arranging the concubines and maids serving Zhao Tinglei, all to make her husband happy.
Even if the concubines had some minor flaws, she would tolerate them for the sake of her husband.
But this won't work today.
Now, Zhao Tinglei holds several positions, including General of the North and Garrison Commander of Hecheng. He is already in a high position in Yunzhou. In the eyes of the court officials, the higher one climbs, the more lonely it becomes, and the more cautious one must be.
Today, Aunt Li publicly revealed that Zhao Tinglei was having an affair with her brother's wife.
If others find out, unaware of the truth, they will surely spread all sorts of foul language.
The garrison commander's wife may take many concubines, but she will never allow any of them to harm the garrison commander's reputation in the slightest. Even if there are indeed some improprieties, she will eliminate the potential dangers at the outset.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Aunt Li, who was once a beautiful young woman, turned into a bloody mess and was carried into the side room without waking up.
The garrison commander's wife coldly surveyed everyone in the mansion: "It is only right that the general should not be disturbed when he is discussing matters in the front office. If anyone can't control their mouth and talks nonsense, then Aunt Li will be the same fate you all suffer."
All the servants replied in unison, "This servant wouldn't dare!"
The garrison commander's wife stood up: "My lord, you must be tired from the meeting. Bring me the freshly brewed milk tea from the stove, and I will personally deliver it to your study."
This had been prepared long ago. Zhao Tinglei liked to drink milk tea, so there was always some in the inner quarters, and the kitchen maid would deliver it twice a day.
Now, the garrison commander's wife is going to personally deliver milk tea to Zhao Tinglei.
In the study of the government office, several people, some sitting and some standing, were talking animatedly.
Old Master Yu stroked the three strands of beard under his chin and said, "What the Third Young Mistress said makes sense."
To win by force would result in the loss of eight hundred of your own troops for every thousand enemy casualties; the best course of action is to retreat without a fight.
He felt that Song Liyun's idea of using trade to deter the Di royal court from raiding southwards every year was feasible.
In the corner of the room, a middle-aged man in a blue robe with thick eyebrows and big eyes sneered, "Old Yu is getting old, and his heart has softened."
The Di people were greedy by nature, committing all kinds of atrocities such as burning, killing, and looting. Every time they marched south, they enslaved people, causing countless deaths and injuries.
Your subordinate believes it is best to follow the Duke of Anguo's wishes and submit a memorial requesting increased military funds and a larger force to suppress the rebellion.
Although this man was dressed in plain blue clothes and looked like a scholar, his words were full of murderous intent.
He instructed Zhao Tinglei to write to the imperial court, requesting an increase in troop strength and a large force to forcibly occupy the grasslands.
Using Mida City as a base, we will engage in a fierce battle with the Di royal court, sparing no effort to severely damage it.
Song Liyun looked solemn.
Once war breaks out, not only will the plan to build a shopping mall fall through, but the Uda tribe will also be seen as traitors who betrayed the grasslands and brought the enemy in.
With the vassal tribes breaking away, Zhao Tingduo's two years of hard work will be destroyed.
Zhao Tinglei was also hesitant.
General Zhang had been with Zhao Yanjiao for decades and was considered a veteran with a good grasp of the border situation.
General Zhang's current intention is to fight, but the Emperor has said that we must not provoke conflict between the two borders.
If the borders become unstable and war breaks out, such a major event would force the sixteen-year-old emperor to hand over power back to the Empress Dowager.
What the court needs now is stability.
However, without deploying a large army, the peace on the border could not be maintained for more than a few years, and the Di royal court would not be content with that.
Let's wait until my third brother enters the city before we discuss this further.
As the four were talking, a guard knocked on the door and came in to whisper, "Sir, the madam has brought over milk tea!"
Zhao Tinglei frowned slightly. He had enjoyed drinking this for decades, but usually it was the kitchen maid who came. Why was it his wife who came in person today?
However, it was not a big deal. After he nodded in agreement, the guards withdrew.
Song Liyun, unaware of what was happening, glanced at the slightly ajar door and was pondering when she saw a simply dressed lady with a maid carrying a food box approaching.
The moment the garrison commander's wife entered the room, she saw Song Liyun sitting there with an air of importance. Her expression immediately changed, but when she saw Elder Yu and the official in blue robes, her expression returned to its kind and magnanimous state.
He cursed at Aunt Li in his heart again: "You lowly servant, you're talking nonsense! There are clearly other people in the study, how could it be just my sister-in-law and brother-in-law alone?"
Old Yu and his subordinate Zhang stepped forward to greet the garrison commander's wife, and Song Liyun also stood up.
"Madam, you haven't met your sister-in-law yet, have you? Ayun was busy and didn't have time to go to the inner quarters. Ayun, this is your sister-in-law, Liu!"
Zhao Tinglei gave a brief introduction to the two.
When Song Liyun came last year, the garrison commander's wife was still in the capital, and the two of them had never met.
At this moment, she quickly stepped forward and bowed: "Sister-in-law Song Liyun greets elder sister-in-law. When I got married, I was fortunate that elder sister-in-law had prepared a complete dowry, so I didn't have any inconvenience in the tribe."
Although the dowry last time was supposedly funded by the Duke of Anguo, it was actually prepared by the garrison commander's wife.
She really put her heart into it.
From pots and pans to bowls and dishes, to furniture and ornaments, including chamber pots and footstools, everything was meticulously crafted, and many items clearly showed that they were brought from the capital.
Seeing that Song Liyun immediately mentioned the dowry she had carefully prepared and expressed her gratitude, the garrison commander's wife felt comforted.
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