On the soft, large bed, Qin Huang was already snoring loudly. Xiao Cui glared at Qin Huang with disdain, quickly dressed, and got out of bed.
After walking out of that door, Xiao Cui's pitiful appearance vanished instantly, replaced by a serious and sarcastic expression.
"Steward Zhang, the master said he brought me a gift, is it all with you?" Xiao Cui walked up to Zhang Qide and said arrogantly.
Zhang Qide glanced at Xiao Cui with disdain, pointed to a box in the corner of the warehouse and said, "It's here. I have other things to do here. Please make yourself at home, Ninth Madam!"
As he spoke, Zhang Qide deliberately emphasized the word "nine" in a sarcastic tone.
Xiao Cui wasn't stupid; how could she not understand Zhang Qide's words? But due to the vast difference in their social statuses, she could only swallow all her dissatisfaction.
Outside, she appeared to be the glamorous and most favored Ninth Madam, but in the Qin household, even some of the maids looked down on her, all believing that she had only earned the title of "Ninth Madam" by selling her body to get into the master's bed.
Only she knew what she had experienced on that rainy night; that night haunted her like a ghost.
...
Lujia Village, Lu Youren's home.
Magistrate Duan looked at Old Lady Lu, who was sitting on the ground, wailing and making a scene, with a stern expression.
Ever since Old Lady Lu realized that her son was bound to get away with it, she immediately lay down on the ground and started throwing a tantrum. Meanwhile, Lu Youren knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf, kowtowing and begging Magistrate Duan for forgiveness.
Looking at the two noisy people in front of him, Magistrate Duan felt a surge of annoyance.
"Hey, what are you doing now, sister?" The village chief scolded her irritably, rubbing his aching temples.
Upon hearing this accusation, Old Lady Lu immediately stopped crying and glared at the village chief, angrily rebuking him: "Have you been bewitched by that little harlot too! I'm about to be punished, why aren't you pleading for me?"
The village chief was so angry that his beard almost stood on end. His hands trembled as he pointed at Old Lady Lu and said, "I call you 'old sister' out of respect, but I never expected you to commit such heinous mistakes time and time again. If I were to defend you now, how could I continue to be the village chief?"
After saying this, the village chief turned to Magistrate Duan and bowed, saying, "Lord Duan, please take him away! This is a disgrace to our Lu Family Village! As the village chief, I will absolutely not interfere!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue for Granny Lu. She immediately stopped crying and crawled on her knees toward Magistrate Duan and the village chief.
Magistrate Duan had no idea what Old Lady Lu was up to, but the village chief did.
The village chief grabbed Magistrate Duan's arm and whispered, "Magistrate Duan, don't be afraid. This old woman doesn't bite. Just have your men take her back. She'll definitely be begging for mercy right now!"
After hearing the village chief's words, Magistrate Duan was about to ask why he would say such a thing when Old Lady Lu suddenly slammed her head on the ground with a thud, shouting loudly, "Your Honor, spare me! Your Honor, I was wrong!"
Seeing this, Magistrate Duan rolled his eyes helplessly, while secretly giving the village chief a thumbs up.
"Liu Zi, tie him up and take him away!" Magistrate Duan said to Zhao Liu, his previous serious expression returning.
"Alright!" Zhao Liu immediately took the rope from his body and walked towards Old Lady Lu and Lu Youren.
Seeing Zhao Liu's fierce expression, Old Lady Lu rolled her eyes and collapsed to the ground, convulsing and spitting out white ink.
Zhao Liu's rope, which he had intended to use to tie up Old Lady Lu, stopped in mid-air. He looked at Duan County with some embarrassment and asked for help.
Duanxian had never seen such a scene before, so he could only turn his attention to the village chief.
The village chief's face was so black it looked like it could be wrung out. He rushed over and kicked Old Lady Lu hard in the leg.
"Village chief, you...?" Magistrate Duan hadn't finished speaking.
Old Mrs. Lu jumped up from the ground with a loud "whoosh," her powerful scream sounding nothing like someone who could faint.
The magistrate was even more surprised by what he saw, and could only give the village chief a thumbs up once again.
When Old Lady Lu realized that her "feigning death" had failed, she immediately became trembling with fear and let Zhao Liu tie her up with ropes. Lu Youren, who was standing to the side, was already trembling with fear and his eyes were filled with terror. At this moment, the mother and son could only be at the mercy of others.
Almost everyone at the door watched with schadenfreude as Old Lady Lu and Lu Youren were bound hand and foot, and not a single person came forward to plead for them.
This clearly shows that Lu Youren's family did not have a good reputation in Lujia Village.
The village chief glared at the crowd and snapped, "That's enough, let's disperse. What kind of good thing is this? You're just bringing shame to the village!"
Upon hearing the village chief's words, everyone dispersed and left.
When they passed by Jiang Ling's house, Old Lady Lu was almost furious. However, Magistrate Duan was prepared. He was worried that the two would be too noisy, so he had already stuffed their mouths tightly with rags.
Even with her eyes bulging and bloodshot, Old Lady Lu could only whimper to vent her dissatisfaction.
Magistrate Duan and his entourage quickly returned to the county government office.
Seeing the stern faces of Magistrate Duan and his yamen runners, Old Lady Lu and Lu Youren wilted like eggplants after a frost!
They knelt on the ground, trembling, their previous unreasonable demeanor completely gone.
With a sharp crack, the gavel struck, startling both Lu Youren and his wife.
After the brief verdict was read, Old Lady Lu and Lu Youren were tied to benches by the bailiffs, crying and wailing.
The three-inch-wide board landed heavily on Lu Youren and his wife's buttocks. Lu's wife fainted from the pain after only five blows.
Lu Youren wasn't in much better shape. Although he had been flogged, his buttocks were already a bloody mess.
When the mother and son walked out of the government office, their clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.
At this moment, Lu Youren was filled with regret. He originally wanted to sit on the ground and wail, but as soon as his bottom touched the ground, he let out a howl and sprang up from the ground like a spring.
It took Lu Youren and his wife almost all night to walk from the yamen back to their home.
When Widow Wang saw Old Woman Lu's pale face and her blood-soaked trousers, she felt a strange sense of pleasure.
She glanced at Old Lady Lu and said calmly, "I'm going to buy some medicine from Doctor Zhu!"
Without waiting for Lu Youren to say anything, Widow Wang walked out the door.
Old Mrs. Lu wanted to start cursing at Widow Wang's indifferent expression, but her buttocks were in so much pain that she could only groan "ouch" to vent her dissatisfaction.
...
As soon as Su Shunhe arrived in Yecheng, his previously benevolent expression suddenly changed. He glanced at the deserted alley and said indifferently, "Since you're already here, what kind of hero would act timidly?"
"Master He, we...we are just following orders..." Several men in formal attire forced themselves to come out of the alley and knelt down to say.
"Ha, following orders? You really know how to make excuses!" Su Shunhe kicked the man closest to him angrily!
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