Kill the chicken to scare the monkey

  The wound on her hand couldn't escape Zhang's eyes, and she was naturally beaten again with mixed guns and sticks. She didn't even invite a doctor, but directly sent her back to Meixiangyuan.

  Comforting the dispirited Su Mei, Yuan Yi let her go to rest. After all the servants in the room had withdrawn, he took out the name list and opened it to the first page. As he read on page after page, the extensive connections made her face sink bit by bit.

  "Who's out there!"

  As soon as she raised her head, she saw the bamboo curtain of Xiangfei's room slightly shaking, and a slender figure faintly appeared. It was unknown how long that person had been standing outside, but her eyes flashed with cold light, and she shouted loudly.

  But with a thud, the figure was already kneeling heavily on the ground, sobbing quietly and begging in terror: "Miss, spare my life, I'm just trying to see if you have any orders."

  Yuan Yi walked out of the inner room and found that this person was Lan Zi. She couldn't help but slightly narrow her eyes, "This young lady's rules, you've been to Mei Xiang Yuan for so many days, yet you still don't know?"

  Lan Zi's face turned pale, and her whole body went limp on the ground. On her first day at Mei Xiang Yuan, she knew that Fourth Young Miss didn't like to be disturbed when she was alone, but after returning from Zhang Fu, her heart had been restless, so she thought of taking this opportunity to sneak a peek at Fourth Young Miss, hoping to find out something to put her mind at ease. Unexpectedly, as soon as she approached, she was caught red-handed. At this moment, she regretted it so much that her intestines turned green, and all she could do was beg for mercy nonstop.

  However, Yuanyi did not let her off the hook. She raised an eyebrow and coldly said: "Bring the person over to be beaten." She had someone move a nanmu chair into the courtyard and sat down properly, instructing Xiangmei: "Have all the maidservants in the courtyard come over to witness the punishment."

  The plum blossoms suddenly came to life, and with a puff of smoke, they ran off. In the blink of an eye, except for Su Mei, who was allowed to rest, all the servants in the courtyard gathered together.

  The original intention did not speak, just a glance, and the rough servant girl swung her wooden stick heavily towards Lan Zi. Immediately afterwards, a mournful cry was heard. The woman had been doing hard work every day, with great arm strength, and one strike made a loud cracking sound. Such cruel punishment, how could Lan Zi, such a delicate and tender maid, bear it? In just seven or eight strokes, she was already pale, drenched in sweat, and looked half dead.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and her face flashed with a hint of confusion, before quickly regaining its expressionless state. Looking around at the slaves, they all wore expressions of unbearable sympathy, fear, and lingering terror.

  "The young lady has fainted." The rough servant put down his wooden staff and said respectfully.

  She fainted after holding on for over a dozen rods. Yuan Yi's fingertips retracted slightly, and he said indifferently, "Take her back and give her some medicine."

  The old woman nodded and took Lanzhi back to her quarters without another word.

  Her gaze swept across the remaining servants, particularly lingering on Hong'er's face, causing her to tremble uncontrollably. She slowly opened her mouth and said, "I've always disliked punishing servants. For some trivial matters that don't affect the overall situation, I'll turn a blind eye. However, if you think I'm a soft touch, then you're greatly mistaken. Servants are just servants after all; don't forget your place. Whoever breaks my rules will be punished accordingly." She gently smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeve, without lifting her head, but her voice suddenly became stern as she asked, "Do you understand?"

  Since the fourth young lady returned from her illness, all the lazy and slow servants were startled, and they hastily chimed in unison: "We understand."

  He slightly raised an eyebrow and said, "Let's go down."

  It was as if they had received a pardon, and everyone's face relaxed, bowing their heads respectfully before returning to work with even greater diligence and attention to detail.