Against the Current - Chapter 27
Chapter 27 - Flexing Authority
Hui'er stepped forward trembling, her legs going soft as she sank to her knees on the ground. Taking a close look, Qin Shi saw she was a plump maid of ordinary appearance, wearing a black silk-tapestry jacket over a silver-white plain satin skirt, with a small gold-locked necklace hanging around her neck and a pair of delicate gold bracelets on her wrists. Her brows were neatly traced and her temples touched up, approaching the standard of attire worn by young mistresses of the household; at a single glance, one could tell she was a favored and influential servant.
Qin Shi gave a cold laugh. "You are quite the capable girl! I hear you've been stuffing these three individuals with gold and silver left and right, racking your brains to scheme against the Third Young Master. Speak! Who is behind this?"
Terrified out of her wits, Hui'er felt her hands and feet grow ice-cold. She glanced up at Cao Lihuan, but seeing that Cao Lihuan wore a blank expression and wouldn't even look at her, she lowered her head and thought to herself, "In any case, I am not a servant of the Lin family, and the Lin family cannot truly do anything to me. If I confess that the young miss ordered me to do this, I'll be left without a place to even be buried." With that, she began kowtowing frantically, crying out, "This is all my fault! I lost my mind and wanted to do this on my own; it has nothing to do with anyone else! I beg the Madam to spare my life, I beg the young miss to spare my life!"
Hearing Hui'er say this, Cao Lihuan felt the heavy boulder in her chest slowly lift. Qin Shi let out a cold laugh. "You wanted to do this on your own? Why? And tell me, who gave you all those gold and silver ornaments? A mere maid like you—how could you possibly possess such things?"
Hui'er kowtowed repeatedly. "I am in charge of the jewelry, so the items... I stole them... I..."
Gritting her teeth, Cao Lihuan piped up, "Hui'er is my personal maid. Since she has committed a wrongdoing, I will naturally discipline her and give my respected cousin-in-law a proper accounting."
Qin Shi's gaze turned as sharp as a blade, locking directly onto Cao Lihuan. She slammed her hand down on the table, pointed at Zhao Yuechan beside her, and commanded, "You—go and spit on her! Teach her what the proper decorum of a young lady is!"
Zhao Yuechan stepped forward instantly, spat fiercely at Cao Lihuan, and scolded, "Get down on your knees! When an elder is here disciplining servants, where is the room for you to interrupt? You call yourself a young lady of a prominent family, yet where is your poise? Didn't you see how quietly and attentively I was listening? Hui'er is your maid, and you failed to discipline her properly. Not only did the Madam come here and refrain from scolding you, but you've actually grown bold enough to talk back!"
Cao Lihuan had never suffered such humiliation in her life. Rage churned violently within her chest like a stormy sea, but she dared not argue back further, obediently dropping to her knees. Qin Shi picked up her teacup, took a slow, unhurried sip, and said, "Though Hui'er is your maid, she harbored a vicious heart and sought to ruin the reputation of the Lin family's descendants. Who instigated her and where she got the wealth for bribes—you all know best in your own hearts. I am not exposing it outright simply to leave you with a shred of dignity..."
At this, Cao Lihuan could no longer contain herself. With a sharp "snap," she sprung to her feet and shouted indignantly, "Does Cousin-in-law mean to say that everything Hui'er did was instigated by me? If Cousin-in-law makes such claims, what evidence do you have?"
Qin Shi was momentarily taken aback, then flared up and slammed her hand against the long table once more. Her personal attendant, Mammy Han, stepped forward, drew back her arm in a wide arc, and landed a resounding, vicious slap across Cao Lihuan's face. "Impertinent to your elders, utterly lacking in respect, and daring to question the Madam to her face! Say one more word, and I'll tear that mouth of yours to shreds!" Glaring coldly at Cao Lihuan, Mammy Han continued, "Never mind that you are merely a cousin-in-law's daughter; even Young Master Lou back in the day has felt the sting of my hand. If you're dissatisfied, go complain to the Old Madam and the Old Master! Did your parents never teach you any manners?"
Qin Shi spoke in a stern, raised voice, "Now that you are growing older and harboring all sorts of chaotic, unruly thoughts while shielding your personal maid, it is one thing that you refuse to listen to my words. But it is no longer fitting for you to continue living in the garden. Starting today, you are to move out. If you wish to return to your brother's place, we will have a carriage prepared to send you back; if you do not wish to return, there is still a vacant room on the western side at the back of the estate. But from this day forward, you are strictly forbidden from coming back into the garden! Go pack your things this very moment!"
With that, she turned her gaze back to Hui'er and let out a string of cold laughs. "Even if you are not a Lin family servant, plotting with a malicious heart to trample on the reputation of our family's Third Young Master makes you utterly vile. Today, I am going to deal with you!" She glanced toward her senior maid, Hongjian.
Understanding the cue, Hongjian raised her voice and commanded, "Drag Hui'er out to the gates of the second courtyard and give her thirty heavy staves! And strip her trousers to strike!"
That instruction—to strip her trousers and beat her—shattered Hui'er's soul entirely. The gates of the second courtyard were where male servants and estate runners constantly moved about; to be beaten with one's trousers stripped meant the complete and utter obliteration of all dignity and face, ensuring she could never hope to marry into a decent family for the rest of her life. She began to wail and shriek aloud, "I was wrong! I was wrong, Madam! Spare me, please! Young miss, young miss, save me..." Before she could even finish, she was seized by several stout maidservants and dragged out.
The room fell so deathly quiet that even the dropping of a needle could be heard. Qin Shi collected herself, looked toward Hongjian once more, and received a validating nod. Hongjian looked down at the three servants kneeling on the floor and declared, "Wu San's wife: strip three months' worth of silver and grain allowance, demote you to keep watch at the gates of the second courtyard, and give thirty slaps across the mouth. Feng Shuang's wife: strip three months' worth of silver and grain allowance, assign you from now on to guard the western gate of the garden, and give thirty slaps across the mouth." Then, turning her eyes to the trembling maid: "Siqiao, you are a maid in the Third Young Master's service, yet you actually committed such an act of betrayal against your master. The household cannot tolerate you. Since your heart is wholly set on serving others, you might as well follow Miss Huan from this day onward. Bring your deed of sale over later, take ten blows of the stave outside, and go back to pack your belongings."
Siqiao burst into loud, bitter sobs. "Madam, Madam, please show mercy! Don't drive me away, I was just blinded by greed this once..." Sobbing uncontrollably, she was dragged away by several female servants.
Qin Shi sat as steady as a bell. "Who else normally serves in Luoxue Lodge?"
Hearing this, Xiulan hurried out from the inner room and knelt before Qin Shi, while Huairui and Old Woman Liu also dropped to their knees nearby. Qin Shi looked them up and down, asking each for their name and how long they had served. She sternly admonished and scolded them, warning that if any of them "dared to instigate their masters into misbehaving, their legs would be broken." Finally, standing tall and rigid, Cao Lihuan received a quiet parting remark: "As for yourself, conduct yourself properly from now on." With that, Qin Shi stood up and walked away, her retinue following in her wake.
Xiulan stood stunned for a long while by Qin Shi's swift and ruthless methods, thinking inwardly, "Qin Shi is certainly formidable. Without even launching a formal interrogation, she directly pinned the blame for spreading rumors on Cao Lihuan. Coming here today was entirely about killing the chicken to scare the monkey, serving as a direct warning directed straight at Cao Lihuan. If Cao Lihuan is smart, she will put away those petty little thoughts from today onward and manage to leave the household safely to marry; but if not..."
Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, a loud crash echoed as Cao Lihuan swept every single teacup off the table down to the floor in a fit of fury, cursing bitterly, "Old hag! Sooner or later, I'll have you hacked to pieces!"
Xiulan lowered her head and silently slipped back into the room. Qin Shi's stern warning would likely prove to be preaching to a deaf ear when it came to Cao Lihuan. Given how Cao Lihuan was accustomed to running her mouth at home—famously declaring, "I don't care what Madam or Grandmother you are; if you cross me and make me uncomfortable, I'll make sure you pay for it"—with such an unrepentant and vindictive temperament, there was no telling what kind of storm she might stir up next.