Chapter 5: Punishing the Wicked Servant

Xiao Tao’s mother and her family followed behind her, kowtowing. "We beg the noble lady to make the decision for us."

Xiao Tao’s mother’s mother was filled with bitter resentment. She had originally seen that Zhao Sheng was wealthy and attentive to her daughter; while she certainly had intentions of marrying her daughter off in exchange for silver, she had genuinely hoped her daughter would live a good life.

Who would have thought she would marry such a wretched piece of trash!

"Nanny An, you are the head nanny by the Madam’s side. Tell me, how should this be handled?" Tang Zhao looked toward the person standing to the side.

Nanny An’s eyelids twitched; she knew she could no longer hide. "Replying to the Eldest Miss, in this old servant’s opinion, it must be punished severely!"

Zhao Sheng’s howling came to a halt, and he turned his head in disbelief.

"As a household servant, Zhao Sheng dared to marry a woman of good standing as a concubine without permission. This is simply lawless; if not punished severely, it will not be enough to deter the others."

Upon hearing that she had actually married a servant—and as a concubine at that—Xiao Tao’s mother fainted on the spot.

Xiao Tao’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law held their daughter and sister, crying as if their hearts were breaking.

They were wrong, terribly wrong. They shouldn't have been greedy for those twenty taels of bride price, ruining their daughter’s entire life!

Qiu Yu found the noise irritating and ordered people to take Xiao Tao’s family away.

"With those words from you, Nanny, I am at ease," Tang Zhao tapped her teacup lightly. "Someone, drag this insolent slave away and give him twenty strokes of the cane!"

Before Zhao Sheng could react, he was dragged out and strapped to the punishment bench.

The black-clad guard swung the thick, red wooden staff—as wide as an adult man’s forearm—with a whistling force.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

Zhao Sheng let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.

"One, two, three," Qiu Yu counted with a grin. "Thank you for your hard work, Guard. Our young lady has prepared a banquet; we’ll add a dish for everyone at lunch."

The black-clad guard gave a polite refusal, but his hands exerted even more force.

Qiu Yu leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Zhao Sheng, are you satisfied with ending up like this?"

Zhao Sheng was in too much pain to even retort.

"You are a smart man; you should understand who your master is now, and who is the only one who can let you live!"

In that instant, it clicked for Zhao Sheng.

"E-Eldest Miss, this servant wants to report... report Steward An! Steward An is a servant bullying his master!"

"Stop!" Qiu Yu felt a surge of joy and ran back, holding up her skirt, to report.

"Eldest Miss, the words of such an insolent slave cannot be trusted," Nanny An gritted her teeth. "I beg Miss Qiu Yu not to repeat the slanders of a petty person, lest you dirty the Eldest Miss’s ears."

Qiu Yu ignored her completely.

"Bring him back," Tang Zhao ordered.

The man was quickly carried back. Nanny An had intended to intimidate him with a few words, but seeing him beaten into a bloody mess, she shut her mouth in fright.

"Speak," Tang Zhao said, expressionless, as if she couldn't smell the blood that had instantly permeated the air. "This is your last chance."

Zhao Sheng was terrified out of his wits and spilled everything at once. "This servant deserves to die! This servant was blinded by greed and dared to lie before the Eldest Miss. This servant won't dare again!"

"Get to the point," Tang Zhao said impatiently, suppressing her disgust.

"Yes, this servant lied. There was no fire, and the goods were not burned. It was Steward An who ordered this servant to come up with any excuse. Not only to keep the silver from the Cloth Shop but also to retrieve the money sent over by the other manors and shops in the past few days!"

"Shut your mouth!" Nanny An was furious. She stepped forward and raised her hand. "How dare you spout such nonsense in front of the Eldest Miss!"

Qiu Yu raised her hand and grabbed Nanny An’s arm mid-swing. "The young lady hasn't spoken yet; how dare you overstep your bounds, Nanny!"

"This old servant is acting in the Eldest Miss’s best interest," Nanny An said, enraged after failing to pull her arm back several times. "A mere first-class maid, daring to be insolent before me."

Seeing this old woman jumping around endlessly, Tang Zhao’s respect for her elders was completely worn away. "Slap her!"

Nanny An didn't hear clearly and was preparing to continue her tantrum when—*slap!*—a heavy blow landed on her face.

Nanny An saw stars and, losing her footing, fell to the ground.

"Nanny An, you are indeed the head nanny given to the young lady by the Madam, but don't forget: no matter how noble a servant is, they are still a servant. In front of the Eldest Miss, is there any place for your insolence?" Qiu Yu said sternly.

Nanny An suddenly realized that this was not the Duke of Wei’s mansion. The one in charge was no longer the Madam, but the Eldest Miss she had never once taken seriously!

*Nurturing a tiger leads to disaster,* she thought. The Madam should have listened to her and killed Tang Zhao early on to prevent future trouble!

"Nanny, you are getting on in years and shouldn't overexert yourself. Don't get involved in these trivial matters anymore; go back to your room and rest."

"Thank you for your consideration, Eldest Miss," Nanny An realized the situation and became obedient.

Seeing Nanny An so severely disciplined, Zhao Sheng lost all his nerve. "Steward An is the Eldest Miss’s dowry head steward, and also the Madam’s personal servant; she is deeply trusted by the Madam."

"Before the Eldest Miss was married off, Steward An called all of us in to give us a warning, telling us to keep our eyes open and see clearly who the real master is."

"Do you know why, out of so many stewards, I chose to target you?" Tang Zhao asked in return.

That was true—what was special about him? Zhao Sheng was puzzled. He had embezzled a bit of money, but compared to other stewards, it was negligible. He had secretly married a woman of good standing, but in such matters, if the people don't sue, the officials don't investigate—who would care?

Why him, specifically?

If there was one thing that made him different from the others, it was...

Zhao Sheng’s eyes widened.

"You’ve figured it out, Zhao Sheng," Tang Zhao chuckled. "Or perhaps I should call you, Song Sheng."

Nanny Song could no longer bear it; she stepped up and kicked him hard twice. "Eldest Miss... the late Madam trusted you so much, promoting you from a third-class servant to a shop manager. Is this how you repay the late Madam?"

Zhao Sheng—no, Song Sheng—heard the words "late Madam" and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. "I had no choice, I had no choice! After the late Madam passed, those of us who came with her dowry were bullied everywhere. Once the new Madam entered the house, except for a few who defected, the rest were all sent to the manors. Over these ten years, some died and some were crippled. I didn't want to die, I really had no choice!"

He hadn't defected to the new Madam from the start. After the late Madam passed, he was removed from his position as manager and spent five years as a common laborer, bullied at every turn. In the end, he married a first-class maid from the new Madam’s side and took his wife’s surname, only then slowly working his way back to being a manager.

Thinking of those years of struggle, Song Sheng said with regret, "Eldest Miss, this servant was wrong. This servant betrayed his master and forgot her kindness. I have no face to live in this world anymore. I beg the Eldest Miss to grant me death!"

"I am not a magistrate in a government office, letting people die with a clear conscience before sentencing them. I will only ask you one thing," Tang Zhao walked up to him. "Do you want to abandon the darkness for the light, or do you want to walk down this path of no return?"

Song Sheng hadn't expected to have a chance at survival. "If the Eldest Miss does not discard me, this servant is willing to serve you faithfully."

"Good. You don't need me to teach you what to say when you go back, do you?"

"This servant understands," Song Sheng hesitated. "But Nanny An..."

"She won't have the chance to pass on a single word," Tang Zhao said softly. "As for today’s events, no one but you is allowed to speak a word of it."

Song Sheng felt a chill and swore to the heavens that he would keep his mouth shut.

"Go back and organize the real account books. Someone will come to collect them in a few days. Go."

Song Sheng nodded repeatedly, and before he could express his loyalty again, he was carried out.

(End of chapter)