freenovelworld Chapter 17 Xiren
Chapter 17 Xiren
Trapped, Xiren struggled desperately, but she was no match for these old women. The leader of the old women slapped her several times, whispering viciously, "You little slut, you dare to resist!"
He then said to the others, "Quickly take her to the flower hall, and be quick about it."
Soon, Xiren was tied up by several people and dragged to the backyard flower hall.
As the group entered the flower hall, Xiren, who was still struggling, saw the Second Madam sitting in the flower hall. Xiren's face turned pale, and her strength was suddenly drained, causing her to collapse uncontrollably to the ground.
Madam Wang walked up to her, looked down at Xiren, and sneered twice: "You shameless woman, you are the one who seduces men and doesn't learn good manners, yet you dare to show off your words in front of me. If I hadn't come at the right time today, I wouldn't have known that the Jia family had produced someone like you!"
Xiren was cunning and knew that Lady Wang hated women who seduced Baoyu and caused him to go astray. Therefore, she always presented herself as virtuous, gentle, kind, and well-mannered in front of Lady Wang. Who knew that she would be caught red-handed for indulging herself today?
She's finished!
Tears streamed down her face. She wanted to say something, but because her mouth was gagged, she could only make muffled sounds and couldn't speak.
Xi Ren was no longer the dignified woman she usually was. Her delicate face was red and swollen from the slaps from the old woman, her hair was disheveled from the struggle, her clothes were torn and messy, and her eyes were filled with fear and regret. She looked extremely disheveled.
Seeing her like this, Madam Wang could no longer suppress her anger. She grabbed her hair and said, "You think you're so clever? You got the old lady to put you next to Baoyu, flirting with men while trying to please me, making us all run around like fools! Huh!"
Madam Wang was so angry that her eyes were blazing with fury. She threw the person to the ground and kicked him several times.
The bound Xiren was in pain, but could only roll on the ground.
Zhou Rui's wife walked to Madam Wang's side with a shiny black riding whip: "Madam, this little slut is not worth you doing it yourself. Let me teach her a lesson for you."
Lady Wang's anger intensified, but she also knew that this matter could not be delayed and that Xiren needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Otherwise, while she could vent her anger if things dragged on, if word got out and others found out, Baoyu's reputation would be ruined.
Especially the master's place.
Yesterday, the master disciplined Baoyu because of Jinchuan. If the master finds out about what happened today, even if the old lady tries to persuade him, Baoyu will be half dead if he doesn't die.
Looking at Zhou Rui's wife, Madam Wang suppressed her anger and said, "Find an empty room where no one goes, and give her fifty lashes. After dark, send her to the estate overnight. If she's not dead, marry her off to anyone. Baoyu is not allowed to see her or hear any news about her again."
"Yes, Madam!"
Zhou Rui's wife obeyed the order and personally led people to take Xiren away.
In an empty house, Xiren looked at the old woman with a sinister smile and a horsewhip in her hand with fear, and desperately shook her head and hid behind her.
'Snapped'
The whip fell with a whooshing sound.
An intense pain swept through her body instantly, and Xiren almost fainted from the blow.
Before she could catch her breath, the second lash came down hard.
'smack'
She wanted to scream, but she couldn't shout out; she could only sob in her throat.
Xiren was whipped so badly by the horsewhip that she was nearly killed, her body covered in wounds.
At this moment, the maids and servants of Yihong Courtyard also returned. The servants and older women were strictly ordered to return to their rooms and not come out. The remaining maids knelt in rows in the flower hall according to their rank, each one silent and not daring to breathe.
Madam Wang's gaze slowly swept over the girls, as if trying to discern something from them.
Seven senior maids—Qingwen, Sheyue, Qiuwen, Bihen, Qixian, Tanyun, and Zixiao—knelt at the front, followed by a group of junior maids including Xiaosi'er, Zhuier, Liang'er, Jiahui, Chunyan, Moyu, Boli, and Xiaohong.
They were all bewildered when Madam Wang sent people to find them. Although they didn't understand what was going on, they knew from Madam Wang's unfriendly expression that it wasn't a good thing. They could only silently guess in their hearts what had happened in the garden, or what the fool in Yihong Courtyard had done wrong to make this usually good-natured second madam so angry!
The second wife's face was gloomy and she didn't say a word. The old nannies beside her also stared intently. The atmosphere in the flower hall was so stagnant that it was almost suffocating.
The terrifying atmosphere filled the maids, who had never even received a harsh word from their masters, with immense fear. They disregarded their aching knees and struggled to keep their bodies still, cold sweat unknowingly sliding down their cheeks.
After an unknown amount of time, Madam Wang's inexplicable voice echoed above them.
“Look up at me, everyone.”
Upon hearing this, everyone suppressed their fear and looked up, only to see Madam Wang staring at them with a gaze that seemed to devour them.
"Xiren used to pretend to be gentle and virtuous, which made the old lady and me think she was a good person. Who knew that she was good at pretending to be compliant but secretly stealing property from the mansion. Fortunately, she was caught today and reported to Rongxi Hall in time. Only then did I realize that there was such a cunning servant in this mansion."
I've already dealt with her, but she said she has a few accomplices in this yard, and I'll have to find them all today.
In a little while, I will have the mothers around you go back into the house and search the place yourselves.
"Those who have never done anything wrong have nothing to fear; a clear conscience fears no accusation. But those who have done wrong, hmph!" Madam Wang snorted coldly, her gaze falling on Qingwen.
This maid is the prettiest in the Grand View Garden. If we were to say who in the Grand View Garden is most likely to have a romantic relationship with Baoyu, it would be this Qingwen.
However, Lady Wang is determined to thoroughly investigate all the maids in Yihong Courtyard today, not just Qingwen, but all of Baoyu's other maids.
As for those women who are already married and have been given away...
Madam Wang knew her son well enough to know that he always liked young, unmarried girls and would never have any designs on married women. So she simply sent all the old maids and wives back to their rooms and had them do a symbolic search.
She covered up the affair between Baoyu and Xiren by saying that Xiren had been punished for stealing property from the mansion, and that this was a good excuse to check on the remaining maids.
“You can all follow Granny Li and the others one by one. Let them search you in front of you, so that they won’t accuse me of wrongdoing if they find something in the search.”
Lady Wang, feigning concern, gave the orders as if she genuinely wanted to search for stolen goods but feared the maids on the ground might be wrongly accused.
She secretly gave a wink to Li Mama beside her. After Li Mama saw it, a strange look flashed in her eyes. She led two other nannies and walked up to Qingwen first, saying in a cold tone, "Miss Qingwen, come with us first."