Matron Li's Impossible Dilemma
He was already inferior to Zhao Jingli in appearance and height. Now, the maid who was originally intended to be his concubine in their second wife's household openly looked down on him and took a fancy to his cousin Zhao Jingli. The young man's fragile self-esteem was greatly hurt.
Zhao Jing'an already disliked Qingliu, and this incident made him even more disgusted with Qingliu.
If it weren't for the fact that Matron Li was the servant her mother relied on most, and her mother couldn't do without her, she wouldn't understand what Zhao Jing'an meant by Qingliu. Zhao Jing'an had already informed his mother and the First Madam to sell Qingliu from the Marquis's mansion or marry her off to some servant or page, so that she wouldn't be an eyesore by his side.
Tonight, Qingliu definitely wanted to climb into Zhao Jingli's bed. But somehow, she accidentally went to the wrong courtyard and ended up in his bed.
Just as he was about to go to bed, he suddenly discovered someone on the bed, a large, white blob, who pounced on him at the sound of movement. Zhao Jing'an was filled with shame and indignation.
Fortunately, he had practiced martial arts since childhood, and instinctively struck, sending the person flying. Otherwise... just thinking about the consequences of having touched Qingliu and having to take her as a concubine made Zhao Jing'an feel it was the greatest disgrace of his life.
Zhao Jingli was well-educated by the First Madam. Although some friends showed him erotic novels, he still had self-control. He felt the same disgust as Zhao Jing'an for these maids who threw themselves at him. He especially disliked Qingliu, who belonged to the second wife but always tried to get close to him.
As the heir apparent, he was not like Zhao Jing'an, who was carefree about everything. He was well aware of the conflicts between the first, second, and third wives.
Second Aunt is always competitive and ambitious, and her words and actions are sharp and sarcastic; Third Aunt appears gentle and weak, but secretly she always stirs up trouble between the eldest and second wives; Third Uncle is always scheming and using petty tricks outside the home.
These concubines have caused their parents countless troubles.
Therefore, no matter what, he would never provoke a second wife's maid like Qingliu who liked to seduce men. If this woman weren't the granddaughter of Matron Li, who served his second aunt, and her personal maid, he would have suggested to his mother long ago that she be sold off.
Hearing Zhao Jing'an say this, he looked at Lady Wei and said coldly, "Second Aunt, did you hear what Second Brother said? Do you have anything else to say?"
Lady Wei ignored him and instead called out to Zhao Jing'an, "Brother An, come here, Mother has something to tell you."
Zhao Jing'an glanced at the First Madam, then at Zhao Jingli, hesitated for a moment with his head down, and finally slowly moved in front of Lady Wei.
But before Lady Wei could speak, he said, "Mother, please don't make me take Qingliu as a concubine. I don't want someone like that. Shameless!"
This sentence successfully shut up what Lady Wei was about to say.
She glared at Zhao Jing'an and whispered, "Qingliu grew up with you since childhood. Matron Li treats you better than her own grandson. Are you really going to kill Qingliu? If Qingliu is beaten thirty times and then sold, will she survive? It's a human life. How can you be so heartless?"
"This..." Zhao Jing'an looked at Qingliu, then at his mother, feeling extremely troubled.
He wasn't a heartless child after all; if Qingliu lost his life because of this, he would feel uneasy.
But the rules of the Marquis's mansion cannot be abolished because of him; taking Qingliu as a Qingliu to save her would make him feel resentful for the rest of his life, and he was not willing to wrong himself for such a person.
After thinking for a moment, he said to the First Madam, "Aunt, how about I take twenty lashes for Qingliu, as a way of repaying the kindness of Matron Li for her years of careful service on behalf of my mother? If you give me twenty lashes, you can give her ten more and sell her off. That wouldn't be breaking the rules of the Marquis's mansion, would it?"
Qingliu had indeed made a mistake, and it was definitely necessary to punish her. However, she was delicate and weak, so she should be able to withstand ten strokes. On the other hand, he had practiced martial arts for many years and was quite muscular, so he should be able to take twenty strokes without any problem.
Upon hearing this, Matron Li's expression changed; the other servants also looked at Matron Li and Qingliu with very strange eyes.
The Marquis's mansion spent money to buy servants, providing them with enough to eat and wear, and giving them a monthly stipend. Although they lost their status and freedom as free citizens, compared to their miserable experiences before being sold—where they could barely survive and died of cold and hunger—at least they had a way to live.
The First Madam was kind and compassionate in managing the household, and she cared for the servants. Even though the Marquis's family was not as prosperous as before, she never cut back on the servants' food and clothing, nor did she ever beat or kill them arbitrarily. To them, such a life was practically an act of kindness.
Having received the money for selling themselves into servitude, eating the food of the Marquis's mansion, and receiving a monthly stipend, isn't serving their master their duty?
Matron Li's monthly allowance and usual bonuses were more generous than those of the unfavored concubines in the Marquis's mansion. How could her work be considered a favor? Her granddaughter committed such a shameless act, yet not only was she not implicated, she even dared to use this favor to make the young master take the beating for her granddaughter. How could she be so shameless?
Matron Li's face turned from blue to red. She pulled Qingliu down to kneel, but didn't utter a single word.
As a long-time servant who had served Lady Wei for many years, how could she possibly know the disadvantages of remaining silent and rejecting Zhao Jing'an's suggestion at this moment? However...
Originally, the two ladies were at odds. If the second lady had been more assertive, the first lady would have compromised a bit for the sake of the peace of the household, and the thirty strokes of the cane could have been reduced.
But once Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an got involved, they immediately finalized the punishment. Qingliu was definitely going to receive thirty lashes.
Because of her relationship with her parents, even being a maid was the easiest job for Qingliu; she had never suffered hardship. Thirty strokes of the cane would either kill her or leave her half-dead. If she were sold again, without proper care and treatment, she would surely die.
If she rejected Zhao Jing'an's suggestion at this point, she would preserve her position by Lady Wei's side, but her granddaughter's life would likely be in danger.
Should he choose his position by the Lady Wei family's side, or his granddaughter's life? This was a dilemma.
The First Madam wasn't about to play the villain, so she directly threw the question to Lady Wei, "Second Sister-in-law, what do you think of Brother An's suggestion?"
Lady Wei remained silent, her eyes fixed on Zhao Jing'an, seemingly considering his suggestion, but in reality, she was waiting for Matron Li to step forward and reject Zhao Jing'an.
Seeing that Matron Li remained silent for a long time, she finally couldn't help but ask coldly, "Matron Li, what do you mean by that?"
How precious is Qingliu, a lowly maid? That she deserves to have the young master of the Marquis's mansion take the beating for her? Not even one beating, let alone twenty. If Matron Li dares to suggest that her son take the beating for her granddaughter, she'll kill that whole family.
"Grandmother!" Upon seeing this, Qingliu panicked and shook her, crying, "Grandmother, save me!"