A Heavy Loss
Because her granddaughter was beautiful, Matron Li hoped she would amount to something. Even if she didn't become a concubine, she could ask the madam for mercy and let her marry a scholar or a minor official—with the Marquis's mansion as her backing, and since Qingliu was literate, even if she came from a maid's background, someone would still be willing to marry her. Therefore, Qingliu was valued and doted on by Matron Li from a young age.
Now, the thought of watching her die was too much for Matron Li to bear.
Qingliu's mother, Matron Wu, who had arrived in the courtyard at some point, suddenly knelt down at Matron Li's feet. "Mother, you can't abandon Qingliu!"
Because it was Qingliu who had been involved, someone she knew had already informed her. Knowing that her daughter had committed a shameful act, she didn't dare to make a fuss when she arrived. She simply stood quietly near Matron Li and Qingliu, observing how things would unfold.
Now that her daughter's life is at stake, she can't remain silent.
Seeing her daughter-in-law kneeling at her feet, and her son following suit at the front of the crowd, Matron Li finally gritted her teeth and knelt before Lady Wei: "I beg you, Madam, to save Qingliu's life."
She dared not ask Zhao Jing'an to take the beating for Qingliu; she could only plead like this. No matter what method Lady Wei used, as long as Qingliu's life was saved, that was enough.
If she were an ordinary servant, she naturally wouldn't dare to do such a thing. But over the years, she had done so much for Lady Wei Lady Wei. Not only her, but also her son and daughter-in-law had done many shameful things for Lady Wei.
With these leverages in her hands, she decided to take a gamble, betting that Lady Wei wouldn't dare abandon her family because of this.
Without her, without her family, Lady Wei would be like someone missing an arm, unable to do anything properly.
Moreover, the First Madam has always been kind and generous. She genuinely loves all the children in the manor, whether they are her own children, illegitimate children, or children from other branches of the household. She would never actually punish Zhao Jing'an for Qingliu's mistake.
Looking at the Matron Li family kneeling on the ground, Lady Wei felt a surge of hatred. She hated the First Madam for insisting on following the rules, and she also hated Matron Li for having the audacity to try to make Zhao Jing'an take the beating for her granddaughter.
"Matron Li, so you mean you want the second young master to take the beating for Qingliu?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"This old servant dares not. This old servant only begs Madam to save Qingliu." Matron Li kowtowed several times to Lady Wei.
Qingliu and her parents also banged their heads on the ground with a loud "thump, thump."
"Still saying you wouldn't dare? You saw it yourself just now, not only the First Madam, but even the Young Master insisted on following the rules."
Lady Wei had a bad temper to begin with, and in recent years, because of her father's promotion, she dared to be presumptuous even in front of the old lady and the first wife, and was domineering in front of her husband. How could she tolerate the servants daring to treat her like this?
Filled with rage at being betrayed by her servant, she said coldly, her face grim, "Are you forcing me? Your granddaughter made a mistake, and you feel sorry for her and won't let her be punished, but you want my son to take the punishment for her?"
Matron Li burst into tears, kowtowing repeatedly as she cried, "This old servant wouldn't dare! This old servant didn't mean that! This old servant only wants you, Madam, to plead for Qingliu and spare her life!"
"Madam, Madam, it is the father's fault if his son is not taught properly. I failed to teach Qingliu well, and she made a grave mistake. Let this servant bear these thirty strokes of the cane!" Qingliu's father crawled to the feet of the Madam and kowtowed.
"This servant is willing to take the beating in my daughter's place," Qingliu's mother said, then called out to Lady Wei, "Second Madam, please calm down. My mother truly did not mean for the Second Young Master to take the beating in Qingliu's place."
"This servant is willing to take the beating for my sister." A boy of about ten years old squeezed out from the crowd and knelt down beside Matron Li.
"Your family is so loving and respectful, how could you raise such a shameless daughter? Are you all hoping she'll become half a mistress of the Marquis's mansion so you can hold your head high?" the First Madam said calmly.
The onlookers, who had initially been moved by the Li family, began to have a negative impression of them after hearing the First Madam's words.
"Fine, if I insist on the original punishment, it would make me seem cold-hearted and heartless." In any case, the goal of sowing discord between Lady Wei and Matron Li has been achieved.
"Li Mu, Li Mu's family, you each take ten lashes for your daughter, and Qingliu will give her ten more. But after that, your whole family can no longer stay in the manor; you will all be sold off."
The First Madam glanced at them and asked, "Do you have any objections to this decision?"
"Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Madam." Li Mu and his wife kowtowed repeatedly.
Having lived in the Marquis's mansion for many years, they had accumulated some wealth, which should be enough to redeem themselves.
If all else fails, the Second Madam can simply buy them out and put them in her shop. After all, they are the Second Madam's personal servants, and their indentures are in her hands; it's just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other, so the Second Madam wouldn't have to lose any money.
They didn't want to be bought back by the Second Madam unless absolutely necessary. Having served Lady Wei for so many years, they knew that Lady Wei was extremely petty and vindictive.
Today, for Qingliu's sake, they forced Lady Wei to plead for them. Lady Wei probably hates them even more now. If they buy them, they might just resell them to the mines. This woman is ruthless; what wouldn't she do?
As trusted confidants, they had done many things for Lady Wei over the years. If they weren't bought back by the Second Madam and left the manor like this, would the Second Madam let them go? Perhaps the moment they left the manor, the Second Madam would send someone to silence them.
Realizing there was no way out, the family was filled with fear and regretted their impulsive act of kneeling down to plead for their daughter.
At this point, Lady Wei calmed down and began to regret pushing the Li family to this point.
She could buy back the Li family members who had been sold, but they could never return to the Marquis's mansion; they could only be used in the shop. In this way, she would have one less trusted confidant in the Marquis's mansion.
The Li family is in great danger outside. If they are threatened or bribed, the chances of them betraying her are much greater than if she were kept in the mansion.
But she also realized that the First Madam seemed to be deliberately targeting her today, and would definitely not give her a chance to plead for mercy. Qingliu's thirty lashes and the fate of being sold off were unavoidable. If it wasn't her own parents who shared the burden, it would be Zhao Jing'an, who had volunteered to do so. Compared to her son, a family of servants was not so important.
Thinking of her losses, and glancing at Zhao Jingli standing beside the First Madam, Lady Wei felt an intense hatred for the First Madam.
"Execute her. But this is my maidservant; how she is sold and where she is sold is none of your concern, Madam," she said with an icy expression.
Having achieved her goal in making this scene, the First Madam no longer bothered to argue with Lady Wei and directly ordered, "Take Li Mu's wife and Qingliu to the inner courtyard."
Then she looked at Zhao Jingli and said, "Young Master Li, I'm entrusting Li Mu to you."