Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Zong Xian's behavior at this moment had already crossed the line, and Ming Yi suddenly released his hands from his grasp and quickly dodged away.

She was stiff as a startled rabbit.

Every pore and every hair on Mingyi's body was screaming frantically for him to run away before he could even speak!

But Hua Yan's cries for mercy froze her in place, and Mingyi couldn't move her feet.

Zong Xian's hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then casually withdrew it and put it behind his back.

He was the master of the clan and never cared about the life or death of a servant, but he never once said he wanted Hua Yan's life.

He wasn't that kind of bloodthirsty person, and besides, Hua Yan was the old lady's person. But seeing that Ming Yi had misunderstood and looked at him with fear and timidity, he deliberately didn't explain.

Just when Mingyi thought that Zongxian would take the opportunity to make some outrageous demands, she didn't expect that Zongxian would let Huayan off the hook like this.

However, this did not mean that he would not pursue the matter further; Hua Yan was ultimately handed over to Madam Zong for disposal.

This is already the best possible outcome.

This time, Zong Xian completely overturned Mingyi's perception of him, and he personally shattered the hero filter in her eyes.

Mingyi hurriedly returned to Shuangxu Garden, feeling a chill down her spine. She belatedly realized that she was sweating profusely.

Yuegui was also terrified, and her legs were still trembling.

"Young lady, will Hua Yan be severely punished?"

Yuegui asked this not because she was worried about Huayan, but because she was concerned about their situation.

Madam Zong was a vegetarian and a Buddhist, and she usually had a compassionate heart and rarely punished her servants.

This time, it was Second Master who wanted to stand up for Mingyi, and of all people to punish, it had to be Huayan. With this punishment, Huayan would never be able to become Zongxian's concubine.

It's easy to imagine how uncomfortable the old lady would feel. After all, the matter was caused by Ji Mingyi, and it's hard to guarantee that the old lady wouldn't take her anger out on her. Even if she doesn't do anything on the surface, there are too many ways to torment people in the inner quarters.

Upon hearing Yuegui mention this matter, Mingyi finally shifted her focus away from Zongxian.

She was always quick-witted and cautious, and she immediately thought of what Yuegui was worried about, but she was very helpless.

"What can I do now? I've done everything I can. Why did Hua Yan have to keep bothering me?"

If it happened again, she would still teach Hua Yan a lesson.

People like Hua Yan are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. They need to be dealt with decisively once and for all, otherwise she'll cause trouble later.

Mingyi only intended to scare Huayan; she didn't really plan to take it to the old lady.

After all, Madam Zong was a very shrewd and perceptive matriarch of a prominent family. If she were to discover Zong Xian's intentions, Mingyi might face two different fates.

First, before Xie Huaiyu returns, Madam Zong will use threats and inducements to force her to become Zong Xian's concubine. After all, in this family, no one is more important than Zong Xian.

Secondly, Madam Zong thought she was too seductive and dissolute to be worthy of Zong Xian, so she secretly killed her and then casually told the outside world that she died of illness. Who cares about the life or death of an orphan?

Once she dies, how will Mingzhe and the silly Yuegui survive?

Just thinking about it made Mingyi's scalp tingle and her lips lose all color.

Her gaze fell on the handkerchief on the table, she bit her lip, then turned to ask Yuegui for a pair of scissors.

Then he cut the handkerchief he had lost and found into tiny pieces.

It seemed that this would completely dispel the shadows that lingered in her heart.

-

A series of piercing screams echoed from the courtyard where the servants lived.

The servants of the mansion gathered here, standing in rows, forced to watch Hua Yan being beaten.

No one knew what mistake Hua Yan had made, but seeing Chang Yu watching her, everyone guessed that things were probably not simple.

Hua Yan received ten lashes on her buttocks and fainted before she could finish.

Madam Cui instructed two maids to carry the person inside, then sent someone to fetch a doctor, and finally addressed the crowd with a stern face:

"Hua Yan has acted disrespectfully towards her master. Our old lady is kind-hearted, but she dislikes servants who overstep their bounds and fail to recognize their place. Hua Yan's punishment is a clear message to everyone: whoever makes a mistake in the Zong family will be punished!"

"Take this as a warning, everyone, stay true to yourselves, and do not imitate those who have made mistakes. Alright, everyone, disperse!"

The servants lowered their heads and immediately dispersed.

Each person had a different expression.

Although Madam Cui did not explicitly say which master Hua Yan had offended, there were not many masters in the Zong family, and with the steward of Songhe Garden standing there, everyone easily guessed that it was the Second Master.

Only after two maids had walked away did they dare to whisper among themselves.

"I thought Sister Hua Yan was about to become the Second Master's concubine, but... how could she be so careless?"

"Ha, got carried away! Serves him right!"

Some of the servants had long disliked Hua Yan's arrogant and haughty demeanor, and they were overjoyed to see her punished.

Only Chun Tao, a fellow villager who was close to Hua Yan, rushed to visit her.

"Why did you have to make a mistake at this crucial moment? And of all times, you had to offend the Second Master!"

Hua Yan lay on the couch, tears streaming down her face: "It's already like this, does that mean if this hadn't happened today, I would have won his favor?"

Chun Tao is Cui Mama's goddaughter. Cui Mama had just told her that Hua Yan was about to have a great opportunity.

Chun Tao pressed her for details, and Cui Mama, annoyed by her persistent questioning, revealed that the old lady and the second master were planning to promote Hua Yan.

Chun Tao was happy for Hua Yan. She had wanted to give Hua Yan a surprise, but less than half a day later, news spread that Hua Yan had been punished!

Chun Tao was quite taken aback. Seeing Hua Yan's dejected look, she simply told her everything.

Hua Yan's eyes widened like copper bells after hearing this, and she was completely stunned.

"What did you say?"

Chun Tao stood up and said, "I'm telling you, if you hadn't acted foolishly today, you would have been one of Second Master's concubines long ago!"

Hua Yan wanted to cry but had no tears, filled with regret.

She thought that the Second Master didn't even look at her, and in her disheartened state, she went to Ji Mingyi to vent her anger!

If she had known that she already had a chance to become Zong Xian's concubine, she wouldn't have cared whose handkerchief Zong Xian was hiding.

She regretted it so much!

"So, what exactly happened?" Chun Tao sat down again, puzzled. "I don't believe you would be so reckless as to speak so disrespectfully to Second Master."

"You're right. Even if I were arrogant, how dare I be arrogant enough to presume upon Second Master?"

Hua Yan raised her hand to wipe away her tears, sighed first, and then slowly told Chun Tao the whole story.

Chun Tao looked surprised. "It's actually related to Miss Cousin? So Second Master punished you for Miss Cousin's sake!"

Chun Tao looked incredulous, but when she thought of Ji Mingyi's attractive face, she felt that it made some sense.

Hua Yan quickly covered her mouth, "You know it in your heart, but don't say it out loud. I've ended up in this state because of what I said."

Hua Yan was now filled with deep regret.

She was too foolish. Zong Xian hid Ji Mingyi's handkerchief. What was he thinking? How could a servant like her have the right to question him?

She impulsively took the lead and exposed the truth for them; she was so foolish!