Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Lu Zijin thought for a moment and then spoke, giving orders. “Punishing you like this isn’t enough. Qing Zhi, go summon everyone in the mansion to my courtyard. Let them see the consequences of disrespecting me and the master. Only then will these disloyal people learn their lesson.”

“Yes, young miss,” Qing Zhi replied. She quickly sent the servants and maids in the courtyard to fetch others.

Lu Zijin’s courtyard was vast, large enough to hold over a hundred people.

In less than half an hour, all the maids, servants, and even the stable boys who tended the horses arrived. At first, the crowd was noisy. But when they saw the ashen-faced people lying on the ground, the servants immediately quieted down.

Qing Zhi shouted from the front, “Everyone line up and stand properly. Be quiet. If you want to be beaten, there’s a bench ready.”

The crowd instantly fell silent. People glanced at each other, some unsure of the situation. Only those near Jingchen Courtyard knew what had just happened.

The steward, Huang Ming, arrived with four servants who worked under him. He looked around, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, especially when he saw Cao Qiushuang and Yun Xiang lying on the ground. The steward immediately stepped forward, knelt, and bowed to Lu Zijin, seeking forgiveness.

After kneeling, he kowtowed three times to Lu Zijin and Wei Lan, then spoke. “I failed to manage the household strictly. Please, young miss and master, punish me.”

Lu Zijin glanced at him faintly and said, “Stand up. Today’s matter doesn’t concern you much. You’ve worked hard this past year.”

“This old servant doesn’t dare take credit. I’m ashamed, truly ashamed. Please, young miss, punish me,” the steward said, remaining kneeling with his head bowed.

Lu Zijin stood and paced a few steps casually, speaking calmly. “My brother passed away. This past year, the Lu Mansion has been like a piece of fat meat everyone’s eyeing, wanting a share. To keep the mansion’s foundation from crumbling in my hands, I’ve been running around outside daily to stabilize the business.”

Lu Zijin sighed and continued, “I’m truly grateful to everyone. You didn’t leave when the Lu Mansion faced turmoil. Especially you, Steward Huang, I know your struggles this year. Keeping the mansion stable was no easy task.”

Her gaze swept over the hundred servants below. “But this year, I haven’t had time to manage the household. As a result, many have acted recklessly, disrespecting the mansion’s masters. Some are even spies planted by others to watch me. Since they’ve bullied me to this point, I can’t sit idly by. Today, we’ll settle all accounts properly.”

Some in the crowd couldn’t stand steady, especially Tian Da. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and he trembled with guilt. The young miss never cared about these matters before. Why was she suddenly cracking down on the mansion’s affairs?

Lu Zijin pointed at the people lying on the ground and said, “Cao Qiushuang slandered the master and disrespected him. I had him beaten with sixty strikes. As for Li Zhufeng and the others, as maids in the master’s courtyard, they didn’t think of the master’s well-being and slandered him. They each received twenty strikes. Oh, and the remaining eight people, who followed the crowd and disrespected the master, each got twenty strikes.”

“Yes,” the guards responded.

“Young miss, spare us! Master, spare us! We won’t dare again,” some pleaded.

“We truly won’t dare again,” others added.

Twenty strikes sounded light, but it was enough to tear skin and flesh. The guards, eager to prove their loyalty to Lu Zijin, struck harder than ever, using all their strength.

The guards acted efficiently, tying two people to the bench and starting the punishment with wooden sticks.

Screams echoed in the courtyard. Some maids and servants were so frightened they cried. Others’ legs gave out, and they knelt. Seeing others kneel, the rest followed, until over a hundred people knelt in a dark mass across the courtyard.

Lu Zijin didn’t say much, only glancing faintly at them. The courtyard was eerily quiet, filled only with the dull sound of sticks hitting flesh, mixed with the guards’ screams and pleas for mercy.

After two people finished their punishment, two more took their place. This continued until all eight had received their twenty strikes. Over a dozen people lay on the ground, all but Yun Xiang with torn, bleeding backs.

Lu Zijin looked at the guards and said, “Lock the courtyard gate. Send a few people to guard it. Until today’s reckoning is over, no one leaves.”

“Yes, young miss!” the guards replied. After discussing, six of them went to lock the gate, standing there with swords to prevent anyone from escaping.

The kneeling maids and servants were terrified, especially those with guilty consciences. The maids and servants from Fuqu Pavilion were too scared to lift their heads. With the two maids beaten so badly, wouldn’t they be beaten to death?

Lu Zijin sat back in her chair, her face showing little emotion. She spoke calmly, “Qianxue, read the names next. I’m a bit tired.”

“Yes, young miss,” Qianxue replied, pulling out a prepared sheet of paper from her sleeve, waiting for Lu Zijin’s instructions.

Lu Zijin’s gaze slowly swept over the kneeling servants. She said, “Since my brother passed away, people have constantly been bribed by outsiders. Many in the mansion are taking two salaries, aren’t they? Taking the Lu Mansion’s silver while selling its secrets for outside money. You’ve made quite the calculation.”

She sighed and continued, “But I’m not easily fooled. I despise disloyal people the most. Such dogs are useless to me. Qianxue, start reading the names. Those named will be tied up and given one hundred strikes each.”

“Yes!” the guards responded eagerly.

Qianxue unfolded the paper and began reading the names. “Accountant, Li Xu.”

A man in the crowd kept his head down, not daring to look up. Those around him turned to stare.

The guards rushed over, pulled Li Xu out, and pressed him before Lu Zijin and Wei Lan.

Li Xu was so frightened he nearly fainted. One hundred strikes meant death. He cried, “Young miss, spare me! Spare me! I know nothing, truly nothing!”

Lu Zijin smiled at him. “Is that so? People from Liu’s Rice Shop met you multiple times. You visited Boss Liu’s home several times, staying for an afternoon or returning late at night. What did you do at Boss Liu’s house? Surely not just chatting?”

Lu Zijin didn’t bother wasting words with him. She waved her hand, signaling the guards to start beating.

Li Xu hadn’t expected Lu Zijin to know everything. As he was tied to the bench, he was so scared he wet his pants. The two guards beating him grew more disgusted, relentlessly striking his back with thick wooden sticks.

“Ah! It hurts! Young miss, spare me! I’m a beast, disloyal. I won’t dare again, young miss. Please, one hundred strikes will kill me…” Li Xu’s wails continued.

Lu Zijin looked at him coldly, as if signaling this time was meant to kill him.

Screams filled the courtyard, shifting from heart-wrenching to silent. Li Xu had fainted after only forty-some strikes.

A clever guard fetched water to splash him awake, and the beating continued.

As an accountant, Li Xu often tried to tamper with the mansion’s finances. But with three accountants checking the books to prevent fraud, he hadn’t succeeded despite being bribed.

The sound of strikes echoed in the courtyard. By the eightieth strike, splashing water no longer woke him. The guards saw Lu Zijin still sitting calmly without speaking, so they continued beating.

They understood today was the young miss’s reckoning for the past year. Anyone who provoked her today truly didn’t want to live.

At ninety-some strikes, a guard checked Li Xu’s breath and looked at Lu Zijin in panic. “Young miss, he… he’s not breathing.”

Lu Zijin maintained her impassive expression. “Why panic? If he’s dead, throw him aside. Deal with them all later.”

“Yes,” the guards replied. They untied the ropes and carried Li Xu to an empty spot.

Qianxue picked up the paper again, preparing to read the next name.

Those with guilty consciences trembled like sieves. Some didn’t dare make a sound but were already crying in fear. This was truly beating people to death.

One servant couldn’t bear it anymore. He crawled out from the crowd, trembling. “Young miss, spare me. It’s my fault, but I’m just a gardener. I didn’t leak any useful information. Young miss, spare me!”

Lu Zijin raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “I’m a bit thirsty. Prepare tea for me and the master. This mansion is truly riddled with holes. It seems we’ll need to beat for a while.”

“Yes,” Qing Zhi replied, quickly sending someone to prepare tea.

Lu Zijin saw the guards still standing idly and said, “What are you waiting for? Continue.”

“Yes, young miss,” the guards replied. They tied the gardener to the bench, and the sticks struck flesh again. Two new guards took over, as beating one hundred strikes was physically exhausting, so they rotated.

Wei Lan watched the scene without discomfort, instead admiring Lu Zijin’s decisiveness. Managing the shops outside, handling the mansion’s affairs, and guarding against schemes alone showed being a rich woman wasn’t easy.

Wei Lan sipped her tea, sweet with honey. She drank a few more sips, then handed the cup to a nearby maid. Lu Zijin did the same.

One by one, people were called out. Screams continued as the sky darkened.

Lu Zijin had lamps lit, illuminating the courtyard like daylight.

Qianxue read the last name on the paper, the sixth. “Tian Da.”

As Qianxue spoke, Tian Da bolted from the crowd, running toward the gate. But with guards blocking it, he ran around the courtyard, dodging capture.

The five before him had been beaten to death. Tian Da didn’t know where his courage came from, but he only wanted to escape. He tried climbing the courtyard wall, but it was too high to reach.

“Where are you running?” a guard shouted. A blade struck Tian Da’s back, and several guards pinned him against the wall, dragging him to the bench and tying him down.

“Young miss, spare me! Spare me! It wasn’t me. I didn’t betray you. You’ve got it wrong, surely wrong. I don’t want to die. Please let me go…” Tian Da pleaded.

Meanwhile, Yun Xiang, lying on the ground, began trembling. She had only disrespected the master a few times and received a hundred slaps. If the young miss knew they had leaked mansion affairs to the young master, would she beat her to death?

Yun Xiang shivered, comforting herself. The young miss and the young master grew up together. Even if she found out, she’d likely be lenient. Though the young miss had slapped her face, she’d spared her a beating, making her punishment the lightest compared to others.