Execution by beating?
The young mistress, only ten years old, actually wanted to execute her most favored maid by beating!
The servants exchanged glances, disbelief and fear evident on their faces.
Since when had the young mistress become so capricious and ruthless?
Even Mama Wu’s voice trembled. She understood how the young mistress felt—her maternal grandfather had just passed away, and she herself had been confined to her courtyard by her own grandmother. But still, execution by beating…
Da Qi’s customs were relatively lenient. Even if a servant made a mistake, the worst punishment was usually being sold off.
“Young mistress, if Qinglian has done wrong, you can simply sell her off,” Mama Wu couldn’t help but plead on her behalf.
“If you’re still angry, you could sell off her entire family. They are all servants of the late madam. Although her mother, Old Woman Liu, works for the Old Madam, her deed of servitude is still with the late madam, so it’s not impossible to deal with her.”
Xu Rusheng knew Mama Wu meant well. If word got out that a young lady of the inner chambers had executed a servant by beating, her reputation would be ruined.
But so what? What use was reputation?
Qinglian, who had been on the verge of collapse, mustered her strength to crawl forward a couple of steps. Fear spread throughout her body, and she trembled uncontrollably:
“Young mistress, young mistress, this servant was ignorant and angered you. It is only right for you to beat me to death.”
She lay prostrate on the ground, begging for mercy with her words, but her eyes were filled with defiance.
“This servant’s life is not worth sparing, but please, young mistress, make it clear what I have done wrong that you insist on killing me.”
A faint smile curled at the corner of Xu Rusheng’s lips as she asked Qinglian with amusement:
“Let me ask you, did you steal my jewelry and clothes?”
Qinglian’s expression froze, and a trace of confusion flickered in her eyes.
Steal? How could it be stealing!
When she took those things, the young mistress knew about it. They were all given to her with the young mistress’s silent approval!
Xu Rusheng knew what Qinglian was thinking. In her past life, Qinglian would often praise the beauty of those clothes and jewelry in front of her, her eyes perfectly conveying envy and longing.
Back then, Xu Rusheng, as foolish as a pig, would pick out a few items and simply give them to her.
It was a gift, not a reward. Those items were either part of Wen Li’s dowry or bestowed by Empress Wen, each worth a fortune—far beyond what a mere maid like Qinglian should possess.
Qinglian knew this too. After receiving those things, she dared only to hide them away, secretly putting on the clothes and jewelry when no one was around to indulge in the fantasy of being a young lady.
Xu Rusheng had anticipated this. She continued her questioning:
“You took my clothes and jewelry—that is theft. If they were to fall into the wrong hands and ruin my reputation, that would be harming your master. Do you still deny it?”
Qinglian shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum and blurted out:
“No, those… those were all bestowed upon this servant by you, young mistress.”
Xu Rusheng smiled lightly:
“Mama Wu, take two maids and search her room. Let’s see whether I bestowed them upon her or she stole them.”
Mama Wu led two young maids away. By now, Qinglian knew that the young mistress was deliberately targeting her today, and she could only hope that her mother, Mama Liu, would bring reinforcements.
“What is going on here?” Old Madam Xu, supported by Nanny Chen, entered the courtyard. Seeing the crowd gathered, Qinglian’s disheveled state, and Xu Rusheng’s calm composure, she was so furious she nearly staggered. Today had already exhausted her.
“A Sheng, didn’t I tell you to stay quietly in your courtyard? What are you doing?”
Seeing that Old Madam Xu was about to lose her temper, Nanny Chen had no choice but to try to calm her down:
"Old Madam, please don't be angry. The eldest young miss has always been well-behaved and sensible. Perhaps we should first inquire about the full story behind this matter."
Mama Liu, seeing her daughter looking half-dead, stumbled forward and threw herself over her, clutching her tightly:
"My daughter, what terrible crime have you committed that the eldest young miss insists on beating you to death?"
Xu Rusheng watched the group putting on a theatrical performance with cold eyes, merely stepping forward with a smile to support Old Madam Xu:
"Grandmother, please sit. You will understand the reason in a moment."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mama Wu entered, panting heavily, followed by two young maids carrying bundles of packages.
Mama Wu scolded as she walked:
"You wretched little thing, you truly have no sense of restraint. You specifically took the most valuable of the young lady's clothes and jewelry—aren't you afraid it will shorten your lifespan? Any one of these items, converted to silver, would be enough to pay your wages for a lifetime…"
Old Madam Xu's face darkened as she listened, and she rebuked:
"Silence! What exactly is going on?"
Mama Wu's scolding ceased abruptly. Seeing the situation turning sour, Mama Liu quickly shielded her daughter and knelt silently to the side.
Only then did Xu Rusheng speak calmly:
"You claim I bestowed these upon you, but has anyone in the courtyard witnessed me giving you these things? Did you ever kneel at my door to thank me for the gifts?"
"Some of these items were bestowed from the palace by my aunt, and some were part of my mother's dowry. They all bear special markings. Since you can neither wear nor sell them, why would I give them to you?"
Qinglian found herself at a loss for words—she could hardly admit she had secretly worn them to indulge in the fantasy of being a young lady.
Xu Rusheng turned to Old Madam Xu, her voice gentle and soft as she smiled:
"Grandmother, stealing some gold, silver, and jewelry is a minor matter. However, having someone with unclean hands in the household is a grave hidden danger. Today, they steal a bracelet from me; tomorrow, they take a garment. Today, it is me; tomorrow, it could be one of my younger sisters. If such things were to leak outside, it would give ill-intentioned individuals an opportunity…"
"Thus, even if your granddaughter beats her to death, it would not be excessive."
By now, Old Madam Xu's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and she looked at the trembling Mama Liu with the gaze one reserves for the dead.
This damned old servant had insisted that the eldest young miss was trying to beat her daughter to death without asking for the full story. Fearing that Xu Rusheng might truly cause trouble, she had hurried over.
Seeing that Old Madam remained silent, Qinglian was truly terrified this time.
The intense pain in her body and the resentment in her heart overwhelmed her.
She could not die—she must not die!
The Marquis had said that when he returned from Qujiang, he would take her as his concubine!
The Marquis? Yes, the Marquis!
Qinglian seemed to grasp a lifeline and cried out recklessly:
"No, you cannot beat me to death. I belong to the Marquis."
Suddenly emboldened, she stared at Xu Rusheng with shining eyes:
"I am already the Marquis's woman. All these things were bestowed upon me by the Marquis. Even if the young lady wishes to punish me, she should wait until the Marquis returns."
Xu Rusheng was somewhat surprised. No wonder Qinglian had followed Princess Chunyi in her previous life—it turned out she had become a concubine of her frivolous father.
This made things even more interesting. Xu Rusheng feigned astonishment and looked at Old Madam Xu, appearing flustered.
"Grandmother, what should we do? If I beat her to death, Father will be angry, won't he? Ah, had I known Father had taken my things to give to her, I should not have made such a fuss."
Old Madam Xu felt a surge of anger rising, her vision darkening.
Using his daughter's belongings to reward servants, having illicit relations with the maids in his daughter's chambers.
Either scandal, if spread, would give the censors ample grounds to impeach the Marquis of Linjiang!
She made a swift decision. "Guards, immediately drag this insolent slave who spouts nonsense out and beat her to death with clubs. Seize her entire family and sell them far away from Jingcheng."
Mama Liu had been immersed in ecstasy moments before—her daughter truly had prospects, having climbed to a high branch; they would soar to greatness from now on. But now she plummeted to the depths, terror spreading through her entire body. Before she could utter a word, several robust maidservants covered her mouth and nose and dragged her away.
Qinglian's face was streaked with tears, her hair damp and disheveled across her face. Her eyes held despair and resentment, and as she was dragged out, she glared fixedly at Xu Rusheng.
Soon after, the dull thuds of clubs echoed from outside the courtyard.
Xu Rusheng sat beneath the peach tree in Zhixia Courtyard, her eyes closed.
The spring breeze of March swept across her face, slightly cool yet refreshing.
"Reporting to Old Madam, Qinglian has breathed her last," the maidservant who carried out the punishment reported respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Xu Rusheng let out a long sigh, then suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.
With a "gasp," she spat out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed unconscious.