“Look, the bad monster has been caught. The little doll won’t hurt anymore.”
Pei Ke stared in shock at the cloth doll in Chen Shitou’s hand. The fear in his eyes lessened, replaced by growing confusion.
“The Second Young Master will definitely be braver than the little bear, right? Let’s catch the monster in your stomach together, okay?”
Pei Ke still didn’t speak, but hesitation had already appeared in his eyes.
Shen Lingwei slowly reached out her hand. “Second Young Master, be good. I promise it won’t hurt much—just a little discomfort. If you endure it for a moment, the monster will soon be gone.”
Pei Ke stared at her outstretched hand, his gaze becoming more guarded as he shrank back.
Shen Lingwei didn’t move forward again. Instead, she gently coaxed him, “Second Young Master, I promise you—if you cooperate and let the monster in your stomach out, I’ll make you a large ship-shaped poria cake afterward. How about that?”
Pei Ke’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at her.
Shen Lingwei began gesturing. “Second Young Master probably hasn’t seen a three-deck ship before, right? The body of the ship would be as big as this courtyard, with railings…”
As she described it, Pei Ke quickly began constructing the image of a grand ship in his mind—so majestic, so imposing.
Shen Lingwei continued, “Not only that, next time I can design a car that can move on its own. It’ll be even bigger than a carriage and won’t need horses to pull it…”
Not only was Pei Ke captivated, even Madam Zhang and Chen Shitou beside them were drawn in by these ingenious creations she described, momentarily forgetting themselves.
“…So, Second Young Master, do you want it?”
Pei Ke stared at her. In his usually vacant eyes, a faint light flickered.
There was longing, curiosity—and a trace of struggle.
He was simply too curious.
The room was so quiet that even the crackling of the lamp wick could be heard.
In the end, curiosity overcame fear. He made up his mind, closed his eyes, and gave a slight nod.
The sight made Chen Shitou and Madam Zhang widen their eyes, nearly crying out in shock.
He… agreed?
Shen Lingwei had already reached out and taken Pei Ke’s small hand, silently conveying strength.
“Second Young Master, just follow what I say in a moment. Leave the rest to us.”
Her voice was warm like a spring breeze, carrying a soothing, almost maternal presence.
Pei Ke’s body trembled instinctively, but upon feeling the warmth of her hand, he suppressed the urge to run.
He gritted his teeth and lay back down where he had been earlier, his small back straight and tense.
Shen Lingwei exchanged a glance with Chen Shitou and Madam Zhang. The two stepped forward lightly and carefully lifted Pei Ke’s legs…
“Alright, Second Young Master, relax. We’re going to catch the monster now.”
…
A quarter of an hour later, the door opened. Madam Zhang stepped out, her face filled with delight.
“Marquis, Old Madam—it worked! The Second Young Master has relieved himself!”
The news was like heavenly music. The dark cloud hanging over the Marquis’ residence seemed to disperse instantly, leaving only brilliant sunlight behind.
“Good! Good! Good!” the Old Madam exclaimed three times, hurrying inside first.
Inside the room, Pei Ke was already lying down again under a thin blanket. His complexion was still pale, but his brows had relaxed, and his breathing had steadied.
Tears welled up in the Old Madam’s eyes.
“Ke’er, my dear grandson…”
Pei Jin followed closely behind. Seeing his son’s face finally free of pain, his hand hidden within his sleeve quietly relaxed.
“Physician Zhou, please take another look.”
Physician Zhou hurried forward and placed his fingers on Pei Ke’s pulse. His face soon filled with disbelief.
“This… congratulations, Marquis, congratulations, Old Madam! The Second Young Master’s pulse has stabilized. The accumulated food in his abdomen has been fully expelled—there is no longer any danger!”
With the physician’s confirmation, the Old Madam’s anxious heart finally settled.
The physician turned to Shen Lingwei, his expression complicated. Finally, he bowed deeply. “Madam Shen, I was narrow-minded just now. I have practiced medicine for thirty years, yet I cannot compare to your skillful hands. I am truly ashamed.”
Shen Lingwei stepped aside, avoiding his bow. “You praise me too highly. I only used some simple rural methods—not worth mentioning.”
“Madam Shen need not be modest,” Physician Zhou advised. “Although the obstruction has been cleared, the Second Young Master’s digestion is now as fragile as thin paper. For the next half month, his meals must be light, natural, and soothing to the qi. Under no circumstances should he eat rich, oily, or heavily seasoned food again—that would invite disaster.”
Shen Lingwei nodded and committed it to memory. “Yes, I understand.”
Afterward, the Old Madam ordered someone to escort the physician out, and the room fell quiet once more.
At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned simultaneously toward the outside—where Cook Liu, Old Woman Tian, and the others were kneeling on the ground.
The three of them knelt in a row, trembling violently.
The Old Madam’s smile instantly vanished. Her gaze swept toward the doorway like a blade as she spoke coldly:
“Men! Drag these three wicked servants away. Give each of them twenty lashes, then sell them off.”
Cook Liu’s legs gave out, and she collapsed, wailing, “Old Madam, spare me! Marquis, spare me! I only wanted to nourish the Second Young Master—I didn’t mean any harm!”
The other two women desperately kowtowed, their foreheads striking the ground with loud thuds.
“Old Madam, please see clearly! We were only following Cook Liu’s instructions—it was all her idea!”
Old Woman Guo rolled her eyes and quickly shifted the blame. “Y-yes, I’ve been wronged…”
Cook Liu had not expected them to turn on her at this moment. Her eyes reddened with rage.
The Old Madam sneered. “Still trying to argue? Very well—I’ll make you accept it completely.”
With that, she glanced at Madam Zhang. Madam Zhang immediately took out a sheet of paper from her sleeve, recording Pei Ke’s meals over the past few days in detail—including times and quantities.
The Old Madam did not personally handle the punishment but left the matter to Pei Jin.
“These people—deal with them.”
She then said earnestly, “I know you’re busy with official duties, but in this inner household, there must always be someone who can take charge. This time, Ke’er was lucky to survive. But what about next time? And the time after that?”
Pei Jin lowered his gaze and said nothing.
The Old Madam sighed. “Think carefully about what I mentioned before.”
With that, she allowed Madam Zhang to support her as she slowly walked out.
Pei Jin bowed to see her off. Only after her figure disappeared beyond the courtyard gate did he slowly straighten.
In that instant, all the gentleness around him vanished. A chilling, tangible killing intent condensed in his eyes as he looked at Cook Liu and the others—as if they were already corpses.
Cook Liu and the others were so terrified that they lost control of themselves, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy.
“Marquis, spare us! Please spare us…” Blood quickly stained the floor tiles.
“Chen Fan,” Pei Jin ordered in a low voice.
“These three disregarded their master’s life and acted with hidden defiance—their intentions are unforgivable. Each will receive fifty lashes. Their entire families will be sold to the harshest mines for forced labor, never to return to the capital.”
Fifty lashes—if not death, then crippling injury.
Pei Jin had no intention of letting them live.
The three were terrified out of their wits, collapsing on the ground in despair.
But just as Chen Fan signaled for them to be dragged away, Cook Liu suddenly found the strength to break free. Pointing at Shen Lingwei, she screamed hoarsely:
“No! This isn’t fair! Shen did make pastries too—why are only we being punished? I refuse to accept this!”
The other two women quickly caught on and shouted as well, struggling:
“That’s right! The Second Young Master also ate Shen’s pastries—why is she fine?”
“If you’re going to punish, punish all of us!”
Three venomous gazes locked onto Shen Lingwei like snakes.