Chapter 6: Being too lenient actually fuels the arrogance of others

"Evil slave!?" Nian Suxin's hand holding the teacup paused, then she looked at Madam Nian and asked, "Who is Auntie talking about?"

"Lianyu!" Madam Nian's face darkened slightly, her silver teeth clenched, showing her extreme anger.

Lianyu and Lianyi had been waiting outside the door. Upon hearing Madam Nian calling someone, Lianyu quickly drew the curtain and walked in. Seeing Madam Nian's stern expression, she felt something was amiss, but still tried to defend herself, "Madam."

"Tell me, when did you get involved with the people from the Prince Yong's mansion?" Madam Nian's face was stern, and her gaze towards Lianyu was unfriendly.

"Madam, what are you talking about? How come I don't understand?" Lianyu, although flustered by Madam Nian's questioning, still tried to defend herself in a hesitant and evasive tone.

"Is it that you don't understand or you don't want to say?" Madam Nian's eyes sharpened, and in an instant, with a raised hand, the teacup beside her was knocked to the ground, making a crisp sound. "When I selected you to serve in Xinyu Pavilion, I instructed you to serve the young lady well. Otherwise, there would be severe punishment."

Lianyu's face trembled, and her voice quivered, "Madam... please spare me..."

Madam Nian, instead of showing any mercy towards the kneeling Lianyu, became even more furious. "Spare you? Have you ever thought that the young lady might be in danger because of you?"

"I... I didn't know. I only leaked the young lady's information because I had no choice and wanted to save my brother. I didn't mean any harm to the young lady..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Nian's gaze turned icy as she looked at Lianyu, who was begging for mercy on the ground. Frightened, Lianyu sat down, unable to speak. "You dare not reveal the whereabouts of the mistress. You have quite the audacity!"

Nian Suxin, seeing this, smiled even more brightly, her shallow dimples contrasting with her bright eyes. "Auntie, I don't think it's that Lianyu has audacity, but rather that I, as the mistress, am too incompetent to help her." She had not expected Lianyu to have already made connections with Ulanara so early on.

After hearing her daughter's words, Madam Nian's initial anger turned into fury. Having managed the household for so many years, she was accustomed to underhanded methods and could see that Lianyu was taking advantage of Nian Suxin's youth and naivety. This servant dared to use her precious daughter as a stepping stone. It was truly audacious!

Lianyu, with a panicked expression, looked up at Madam Nian's icy eyes and was startled. Without considering anything else, she hurriedly tried to explain, "Madam, please listen to my explanation. I only spoke after confirming that they wouldn't harm the young lady..."

"Failu!" Madam Nian completely ignored Lianyu's defense and angrily ordered, and immediately a slender figure entered from outside the door.

"Madam."

"Drag her out and execute her with a cane!" Madam Nian could tolerate mistakes, but she could not tolerate anyone harming her daughter.

Nian Suxin remained silent. Lianyu had been serving her since she was young, and her living expenses and monthly allowance were not low. If it weren't for her greed and foolishness, she wouldn't have made one mistake after another.

Upon careful consideration, Nian Suxin realized that there was an insider involved in Lianyu's brother's gambling affairs. But what concerned her more was that someone had already schemed against those around her before Ulanara had even made a move.

"Auntie, what could I possibly gain from this? To think that someone would put in so much effort to scheme against me?"

"Regardless of who it is, if they cross the line, they should be dealt with. If we can find Lianyu, we can naturally trace others through her." Madam Nian narrowed her eyes and looked at her daughter, who had turned pale, and said softly, "In the past, I was mistaken in thinking that being kind to others would guarantee kindness in return. Now it seems that being overly kind has only fueled others' arrogance."

After comforting Nian Suxin, Madam Nian left Xinyu Pavilion and summoned the steward, Nian Dafu. She instructed him to take Lianyu's body to the Ulanara Mansion, specifically stating that it was a gift for the Prince Yong's consort. In essence, it was to cause a scene.

Standing in front of the mansion gate, Xingchan, Fuchang, Fucun, and the five brothers looked at Nian Dafu, who had come to cause a scene, and the body wrapped in a straw mat at his feet. They looked at each other, and it was Xingchan's wife who took a few steps back with a guilty look on her face.

"Second brother, what kind of play is the Nian family performing?" Xingchan passively watched all this unfold, wanting to intervene but Nian Dafu didn't give him a chance to speak, making the situation public.

The expressions of Fuchang and the others were also grim. Seeing more and more people gathering at the door, they couldn't help but whisper, "Regardless of what the Nian family is up to, we can't let it go on any longer, or the Ulanara family's reputation will be completely ruined."

Feeling frustrated, Xingchan looked at Nian Dafu, who was full of confidence, and knew that there was no room for negotiation in this matter. He directly said, "Alright, we'll take the person, you may leave!"

Nian Dafu, upon hearing this, didn't get angry. He smiled and looked at Xingchan and the others, then accidentally kicked the straw mat open and said with a smile, "In that case, I'll trouble you, gentlemen."

Seeing more and more onlookers gathering, Xingchan glared at the head of the household and, feeling embarrassed, shouted at the gatekeeper, "What are you waiting for? Take her away!"

At the Prince Yong's Mansion, Yinzhen, who had received the news first, did not go to the main hall but sent Su Peisheng to gather information. As for himself, he entered the study with a solemn expression, picked up a brush, and repeatedly wrote the Diamond Sutra, trying to calm the anger in his heart.

Su Peisheng came in from outside and, seeing the increasingly thick stack of scriptures on the desk, instinctively lowered his voice and said, "Master, that maid was indeed used by the consort, all for the incident at Xiuyun Temple last time."

Yinzhen's hand paused, slowly nodding with a cold expression on his face, making it hard to discern his emotions.

"It seems that I have been too indulgent towards her, which has led her to forget the proper conduct of a Fucheng." The man suddenly spoke, his voice cold and deep, tinged with a hint of displeasure.

Yinzhen's tone seemed somewhat indifferent, appearing to be expressing a moment of emotion, but Su Peisheng could sense a hint of disappointment. He knew clearly that the recent underhanded tactics of the Fucheng had thoroughly angered the master.

"Prepare a generous gift to be sent to the Nian family. This matter reflects the negligence of the Yong Prince's Mansion. Those involved in this matter shall all be punished by caning." Yinzhen fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice returning to its usual decisiveness.

Su Peisheng lowered his head and murmured his agreement. As he was about to leave to handle the matter, Yinzhen called him back.

"The Nian family's young lady has been frightened, and I intend to compensate. After you have finished these tasks, go to the private treasury and select some jewelry to be sent over as well." Yinzhen pondered for a moment before continuing.

Su Peisheng was taken aback, not expecting that the master would already be concerned before the person had even entered the mansion. Undoubtedly, in the near future, there would be another beloved mistress in the backyard.