Chapter 2: If you dare, kill me.

Madam Lin was so furious that she felt stars dancing before her eyes, and all consciousness in her mind vanished. She did not even know how she had walked in front of Zhang Qingting. Her legs seemed to belong to someone else, feeling soft and fluffy, like two balls of cotton, completely out of her control as they moved forward. Then her arms also lifted up.

Punishment is certainly necessary, but how to impose it and the degree of severity are somewhat difficult to gauge. One must consider one's own reputation and preserve the good name of the legitimate mother, while also avoiding the impression of being overly lenient, which might suggest a sense of guilt. Striking the right balance in this regard is extremely challenging.

Not only did Liu, the second concubine, change her expression upon hearing her say "much older," but so did Madam Lin. A glance at her youthful charm and her delicate, flawless skin deepened the jealousy in their hearts.

How dare you! Zhang Qingting's two eyes were wide open, almost bursting with fire, but not for herself; it was for the people around her. Is it a crime to be poor? Why should one be treated like livestock, bought and sold at will?

The lady in the purple dress smiled before she spoke, "Madam, why must you be so angry? It is merely the children acting on a whim. If you take it to heart, that would truly be beneath your dignity"

In a moment, without the time for further contemplation, Mrs. Lin felt that the most important thing was to preserve her authority, and she absolutely could not yield! She was all too aware of the tendency of the people in her household to take advantage of any concession. If she showed weakness regarding the matter of Zhang Qingting, how could she possibly maintain control if another such scene of tantrums and unreasonable behavior were to arise in the future?

The Fourth Girl, Zhang Qingying, was clearly frightened. Despite Zhang Taiyin's attempts to pull her aside, she remained silent, only weeping uncontrollably.

Glancing sideways, not to plead for Zhang Qingting, but to pull the little girl aside to apologize first, "Sister Si did not mean to offend; she was just momentarily confused. Sister Si, hurry and admit your mistake to Mother!"

With a cold expression, he spoke, "Lock the third young lady in the quiet room, and let the people in her house continue with the execution. Notify the bailiff to come, and once everything is finished, let them go!"

Wow! Suddenly, a little girl about eight or nine years old, dressed in light yellow, rushed in crying from outside the courtyard, and knelt down in front of Madam Lin, saying, "Mother, please calm down, don't sell Third Sister! Third Sister was wrong, I will bow to you on her behalf!"

A gentle breeze blew at the right moment, bringing with it a wave of coolness, which instantly calmed Mrs. Lin's overheated mind, as if she had been suddenly awakened. She realized that in her anger, she had walked herself into an extremely awkward situation.

A daughter in the household is a cherished guest, and a daughter who is to be married must be treated as if she is a precious jewel held delicately in the palm of one's hand. Hitting her is absolutely out of the question; it was indeed a moment of impulse when I mentioned giving her twenty lashes. But what kind of lesson could be more profound than a beating?

Once the fighting spirit shows even the slightest sign of weakening, defeat follows like a landslide. When her consciousness finally returned to her body, Lady Lin felt as if all her strength had drained away, as if the cotton that filled her body had absorbed all the water, becoming so heavy that she could no longer bear it

The crowd witnessed a typically dignified and composed lady suddenly rush in front of Zhang Qingting like a madwoman, swinging her arm round and delivering a resounding slap to the third young lady in public

Madam! Before the wet nurse serving the Fourth Young Lady could step forward, an extremely young beauty in purple delicately called out, swaying like willows in the wind as she walked out.

Seeing Mrs. Lin's face turn ashen with anger, her body trembling uncontrollably, Zhang Qingting placed her hands on her hips and sneered, "By the way, don't forget, when the time comes, carry my corpse to the Pan residence. Just look at you in this pitiful state; they will surely reward you with some coffin money, won't you be profiting again?"

With clenched silver teeth, various thoughts swirled in my mind, yet I could not make sense of them.

She does not regret striking this illegitimate daughter; what is there to criticize about a legitimate mother slapping an illegitimate daughter? However, the trouble lies in how to handle the ensuing situation

This statement not only left Aunt Liu speechless, but also put Lady Lin in a difficult position. Aunt Hu's evasive and light-hearted rebuttal seemed as if she was deliberately making things difficult for these few illegitimate children, leaving Lady Lin with a dilemma on how to handle the aftermath

Madam Lin was unwilling to concede and wished to continue the fight, yet she found herself lacking in strength and unable to keep up. After all, the young illegitimate daughter before her was far younger, and the natural vigor and fearless passion of youth was something that she, in her middle age, could never hope to match.

Aunt Hu's eyes instantly filled with tears, resembling a pear blossom drenched in rain, evoking my sympathy. I bowed deeply to Madam Lin and, choking back my emotions, said: "Madam, for the sake of the master, please spare the third young lady. The children may be unruly, but they can be taught gradually. After all, they are the master's own flesh and blood. If anyone gets hurt, it will reflect poorly on everyone, won't it?"

Mrs. Lin suppressed her anger, which surged up like a flame, leaving her speechless.

"Is the Twenty Major Boards even worth mentioning? It's not enough for me to stretch my muscles. If you're going to fight, then fight with 200! Just take us all out in one go and let people see how impressive and formidable this Lady of the Zhang family is. That would truly earn respect!"

Madam Lin furrowed her brows and exclaimed sternly: "Where has the wet nurse gone? Hurry and help the Fourth Young Lady up! Crying and wailing, what kind of decorum is this?"

The quiet room within the mansion is essentially a disguised prison cell, a small dark room specifically used to confine the servants who have erred within the household. It may not appear very frightening, but being locked inside truly drives a person to the brink of madness due to the suffocating confinement

Upon hearing Lady Lin's words, Zhang Qingting was infuriated and wanted to strike her, but there was no way that would happen! Suddenly, she jumped up, staring at Lady Lin without any fear, "Go ahead and hit me! If you have the guts, just kill us all!"

Madam Lin, upon catching a whiff of the rich fragrance emanating from her, furrowed her brows even tighter, yet her imposing demeanor did not diminish by a third, as if she harbored a certain degree of apprehension.

What do I have to fear? They all have contracts of servitude in the manor; if I want to sell, I can sell!

If Zhang Qingting were to be a little smaller, it wouldn't matter much even if there were some discrepancies in weight. However, she has now grown up, is engaged, and has already set foot halfway into another family's door, which means that consideration for the in-laws' reputation must be taken into account

Madam Lin's gaze was as cold as ice, wishing to extinguish that fierce flame. However, no matter how hard she tried, it only seemed to fan the flames further, causing the smoldering fire of discontent to burn even more fiercely!

When it comes to gambling fiercely, she does not lose to anyone

Madam Lin sneered repeatedly, believing she had grasped the Achilles' heel of Zhang Qingteng, only to be taken aback when the third young lady spoke words even more ruthless than her own

He also knelt before Lady Lin, timidly requesting, "Mother, please do not be angry"

Madam Lin felt for the first time that she had encountered such a thorny problem; moving forward was a cliff, retreating was a sheer wall, it was difficult to dismount from the tiger, and she was caught in a dilemma.

Without looking around, Mrs. Lin knew that everyone was waiting to see how she would deal with Zhang Qingting, among whom many were eager to see her make a fool of herself

With a crisp and clear sound of a clap, everything fell silent

To eliminate her completely? What a joke! Does she really intend to bear the guilt of murdering a legitimate daughter? Is that how it will end? Absolutely not!

The mother and daughter each refused to yield, resulting in a stalemate in the entire situation

If you are going to sell them, you might as well sell me along with them! But you must remember, if you are going to sell, you must sell me to a brothel! That price is the highest and will also give you the most satisfaction! Isn't that right, my esteemed mother?

This wretched girl, how can she not understand the importance of knowing when to stop? She wasn't like this before; even if she employed some cunning tricks, she always maintained her dignity. How is it that after one setback, she has become so overbearing and unruly, even disregarding propriety?

Mrs. Lin, who could strike a person, showed no sign of lightness, for her eyes met those of a dragonfly. There, she saw an unmasked fury burning with a desire to destroy everything, along with a sense of unwillingness!

In the end, she coolly remarked, "Isn't that so, dear mother?" m.hetushu.com.com

Aunt Hu, with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes slightly slanted, possesses an indescribable allure that conceals a hint of sharpness. "Second Sister, you are mistaken! Although our status is humble, we are nonetheless people close to the master and must understand the rules. It is true that these children are entirely under the lady's care, and we have no say in the matter. However, seeing that the lady is clearly in a fit of anger, should we not intervene and allow her to punish the children? Would it not be regrettable to reflect on this later?"

As she cried, a boy of similar age stepped forward. He was extremely thin, wearing several thick layers of clothing even in the height of summer, which made his small frame appear even more fragile. On his palm-sized pale face, only his pair of particularly large eyes stood out, bright and spirited, revealing a hint of cleverness.

She said with a tone of reproach: "Although these children are not my biological offspring, since they all call me 'Aunt', I genuinely regard them as my juniors. Second Sister, to speak a word that perhaps should not be said, if your biological great-aunt were here, would you really be able to turn a blind eye? In terms of reasoning, you are much older than I am. The principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold' is something I understand; how is it that you do not?" Second Sister, to speak a word that perhaps should not be said, if your biological great-aunt were here, would you really be able to turn a blind eye? In terms of reasoning, you are much older than I am. The principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold' is something I understand; how is it that you do not?

This woman had a voice that was soft and sweet, making one feel comfortable just by listening. However, Madam Lin did not show her any kindness; she glanced to the side, and another middle-aged concubine who had been standing nearby immediately understood and stepped forward, saying, "Fifth Sister, the Madam is disciplining the child, and this is not something we sisters can interfere with. Please step back!"

This pair of siblings are the dragon and phoenix twins left behind by the fourth concubine of the Zhang family, Shen, after a difficult childbirth. The elder sister, the fourth young lady, is named Zhang Qingying, while the younger brother, the third young master, is currently the only illegitimate son in the household, named Zhang Taiyin