lcionline Chapter 270 Beat Hard
Chapter 270 Beat Hard
Chapter 270
Upon hearing this, the Marquis's wife frowned even more tightly, thinking to herself, "What's going on with this little girl Luo? Could it be that she first fell in love with Yuan Zheng, and when she saw that Yuan Zheng was no longer the prince, she fell in love with Yun Xing? Could it be that this girl is really greedy for power and wealth, and she will seduce whoever she sees as the heir to the Marquis' Mansion?"
Although she thought so, she had grown up in a secluded mansion and knew full well that if this matter were to get out, it would have a profound negative impact on the reputation of the Marquisate. Her face darkened, a hint of anger and worry in her eyes. But now was not the time to dwell on such matters. She suppressed her displeasure and asked in a deep voice, "Have you sent someone to Chunhua Court to ask? Have they given us a clear explanation of where Miss Luo went?"
The steward seemed prepared. Upon hearing the Marquis's words, he immediately replied, "I have already gone to Chunhua Courtyard and made thorough inquiries. Miss Luo and her maidservants are not there. Only the steward, Madam Zhang, is left. I have brought Madam Zhang back, and she is waiting outside the courtyard. Madam, do you wish to question her in person?"
As the steward spoke, he raised his head slightly to observe the Marquis's wife's expression. He stood straight with his hands hanging at his sides, respectfully waiting for the Marquis's wife's reply.
"Then call her in quickly."
"Yes." The steward responded, then went out and brought Nanny Zhang, who was waiting outside, into the yard. Then, without waiting for the Marquis's wife to speak, he closed the door and walked out with a tactful look.
He knew in his heart that for matters like this, it was better for a servant like himself to know as little as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future.
The Marquis's wife and Nanny Sang were very pleased with his tact.
Then, when her gaze turned to the silent Nanny Zhang with her eyes lowered, the expression on the Marquis's wife's face gradually faded and became expressionless, but her eyes, which were fixed on Nanny Zhang, revealed an unquestionable majesty, as if she wanted to see through Nanny Zhang.
Nanny Zhang seemed to feel the invisible pressure, her body trembled slightly, and her head lowered even more.
She naturally knew why Luo Shuiyao had hurried out today, but the young lady hadn't told anyone in the Marquis's residence that she was the owner of the newly opened Qingyu Tower. Now that they were questioning her whereabouts, she could only make up an excuse to say that she had gone out, but she didn't dare to say where she had gone directly. She secretly prayed that she could get away with it and avoid causing trouble for the young lady. At the same time, she was also afraid that if the Marquis's wife discovered her lie, she would be severely punished. She was so nervous that her hands unconsciously tightened around the corners of her clothes.
The Marquis's wife stared at Nanny Zhang with a cold gaze for a long time. After noticing her nervousness, her expression relaxed and she spoke, "A servant just now said that after Miss Luo left the mansion, she sent someone back to look for the Crown Prince. Since then, both of them have disappeared. You serve in Chunhua Courtyard, what do you know? Don't try to hide it, tell the truth, otherwise you will bear the consequences!"
The Marquis's wife's voice was not loud, but every word hit Zhang Ma's heart like a heavy hammer.
Nanny Zhang trembled even more violently, lowered her head, stammered and dared not answer, thinking in her mind how to respond to the Marquis's questioning so as not to expose the young lady's secret and to get away with it safely.
She was so nervous that she kept swallowing, but she had to repeat what she had told the steward before, stammering, "Madam, I only know that the young lady was bored today and wanted to go out for a walk. I don't know why she called the prince, nor do I know whether she called the prince or not. I... I am just a servant, how can I know all these things?"
As she spoke, Nanny Zhang secretly glanced up at the Marquis's wife's face. She saw that her expression had grown increasingly gloomy, her eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion. She truly didn't know what had happened. The young lady had clearly gone to the Jade Tower to handle matters, so why had she summoned the Crown Prince as well? Could it be that the incident at the Jade Tower had become so serious that the young lady had to ask for support? Since the young lady hadn't informed her of this, how could she dare to answer rashly? She was afraid to delay the young lady's business.
Thinking of this, she became more and more uneasy. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to breathe, hoping that the Marquis's wife would believe her words and stop asking questions.
Nanny Sang had been watching her expression carefully from the side. Seeing her evasive gaze, she sighed slightly. If she could tell that the old woman was lying, how could her own wife not see it?
She sighed inwardly. Hadn't Miss Luo always been a very measured girl? How could she do such a thing? You know, the Madam's most cherished possessions were the two young masters, yet Miss Luo had chosen to provoke each of them. This was tantamount to crossing the Marquis's bottom line. How could she not be furious?
As expected, the Marquis's face grew increasingly gloomy, and the atmosphere in the room seemed frozen, a suffocating silence. After a moment, the Marquis's wife suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with coldness. "Madam Sang, go drag this woman away and put her in the most conspicuous place in our mansion. Go find her and beat her up. Beat her hard. I want to see how long this stubborn woman can hold out."
There was ruthlessness and determination in the Marquis's eyes. She would never allow anyone to be so perfunctory and conceal things in front of her, especially when it came to matters involving her two sons.
Nanny Sang looked reluctant, but Madam was furious, so she didn't dare to refuse. "Yes, Madam."
As she spoke, she walked forward and tried to pull Aunt Zhang away. Aunt Zhang turned pale with fear and fell to her knees with a plop, begging for mercy. "Every word this servant has said is true, and I have not lied. I hope Madam will spare my life!"
Nanny Zhang was truly terrified. Although the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty stipulated that even slaves could not be beaten or killed at will, the master still had the right to punish slaves if they made mistakes. If she were younger, it would be fine, but at her age, how could she withstand a beating? She could only plead with the Marquis' wife, tears streaming down her face, "Madam, please, for the sake of my past service, spare me this time! I truly know nothing!"
Nanny Zhang kowtowed continuously, her forehead soon becoming red and swollen, her eyes full of fear, hoping to arouse a little pity from the Marquis' wife and save her from this beating.
Seeing this, Aunt Sang hurried over to pull her.
It is said that when Nanny Zhang was in the Madam's courtyard, she worked under her. Although the two were not very close, they had known each other for many years. Seeing her like this, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
She stopped Aunt Zhang from kowtowing and said, "Alright, if you really don't know, then get up quickly. Madam is already very considerate of her servants. If you force her like this, she might get angry and kill you."
Although she was trying to persuade him like this, her eyes were fixed on Aunt Zhang. When she saw Aunt Zhang looking at her, she shook her head imperceptibly.
Although the Great Zhou had laws prohibiting the arbitrary execution of slaves and servants, the rules were set by those in power. If a slave committed a crime, it would be easy for the master to kill him, but generally, few would bother to intervene. After all, in this world of strict hierarchy, the life and death of slaves often rested in the hands of their masters. As long as the master was shrewd and found a suitable excuse, it would not be difficult to make the slave disappear quietly.