"You—" Shen Xuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but finally let out a sigh.
He was angry with Afu in his heart, angry that Afu hadn't told him about this, but seeing Afu in this state, it was best not to say anything.
"Go back. I know how to handle this, and the punishment for him is also a lesson for you."
Shen Xuan felt both angry and worried, which then turned into a helpless sigh. He hadn't expected the two of them to hide this from him together.
"Afu, go back." Wang Tian stepped forward, knowing Shen Xuan was worried and didn't want Afu to anger Shen Xuan.
"Young Master, please don't punish him." Afu stubbornly insisted on asking Shen Xuan not to punish Adai.
"If you stay here any longer, I'll punish him severely!" Shen Xuan was at his wit's end with Afu and could only use Adai to threaten him.
Adai, kneeling on the ground and hearing Afu's plea for him, had tears welling up in his eyes again.
"Afu, go back, I'm fine." Adai sniffled, holding back tears, and turned to comfort Afu with a smile.
"Yes, go back." Wang Tian, dragging and pulling, tried to get Afu to leave. "The main husband cannot show favoritism to him in public."
Afu, persuaded by the others, cast a worried glance at Adai and slowly left.
Watching Afu's retreating back, Shen Xuan sighed. Of course, he didn't want to punish Adai, but Adai's concealment of this matter had made him too angry.
"After you heard them gossiping, you got into a fight with them?"
"I was too impulsive. As soon as I heard them gossiping behind my back, I directly taught them a lesson. Liu Ning retaliated with hatred, so..."
"So you were beaten up like this?"
Shen Xuan did not use the word "fight" but "beaten up." He already believed in his heart that Adai was the wronged party.
"Adai knows his mistake. He shouldn't have taken matters into his own hands to discipline others."
Shen Xuan did not respond to Adai's words but instructed the servant outside the door to bring all those who had caused trouble today.
When the few people entered the room and found Adai kneeling on the ground, they were all frightened and knelt down. Liu Ning, the leader, was quite bold. He knelt on the ground, looking at Adai kneeling in front of him, and revealed a smug smile.
"Liu Ning, what are you smiling about?" Shen Xuan did not let him off. The more Shen Xuan looked at the people kneeling before him, the more disgusted he felt.
"No, this servant just thinks that Adai should be punished for taking action against us in private."
"Then how do you think he should be punished?" Shen Xuan retorted.
Liu Ning heard this and became even more smug, thinking that Adai was finally disliked and he would soon be heavily relied upon.
"I think that those who take action against others in private and disregard the rules of the manor should be dealt with according to the manor's rules, and then sold. Such people cannot be kept in the manor."
The manor's rules were set by Lu Yu at the time. One of them was that anyone who engaged in private brawls would be severely beaten thirty times. If the circumstances were more serious, the main husband could decide, and there was no option to sell them.
Liu Ning did not leave any room for himself. In that case, it would be your own doing.
"Guards! Drag Liu Ning to the courtyard and publicly administer thirty heavy planks. After that, send him back where he came from. As he himself said, such people are not to be kept in the manor."
Liu Ning was stunned by the punishment, never expecting it to be for himself. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy loudly, his hatred growing wildly.
"Why! Adai made the first move! Why aren't you punishing him!"
"Wait a moment!"
Liu Ning's heart leaped with joy, thinking that Shen Xuan had listened to him and was finally going to punish Adai.
"I forgot one thing. This punishment is still a bit light."
Shen Xuan picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and spoke slowly.
"The punishment I just mentioned is what you set for yourself, and it only applies to the matter of you gathering servants to beat Adai."
"Furthermore, you spread rumors and gossiped behind people's backs with the servants. Although it was Afu today, it might not be my turn one day. You have corrupted the atmosphere of the manor, this is the first offense."
"You laid hands on Afu. Afu is my personal attendant and married with me. You pushing him is equivalent to slapping my face in public. This is the second offense."
"Adding the recent offenses, Liu Ning, can you survive today?"
Shen Xuan's face darkened, and he slammed the teacup onto the table. His expression was cold, and his words were devoid of any warmth.
Adai had never seen Shen Xuan like this. He was so scared that he didn't dare to breathe, let alone the other offending servants kneeling.
Indeed, this was the first time Shen Xuan had shown this expression in front of everyone, clearly having been angered to the extreme.
Liu Ning, kneeling, was so scared that he slumped to the ground, trembling and unable to speak.
If Shen Xuan didn't let him live today, he wouldn't survive.
He had lived too comfortably in the manor, making him forget that servants bought from elsewhere had no right to decide their own lives. The masters could kill them if they wished.
"No, no! This servant knows his mistake! I beg the master to spare my lowly life, I beg the master to spare me!"
His hoarse cries were heartbreaking, but Shen Xuan remained unmoved, watching him kneel below like a clown with indifference.
"Since you have committed so many mistakes and such grave offenses, why keep you?" Lu Yu strode into the courtyard and said coldly, "Xumiao, drag him to the backyard, dispose of the body cleanly after beating him to death."
"Wife?" Shen Xuan was startled by the sudden voice. Seeing Lu Yu walking in from the doorway, he stood up even more flustered, his fierce expression instantly vanishing. He stood rooted to the spot, biting his lip in helplessness.
Lu Yu ignored the servants kneeling on the ground and walked directly to Shen Xuan, gently patting his hand to reassure him.
"Spare this servant's life, Master! Spare this servant's life! Spare this servant's life..." The pleas continued, his head hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Lu Yu did not speak but instead gave Shen Xuan a look. Shen Xuan immediately understood and said softly, "Wife, since that is the case, why don't we let him off with a warning? After the punishment, we can just sell him."
"Did you hear that? Since the main husband is pleading for you, your life is saved. Drag him out and administer fifty planks in public, then drag him to a distant slave market to sell."
Xumiao, standing beside him, received the order, bowed, and agreed.
"Thank you, Master—" Liu Ning was so scared that he lost all strength. He could only be pulled into the courtyard by Xumiao and receive his punishment in front of all the servants.
Xumiao was also bought by Lu Yu from the slave market and had always followed Lu Yu. She had practiced martial arts and was quick, accurate, and ruthless, making Liu Ning suffer immensely.
The servants waiting to be punished on the side knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.
After the punishment was over, Liu Ning was half-dead, lying on the wooden bench, gasping for breath. He was directly dragged away by Xumiao without any hesitation.
"I will not concern myself with the rest. Husband, you decide. Xumiao will follow your instructions when she returns later." Lu Yu stood up, patted Shen Xuan's slightly cold hand again, and said with a smile.