After lunch, they accompanied Madam Feng for the entire afternoon.
Casting aside all that had happened before, Madam Wen now seemed reborn. Her disposition was gentle yet not lacking in courtesy, her speech polite and engaging.
Before, she had seemed like a frail, wooden beauty. Now, she appeared dignified, well-mannered, and learned.
Coupled with the support of Feng Yunhe and Feng Jinyao, Madam Feng's impression of her had greatly improved.
"I spoke little with you before, but I never imagined you to be so witty and knowledgeable about the outside world. Do visit often when you have time and keep me company."
"If my mother-in-law does not find me crude, I will certainly visit often."
After breaking the ice, the two women became much closer than before.
Feng Jinyao had something on her mind, and her smiles were somewhat perfunctory. Feng Yunhe noticed and quietly asked her.
"Aunt, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Feng Jinyao raised an eyebrow. So perceptive at such a young age, what would she become in the future?
She patted his head, temporarily setting aside her past regrets. "I'm not unhappy, just haven't rested well. You stay here and keep Grandma and Mother company. I'll be going back now."
With that, she rose to take her leave.
Knowing she was tired, Madam Feng and Madam Wen did not insist further, merely offering a few parting words before letting her go.
Exiting Ning An Courtyard, Feng Jinyao still felt uneasy. She felt it necessary to remind her elder brother to be wary of Wen Mengsheng, so she turned towards his courtyard.
As soon as she entered the courtyard gate, she saw Concubine Linlang punishing a maid.
Hehuan had two large handprints on her face, her lips bleeding from the blows. Her hair and clothes were torn and scattered on the ground. She was forced to kneel, her eyes filled with defiance as she looked at Concubine Linlang.
The concubine, however, carried herself with the airs of a primary wife, cursing as she spoke.
"You little slut, do you think you're so beautiful that you can get away with anything? You think you can climb into Master's bed just by entering this courtyard? Hmph, dream on!"
With that, she kicked Hehuan forcefully in the chest, her face contorted with anger.
Hehuan's face turned ashen, and she spat out more blood.
She tried to explain, but before she could utter a word, a burly older servant woman stepped forward and slapped her several more times. Her face swelled so much that she couldn't speak even if she wanted to.
Feng Jinyao watched from the doorway. Concubine Linlang was becoming increasingly outrageous.
A concubine was, at most, half a mistress. How dare she openly and arbitrarily beat servants in the courtyard? She must have the audacity of a leopard.
It was evident how much the elder sister-in-law, Madam Wen, had indulged her in the past. Thinking of some events from her previous life, her eyes deepened.
Rotten fruit should be discarded; it was not worth affecting a whole basket of good fruit.
So, she entered the courtyard with a stern face. Yun Xu, standing beside her, immediately shouted.
"Third Miss has arrived."
Concubine Linlang, who was in the middle of her scolding, never expected her to appear at this moment.
The Master was not here today, nor was Madam Wen. It was the perfect time to teach these maids a lesson. Who knew she would be caught red-handed just as she was starting? She didn't know how long Feng Jinyao had been here or how much she had heard.
"Concubine, you have quite the nerve. I think you haven't copied the 'Rules for Women' enough, or perhaps you need a few strokes of the family law to understand who is in charge of this household."
Concubine Linlang, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was so startled by the stern-faced Feng Jinyao entering that she nearly fell to her knees.
"Why has Third Miss come?"
Although she spoke to Feng Jinyao, her eyes were scanning the outside of the courtyard. Hadn't she arranged for people to guard the entrance early? They were supposed to report immediately if anyone approached. Why was there no one?
"Don't look. We came by a different path," Yun Xu explained, her gaze towards Concubine Linlang also filled with anger.
As a servant, being beaten by a mistress seemed natural. But having served her young lady for so many years, she had never been treated like this. Thus, she looked at Hehuan with more sympathy.
"How dare you! I was speaking to my young lady. What business is it of yours?"
Linlang dared not do anything to Feng Jinyao, so she took her anger out on Yun Xu. However, Yun Xu had been reborn and was no longer a maid that Linlang could easily bully.
"Concubine is right. Yun Xu should be punished for her impudence. However, how should Concubine be punished for abusing private torture in the mansion in broad daylight?"
"You..."
Linlang was so frightened by this statement that cold sweat beaded on her forehead. But there was no turning back. She wanted to make an example of Hehuan, to show those maids who harbored ambitions of climbing into bed with their looks, what Hehuan's fate would be.
Therefore, she secretly signaled to a maid beside her. The maid immediately knelt before Feng Jinyao, her face flushed with anxiety.
"Please, Third Miss, do justice for our concubine! This maid Hehuan, I don't know who instigated her, but she's been speaking ill of our concubine everywhere. Today, not only was she caught, but she also talked back to the concubine. Mama reprimanded her a few times, and she still wasn't satisfied, rushing forward to hit the concubine. If we hadn't stopped her, the concubine might have been pushed down by her."
After speaking, she revealed her arm with visible finger marks, appearing fiercely protective of her mistress. This made Feng Jinyao feel disgusted.
Hehuan, hearing their slander, even though her mind was somewhat hazy, refused to be falsely accused.
She struggled to move forward, her gaze seeming as if she could devour someone.
Concubine Linlang feigned terror and fell to the ground. Instantly, some people rushed to pull her up, others to comfort her. Their ability to twist the truth was indeed formidable.
It seemed the elder sister-in-law had suffered her fair share of such grievances, otherwise, how could an affectionate couple have ended up like this.
"Enough!"
Feng Jinyao's reprimand halted the brawling servants.
Hehuan, who had been beaten under the guise of the commotion, was now barely breathing, lying on the ground with her eyes closed.
Thinking of her brother's situation, Feng Jinyao had a plan.
"Yun Xu, go find some older women. Tie up everyone who caused trouble here and send them to the woodshed to be locked up. Also, inform the elder sister-in-law. The last time she dealt with the unruly servants in the household, this foul atmosphere hadn't dissipated yet. Have her come and interrogate them properly. If there are any problems, call the slave traders to sell them off."
"Yes."
Her words were fierce and sharp, terrifying the servants who had been so arrogant moments ago into kneeling and kowtowing desperately.
Unfortunately, Feng Jinyao was not swayed by this.
Soon, over a dozen managing women from the back courtyard arrived, carrying ropes and cloth strips. They bound everyone tightly, one by one. Concubine Linlang, seeing that the tide had turned, now shed a few tears that seemed genuine.
"Third Miss, please be discerning. It's this maid who has a problem with me. Mama and the others were merely standing up for me. Why must it come to this? Why not hand them over to me? I will discipline them properly."
The servants' mouths were gagged, allowing only muffled sounds, but their eyes were filled with hope and pleading.
"Take them away!"
"Yes!"
Yun Xu paid no mind to their pleas and immediately ordered the servants to drag them away.