Xiao Man followed the old madam to the upper courtyard.
"Kneel," the old madam commanded sternly.
Xiao Man did not retort and obediently knelt down.
"Xiao Man, you have truly gone too far. I thought you had changed, but I never expected you to become even more arrogant, daring to provoke the Crown Prince!" The old madam was so angry that she pounded the table. "Do you want to bring doom upon everyone in our General's mansion?"
"Your granddaughter wouldn't dare!"
"Wouldn't dare!" The old madam grabbed a teacup and flung it towards Xiao Man's head. To her surprise, Xiao Man didn't dodge. The teacup struck Xiao Man's head directly, and blood immediately streamed down.
The old madam's eyelids twitched, and even Madam Xu's hands trembled.
The General was returning soon. If the eldest young lady had an injury on her head, it would be difficult to explain.
"Xiao Man, do you know your mistake?"
"Your granddaughter does not know!"
"Very well, very well! You still don't know where you went wrong!" Seeing that Xiao Man did not dodge and showed no remorse, the old madam's temper flared up again. "You provoked the Crown Prince, angered Prince Qin, and caused Prime Minister Du's daughter to have her tongue cut out. How could I have known you were such a wicked person?" Su Dan Novel Network.
Xiao Man knelt upright, not uttering a word no matter how the old madam scolded her.
In this mansion, she had only one way to gain power: to sideline the old madam. As long as the old madam could command the people in the mansion, she could not truly hold power.
"Replying to Grandmother, it was Prince Qin who cut off Du Qiu Ruo's tongue. She was punished for stirring up trouble with Prince Qin, and it has nothing to do with me. As for His Highness the Crown Prince, he sided with Du Qiu Ruo who insulted Father. I was merely defending Father's honor. If this is considered a mistake, then Grandmother may punish me as she sees fit!"
"Listen, do you hear that? She's still making excuses!"
The old madam reached for something to throw again, but Madam Xu quickly stopped her.
"Old madam, please calm your anger. The eldest young lady is still young and doesn't understand."
"She's young? You also heard what the Crown Prince said: she threw her own sister into the lake in front of everyone, threatening to drown her, and declared that no one could do anything to her. She is utterly lawless. If she dares to threaten to kill her sister today, she will dare to kill this old woman tomorrow. Tie her up, fetch the sticks, and I will teach her a lesson today!"
Several maids immediately stepped forward, tied Xiao Man up, and forced her onto a stool.
Seeing this, Madam Xu quickly tried to persuade her, "Old madam, please calm down. Think of the General, think of the eldest young master!"
The old madam pushed Madam Xu aside. "She's just taking advantage of her father and brother protecting her to act so recklessly. I must teach her a lesson today. Hit her!"
As the sticks fell upon her, Xiao Man gritted her teeth, remaining silent. Ying Xue was about to move but was stopped by a glance from Xiao Man.
Seeing Xiao Man's silence, the old madam sneered. "It doesn't hurt you, does it? Hit harder! I want to see if your bones are harder, or the sticks are harder!"
The news of the old madam closing the mansion gates and having Xiao Man beaten quickly spread to others.
Concubine Yan, the second wife, heard this and a smile curved her lips. She immediately led her people towards the upper courtyard.
Upon arrival, she saw Xiao Man being held down and beaten. She rejoiced inwardly but outwardly rushed forward with feigned concern.
"You cannot hit her, Mother. If the General finds out, he may blame you." Yan Shi's words only added fuel to the fire.
The old madam had intended to stop after a few light blows, a minor punishment, but Yan Shi's words ignited her anger further.
"As her grandmother, must I seek my son's permission to discipline my granddaughter? Hit her! Hit her hard! I want to see if Xiao Zhen will kill this old woman to pay for her life if I beat her to death!"
Yan Shi pretended to intervene while fanning the flames. The old madam, consumed by rage and irrationality, only focused on ordering the beating, failing to notice that Xiao Man had fainted.
Concubine Lin came to watch the spectacle. Seeing that Xiao Man was no longer moving, she asked curiously, "Has the eldest young lady fainted?"
The old madam felt as if a basin of cold water had been doused over her, extinguishing her anger. However, she could not appear guilty.
"Alright, stop." The old madam wanted to check on Xiao Man, but with so many people watching, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Take your mistress back. This beating today is a lesson for her. If she dares to be so arrogant and presumptuous again, I will beat her to death!"
Ying Xue quickly got up from the ground to check on Xiao Man.
Xiao Man's light-colored clothes were already stained with blood from the beating, indicating the old madam's cruelty. The wound on her head was also bleeding continuously.
Ying Xue's eyes immediately welled up, but she dared not cry. She carefully carried Xiao Man back to Shui Yue Xiao Zhu.
Seeing this, Yan Shi sneered inwardly. What good was being the "daughter of destiny" if the old madam could beat her as she pleased?
The bloody sight was gruesome, and she was likely seriously injured.
"Mother, perhaps we should let Physician Ye examine her. I see the eldest young lady is badly hurt. The General will be returning soon, and we must cover this up!" Yan Shi said with feigned solicitude.
"Cover up what?" The old madam was furious. "What is there to cover up? She made a mistake, and I must discipline her properly. No doctor is allowed to see her. I want Xiao Zhen to see that I beat his unruly daughter. Let's see what he does!"
Yan Shi said with a look of apprehension, "But if the General blames you..."
"I will bear any blame from him. What are you afraid of?" The old madam snapped. "Sister Three's coming-of-age ceremony is also approaching. Is everything ready?"
"Not yet..."
"If it's not ready, then go prepare. What are you standing around for?"
Yan Shi and the others immediately withdrew. Concubine Lin glanced at Yan Shi and gave a mocking smile.
However, she was also happy about Xiao Man's beating. When the General returned, the old madam was the one who beat her, and the second wife instigated it. It had nothing to do with her!
Madam Xu wanted to persuade the old madam to let Physician Ye examine Xiao Man, but seeing that the old madam was still angry, she dared not say anything.
When Ying Xue brought Xiao Man back to the courtyard, everyone there was in an uproar.
Their young lady had gone out well and returned beaten so badly. The maids rushed to get blankets, medicine, and water, pushing aside Qiu Tong, who was usually the closest to Xiao Man.
"What happened? How did Miss end up like this?"
"The old madam beat her," Ying Xue replied to Qiu Tong as she helped Xiao Man undress. However, the blood had stuck to Xiao Man's clothes. As she undressed, Xiao Man cried out in pain and woke up.
"Miss, you're awake. Please bear with it. I'll take off your clothes and help you apply medicine..."
"Just cut the clothes off," Xiao Man said weakly.
Ying Xue immediately took scissors and cut the clothes. However, even after cutting, she still had to peel the clothes off. Xiao Man's brow furrowed in pain, her fingers tightly gripping the bedsheet, large beads of sweat rolling down her face.
Once the clothes were removed, her back was a bloody mess, and her legs and buttocks were also covered in blood. Her legs were also heavily bruised.
Qiu Tong watched, tears streaming down her face. She applied the medicine to Xiao Man and covered her with a thin quilt. Xiao Man, drowsy, fell asleep again.