Chapter 7: Punishing the Wicked Slave

"Perhaps she even faked her suicide just to catch the Crown Prince's eye! For someone as shameless as her, there is nothing she wouldn't do for His Highness! Oh my, what an unloved, lowly spawn; she's not even as good as us maids! Hahaha!"

Unabashed, mocking laughter drifted in from outside the door.

Liuzheng looked at Sheng Xiayan with sorrow. Instinctively, she reached out to cover her mistress's ears. In the past, whenever her mistress was bullied severely, she would cover her ears to shut it all out, and Liuzheng, unable to bear it, would step up to defend her. Though it usually ended with Liuzheng being beaten by the group and punished by the Madam, the thought that she had protected her mistress always gave her courage.

Sheng Xiayan looked at Liuzheng’s red-rimmed eyes. The girl was only sixteen, yet she took such care of her. In this cannibalistic household, where everyone was constantly fighting and tearing each other down, Sheng Xiayan finally felt a touch of genuine kindness from another woman.

She gently stroked Liuzheng’s hand to soothe her, signaling her not to be afraid, and then pushed the door open.

The voices of these maids were familiar; they were clearly confidantes of Nanny Gu, whose list of past bullying against the original owner was too long to recount.

In the courtyard, several cleaning maids were laughing and whispering behind her back. Upon seeing her, they showed no trace of fear, merely offering a perfunctory bow: "Second Miss."

Sheng Xiayan let out a cold laugh. The original owner’s status in this mansion was truly lower than even these cleaning maids!

Too bad for them, she was not the original owner—she was neither soft nor kind.

In the blink of an eye, she moved like a ghost, appearing before the maids and slapping each of them twice across the face. Within moments, the maids were knocked to the ground, their cheeks swollen and red.

"Since you enjoy chewing on your master's reputation so much, I don't think you have any further need for these tongues."

As her words fell, she reached out, a delicate dagger appearing in her hand from nowhere.

She crouched down, grabbed the closest maid, and forced her mouth open. With a swift motion, a pink mass fell from the maid's mouth. Blood sprayed out, splattering onto Sheng Xiayan’s face, making her look as terrifying as a demon from hell.

The maid whose tongue had been severed felt a surge of agonizing pain and rolled her eyes, fainting dead away.

Seeing this, the remaining maids lost their previous nonchalance and contempt, their faces replaced by sheer terror.

"Second Miss! I was wrong! Please, spare me!"

They scrambled to their knees, begging for mercy.

Sheng Xiayan had no intention of letting them go. If she didn't properly intimidate these servants and make an example of them, how would everyone in the Grand Tutor’s residence know that the old Sheng Xiayan was dead, and that the one who remained was a demon?

Blood splattered everywhere, and screams echoed throughout the courtyard.

Within a few rounds, the ground was covered in blood mixed with several severed tongues, and the maids had all fainted from the pain.

Liuzheng, who had returned with medicine, froze at the sight, her hands trembling so violently that the medicine almost spilled.

Sheng Xiayan turned around, and upon seeing Liuzheng, the murderous aura surrounding her vanished instantly.

She gave Liuzheng a gentle smile. "Take them, cast them out of the mansion, and sell them to a slave trader. I will not tolerate such disloyal things in my courtyard."

"Yes," Liuzheng nodded hurriedly.

Sheng Xiayan pondered. The poison in Sheng Xiayi’s system was enough to kill her unless she found a divine healer. It wasn't foolproof, though; if the Grand Tutor’s estate managed to find such a healer, Sheng Xiayi might keep her wretched life.

If that happened, avenging the original owner would be difficult! She had to find another chance to use a more potent dose.

Before that, she needed to retreat to the Prince of Night’s residence to recuperate for a few days. With uninvited guests arriving one after another, she was exhausted; her health was her capital. If she kept pushing herself like this, she would die before she could even take her revenge.

As she was lost in thought, another uninvited guest arrived.

It was Madam Jiang.

Behind her followed Nanny Gu, her face twisted with resentment. Clearly, Nanny Gu had gone to Madam Jiang to weave a tale, and now she was here to settle the score with Sheng Xiayan.

"Mother," Sheng Xiayan greeted her with a cold, indifferent tone.

"Sheng Xiayan, you have become increasingly willful and arrogant! You even dare to ignore Nanny Gu!"

Madam Jiang scolded, "Do you have any idea how worried and anxious you’ve made your sister with this suicidal nonsense? It’s bad enough that you can't compare to her, but why must you target her so? Can’t you learn from her magnanimity and kindness? Look at what you’ve done today! Hitting Nanny Gu, beating the maids! Sheng Xiayan, how have you become like this? You have disappointed me so much!"

Every word was an accusation, completely omitting how they had bullied her.

"When I was being bullied, you said nothing, but now that I’ve fought back, you come to blame me? Have you no shame?" Sheng Xiayan curled her lip in mockery, her words sharp and merciless.

"You!"

Madam Jiang was choked with rage. Yet, because every word Sheng Xiayan said was true, she had no rebuttal.

She couldn't understand how her daughter, who had always been docile, weak, and dull, had returned from the brink of death with such a sharp tongue—and a temperament so ruthless and decisive.

By attacking Nanny Gu, she wasn't just striking a servant; she was striking Madam Jiang's own face!

Sheng Xiayan had changed, and that was very unfavorable for the plans Madam Jiang had kept hidden in the shadows.

Her eyes darted around, and a new scheme took root.