Volume 1, Chapter 19: Gouging Out the Other Eye

Nanny Li cast a desperate look toward Shen Qi'er, hoping for intervention, but the latter acted as if she saw nothing and averted her gaze.

"You wretch, Shen Qi'er! I’ve spoken up for you before the Old Madam countless times, and now you won't even help me with this?"

Shen Qi'er clutched her chest, appearing heartbroken. "I... I tried my absolute best to beg Sister to spare Xiao Mei. How can you say such things to me?"

"Fine! Then I shall bash my head in right here and die!"

As she spoke, she knelt on the ground and began to slam her head against the floor, sobbing as she did so. "Sister, you’ve seen it for yourself. If you don't spare her, I will surely be branded an ingrate by everyone."

Though her words were pleading, her expression was one of sullen resentment.

Nanny Li gritted her teeth in silent fury. *The bitch!*

But in the end, it was all Jiang Wannin's fault for stirring up trouble! Otherwise, none of this would have happened.

Sensing the nanny's hateful glare, Lady Jiang sneered inwardly. "I was too kind in the past, allowing a servant to look at me with such eyes."

"Gouge out her other eye and feed it to the dogs!"

Meeting Lady Jiang’s icy, furious gaze, Nanny Li instinctively covered her eyes. She realized that Lady Jiang was actually capable of doing it!

*But in the past, hadn't we done such things before? Why could she tolerate it then, but now she seeks to annihilate us?*

*Viper...*

"Yes," Nanny Zhang replied with a smirk, gesturing to the maidservants.

The maids stepped forward and pinned her down. A knife was plunged viciously into her eye, twisted once, and then abruptly pulled out. A maid tossed the eyeball onto the ground and crushed it under her heel. Though young, these maids were martial servants who had served the Empress and had seen much blood; to them, gouging an eye was as trivial as trimming a fingernail.

"Aaaah!" Nanny Li felt a sickening wave of pain, and then, everything went black.

"My eyes... Jiang Wannin, you viper! Give me back my eyes!"

Nanny Zhang glared at her. "Shut up! You still don't know your place! Give her a ruthless beating!"

After speaking, she glanced at Lady Jiang and, seeing no sign of pity, let out a breath of relief. Given Princess Anjing's precarious position in the Xiahou estate, if she didn't strike fear into these people, nothing would change—they might even grow bolder.

The whip lashed down repeatedly onto Nanny Li's body, causing her to roll on the ground, screaming for mercy.

"Madam, please, spare me! I won't dare do it again..." She reached out toward Lady Jiang, but the next whip stroke landed on her hand, tearing away a chunk of flesh.

Looking at the mangled, bloody body, Lady Jiang half-closed her eyes, her fingers gripping so hard they turned white.

She was not without fear, but she had to do this. It was not just to secure her footing in the Xiahou estate, but to ensure her children were treated with fairness.

After countless lashes, Nanny Li’s pleas finally ceased. Her broken body was unceremoniously dumped on the floor, landing right in front of Xiao Mei and Shen Qi'er.

Xiao Mei, kneeling with her head bowed, found herself staring into a blood-filled eye socket. There was not a patch of intact skin left on the nanny, and the white of her bones was visible beneath the torn flesh.

"Ah!" Xiao Mei shrieked in terror, her body collapsing. *If Miss Shen hadn't interceded earlier, would I have ended up the same way?* Lady Jiang... she was truly vicious!

As this thought crossed her mind, she realized Lady Jiang was staring directly at her. She shuddered, and her trousers grew damp.

Shen Qi'er pushed Xiao Mei aside and scrambled away like a beaten dog.

Lady Jiang took in their reactions. "Will you choose to be sold, or will you follow in her footsteps?"

The kneeling maids, already terrified out of their wits, scrambled to kowtow.

"We choose to be sold!"

"Madam, we are sorry! We didn't mean to—it was all Nanny Li who ordered us to withhold supplies from the Bisheng Courtyard!"

"Yes, it was all Nanny Li's fault!"

Lady Jiang swept a cold gaze over them. Did they really think she would believe they were forced? Even if they had been coerced, they were beneficiaries, and beneficiaries were never innocent.

"Get out!"

At these words, they scrambled away in a panic.

Lady Jiang turned to Shen Qi'er. "Miss Shen, you must be shaken. Shouldn't you go back and rest?"

Shen Qi'er scrambled to her feet, stammering, "Sister, then... I shall take my leave." She turned and left without a backward glance at Xiao Mei.

"Miss Shen... wait for me!" Xiao Mei, ignoring her own agony, limped after her as if fleeing from a monster.

Once back at the Bisheng Courtyard, Shen Qi'er held Xia Yangyang tightly in her arms, finally finding a shred of calm. She recounted everything that had happened.

"She targeted Xiao Mei and Nanny Li on purpose just to warn me—to keep me from harboring thoughts about the Master’s heart or the position of mistress."

"Yangyang, you are a lucky star. You will surely protect Mother and help me become the mistress, won't you?"

Hearing this, Xia Yangyang was furious. *That wretched woman! How dare she bully my mother!*

She, who possessed the 'Lucky Star' system, knew the future plot like the back of her hand. Lady Jiang was nothing but a fool; how could she possibly compete with them? The position of mistress would be her mother's sooner or later. The good fortune was hers, the top scholar title would be her older brother's, and the military honors would be her second brother's.

She patted Shen Qi'er’s hand, as if offering comfort. Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness washed over Shen Qi'er. Her eyes lit up, and she lay down on the bed, waiting for the Lucky Star to offer guidance. In her dream, she saw the Lucky Star again, who told her to retrieve the discarded Nanny Li and then...

With the exception of the maids in the Bisheng Courtyard, most of the servants in the Xiahou estate had been sent away. New ones needed to be brought in.

"Nanny Zhang, find some reliable maids." Lady Jiang pondered—if she replaced them with her own people, she would be prepared should anyone try to pull any tricks.

"As you command," Nanny Zhang left immediately.

The night grew deep. Lady Jiang did not know where she had gone, but when she woke the next morning, she found many new faces in the estate. These people appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen, yet their steps were steady and firm; they were clearly no ordinary maids.

She went to pay her respects to the Old Madam as usual. Upon entering, she was surprised to find many people gathered there. Xia Huai'an and Xia Ziyi were present, and even Shen Qi'er, who had never paid her respects before, was there. They sat awkwardly, barely touching their chairs, their postures stiff.

When she saw Nanny Li lying on the floor, barely alive, Lady Jiang’s heart sank.

Before she could speak, a teacup whizzed past her head.

"Viper! Nanny Li was a loyal servant, and you gouged out her eyes and beat her to the brink of death!" Xia Huai'an’s chest heaved, his eyes filled with disbelief and disgust.

Xia Qianqian, who was busy sucking on her fingers, grew so angry that she pulled her finger out with a 'pop' and pointed accusingly at him. *Stinking, scummy father! Bullying my mother again—you clearly haven't been beaten enough!*