Chapter 7: Buying Hearts

“Ah—!”

“Miss! This servant has done wrong! It was truly not intentional!”

The dull thud of the board hitting flesh and Tiandong’s piercing cries intermingled, making it unbearable to listen to.

“What’s going on? Wasn’t Miss always the fondest of Tiandong?”

“I heard it’s because Tiandong committed a taboo.”

“Shhh, don’t speak. Be careful not to upset Miss!”

The surrounding servants whispered amongst themselves.

“Miss! For the sake of this servant serving, you for so many years, please spare me!”

Tiandong lay on the stool, her bottom already stained with blood, sobbing and crying out in pain.

“Oh dear! What’s going on here?” A gentle female voice sounded.

“Madam Yun! Madam, save me!” Hearing Yun Moyi’s voice, Tiandong immediately cried out even louder.

“Stop it. Your master and mistress have just passed away, it’s not auspicious to see blood. Just give her a small punishment.”

Yun Moyi, with a look of compassion, slowly walked forward, sighed at the bloody Tiandong.

“Technically, I’m a guest, and shouldn’t interfere with the affairs of the household. But Sister Xi is still young, and she might not think things through. As an elder, I should correct her.”

“After all, they grew up together. A small punishment is enough. Why be so harsh? Someone helps her up. I’ll plead with your Miss.”

As she spoke, Yun Moyi gave two of the maids a wink.

“Madam Yun is truly righteous. You are a blessing to all of us in the mansion!”

The two maids stepped forward and helped Tiandong, who was slumped on the stool.

Seeing that Yun Moyi had indeed called for people to help Tiandong and was about to go to the Yu Xiu Zhai, some people whispered amongst themselves.

“It’s good that Madam Yun came. Otherwise, Tiandong would be in trouble today!”

“Yes, Miss used to treat Tiandong so well. I didn’t expect her to turn her face so quickly. It’s terrifying…”

Yun Moyi glanced at the reactions of those around her, feeling triumphant in her heart. But she didn’t show it on her face, only raising her head higher than before…

Actually, when Yun Moyi stepped forward to stop the punishment, Bai Jinxihad noticed the commotion. But she didn’t care much.

“Banxia, handkerchief.”

Bai Jinxitook a handkerchief soaked in chili water and pressed it against the corner of her eye. Tears instantly streamed down her face.

Yun Moyi was the most hypocritical. She had just moved into the Bai Mansion and wanted to win over the servants, making people think she was a cruel and heartless mistress?

She was thinking too much.

Looking into the bronze mirror, confirming that her eyes were slightly swollen, Bai Jinxi stood up and walked towards them.

“Aunt Yun, what’s going on?” Bai Jinxi sniffed; her eyes red as she scanned the servants behind Yun Moyi.

When she looked over, the maids and servants all lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

“Sister Xi, Aunt Yun knows that your parents have just passed away, and your heart is heavy. You might be oversensitive to some things. I’m asking you for a favor. Let Tiandong off this time. After all, they grew up together in the mansion. If you punish her so severely, won’t you be taking her life?”

Yun Moyi spoke earnestly, but her words implied that Bai Jinxi was making a fuss, throwing a tantrum, and didn’t care about the servants’ lives.

This couldn’t help but make people think that if Tiandong, who had been by her side since childhood, ended up like this, what would happen to the others?

Bai Jinxi, upon hearing this, showed a look of grievance. Her rabbit-like eyes filled with tears, but she tried to hold them back, refusing to let them fall.

The crowd, which had been buzzing with whispers, fell silent.

Bai Jinxi’s expression was truly pitiful, making people feel a pang of pity.

She’s just a ten-year-old child who has just lost her parents. Are we, so many of us, being a bit too much by “pleading” for her?

“Aunt Yun, Xier is not a heartless person who doesn’t know right from wrong! Tiandong has been with me for so many years, and I feel sorry for her, but… but she really went too far…” Her soft voice, laced with a hint of crying, slowly recounted what had happened earlier.

“Aunt Yun, look, this is what she was wearing on her head… My parents were just buried yesterday. How could she… how could she…” The little girl finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears, clutching a wilted pink camellia flower in her hand.

“Ah! It’s true, I saw Tiandong wearing such a flower on her head this morning. I also thought it was inappropriate at the time…” Someone in the crowd chimed in.

“And Tiandong also said that she would be the mistress of this house from now on, and that all the servants should look to her for instructions. She was shouting so loudly at the time, many people nearby heard it…” Bai Jinxi continued, wiping the tears from her face with her handkerchief.

Suddenly, Bai Jinxi froze, crying even louder…

She forgot that her handkerchief was soaked in chili water. It was so spicy!

The whispers of the surrounding people couldn’t drown out her cries. The matter of Tiandong wearing a flower was inconsequential to them. At most, they would stand on the moral high ground and scold her a few times.

But to be the mistress of the house and manage the servants, that touched their interests.

After all, they were all in the same mansion, and they knew each other’s character and temperament.

Tiandong had often taken advantage of Miss’s trust and affection, bossing around the other servants…

“That’s too much! How can she do that!”

“Exactly, Master and Madam treated us so well. How dare you do this to them?!”

“I think Tiandong is taking advantage of the young mistress and trying to seize power!”

The servants started shouting, and the atmosphere of unity instantly dissipated.

This was not what Yun Moyi had planned. She had originally intended to show kindness to Tiandong and win over the hearts of the servants.

But Bai Jinxi’s crying had turned the situation around, making her seem like she was interfering too much…

Noticing that the people around her were looking at her with strange eyes, Yun Moyi quickly stepped forward and patted Bai Jin Xi’s head, pretending to be kind.

“Oh dear, child… Stop crying. Aunt Yun misunderstood you. Aunt Yun apologizes.”

“Madam Yun, your words just now did hurt Miss. You don’t know, when Tiandong was being punished outside, Miss was crying in the room. Look, Miss’s eyes are all swollen from crying.”

Banxia said indignantly, as if she was fighting for her mistress.

“Banxia!” Bai Jinxi quickly hushed her in a low voice.

“Aunt Yun, you don’t need to be like this. You’re an elder, and you’ve come to the Bai Mansion to take care of Xier… It’s only right to teach Xier… Xier shouldn’t have talked back, but it concerns my father and mother. I can’t let them be wronged…”

Bai Jinxi sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

In her previous life, she learned a lesson from Yun Moyi—a woman’s tears could be a weapon.

Whenever she questioned Yun Moyi in her previous life, she would cry and say that she hadn’t taken good care of herself and felt guilty towards her parents, making Bai Jinxi feel guilty and not dare to question her again…

Now, she was crying miserably, and the servants around her were indeed looking at Yun Moyi with strange eyes.

After all, they were all servants in a large mansion. Even if there were no intrigues in the Bai Mansion, they had heard about them happening in other mansions.

Yes, it’s right for elders to teach younger generations, but who is Yun Moyi’s elder?

You, a Yun, have just arrived at the Bai Mansion today, and you’re already slandering the young mistress of the Bai Mansion without any evidence. Do you really think that the Bai Mansion is defenseless?