Chapter 263: Chapter 245: Tidying Up_1
“`
Upon entering Shuangxin Courtyard and seeing so many people gathered, with the eldest daughter looking as cold as frost, Yan Zhigao’s gaze swiftly flickered, “What are you all doing here?”
When the Lin concubine saw Yan Zhigao, it was as if her soul had returned to her, and she threw herself at him, crying and saying, “My Lord, you’ve finally arrived. If you had come any later, Wenhui, Yishuang, and I would have all been taken down by the eldest young miss.”
“I don’t know if I did something wrong to offend the eldest young miss. We were just eating when she came with a large group of people, ready to reprimand us, and it scared Yishuang and Wenbin so much that they didn’t even dare to speak.”
“If I did something wrong, the eldest young miss can beat or scold me, after all, I’m just a concubine. But Wenbin and Yishuang are the eldest young miss’s own younger brother and sister. They are still so young; they should not be treated like this…”
No one in the entire Shuangxin Courtyard dared to speak, each of them quietly listened to the Lin concubine’s tearful complaints.
The Lin concubine collapsed into Yan Zhigao’s arms and, while awaiting a response and taking the opportunity to wipe her tears, she sneakily glanced at Yan Zhigao’s face, only then realizing that he wasn’t looking at her at all, but was staring straight at the eldest young miss standing on the steps.
Yan Zhigao was listening to the Lin concubine, but his attention was even more focused on the eldest daughter.
He discovered that at this moment, the eldest daughter’s expression was so indifferent it was frightening; there wasn’t a trace of warmth in her eyes.
He didn’t like his eldest daughter being like this; he would rather have her talking back to him and arguing, than to see her saying nothing and just quietly watching him with those eyes.
Without an audience, the Lin concubine’s crying gradually subsided, and she could only sniffle and feign wiping her tears.
At that moment, Yan Zhigao pushed the Lin concubine away and turned to Daohua, asking, “What exactly happened?”
Daohua saw that this time the cheap father didn’t immediately conclude after the concubine’s crying, and she smiled slightly, “It’s nothing serious, just that the Lin concubine’s siblings said that my older brother and fourth brother have been doomed in Xingyun Prefecture, that our mother is also sick and not likely to live much longer, and that in the future, the Yan Family will belong to the Lin concubine.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhigao’s face turned dark, and he glared fiercely at Lin Wangshi and Lin Xushi.
How dare the Lin Family curse the descendants of the Yan Family!
Before Yan Zhigao could lash out, the Lin concubine fell to the ground ‘thump’, crying loudly, “Eldest young miss, where have I offended you for you to wrongly accuse me and my family?”
She absolutely couldn’t admit to this; she knew all too well how much her lord valued his heirs.
“My lord, my siblings are timid. Even if you lent them hundreds of guts, they wouldn’t dare to have such thoughts. I beg for your discernment, my lord.”
Yan Zhigao frowned, looked at the pitifully crying Lin concubine, then at Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang, who were too scared to speak, and finally at the trembling Lin Wangshi and Lin Xushi, before raising his eyes to Daohua.
Daohua, with an amused look, said with a laugh, “Father, you are an imperial envoy accustomed to examining cases, aren’t you? Do you want to do an investigation? See if I would curse my own elder brother and my dear mother just to bring down one of your concubines?”
Yan Zhigao remained silent, not speaking, but he shook off the Lin concubine, who was clinging to his robe.
Seeing this, the Lin concubine’s heart suddenly sank, and Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang also turned pale.
The father believes what the eldest sister said!
Daohua waited a moment, and seeing her cheap father was silent and looking stern, her mouth curled slightly with a trace of irony, “Father, I want an explanation, for my three brothers who are still in danger and for my mother who lies sick in bed.”
“And remember, don’t try to placate me with two outsiders.”
Daohua’s meaning was clear: she wasn’t concerned with Lin Wangshi and Lin Xushi; she wanted to deal with the Lin Family. She was too tired to confront them – she just wanted a result.
Seeing the eldest daughter determined not to let the matter of the Lin Family mother and son rest, Yan Zhigao’s brows were tightly knit together. After a moment of silence, he said, “The Lin Family woman speaks without restraint. She is confined to Shuangxin Courtyard for half a year… ”
“Father!”
Daohua cut him off, saying with a smile that was not quite a smile, “Father, in your eyes, is the life of my elder brother and fourth brother worth nothing more than confinement, and only for half a year at that?”
Yan Zhigao’s expression darkened further: “The Lin Family woman is confined for three years and is punished with copying Buddhist scriptures one hundred times; if she does not finish in a day, then she shall not be released that day.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Lin concubine began to wail, “My lord, please no, I am innocent!”
Yan Zhigao once again shook off the Lin concubine’s clinging and looked towards Daohua.
Daohua smiled, said nothing more, and then turned to look at Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang.
Seeing this, Yan Zhigao took a deep breath: “Wenbin and Yishuang have been disrespectful to their legitimate mother and elder brothers. From a chosen date, they too are confined within the residence, and until your elder brothers return, you shall not leave.”
After speaking, Yan Zhigao turned away, ready to leave.
The Lin Family woman deserved punishment for her error, but the way the eldest daughter was behaving made him feel coerced and uncomfortable.
“Father!”
Daohua called out again to stop him.
“`
Yan Zhigao turned around, displeasure evident in his gaze as he looked at Daohua, “I have already punished them, what else do you want to say?”
Daohua sneered, “Father, please believe me, if they were not your concubines and children, I would absolutely have no desire to bother with them at all.”
Having said that, she could not be bothered with her stepfather’s complexion anymore and continued.
“Father, only you, me, and mother knew about the incident with the three elder brothers at the Xingyun Prefecture, so how did the news get out?”
Yan Zhigao was startled, indeed, how did the news spread?
Daohua didn’t wait for him to figure it out and said directly, “I had someone investigate, and it turns out that the first person in the residence to spread the news of the troubles of my elder brothers was the maid Xiyun from Aunt Lin’s side. Aunt Lin never steps out of her doorways; how could she have known?”
Yan Zhigao’s expression shifted rapidly, and after casting a complex glance at his eldest daughter, he looked coldly towards Lin Wangshi and Lin Xushi, “From now on, the Lin family shall not set foot in the Yan Residence ever again. As for Master Lin… he is suspended from his duties starting today.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Wangshi immediately screamed, “Son-in-law, please no, he’s your brother-in-law! Please, for Wenhui’s sake and the three children she bore you, don’t end his employment.”
Watching Lin Wangshi slump to the ground, Yan Zhigao’s brow furrowed.
At this moment, Aunt Lin also started to cry, and both Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang knelt before Yan Zhigao, begging piteously.
“Heh~”
Amidst the wailing, Daohua sneered again, looking at her stepfather with a smile, “Son-in-law? Who is the son-in-law? It’s a good thing my maternal grandparents are not around anymore, otherwise, how angry they would be? To have a new relative out of nowhere.”
Yan Zhigao’s face changed, and after glancing at Daohua, he no longer hesitated and left the Shuangxin Courtyard.
At the entrance of the courtyard, people from the second and third houses saw the entire Lin Family being punished, and Yan Zhigao leaving with an ashen face; they all exchanged bewildered looks.
Sun Family patted her chest, “I never expected that girl Daohua’s temper could be so frightening when roused!”
Yan Zhiyuan sneered, “I’ve said it before—if Aunt Lin didn’t keep quiet, she would be dealt with by Daohua sooner or later. Now, look, the entire Lin Family has been sorted out completely.”
As his words fell, several old matrons dragged Lin Wangshi and Lin Xushi out of Shuangxin Courtyard and directly escorted them out of the Yan Residence, not giving them any dignity.
Sun Family, upon seeing this, quickly pulled Yan Zhiyuan back.
Then, the maid Xiyun, for spreading rumors, was also taken out.
Wang Manman handed her over to the waiting Madam Fang outside the courtyard, saying, “Miss said that the Yan Family has no need for servants who stir up trouble. Later, go to the main courtyard to find Sister Ping Tong for their indenture contracts and sell them off with those who neglected their duties and let people in carelessly.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Family’s hand trembled, and even Yan Zhiyuan’s face changed.
Main Courtyard.
Ping Tong and Ping Xiao, after hearing about Daohua’s arrangements, both fell silent in unison.
After a while, Ping Tong spoke up, “The eldest miss always seems so gentle and amiable, but if someone crosses her bottom line, her means are even more ruthless than the madam’s.”
“After this incident, those in the residence with ulterior motives will likely restrain themselves.”
Ping Xiao thought about it and said, “It’s better to have someone like the eldest miss. As our family grows, to keep everyone in check, we must use drastic measures. The madam… is indeed too gentle.”
Shuangxin Courtyard.
In the west wing, Aunt Willow had the door tightly closed. Before, she had dared to peek through the window at the situation in the yard, but after witnessing the eldest miss’s measures, she didn’t even dare to watch the drama.
Fearing that if she wasn’t careful, the fire would spread to her as well.
In the courtyard, after seeing her maternal grandmother and aunt being dragged out by the servants, Yan Wenbin stared at Daohua with eyes full of resentment.
Daohua didn’t bother with the servants during the resolution, and only after everything was done did she look indifferently towards him.
Meeting Yan Wenbin’s resentful gaze, Daohua first stared back expressionlessly for a while, then scoffed scornfully and led her people out of the courtyard.
“From today on, seal off the Shuangxin Courtyard. No one is allowed in or out of Aunt Lin’s place, and no visits are permitted. However, if Aunt Willow wants to come out, she may be allowed to pass.”
With that, Shu Xin glanced quickly at the west wing then quickly averted her eyes.
In the west wing, Aunt Willow shuddered, knowing that the eldest miss had just warned her.
In fact, she would stay in line even without the warning.
After all, masters as kind-hearted as Madam Li are truly rare.