Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 195

The maids all knew that the brutal beating of Huamei was meant as a warning, Old Master was punishing the young miss through her, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.

Huamei had been Miss Yang Jiyan’s most trusted maid. And now, even with her life hanging by a thread, the young miss still refused to admit fault to save her. This made the other long-serving maids feel chilled to the core.

Another blood-curdling scream came from the courtyard. Yang Jiyan’s face turned deathly pale as she heard it.

Yang Yuancheng’s tone softened slightly. “Yan-jie’er, do you understand that if this beating continues, that maid will die?”

Even though Yang Jiyan had been reborn into this life, she had never experienced anything like this. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, on the verge of breaking down. “Father, please stop forcing me. I really don’t know anything…”

Apparently, Huamei had heard her voice. She couldn’t hold on any longer and, with a weak breath, said, “Master… I’ll speak… I’ll confess everything… It was Miss… who ordered me to tell Xiaodie… to lead the two Miss Yu sisters to the West Garden…”

Before she could finish the sentence, her head dropped.

She was beaten to death.

One of the attendants frowned, checked her breath with his fingers, then came back inside to report, “Master, the maid… she’s dead.”

Yang Jiyan’s eyes widened in horror, frozen in disbelief as she stared toward the courtyard. Yang Yuancheng yanked her up from the floor and dragged her outside. Her legs were weak and unsteady, she was practically dragged across the threshold.

Madam Yang hurried after them, her heart aching but powerless to intervene.

Yang Yuancheng didn’t stop until they reached the lifeless body of Huamei. Only then did he let go. Yang Jiyan collapsed to the ground, unable to bear even looking at the bloodied corpse.

But Yang Yuancheng forced her to look. “Yan-jie’er, you’ve disappointed me more than I can say! From the day you were born, I’ve never once scolded or punished you, not even raised my voice.”

Yang Jiyan was sobbing so hard that her lips were trembling. She stared in terror at Huamei’s blood-soaked body, then shut her eyes in despair.

Yang Yuancheng’s heart ached at the sight of her fear, but this had gone too far, she needed to understand the gravity of what she had done.

He said coldly, “Because of you, one maid is dead, and the other has been beaten, nearly crippled and locked in the woodshed. Yan-jie’er, a girl doesn’t have to be perfect, graceful, wise, and proper, but she must at least be kind. Your mother is so gentle-hearted, why are you nothing like her?”

Madam Yang had been listening silently. By now, she had guessed the real reason behind her husband’s rage. She knelt beside her daughter, gently dabbing at the tears on her face with a handkerchief.

She pleaded, “Yan-jie’er, if you made a mistake, you must admit it. Owning up to your faults and correcting them, that’s how you grow. Your father only scolds you because he loves you deeply. Don’t resent him.”

Yang Jiyan finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. She collapsed into her mother’s arms, crying out in grief, “Father, Mother, I was wrong, I truly was wrong!”

Choking through sobs, she continued, “I looked down on those two countryside girls from the Yu family. I thought they were fake physicians, just trying to scam their way into a diagnosis. I told Xiaodie to lead them to the West Garden on purpose. I thought once they went there, you would scold them and drive them out. I only wanted to make them look foolish, not harm them, truly!”

In truth, in her past life, Yang Jiyan had once sneaked into the West Garden out of curiosity and caught a glimpse of Xiao Ning. After her father was promoted and the family moved to the capital, she learned that the man he’d secretly harbored in the West Garden was none other than Xiao Ning, a fugitive wanted by the emperor.

So when she had Xiaodie lead the Yu sisters toward the West Garden, she already knew, if they saw Xiao Ning, they wouldn’t leave alive.

But at this moment, Yang Yuancheng and his wife believed her words. They thought she had simply acted out of immaturity, out of spite, not realizing how serious the consequences could be.

Seeing her lips now turning purplish from crying so hard, Yang Yuancheng sighed. He reached out and gently patted her head. “If you had admitted this earlier, I wouldn’t have ordered your personal maid beaten to death.”

Madam Yang, holding her daughter close as she sobbed breathlessly, patted her back and said softly to her husband, “Enough, dear. Yan-jie’er has been frightened enough already.”

Even Yang Yuancheng felt that he might’ve gone too far. He withdrew his hand, and his voice grew gentler. “Yan-jie’er, your father only acted in a moment of anger. Even if you don’t like those two Yu girls, you shouldn’t have had them led into the West Garden. But… you didn’t know what was really going on in there, so we’ll let it go. Just promise me, don’t ever throw tantrums like this again.”

Still choking on tears, Yang Jiyan nodded. “I know now. I’ll never dare do such a thing again. Please forgive me for this once.”

Yang Yuancheng saw how pitiful and pale her face was, like she might faint from crying, and his heart softened even more. He said gently to his wife, “Take her back to her room and calm her down.”

Madam Yang coaxed her daughter, “Your father isn’t angry with you anymore. Come, let’s go wash up. A girl who cries too much won’t look pretty.”

Obediently, Yang Jiyan let her mother lead her away.

Yang Yuancheng ordered the servants to take Huamei’s body away and clean up the bloodstains in the courtyard before leaving himself.

Meanwhile, back in the Mu family’s carriage, Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling were finally able to relax a little after leaving the Yang estate.

Yu Fuling curled up weakly in the corner, utterly drained.

She had taken a hard kick from Gu Yun earlier, square in the stomach. At the time, she had been too scared to even register the pain. But now that the danger had passed, the pain hit her full force. Every jolt of the carriage made her nauseous.

Yu Jiao saw how pale her sister’s face had turned, hands clutching her belly. A sheen of cold sweat was forming on her forehead. Reaching over to feel her pulse, Yu Jiao quickly turned to Third Madam Mu. “Madam, is there an apothecary or herbal shop nearby? I need to buy some medicine.”

Madam Mu responded quickly, “Yes! I’ll have the driver take us there right away.”

She lifted the curtain and gave instructions to the coachman. When she turned back around, she saw Yu Jiao untying Yu Fuling’s outer robe and was startled. “What’s wrong with Miss Fuling?”

Yu Fuling was curled up in pain, too weak to stop her sister from undressing her.

Yu Jiao lifted her robe to reveal a massive bruise across her lower abdomen. Her eyes flashed with anger. That damned Gu Yun had kicked way too hard. As a young martial artist, his strength was far from ordinary.

Yu Jiao gently pressed on the bruised area with her finger. Yu Fuling hissed in pain and gasped.

Yu Jiao immediately eased the pressure, then asked in a soft voice, “Tell me, how does it hurt exactly?”

“It just… really hurts. I can’t describe it,” Yu Fuling said through clenched teeth.

“Are you thirsty?” Yu Jiao asked worriedly, fearing internal injuries or bleeding.

Yu Fuling shook her head weakly.