Li Man'er had someone move a chair to a shady spot in the courtyard. She walked over leisurely and sat down, her eyes fixed on the people in the yard.
These people were all under Madam Guo's command. By rights, she shouldn't be the one to discipline them, but the injuries on Nanny Wu's body pricked at her.
"Zhou Wang's wife."
"Young lady."
"Find two people to boil water and help Nanny Wu clean up and change her clothes. Also, have someone prepare some delicate food for the nanny to eat first."
"Yes." Zhou Wang's wife had been in the Marquis's mansion for over ten years. Although she hadn't served the masters directly, she had some skill in observing people's expressions. She knew that Li Man'er was targeting Steward Su, which was tantamount to declaring war on Madam Guo, and she didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
But the young lady was not what she used to be. She had made a name for herself in the mansion and even dared to yell at the Ninth Prince. What could Madam Guo do to her?
Zhou Wang's wife felt this was a good opportunity to show her loyalty. Perhaps the young lady would find her useful and transfer her to serve in Qingping Pavilion!
Zhou Wang's wife chose two strong women to boil water and found an almost new bathtub. She then assigned two clean wives from the estate to clean it up.
Porridge was simmering on the stove, along with two small dishes.
Zhou Wang's wife was rather resourceful. Without Li Man'er's instruction, she found a hanging basket in the well in the backyard. Inside was a green-skinned melon, thoroughly chilled. She personally cut the melon, removed the seeds, and then diced it into cubes. She found a shallow pink porcelain plate, arranged the melon, and stuck in two toothpicks before bringing it to Li Man'er.
"Young lady, this is the countryside, not like home. Please make do with this to beat the summer heat."
Li Man'er merely glanced at the plate, showing no reaction.
Zhou Wang's wife felt uneasy and stood obediently, waiting for Li Man'er's instructions.
The water was soon ready, and two maids in green helped Nanny Wu change and wash. After about half an hour, Nanny Wu was completely refreshed from head to toe.
After applying medicine and eating a meal, and after all the fuss, an hour had passed.
Li Man'er had someone move another chair and invited Nanny Wu to sit down.
"Nanny, just watch. None of those who bullied you will escape."
The sun was scorching. Su Hai had first been beaten, then tied up and left in the sun for an hour. By now, he was thirsty and hungry, his body almost dried out, and he couldn't help but beg for mercy.
"Young lady, please be merciful. This humble servant had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I was wrong, so wrong. Nanny Wu, you are a magnanimous person, please don't hold it against me and let me off the hook!"
"It is a fact that you mistreated Nanny Wu. Words of apology are useless," she said slowly, picking up a slice of watermelon and putting it in her mouth.
The weather was too hot, and the originally cool watermelon was now warm as she ate it.
"It was this humble servant's ignorance. I am willing to atone. I only beg the young lady to spare me this once in consideration of Madam's face!"
Li Man'er asked him, "You and Nanny Wu had no prior grudges, so why did you treat her this way? Were you instructed by someone?"
Su Hai understood that Li Man'er wanted him to implicate Madam Guo. But Madam Guo was his master. The lives of his entire family rested in Madam Guo's hands. If he betrayed her, his fate would be even more tragic.
Su Hai was confident that Li Man'er wouldn't dare do anything to him. He gritted his teeth and said nothing, only stating, "I don't quite understand what the young lady is saying. Those who make mistakes and are sent to the estate end up like this. Everyone has to suffer some hardship, don't they?"
Won't speak? He had backbone.
Li Man'er sneered, "I didn't expect you to be so loyal. It seems my dear mother didn't choose the wrong person. Fine, I won't make things difficult for you, but Nanny Wu's injuries cannot be endured in vain."
Su Hai's eyelids twitched. Sweat dripped into his eyes, making him very uncomfortable. A very bad premonition arose within him.
"Nanny Wu is bruised and battered all over, which I imagine are all your doing." Li Man'er stood up, rolled up her sleeves, and reached out to the side.
Zi Yan quickly handed her the horsewhip, something the young lady had asked her to prepare earlier.
Li Man'er took the whip in her hand, weighed it, and then cracked it fiercely in the air twice. The sound of it breaking through the air made one's scalp tingle. Su Hai struggled harder, continuously begging, "Young lady, you are magnanimous, please spare this humble servant this once!"
Li Man'er didn't bother to waste words on him. She walked over and whipped him fiercely. The clothes worn in summer were thin, and with this lash, the clothes were torn to shreds. The flesh underneath naturally suffered. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was bloody and mangled.
Su Hai let out a pig-like scream, "Ah, murder!"
Li Man'er ignored him, whipping him again and again. The sounds were chilling. The servants on the estate all cowered, heads bowed, none daring to look up.
They had all played a part in mistreating Nanny Wu. If Li Man'er dared to deal with Su Hai, she would deal with them just the same.
Su Hai was truly miserable. His screams gradually weakened. He could only continuously beg Li Man'er, "Young lady, please spare this servant, spare this servant this one time, and I will never dare again!"
Nanny Wu couldn't bear to watch and quickly asked Zi Yan to stop her, "Don't cause a death." If someone really died, it would be difficult to explain to Madam.
Zi Yan only said, "Nanny, please rest assured, the young lady has her limits."
Nanny Wu was stunned by these words, and the strange feeling in her heart grew even stronger. Ever since the young lady appeared, she felt something was off. She felt that the young lady had been controlling her temper with ease, acting calmly and unhurriedly, not shouting and yelling as she usually did.
Nanny Wu even saw a hint of Ning Ruying in Li Man'er.
"Is the young lady..."
Zi Yan just smiled, "Nanny, the young lady is very different now. Just watch."
Because Nanny Wu was an old servant of the Ning family, having accompanied the late Madam when she married, Zi Yan and the others treated her with great respect.
Perhaps tired from whipping, Li Man'er finally stopped. Su Hai was whipped until he was on the verge of death, his body covered in bloodstains of various sizes, looking horrific.
Li Man'er had her limits. Su Hai looked terrible, but it was all superficial wounds and didn't damage his core.
"Go, find the estate's account books for me."
Everyone exchanged glances, not knowing what Li Man'er was planning next!
Lü Yi whispered a reminder, "Young lady, this is Madam's private property. If you investigate the accounts, it might not be appropriate, right?"
Su Hai's brow twitched. He knew the stakes involved and immediately said, "Young lady, you dislike this humble servant and want to hit or punish me, I accept it all. But you cannot touch Madam's private property. You are overstepping your bounds."
"Heh~ If I am catching such a large parasite for my mother, how can that be considered overstepping?"