Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 212 Punishment

Liu Jingyue added, "Uncle Shen, Aunt Shen, since my sister and I are not from the Shen family, it's difficult for us to handle this for you, so it's better to tell you."

Shen Yizhi and Madam Shen felt their faces burning with shame. Shen Yizhi bowed and said, "I'm so sorry, my two princesses. It's okay for me to teach a servant. I hope you will forgive me!"

Dugu Xin, who was standing next to Shen Yizhi, gave Shen Yizhi a firm hand and said, "Hey, don't bow. Bowing is unorthodox, isn't it?"

Dugu Jingyao also said, "Yes, Uncle Shen, you don't need to bow to us. You are our elder, and this matter has not caused any loss to us sisters. It's just that she is a servant in the Shen Mansion, relying on her position as a close friend of the mistress to make presumptuous remarks about her master, which is unfair to Sister Zhenzhu."

Shen Yizhi nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, the princess is right. I was negligent. I will definitely discipline my servants in the future."

Madam Shen also echoed her husband, saying, "Thank you, Princess. I will manage the servants well from now on."

After chatting for a while, Shen Yizhi, Madam Shen, and Shen Zhenzhu escorted Duguxin and his family out of the house. At the door, Duguxin reminded them, "We'll let you know before we leave in a few days. We'll probably start packing in the next two days. You can help Zhenzhu pack some luggage, and we'll come pick her up when the time comes."

Shen Yizhi and Madam Shen nodded repeatedly, their eyes following the carriage of Dugu Xin's family until it gradually disappeared from their sight... Then, they turned around and stepped into the mansion again.

After returning to the house, Shen Yizhi and Madam Shen looked at each other, nodded in tacit understanding, and then walked to the front hall together. He said to Shen Zhenzhu behind him: "Zhenzhu, come with us too."

Shen Zhenzhu responded softly, "Yes," and followed her parents to the front hall.

After sitting down in the front hall, Shen Yizhi spoke solemnly: "Afu, go and call Mei Rui!" His voice was icy cold, as if it came from the depths of an ice cellar.

Ah Fu didn't dare to be negligent and quickly agreed "yes", leaving quickly and bringing Mei Rui with him. When Mei Rui learned that the master and the mistress had summoned her, a chill suddenly surged in her heart, knowing that she would not be able to escape this time.

With an uneasy mood, Mei Rui followed Ah Fu tremblingly and walked into the front hall with her head lowered.

Ah Fu reported respectfully: "Master, Madam, Mei Rui has been brought here." After that, he retreated to Shen Yizhi's side.

Although Mei Rui was filled with fear, she still tried to force herself to remain calm. She bowed respectfully and said, "This servant greets the Master, Madam, and Miss!"

Shen Yizhi's eyes widened with anger as he sternly scolded, "Mei Rui, you are so bold!"

Mei Rui was so frightened by this harsh voice that she trembled all over and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy: "Master, I know I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time!"

Shen Yizhi snorted coldly: "Hmph, forgive you? If you knew you would be punished, why did you still talk about the master casually?"

Mei Rui quickly slapped her cheeks hard with her hands, saying, "It's all because of my careless mouth!" Seeing that Shen Yizhi seemed to be still angry, she looked at Madam Shen for help, hoping to get her forgiveness. After all, she was Madam Shen's close friend.

However, who would have thought that Madam Shen would be so angry that her face turned red. She angrily scolded, "You, you, I've always been too kind to you. How dare you criticize the master so brazenly? And you even embarrassed yourself in front of other people! Even if the master doesn't have to punish you, I must teach you a lesson!"

Hearing this, Mei Rui felt a chill in her heart, as if enveloped by an invisible chill. However, she quickly thought of a solution: Yes, there is still the young lady! The young lady has always been kind-hearted. If she sincerely admitted her mistake to her, she would definitely plead for her.

Mei Rui then struggled to crawl to Shen Zhenzhu's side, her eyes filled with regret and self-blame. She choked and said, "Miss, I really know I was wrong. I will never do it again. Please help me and beg for mercy!"

Shen Zhenzhu was initially a bit soft-hearted. After all, Mei Rui had grown up with her mother and was very respectful to her. She was just a bit of a nag. But when she saw her father's determined eyes, her heart tightened, realizing that this matter was not that simple.

Shen Yizhi interrupted Shen Zhenzhu directly: "Zhenzhu, since Meirui has already apologized to you, you have nothing to do here, you should go back first!" His tone was firm and unquestionable.

Shen Zhenzhu looked at her father's determined eyes, nodded helplessly, and said, "Yes, father, your daughter will take her leave first." Then, she turned around and left with Su Ci.

After walking outside, Shen Zhenzhu whispered to Su Ci: "Su Ci, you stay here and keep an eye on the movements inside." There was a hint of worry and uneasiness in her voice.

Su Ci, however, didn't take it seriously and said, "Miss, Mei Rui has already said this about you, why are you still paying attention to her movements?"

Shen Zhenzhu knocked on Su Ci's forehead helplessly, and said with a bit of majesty: "If I tell you to go, then go!"

Su Ci rubbed her forehead and nodded obediently: "Yes, Miss, I understand."

So, Su Ci hurriedly asked someone to pay attention to the movements in the front hall, while she herself followed Shen Zhenzhu back to Wutongxuan.

Less than an incense stick of time had passed when the maid who had been sent out hurried back. She bowed to Shen Zhenzhu, then said nervously, "Miss, Mei Rui was punished with 20 strokes of the cane and demoted to a laundry maid in the mansion. And..."

Shen Zhenzhu frowned slightly and asked, "And what?"

The maid hesitated for a moment, then continued, "The master has ordered that all servants in the mansion must witness the execution. He also said that this is the fate of those who criticize their master, and the same punishment will be meted out if they do it again. I guess the messenger will be here soon."

As expected, as soon as the maid finished speaking, a servant came and told the servants of Wutongxuan to go and watch the execution immediately.

Finally, when Su Ci came back, she couldn't help but shudder, and said to Shen Zhenzhu with trembling lips: "Miss, it's really terrible. This is the first time I have seen the master so angry! Mei Rui was really miserable, her skin was torn and flesh was exposed..."

Shen Zhenzhu gently patted Su Ci's shoulder and comforted her in a gentle but firm voice: "Su Ci, don't be afraid. You are not the kind of person who likes to gossip or spread rumors, so this kind of punishment will definitely not fall on you."

Shen Zhenzhu knew that Mei Rui had simply stumbled into the crossfire this time. Mei Rui had always been a bit of a bad mouth, but because she was close to her mother and hadn't caused any major trouble, everyone had turned a blind eye. However, this time, the situation was different. The matter had reached the King of Yunnan and the two princesses, and even if they wanted to turn a blind eye, they couldn't.

Su Ci still felt a wave of fear. Seeing Mei Rui's wounded appearance, she decided to be more careful with her words in the future. Although the young lady was kind-hearted, if she accidentally said the wrong thing and it got back to the master or mistress, the consequences could be very serious.

Shen Zhenzhu came back to her senses from her memories, turned to look at Su Ci, and said softly, "Su Ci, I think you should start making the Eight Treasures Cake as soon as possible. After all, this is a task the princess has assigned you as a punishment. If you haven't finished it when she comes to me to ask for it, the consequences could be very serious!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ci suddenly remembered the incident and nodded hastily, saying, "Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Luckily, my lady reminded me, otherwise if something had really gone wrong, the princess would definitely blame me." As she spoke, she stood up and prepared to leave, muttering, "I have to hurry and prepare the ingredients for the Eight Treasures Cake."

Shen Zhenzhu smiled and nodded, indicating that she agreed with Su Ci's decision. Then, Su Ci hurriedly left the room and began to prepare the Eight Treasures Cake.