Chapter Fifty-One: Punishment and Betrayal

  Pang Luoxue was taken back to the side hall of the ancestral temple, this temple has been uninhabited for many years, inside are the ancestors of the Pang family, except during incense offerings when it's a bit lively, usually only the old lady of the Pang family would come here. Although the temple is very clean, due to the lack of people, there is always a gloomy feeling.

  Pang Luo Yu was supported to the bed in the side hall, and the second lady hurriedly brought people over quietly, without saying a word, she first ordered someone to boil the sobering medicine.

  The second lady was also afraid of being discovered by Lord Pong, so she brought a small jade and a maid. Now the small jade is ordered to go cook the hangover soup.

  The second lady sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Pang Luo Yu with a flush on her face from drinking. She lovingly stretched out her hand to touch Pang Luo Yu's cheek and personally tucked in the quilt for her. Looking at her daughter lying on the bed, the second lady felt that today's events were quite suspicious, but she couldn't grasp the thread of it all for the time being.

  Pang Luoyu flipped over on the bed, the wine taking effect making her feel like her stomach was burning, suddenly Pang Luoyu half-closed her eyes and sat up vomiting nonstop.

  The second lady patted her back sympathetically.

  "Ugh..."

  "Rain, how can you drink so much wine? It's going to worry your mother to death!"

  The only response was the sound of heavy rain pouring down.

  The second aunt patted Pang Luo Yu on the back while covering her nose with a handkerchief, and only helped her lie down after she had finished vomiting.

  Just as she finished vomiting, he helped her lie down and frowned at the vomit on the ground. This little Cui made her cook a hangover soup so slowly, what else could she do?

  Second Aunt had just finished thinking, when Xiao Cui pushed the door and came in. It wasn't that she was slow, but this temple was located at the deepest part of the Pang Mansion, and it took some time to walk over. She also had to be careful not to be seen by others. Xiao Cui looked at Second Aunt's dark face and thought to herself that something was wrong.

  Second Auntie frowned and said, "What's taking so long? Can't you see that Big Sister is uncomfortable? Why are your movements so slow? Are you trying to show off?"

  "Second mistress, rest assured, the slaves all walked with their backs to people, and they took the usual deserted paths. The mistress can rest assured that the slaves were careful, and no one was discovered."

  The second lady nodded "Come and help me support Miss Dai, feed her this sobering soup"

  Xiao Cui quickly put down the medicine and carefully helped Pang Luo Yu up, letting her lean against him.

  In the midst of a dream, Pang Lu felt that he was being ridiculed and despised by everyone at the banquet, his hands wildly waving back and forth, trying to drive away the ridicule.

  The second aunt grasped Pang Luoyu's hand tightly and coaxed, "Luoyu, be good, come drink this hangover soup, you'll feel better after drinking it"

  Pang Luo Yu at this time did not listen, his hands waved even more fiercely.

  The second aunt couldn't help but gently lift Pang Luoyu from Xiao Cui's body and let her lean on herself, softly coaxing her.

  Looking at Pang Luoyu calming down in her arms, she beckoned to Xiao Cui, who understood and picked up the sobering soup with a spoon to feed him slowly. Fortunately, Pang Luoyu had already vomited once, so Xiao Cui carefully fed him while the second lady took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe away the soup that dripped from his mouth.

  It wasn't until Pang Luoyu had finally drunk more than half of it that she was helped to lie down on the bed, and Second Madam ordered Xiao Cui to clean up the dirty things by the bedside.

  The second lady sat on the edge of the bed watching Pong Luo Xue, her eyes filled with doting affection. Little Cui stood beside the bed, not daring to make a sound.

  The originally quiet temple seemed even more gloomy, especially the second lady, who was stroking Pang Luoyu's hand with a gentle caress, her eyes gleaming in the dark. Xiaocui felt a shiver run down her spine as she watched the lady's smile rise from the shadows.

  "Xiao Cui, go out and keep watch, don't let anyone in."

  Xiao Cui nodded, but compared to the silence outside, Er Furen's expression made people feel even more terrified. It was safer for her to go outside, this Er Furen was too frightening.

  Xiao Cui was vigilantly guarding outside the door until the second madam came out.

  "Let's go back."

  Xiao Cui looked at the second lady with a good mood, and she felt very puzzled. However, it's better not to know too much about the master's family affairs, lest she wouldn't even know how she died. She quickly lowered her head and supported the second lady back.

  Listening Rain Pavilion

  The second lady returned not to her own courtyard, but to Pang Luoyu's Tingyu Xuan.

  The mistress of the house sat in the living room, holding a cup of tea in her hand, half covering it, without making a sound. Juqing knelt down below, not knowing what the mistress meant, with cold sweat on his back and forehead.

  The second lady glanced at Juqing with a sidelong glance, held her tea and took another sip, then put the cup down.

  The cup touched the table and made a sound that startled Qīng, making her tremble with fear.

  "Can you tell me why this woman made you kneel?" The second lady said coldly

  "Slave, slave didn't take good care of young lady, it's slave's fault, slave..."

  With a loud crack, Ju Qing covered her face and let out a startled cry, then hung her head in silence and wept.

  "Look at your nails, you've even applied henna. I'm not just scolding you today because you didn't take good care of Miss, but more importantly, I promoted you to be Miss's personal maid, and yet you don't even consider Miss's feelings. Such a big thing happened to Miss, and you didn't even report back to me." As she spoke, she grasped Juying's chin with her hand, forcing her to lift her head and meet her gaze. Slowly pulling out a painting from her bosom, the second madam pushed Juying aside and flung the painting at her face, saying: "Do you want to speak for yourself, or do you need me to help you?"

  Chrysanthemum picked up the painting and opened it, finding that it was a portrait of King Jin painted by the young lady. She cried: "The young lady's paintings have never been allowed to be touched by slaves like me, how would I know her thoughts? Please, madam, investigate clearly."

  Having said that, Juqing kept knocking her head.

  The second lady was fiddling with her bright red nail polish, feeling that the color wasn't bright enough. She picked up the oil lamp on the table and held it against her fingernails, suddenly thinking of something, she tilted the lamp, and the scalding hot oil inside dripped drop by drop onto Juqing's hand, causing several blisters to form on his hand.

  "I'm a soft-hearted person and can't bear to see others in distress. Just now, seeing Xiao Yu's appearance made me heartbroken. Little Cui, come over and help Juqing."

  Chrysanthemum Qing shook her head in terror: "Second Madam, I know I was wrong, Second Madam please don't... ah... ah..."

  Xiao Cui immediately covered up Juqing's mouth, and Juqing could only make "Wu Wu" sounds.

  "Miss wants to close the ancestral hall, I suppose these days your hands are also useless"

  The small lamp oil had just stopped dripping. The second lady put the lamp aside and said, "This time is to give you a little lesson, let you know who your master is."

  Chrysanthemum's two hands were covered in blood blisters, looking very frightening, the pain had already numbed her.

  "Ah, I recall you have a younger sister and your mother's health is still good at home. The deed of sale is in my hands, if you don't behave properly and harm the young lady, I'll sell you to the Weaving Micro Tower. With your looks, you'll surely have many patrons who like you. You'll be welcoming and sending off guests every day, which suits you perfectly. A pair of jade arms for a thousand people's pillows, half a point of crimson lips for ten thousand people's taste... indeed suitable for you. Hehe..."

  The words of the second wife made Ju Qing's whole body tremble. She knew about the second wife's ruthlessness, but she didn't expect her to be so cruel to herself. Crawling to the second wife's feet, she said: "Slave knows wrong, from now on slave will take good care of Miss, if there is anything, slave will definitely inform the second wife, please don't sell slave away."

  The second lady nodded "This is what you should be doing as a personal maid, I'm tired too, come and support me, Xiao Cui."

  Xiao Cui quickly supported the second lady and left.

  When the two madams were gone and couldn't be seen, Juqing sat on the ground, looking at her swollen and bruised hands, which were covered in blisters. She felt a piercing pain and an icy chill spreading through her limbs. Her own young mistress was not one to spare oil for lamps either. If she knew that Madam had put her by her side, this punishment would certainly not be lightened. Juqing smiled wryly to herself, got up, and as she bent down, a handkerchief fell out.

  The handkerchief was embroidered with peach blossoms in full bloom on a spring day, and two butterflies fluttered leisurely among the flowers. Such a beautiful scene only made her own miserable situation more striking. The handkerchief was given to her by Second Miss, who didn't ask any questions, but it was the first time someone other than her mother had shown her warmth in this world. Although she knew that Eldest Miss had a bad temper, she had been loyal and devoted to her, but this was the outcome she got in return. There was a kind of hatred that could penetrate to the bone marrow. Chuiqing's unwillingness and resentment made her pick up the handkerchief, and she didn't want to abandon this warmth. She endured the pain and stuffed it into her bosom before walking out. She knew what she had to do to truly free herself.