Lu Ling turned his attention to several servants in Qingfeng Courtyard and said:
"You have been serving at Qingfeng Yuan for three years. I didn't have the energy to control you because I was ill. So you all think that I, the young lady, am a soft persimmon that can be manipulated at will? Is that right?"
Lu Ling looked at the eldest mother-in-law. The mother-in-law raised her head and met Lu Ling's eyes. Suddenly she felt a cold look in her eyes that he had never seen before. The mother-in-law shuddered and shook her head like a rattle: "Old I don’t dare, I don’t dare!”
Lu Ling sneered and continued:
"I don't care how you looked at me in the past or looked down on me in your heart, but today, I, Lu Ling, want to tell you that as the young lady of the Song Dynasty, I am not a person who can tolerate a servant riding on my neck to shit.
"The rules of the Song family are here, and I can fully exercise my rights as the master. Although this Qingfeng Courtyard is small, it is also a place of rules.
"Since you are serving in Qingfengyuan, you must follow the rules of Qingfengyuan. If you are loyal and respectful to me, I will naturally be tolerant to you. If you disobey the master and do not abide by the rules, you should be punished accordingly. "
Several servants in Qingfengyuan suddenly became very ugly.
Ever since Lu Ling married into the Song family, when had she been so tough?
Now her eyes were firmer and more majestic, and what she said was so clear that no one dared to refute her.
Lu Ling said to Haitang: "Bring me the prototype."
Haitang quickly pulled out a six-inch long smooth and shiny bamboo hand piece from her sleeve.
"You guys have neglected your duties, cheated and cheated. According to the Song family's rules, each of you will receive thirty knives and a fine of three months' silver."
When several servants heard this, they knew they were wrong and did not dare to refute anything. They all bit their lips and stretched out their hands in the air.
Haitang hit them one by one with a handboard. One of the younger third-class maids jumped in pain and shed tears.
Lu Ling turned a blind eye.
Haitang stretched out her hand in front of the eldest mother-in-law. The mother-in-law raised her head and said unconvinced that she had served in front of Madam Song: "Young madam, this old slave is someone who is beside madam. He was once beside madam." You serve me conscientiously, and my wife has never punished this old slave for such a trivial matter, and I have never been spanked. If you don’t accept it, I want to see my wife!"
When Lu Ling heard this, he smiled instead of being angry and said: "Since you have served my wife, you should know the rules of the house better than anyone else. I just said a few days ago that ministers will not be spared when punished, and good deeds will not be spared. , and you knowingly committed the crime and still don’t repent of your mistake, then the punishment will be doubled, you will receive sixty slaps, and you will be fined for six months. If you still refuse to accept it, I will inform your father and let him decide whether you will stay or go."
"I……"
Seeing that she could not scare Lu Ling, the mother-in-law was self-defeating. Thinking of Mr. Song's serious and scary look and his clear-cut approach to rewards and punishments, she immediately regretted it and knelt on the ground with a plop, begging for mercy:
"Young Madam, I know I made a mistake. Please be kind to me, Young Madam. I will never dare to do it again..."
Haitang just raised her hand and hit her, causing her mother-in-law to scream in pain.
All five servants in Qingfeng Court received their punishments, and their palms were all swollen. The contemptuous and contemptuous look in their eyes was no longer there. Lu Ling then turned his attention to the row of servants in the kitchen.
"I know that some of you do not obey me, disrespect me, and even think highly of yourself, saying that I, Lu Ling, am not your master."
When Mrs. Zhang heard this, her heart was already beating wildly.
Thinking that Lu Ling had just punished the servant without even blinking an eye, and without any fear of threats from others, if he knelt down quickly and admitted his mistake, he might be able to get a reduced sentence.
So, she knelt on the ground with a bang and apologized sincerely: "Young Madam, it was me who lost my mind for a moment and spoke rudely to Young Madam. I already know that I was wrong. I beg Young Madam to forgive me for this." Come back!".
There was a coldness in Lu Ling's eyes, as if he could see through the hearts of everyone present.
Faced with Mrs. Zhang's begging for mercy, she remained unmoved and said coldly: "As the cook of the Song family, you used your position to enrich your own pockets. This is already a serious crime. But the father of the Song family makes the decision, and you are not me." People from Qingfengyuan, I have no right to handle this matter."
Mrs. Zhang was stunned when she heard this - how did she know that she was making money in the house? Then when she reacted, she said she had no right to handle the matter, so was she planning to let herself go?
She was overjoyed, and just when Sister-in-law Zhang was congratulating herself on escaping, Lu Ling's voice reached her ears again: "But you don't treat me as your master, you are arrogant, and you have committed the following offenses. For this reason, I still have to punish you."
"Hey, young lady——"
Mrs. Zhang didn't react for a moment.
Haitang spoke: "Miss, how should I be punished?"
Lu Ling had a smile on his lips and said in a brisk tone: "You don't hesitate to speak. According to the family rules of the Song family, you should slap your mouth for fifty times to serve as a warning to others."
"No, no, madam, I really know my mistake! Please have mercy, madam!"
Mrs. Zhang's face turned pale. When she saw Haitang coming over with a handboard, she subconsciously covered her mouth with both hands.
Seeing this, Haitang said to the other servants working in the kitchen: "Take her hands away!"
Several servants had been too frightened to speak for a long time, but now that Haitang was speaking, how dare they not listen. Two of them quickly came up and pulled Mrs. Zhang's hand away from her mouth.
Seeing that she couldn't hide, Mrs. Zhang opened her mouth and started to scold Lu Ling: "What kind of young lady are you? Who in this house thinks you are the master? When the master comes back, you wait - ah!"
Haitang hit her on the mouth, causing Mrs. Zhang to cry out in pain, and all the words that followed were blocked in her throat.
She jumped up from the ground and struggled wildly, trying to escape.
Haitang couldn't stand her contemptuous attitude just now, gritted her teeth and said angrily: "Tighten up, don't let her escape!"
Several servants quickly exerted their strength and squeezed Mrs. Zhang's arms tightly. Two of them pried off her head so that Haitang could be beaten more smoothly.
After fifty boards, Mrs. Zhang's mouth had swollen into a sausage and she could no longer speak, but the resentment towards Lu Ling in her eyes was almost overflowing.
Lu Lingquan pretended to be invisible and said to the other servants: "You have also neglected your duties, but I have not seen you being disrespectful to me, so I will punish you again when my father comes back."
After speaking, Lu Ling stood up from his chair with a solemn expression that made people dare not look directly at him.
Several people breathed a deep sigh of relief, and then thought of Mr. Song, and became frightened again.
Haitang hurriedly helped Lu Ling into the house.
Except for a few people in Qingfengyuan, all the servants in the kitchen dragged Mrs. Zhang and left the place quickly.
Several people in Qingfengyuan, after receiving this lesson, no longer dare to neglect their duties as before. They all return to their respective positions and take responsibility for their own affairs seriously.
An hour later, Mr. Song was invited back from the government office by Xiao Rong.
