The mother-in-law never let go of Xueyu's hair.
The hands in Song Jinyin's sleeves were clenched tightly, even though she didn't have any nails left, the palms of her hands were painfully clenched.
When Xueyu endured the pain of being pulled and still asked for mercy from the old lady, Song Jinyin rushed over, pushed her mother-in-law away, and protected Xueyu.
"Sister Jinyin, please kneel back quickly and leave me alone. Please leave me alone. I can bear a little physical pain..."
Xueyu pushed Song Jinyin in a panic, fearing that she would admit guilt because of him.
"Last night there were only you and Si Yu in the room. The slap she received was either not your order, Song Jinyin's, or the handiwork of this little maid. A human life is in front of you. If you don't recognize it, then this statement is wrong. It’s up to her to give it.”
The old lady looked at Song Jinyin with sharp eyebrows, protecting her behind her.
After there was no news about Song Jinyin's identity being mentioned in Zhuya Courtyard, she could continue to turn a blind eye.
However, the assassination incident some time ago caused Yan Zhou to ignore the curfew and pick up people from the hospital overnight. Jinzhi, who was inexplicably transferred to Xianzhang County, and Wen Shu, who had broken off their marriage and received family law.
Now that I think about it, all of these things are actually related to Song Jinyin.
She could no longer sit idly by.
If Song Jinyin falls into a desperate situation, she can leave a way for her to survive, but if she really falls into Yan Zhou's eyes, she cannot stay for long.
"Have you thought clearly?"
The old lady lost her patience and lost her voice.
Song Jinyin looked at the redness and swelling on Xueyu's face distressedly, and her vision became increasingly blurry.
When Pei Yanzhou cut off her escape from the old lady, she still thought that she could slowly get back together, but now that his beauty is by her side, she is in a desperate situation in the dead end that he cut off.
"The old lady has always been fair."
Song Jinyin spoke with difficulty, and when she lowered her eyes, two tears fell silently.
"If this slave is willing to accept the punishment, can I stop implicating others?"
"Sister Jinyin..."
Song Jinyin secretly shook Xueyu's hand.
Since it's something that can't be avoided, it's better for her to suffer it alone than to bring Xueyu down with her.
"If the matter is found out and you accept your punishment, others will naturally have nothing to do with it."
The old lady looked at her and her eyes finally softened: "Do you mean you are willing to admit that this matter has something to do with you?"
"This slave is willing to accept the punishment."
Song Jinyin did not respond to these words and only kowtowed hard.
She still doesn't want to plead guilty, but she is willing to accept the penalty.
"Please calm down, Madam. Yesterday, Steward Wang called my sister to the front to serve her. My sister really doesn't live in the same room with Siyu anymore, only as a slave..."
"Xueyu!"
Song Jinyin interrupted her, her tone a little more fierce.
If she survives this punishment, she will have a chance to get up in the future, but Xueyu cannot.
When the old lady saw Song Jinyin's toughness, she frowned and raised her hand to slap the table angrily.
"Mother."
The ladies who came to pay their respects stopped in the outer room. Perhaps after listening for too long, they could hear the anger of the people inside. The third lady, Mrs. Zhao, finally lost her patience and spoke first, interrupting the chaos inside.
As she spoke out, Liu's indifference and Qi's gloating were revealed in the eyes of others.
"If mother is so angry early in the morning, when the Duke and the Crown Prince come back, all of us will probably have to be punished. My daughter-in-law has received a new box of dongzhu. Mother might as well calm down her anger first and take a look. Is there anyone you can catch your eye with?"
Although the old lady is separated from the third room by one floor, Zhao is generous and respectful to her, so when she speaks to comfort her, it can still make people feel less angry.
As soon as these words came out, the old lady knew that she was giving a roundabout reminder that punishment must be punished. If Jin Yin girl's life was really taken, it would not end well.
But the old lady will naturally not let this matter go in vain.
She was just dealing with unruly slaves, treating them all equally. Whether Song Jinyin could survive in the end still had to depend on her luck.
"Come in, everyone."
The old lady glanced at the blood stains on Song Jinyin's hand, her eyes cold, "Since Butler Wang can testify on Song Jinyin's behalf, she cannot be made to pay for Siyu's death."
After a pause, seeing the woman down below showing signs of crying again, the old lady added: "It's just that the unpunished slaves can't quell the public's anger. Come here, take Song Jinyin down and torture her with thirty boards, and then lock her up." I have to kneel down for three days and let people watch, and I will give you a small punishment but a big warning."
After hearing this, the movement below completely disappeared.
The Xia Dynasty was not allowed to use lynching, but in each government, servants were punished with some painful punishments, and no one dared to actually file a lawsuit against them.
Although the same flogging or cane punishment was carried out in the palace, it was still not as heavy as that of the people in the palace who were specialized in execution.
But after thirty boards, Song Jinyin's body would probably lose most of her life.
Not to mention having to be locked up in the servants' room and kneel for three days.
The servant's room is located in a very remote place in the mansion. Although it has the word "servant" in it, it has been abandoned along with the small pool next to it. Over time, the place has become cold, damp and unwelcome.
Sometimes when a slave made a mistake, he would be beaten and thrown inside to die.
If they didn't starve to death or freeze to death, they would continue working after they came out. If they died, they would be dragged out directly.
Considering Song Jinyin's frail body, she would definitely die if she wanted to come here.
Xueyu was so frightened that she couldn't speak. Her lips suddenly turned pale and she kept shaking her head. Her eyes were round and tears were falling down.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
The old lady looked at Song Jinyin who was kneeling down and saying nothing.
The body that bent down to kowtow revealed her frail figure, and the hand that was supported on the ground was bleeding from the fragments of the tea cup, showing traces of dryness.
The old lady sighed in her heart, and after looking at Mrs. Liu's indifferent eyes, she suddenly lost some of her anger.
"This slave accepts the punishment, but I beg the old lady not to involve others."
Sensing the old lady's softened expression, Mrs. Zhao smiled and motioned to the maid to send the wooden box over.
"Mom, thirty boards is probably too much. The baby in my box is so scared that it shakes a few times."
The old lady followed Zhao's words and said, "Are you here to beg for mercy?"
"How dare I plead for the people in the prince's courtyard!"
Mrs. Zhao covered the smile at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and said softly: "It's just a joy to have this box of dongzhu today. As soon as I got it, I eagerly gave it to my mother. Now I see my mother is worried about other things. After so long, it’s time to take a moment to take a look at this treasure of mine.”
"They also said that you usually don't like to talk. Look, you are not a talkative person!"
The old lady glanced at her with a smile, and then her eyes fell back on Song Jinyin.
"Well, since the third daughter-in-law intercedes for you, let's change it to twenty boards, and then go to the servant's room and kneel for three days."
Everyone in the room knew that in such a cold day, being thrown into the servant's room after being beaten with a cane, and twenty boards were not much better. At most, they would suffer less, and it would be difficult to see him even if he closed his eyes for a few days. wide awake.
But Song Jinyin did not beg for mercy, but instead kowtowed and thanked her.
She did not admit the unfounded crime. Her compromise was due to her status as a maid who had no power to resist.
The pride and stubbornness that she had hidden under the rules were all swallowed up at this moment.
It was only today that she realized that she was indeed wrong, and how wrong she was.
It didn't matter if she took the wrong path, as long as she could survive, she would just take that path again.
After being dragged down by the mother-in-law, Song Jinyin took one look and turned back to a gloomy sky.
Lingqiao is right, you should think carefully about whether you want to surrender and who you should surrender to.
There were scolding sounds in her ears, but Song Jinyin didn't want to listen. She just lowered her eyes and looked at her hand that was scratched by the woman. Although the small scratches were a bit abrupt, they didn't look too hideous.
As soon as her thoughts changed, her clear eyes darkened a little, and there was more calculation and coldness in her eyes that she usually didn't have.
If she could survive this time, she would have everything in her hands that Pei Yanzhou had promised before leaving the mansion.
