The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

After hearing Wenqin's veiled remarks, Wang's mother couldn't help but want to stand up and argue.

Hua Sirong's lips curled slightly, and a single glance stopped Wang's mother from arguing.

"Although I lost both my parents, I learned etiquette and manners from a young age under the guidance of a renowned teacher. Since I entered the household, at my request, Granny Wang has indeed acquired quite a few new books."

Anything that enters the manor must be checked and inspected by the gatekeeper. If the manor insists that I have smuggled any smuggled goods, I will not admit it.

If any master in the household doesn't believe it, they can simply come to my study and see for themselves.

After speaking, Hua Sirong moved to the bookshelf, skimming over the books one by one, noting what this one was and what that one was.

He read the books aloud to Wenqin and pointed them out to her, saying, "I've heard that the head maids who serve my aunt are all literate. When they go outside, they are comparable to the daughters of wealthy families."

Come and take a closer look. Do you think I have any extraordinary books here that could bring ruin to all the young ladies in the mansion?

If you hear any more rumors next time, you must clear my name as a cousin living under someone else's roof. Don't let those shallow servants spread rumors about all the women in our household in just a few words.

"I'm entrusting this matter to you, the head maidservant of the Lady of the Marquis, to keep an eye on. If I hear such rumors again, I'll seriously suspect that someone in this household is trying to cause trouble for my aunt, the mistress of the house."

"I'll tell on you, you know," Hua Sirong added as a final remark.

Wenqin had a string of curses in her heart, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.

Faced with Hua Sirong's sudden assertiveness, her initial imposing manner actually diminished.

Looking frustrated, he returned to Yimei Garden.

Whether Hua Sirong will file a complaint or not, she doesn't know. Anyway, right now she's going to try to make things difficult for her cousin in front of the Shen family. That's the right thing to do.

"What's wrong? Did Rong'er upset you?" Madam Shen asked Qin, glancing at her.

Wenqin had a lot to say, but before she could even speak, she knelt down and said, "This servant wouldn't dare."

"That's right, she's the master and you're the servant. If the master takes her anger out on you, you just have to accept it."

"Yes," Wenqin replied, bowing her head.

After tapping the zither, Madam Shen asked what had happened, "Tell me in detail what happened after you went to Qingwu Courtyard."

Wenqin dared not hide anything, including the words she herself had spoken.

As for trying to sow discord between the cousin and her cousin, they had already stopped when Madam Shen changed her attitude, hoping that Madam Shen would punish her leniently, considering that she had performed her duties quite well over the years.

"Ha, this servant is bullying his master." Madam Shen laughed, but Wenqin found it grating and wished she could disappear into a hole. She lay prostrate on the ground, and upon closer inspection, she was trembling.

“Rong’er comes from a humble background, but she is still my aunt’s niece. Life is already difficult in this Marquis’s mansion. You are my close confidante, and even you look down on her. How can she survive in this mansion?”

"When her father was alive, she was also spoiled as a child. Just because outsiders see you and say a few nice words to you, do you really think you're some kind of mistress?"

But Rong-jie used to be a real young lady, waited on hand and foot, and even when she went to the toilet, a bunch of maids and servants would fight over who would empty her chamber pot; she never suffered the slightest hardship.

"This servant wouldn't dare, this servant knows her mistake." Wenqin thought she had figured out her master's thoughts, but little did she know that her master was too fickle and actually defended that impoverished family.

Seeing that Wenqin's attitude in admitting her mistake was sincere, Madam Shen nodded in satisfaction, "Get up, don't kneel."

After Wenqin stood up and listened to the reprimand, Madam Shen continued, "Good girl, I know your intentions are good; you only wanted to do the job I assigned you. But you have overstepped your bounds, and I cannot let you go unpunished."

Moreover, this mission was not handled well. Putting aside other matters, just the fact that Hua Sirong mentioned that everything purchased by the mansion had to go through several inspections by the Marquis's residence would be enough to cause trouble for the Marquis's residence if it were to get out.

If the young lady has something to hide, what about the other women in the household? This matter doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

But Madam Shen couldn't possibly explain it all to Wenqin in detail, so she said,

"You know that Rong-jie is of great use to me. Not to mention winning her heart on a daily basis, I just hope that she will not forget my kindness when she becomes successful in the future." Instead of receiving favors from their Marquis's mansion, they have become enemies.

It's no wonder that the Shen family changed their attitude towards Hua Sirong.

Previously, she had been indifferent to Hua Sirong's marriage, but after the Eleventh Princess's selection of playmates, she had no choice but to take Hua Sirong, this pawn, into her heart.

After all, it's more reassuring to use something that's your own people.

"Since Miss Cousin entered the manor, Madam has never mistreated her. Whatever the other young ladies in the manor have, Miss Cousin also has."

"I was so bold as to disrespect Miss Biao today, I beg you to punish me, Madam." Wenqin thought for a moment, then pleaded again, "I will go to Miss Biao's place to apologize later. Please punish me, Madam, and I will absolutely not implicate you."

Madam Shen raised her hand to stop her, "There's no need to make such a fuss. You are, after all, a maid who came from my side. I can punish you, but I can't let Rong'er get such a bad reputation."

"Just go to Qingwu Courtyard and let them know in a bit." Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang, who was standing guard outside the curtain, quickly lifted the curtain to accept the order.

For the sake of Miss Biao, the lady even punished her head maid. How could Miss Biao not know about such kindness!

After Granny Zhang left, Madam Shen spoke earnestly to Wenqin, "You are my most trusted confidante, and I know your loyalty to me. Today, I am punishing you with ten strokes of the cane and three months' salary. It was because you did something wrong. I hope you will take this as a warning and not hold a grudge."

"This servant dares not, this servant dares not. Thank you for your kindness, Master, for sparing my dog's life." Wenqin knelt down and kowtowed again.

Shen waved her hand, and someone came to take Wenqin away to beat her with a board.

After the beating was finished, Madam Shen instructed Wen Hua to send over the best wound medicine. Wen Qin dared not have a single complaint against Madam Shen.

The pain from his buttocks could only be secretly attributed to Hua Sirong.

They had been treating the maids of Yimei Garden with great courtesy before, but suddenly they changed their attitude and became serious. This made Wenqin, who used to be arrogant and domineering in the mansion, resentful.

The reprimand of Wenqin not only made everyone in Yimei Garden more respectful to Madam Shen, but also made the servants in the mansion give up their plans to get close to Hua Sirong and her servants.

“Girl, I originally thought that the Lady Hou’s scare tactic would make us look better, but who would have thought…”

Hua Sirong casually picked up the conversation, "Who would have thought that all our previous efforts would be in vain, making it even more difficult to find out any information?"

Mrs. Wang nodded, "That's exactly what my daughter said."

"My aunt's decision to punish Wenqin has two meanings. First, she suspects that we have bribed the servants in the mansion to find out secrets. This incident will both teach the servants a lesson and make us realize the reality."

Secondly, it was all for my benefit, to curry favor with me. My aunt had even dealt with the people around her for me; if I were to be ungrateful and say I was living under her roof and suffering, then I would be utterly ungrateful and a terrible person.