The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Madam Xue's actions were indeed driven by love turned to hate; she wanted to pair up with Butler Xu.

Unexpectedly, this lecherous old man not only didn't appreciate it, but also humiliated her.

She couldn't stand this insult, so she went to Mrs. Zhou to complain, wanting to teach Steward Xu a lesson.

Hearing Steward Xu angrily accuse her, Madam Xue not only didn't get angry, but instead showed a mocking expression: "You know what you did. Even if I don't say anything, do you think Qiu'er and Hong'er would just keep quiet?"

Qiu'er and Hong'er had both been bullied by Steward Xu, and now that the matter had come to light, they could no longer tolerate it.

They knelt down at Zhou's feet with a thud, crying and begging Zhou to do justice for them.

Zhou's face turned ashen with rage, her chest heaving violently. Her finger trembled as she pointed at Steward Xu and roared, "Guards, drag this vile and shameless wretch out and beat him to death with sticks!"

Although she was harsh, she came from a prestigious family and could not tolerate such a shameless person.

Moreover, this matter concerns the reputation of the Marquis's mansion and Gu Huaizhou's future. How could Madam Zhou tolerate Steward Xu causing trouble in the mansion?

She wished she could tear Steward Xu to pieces to vent her hatred.

Upon hearing this, Butler Xu was terrified, his face turning ashen.

He wept bitterly and begged for mercy, "Madam, please spare me! I will never dare to do it again."

Madam Xue was also slightly taken aback. She had only wanted Zhou to give Steward Xu a good beating, but she didn't expect Zhou to beat him to death.

Since it was someone she liked, even Madam Xue panicked. Just as she was about to plead for mercy, she heard Steward Xu point his finger at her and say, "Madam, this old servant wants to report Madam Xue for embezzlement. She often steals gold cups and jade ornaments from the mansion, and sells the young ladies' jewelry, putting all the money into her own pocket."

The ladies and wives of wealthy families had a wide variety of accessories, ranging from large necklaces and pendants to small earrings and rings.

Each of these items alone would be enough to feed poor people for two or three months.

Taking advantage of being Gu Huaizhou's wet nurse, Xue Mama often took these things for herself when the masters weren't paying attention.

At first it was just a small jade artifact, but later, thinking that no one had noticed, he set his sights on the young ladies and wives of the mansion.

Only after being reminded by Steward Xu did Zhou realize that she had a favorite thumb ring that she hadn't been able to find for quite some time.

At that moment, her gaze towards Xue's mother turned gloomy: "Is this really true?"

In order to save his own life, Steward Xu revealed everything about Madam Xue: "This servant has not uttered a single lie. If Madam does not believe me, she can go to the pawnshop to check. There will definitely be records there. Or she can search Madam Xue's room. There will definitely be pawn tickets that have not been destroyed yet."

Xue's mother's face turned deathly pale. They hadn't been able to trace her back to anyone for so many years.

She kept all those pawn tickets together and didn't care about them at all.

As long as the Zhou family sends people to search, they will be able to find it.

Zhou was so angry that she gritted her teeth. These servants seemed loyal on the surface.

But behind the scenes, she did all sorts of despicable things. At that moment, she ordered Qi Mama, who was beside her, "Send people to search."

Madam Qi responded and sent two old women to search Madam Xue's room.

Before long, the old woman returned.

Clutching a thick stack of pawn tickets and a small bag, he placed these two items in front of Zhou.

When Zhou opened it, she saw that it contained some gold and silver jewelry that she hadn't had time to pawn, including her thumb ring.

"Damn you, look what you've done!" Zhou slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Caught red-handed, what excuse do you have now?"

Xue's mother was terrified; stealing is a serious crime.

The punishment is death, or at the very least, having your hand chopped off.

She trembled with fear and kowtowed repeatedly to Madam Zhou, pleading, "Madam, spare me! Madam, spare me! This old servant was bewitched and did such a foolish thing. Please, Madam, have mercy on me because I once fed the Marquis's family."

Madam Xue continued to speak, which only made Madam Zhou angrier. She pointed at Madam Xue's nose and cursed, "You lowly thing, just because you've fed the young ladies and masters of this mansion a few mouthfuls of milk, you think you're the master? I've let you deceive your superiors and subordinates before, but now you've become even bolder and have even laid your hands on me! You deserve to die! Guards, cut off this ignorant thing's hands and expel her and her family from the mansion forever!"

Having one's hand cut off by one's master is not only a physical punishment for a servant, but also a symbol of authority.

Only petty thieves receive such severe punishment; from now on, Mama Xue will never be able to work for other households again.

What awaited her was a dead end.

Madam Xue screamed in terror, kneeling on the ground like a madwoman and kowtowing frantically: "Madam, spare me! Madam, please spare me! I'll never dare to do it again..."

But Zhou was furious, her head was buzzing with anger, and she shouted, "Drag him out, and take that shameless scoundrel with you!"

For a moment, both Butler Xu and Mama Xue screamed in terror.

After dealing with the two men, Madam Zhou was still furious. She reprimanded the servants in the mansion, saying, "If anyone deceives their superiors or steals from their own quarters again, they will suffer the same fate as those two."

Akifuin.

Song Wenjun wore a faint smile, having been keeping a close eye on the commotion at Ruyi Residence.

When it was almost time, she winked at Xiao Tao: "After all, Mama Xue once fed the Marquis's mother. With such a big thing happening to her, it's not good to keep the Marquis from knowing. Go and inform him."

"Understood, Madam." Xiao Tao's eyes gleamed. Madam's move to kill by attacking the heart was brilliant. She wondered how the Marquis would feel when he saw his trusted confidants being wiped out.

Xiao Tao rushed to Gu Huaizhou's courtyard and pounded on the door: "My lord, something has happened to Mama Xue."

After calling out a few times, the door opened and Gu Huaizhou, reeking of alcohol and looking anxious, walked out.

"What happened?"

“I heard that Madam Xue embezzled from her post, and the madam caught someone dirty and was so angry that she wanted to cut off her hand.”

Gu Huaizhou was startled and hurriedly walked towards Ruyi Residence.

Even if Xue Mama was bad, she was still his wet nurse, and he had a deep bond with her since childhood, unlike ordinary servants.

In Gu Huaizhou's eyes, Xue Mama was like his second mother.

Gu Huaizhou was anxious, so he took bigger and bigger steps, and finally jogged to Ruyi Residence.

From afar, screams could be heard coming from inside.

His heart clenched, and he shouted, "Wait!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran into the yard and saw that Mother Xue was tied to a stool with her hands outstretched.

Upon seeing Gu Huaizhou, Xue's mother screamed frantically, "My lord, save me! Save me..."

But it was too late. Almost at the same time, a long knife fell swiftly, and with a scream from Xue's mother, her hands fell to the ground, and she fainted.