"Bring the personal servant of the Seventh Young Miss here. I have some questions for her,"

    Auntie Yang commanded with a firm voice, her demeanor returning to its usual sternness. Bi Qiu, eager to gain more favor, quickly volunteered, "I will take someone and fetch her myself!"

    Subsequently, Bi Qiu, along with three others, hurried from this residence to the Seventh Young Miss's quarters. However, upon arrival, they discovered that Su Su was not in the eastern wing but had gone to the central kitchen of the main house, likely on her way back now. Bi Qiu's group, therefore, hastened to intercept her en route.

    Meanwhile, Su Su, oblivious to the fact that she was being sought after, was cheerfully carrying a basket of sweets from the central kitchen back to her Young Miss.

    Today, the kitchen had prepared Gui Pin sweets, Seventh Young Miss's favorite. Su Su was sure that these would delight her Young Miss greatly.

    Thinking of her Young Miss's smile made Su Su smile unwittingly. Lately, the Young Miss had been particularly cheerful, which made Su Su feel happier as well. After the death of the Furen, the Young Miss had become quite reserved and spoke less, a trait that had become a part of her.

    Seeing the positive changes in the Young Miss recently made Su Su genuinely happy.

    Hmm?

    Su Su stopped in her tracks when she saw three robust servants blocking her path ahead, with Bi Qiu, a familiar face and fellow servant from the same quarters, approaching her.

    "Bi Qiu, do you need something from me?" Su Su asked, puzzled.

    "No,"

    Bi Qiu shook her head in denial before adding, "But Auntie Yang does!"

    Auntie Yang?

    The person from the Second Furen's side?

    Su Su became more cautious. Anyone associated with the Second Furen was not to be trusted easily. "But I have no business with Auntie Yang."

    With that, Su Su immediately tried to sidestep and walk away, but the robust servants blocking her way grabbed her arms tightly, making it impossible for her to escape.

    "What are you doing!"

    Bi Qiu smirked slightly, "Auntie Yang has business with you. Do you think you can refuse?"

    "Let me go now! The young miss is waiting for me at the quarters!" Su Su shouted, hoping someone would hear and come to her aid. However, the corridor was deserted with no servants from the residence in sight.

    "Let your young miss wait. Auntie Yang is waiting for you. Hehe," Bi Qiu said, laughing before nodding to the three servants to drag Su Su away to the Second Furen's old quarters.

    "Stop!"

    "Let me go!"

    "Somebody help me!"

    Su Su continued her desperate cries for help as she was dragged away, but to no avail. Although they encountered some people along the way, the servants were too afraid of the Second Furen's power to offer any assistance to Su Su, leaving her with no chance of escape. Eventually, she was forcibly taken to Auntie Yang.

    Upon arrival at the Second Furen's old quarters, Su Su was brought before Auntie Yang in the main hall. She looked around apprehensively, especially under Auntie Yang's stern gaze, which sent shivers down her spine, foreboding that something bad was about to happen to her.

    Thud!

    Su Su was forcefully made to kneel, wincing slightly from the pain as her knees hit the floor hard. She looked up at Auntie Yang, bewildered, "What business does Auntie Yang have with me? Why did you have me dragged here like this?"

    "I have a question for you."

    Auntie Yang narrowed her eyes slightly to scrutinize the subtle changes in the young servant's demeanor, which confirmed her suspicions when Su Su immediately looked flustered after hearing her words, though it was only for a moment.

    "Wh...what would Auntie Yang like to ask me?" Su Su lowered her gaze, trying to avoid direct eye contact.

    "I've just learned that the former Furen's residence was burned down," Auntie Yang stated, pausing briefly. "Do you know anything about this?"

    Su Su stiffened for a moment; her hands clenched into fists under her sleeves. She shifted her eyes slightly, searching for a satisfactory answer before responding, "I don't know anything at all. On that day, Seventh Young Miss was unwell, and I had to stay by her side. I couldn't be away for long. Even the Elder Furen knows this."

    Auntie Yang observed the servant's dubious behavior and smirked, "Oh...is that so?"

    "Ye...yes," Su Su quickly averted her gaze.

    "And who can witness that you were by Seventh Young Miss's side all along, hmm?" Auntie Yang's eyes, fixed on Su Su, grew colder.

    "Se…Seventh Young Miss herself can vouch for me!" Su Su pressed her lips together, answering earnestly because, after all, she had been by the young miss's side, albeit the specifics of their location might be another matter.

    Bang!

    Auntie Yang slammed her hand on the table, causing a loud noise, and her smile disappeared instantly.

    "Nonsense!”

    “Somebody saw you at the former Furen's residence before the fire broke out. How will you defend yourself against this?"

    Auntie Yang falsely claimed to test the other party for the last time, to truly determine if this young servant was involved in the fire. If she was indeed involved, she would surely portray some guilt!

    And Su Su did not disappoint Auntie Yang. Upon hearing the accusation, Su Su's eyes widened in shock, and she inadvertently protested, "That's impossible! There was nobody around that area..."

    Realizing she had spoken out of turn, she quickly covered her mouth and looked up at Auntie Yang's grim face, trembling like a frightened bird.

    "Hehe," Auntie Yang chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming with malice. "So, it is."

    "No, it's not like that! I had nothing to do with the fire at the former Furen's house!" Su Su hastily denied, her eyes filled with deep-seated fear.

    Auntie Yang glanced at the young servant, noticing more and more inconsistencies the longer she observed. This was enough to confirm her suspicions!

    Su Su was definitely involved in the fire!

    "Tell me, who is behind this!" Auntie Yang demanded sternly, as the three sturdy servants helped pin Su Su to the ground.

    "I didn't do it! It wasn't me!" Su Su struggled to break free, but she couldn't match the strength of the three women, so she continued to vehemently deny any involvement.

    Auntie Yang tried to contain her anger that had been sparked, asking one more time calmly, "I'm asking you nicely for the last time...why did you do it?"

    "I didn't do it, Auntie Yang! I really didn't, you're mistaken!" Su Su remained firm in her denial, causing Auntie Yang to lose patience. Her eyes flashed dangerously, "Since you're being stubborn, as the head of the household's servants, I must extract the truth from you and hand you over to the authorities for arson!"

    "Someone, get a stick and beat her until she confesses the truth!"

    Hearing this, Su Su's face turned ashen. She couldn't believe Auntie Yang would go so far as to order her beating without even reporting to the Elder Furen, the head of the household!

    "Auntie Yang, please don't! I really don't know anything!" Su Su struggled in vain as the pressure on her increased, causing her immense pain.

    As Su Su saw the large stick, meant for beating, her heart sank. The stick was as thick and long as an adult's arm; a single strike could severely injure her.

    "Auntie Yang! I really didn't do it, please believe me," Su Su pleaded once more. Auntie Yang looked at her with cold eyes. Since talking didn't work, she was prepared to use force to get the truth out of Su Su.

    "Whip her!"

    Auntie Yang commanded the man holding the stick to strike immediately. Upon receiving the order, the man lifted the stick and hit lightly on Su Su’s buttocks.

    Thud!

    "Ahh..."

    Su Su, still frail as a typical twelve-year-old girl, trembled throughout her body the moment the stick made contact with her buttocks. Even though the man restrained himself, the body of a twelve-year-old was still delicate.

    "Will you speak now?" Auntie Yang asked again, and Su Su, lifting her face, replied with a trembling voice, "I...I didn't do it."

    Auntie Yang's expression turned cold again. Since it had come to this and the other party was still adamant, then do not blame her for being heartless.

    "Don't hold back anymore. Whip her with all your might!" With the command given, the man lifted the stick and struck Su Su's buttocks with full force.

    Thud! Thud! Thud!

    "Ahhhh!"

    Screams of agony intermingled with the sound of the stick hitting Su Su's flesh. The area around her buttocks was now bleeding through the fabric of her clothes, likely with several burst wounds.

    Su Su was nearly voiceless from screaming. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she pressed her lips tightly to endure the pain, believing that the young miss would surely come to her rescue.

    Sooner or later, the young miss would definitely come to save her...

    The Eastern Wing of the Manor

    In the quiet room where Mu Yingying was practicing embroidery, she accidentally pricked her finger with the needle. Startled, she placed the embroidery and needle on the table and examined the small droplet of blood from the needle prick on her finger.

    Mu Yingying frowned slightly and wiped the blood droplet with a handkerchief, showing an inadvertent look of concern. She couldn't understand why she felt so uneasy.

    She turned to look at the door, wondering why Su Su hadn't returned yet.

    Nothing bad could have happened, right?

    Mu Yingying shook her head, dismissing her thoughts as probably an overreaction. She reached for the teapot to pour herself a cup of tea.

    As she was about to drink, a figure rushed into the room and blurted out urgently, "Miss, this is bad! Su Su has been captured by Auntie Yang's people!"

    Crash!

    The teacup fell from the little girl's hand, shattering into small pieces on the floor. Mu Yingying's face turned pale.

    "What did you say!?"

    The servant who had witnessed the event explained again, panting heavily from running all the way, "I...haa…I saw Su Su being taken by Auntie Yang's people to the Second Furen's old quarters. It didn't look good."

    Bang!

    Mu Yingying sprang from her chair so abruptly that it toppled over, crashing to the floor with a loud noise. She hurried out of the room swiftly. Upon exiting the main door of her quarters, she coincidentally encountered Lu Jiu and immediately instructed him in a frantic manner.

    "Lu Jiu, quickly fetch grandmother to help me at the Second Furen's old quarters. Tell her, something has happened to me."

    "Understood," Lu Jiu immediately responded, sensing the urgency in the young miss's demeanor. He turned to follow her, shouting a question, "Where are you going, Miss?"

    "I'm going to help Su Su first. You hurry and get help!"

    Mu Yingying shouted back and hastened her steps towards the direction of the Second Furen's old quarters. In no time, she brought her small figure to the entrance of the Second Furen's old territory.

    Upon her arrival, she was immediately greeted by the pungent smell of blood pervading the area, accompanied by the continuous sound of whipping. The closer she got to the residence, the more distinct the smell became.

    Mu Yingying clenched her lips tight, her small hands forming fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, causing wounds. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, preparing herself for what was to come.

    No matter what happened or what she saw, she had to endure and keep her composure!

    After opening her eyes, her big, round eyes sparkled with a cold light. She walked through the door into the house and was confronted with a horrifying scene that shattered her heart into pieces.

    In the center of the hall lay a blood-soaked figure on a wooden platform, lifeless, with a large man behind her continuously whipping her buttocks. Each strike of the whip met flesh drenched in blood, splattering the surrounding area.

    Even though the figure on the platform had been silent for a long time, lacking the strength to resist, and blood flowed down her back to her buttocks, there was no order to stop the whipping. The man, reluctantly, had to continue. If this went on, the figure on the platform would surely die there!

    Mu Yingying felt weak for a moment, her body nearly collapsing to the floor. Fortunately, she could lean against the doorframe to prevent herself from falling. Her eyes became void of life, as if her spirit had left her body.

    She had now completely lost all the conscience!

    The traumatic memories from the past overlapped with the current scene before her eyes. It was the memory of Su Su being whipped to death in front of her in her previous life, unable to do anything!

    It was a memory she could never forget!

    It was...so similar to the scene before her!

    Mu Yingying placed her hand over her heart instantly, feeling a sharp pain as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart tightly. Her lips parted to gasp for breath, the intense pain in her heart causing a tightness in her chest that made it difficult to breathe.

    Huff…Puff

    Gasping for breath, she tried to inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Her big, round eyes suddenly shut to avoid witnessing the scene before her any longer. If she continued to watch, she feared the memories of the past would torment her to the point of ruin!

    It was okay...stayed calm, breathed slowly, and thought it through.

    That was just the past. Right now, Su Su was still in front of us, not dead.

    That was just a scene in a play...

    Mu Yingying silently comforted herself, which greatly helped her condition. As she calmed down, she opened her eyes and stared coldly at the group before her.

    Just as the whip was about to strike Su Su again, a swift shadow leaped in to protect her, causing the man to be unable to stop in time. The whip struck the small back with full force.

    Thud!

    "Eeek!"

    The servants screamed in shock, which quickly turned to fear when they realized the shadow that took the hit was none other than the Seventh Young Miss!

    Even Auntie Yang couldn't hide her panic!

    Mu Yingying collapsed to the ground after being hit so hard on her back. The pain was so intense that she couldn't move, likely having several broken ribs.

    “Cough, cough.”

    She spat out a mouthful of blood. The physical pain she endured was nothing compared to the agony in her heart at the thought of losing someone important again.

    Mu Yingying bit her tongue to create a wound, allowing the pain to keep her consciousness from slipping away. The play was not over yet, and she could not allow it to end so easily!

    She had prepared for this scene for a long time, to ensure her people's efforts in this performance were not in vain. She had to endure to let the play go on.

    She would make them taste this suffering a hundredfold!