Favoring Qie Over Wife (22)

Song Jia was a generous person. Or rather, the 'treasures' that these ancient people deemed as precious were nothing to her eyes.

So every time a servant would particularly do well, she would reward them with jewelries and accessories from her personal stash. As Minglan and Ruolan were her closest first-ranked maids, they naturally had more accessories than the typical servant. For example, this jadeite band ring was something Song Jia had gifted Ruolan just the day before.

"The push was considered forceful, so it can't be done by Ruolan's non-dominant left hand. If she used her right hand, however..." Song Jia's eyes targeted Bo Yu, "It wouldn't be possible that she was the suspect because sister Bai didn't feel her band ring. So how could you be so confident that it was Ruolan who pushed sister Bai into the koi pond?"

Bo Yu regretted. She deeply regretted that she had showed her hand so early. When she heard that wang ye had visited wang fei, she thought that it was the best time to drive a wedge between her and her mistress. Who knew that this wang fei was so clever that she could dismiss her maidservant from guilt just by saying a few words? And that this maidservant had expensive jewelry on her person?

She let another wave of tears flow out of her eyes as she hit her forehead on the ground, this time making sure that the skin would bleed, "Nubi is wrong! Nubi has seen wrongly! Wang fei, please punish nubi!"

Song Jia glanced at Bai Mei Lien. As wang fei, she had the right to punish disobedient servants. But Bai Mei Lien was Zhao Cheng's favored concubine, and this Bo Yu was a personal maidservant of hers. She couldn't just do as she pleased.

Bai Mei Lien closed her eyes again, appearing to be exhausted. In contrast, Zhao Cheng's expression was dark.

"Do as you see fit. We have no need for servants like these."

Bo Yu's heart sank. She looked pleadingly at her mistress, but Bai Mei Lien wasn't looking at her. She couldn't expect for Zhao Cheng to pity her either, because she saw the ruthlessness that flashed briefly in his eyes. Bo Yu lifted a stone and dropped it on her own feet; she had no one but herself to blame.

"Seeing as she had the audacity to move against me, let her receive seventy strokes using the wooden stave," Song Jia announced mercilessly. "Then kick her out of the wangfu."

Ruolan glanced at Bo Yu and couldn't help but pity her as she looked at her tender skin. Seventy strokes would be enough to leave her half-dead; being sent out of the wangfu, however, was the worst punishment between the two. How could slave-servants like them manage to survive in the outside world? There was only one outcome for this kind of punishment.

Song Jia wouldn't have been this merciless if Bo Yu hadn't used Ruolan. She didn't belong to this ancient world—she didn't think that these servants were below her in worth. But Bo Yu had to have known that if Song Jia didn't manage to prove Ruolan's innocence in time, she would have been beaten to death, or worse, be subjected to cruel torture. Even if it was implied that Song Jia had a hand in Bai Mei Lien's accident, that was all it would be—an implication. The best her accusation could do was to leave Zhao Cheng with a bad impression of Song Jia.

Since she had the power to judge her sins, Song Jia wouldn't hesitate. She was soft when she had to be, and cruel when it was needed. Professional transmigrators like her had to have this necessary quality. Otherwise, how would they be able to save the worlds that was tasked to them from destruction?

Bo Yu crawled forward until she was in front of Song Jia. "Wang fei, have mercy, have mercy! Nubi had acknowledged her sins, nubi will never commit mistakes like this again!"

Zhao Cheng's manservants that had followed him into the room came forward and dragged Bo Yu out of the bedchamber. Bo Yu's screams gradually became faint until Song Jia could no longer hear her.

In her heart, Song Jia wasn't actually as calm as she looked. However, she wouldn't regret her decision.

"Then, qie asks to retire back to the zhengfang. Sister Bai, recover your health well." Seeing that Zhao Cheng made moves to escort her, Song Jia smiled and added, "Wang ye, please take care of sister Bai."

After saying so, she exited out of the room with Ruolan and Minglan following behind her. Song Jia saw the guilt in Zhao Cheng's expression when he stood up and knew that he would not be eating dinner with her in the zhengfang. Why should she humiliate herself in letting him say it clearly?

As soon as she was gone, Bai Mei Lien burrowed her head in Zhao Cheng's arms and let her tears fall. "Brother Cheng, Bo Yu...how could Bo Yu have done this to me..."

It was clear as day that it was Bo Yu who pushed her into the koi pond. But Bai Mei Lien couldn't accept that the servant she had treated as a good friend even back when she was young could easily betray her.

Zhao Cheng drew back his gaze that was staring at the doorway Song Jia had disappeared into and hugged Bai Mei Lien closer to his chest.

"Lien'er, it wasn't your fault. That servant took advantage of your gentleness. You shouldn't think of her any longer."

Bai Mei Lien continued to sob. "Brother Cheng, wuwu, you're the only one I can depend on..."

She was speaking from her heart. Her father didn't have any time for her, more focused on her elder brother who was going to take the imperial examination soon. Her mother had passed away shortly after she was born, leaving Bai Mei Lien to grow up with a lonely childhood.

Zhao Cheng knew her difficulties and hugged her even tighter. "Lien'er, you can depend on me."

"Brother Cheng, can you do me a favor?"

Bai Mei Lien lifted up her tear-stained face, her cheeks flushed. She wanted to treasure this relationship more, and make sure that their love for each other would continue to be strong. If he could always have her in his heart, she would be the happiest person in the entire world.

Zhao Cheng wiped her tears with his thumb. His expression was soft and pampering, "What does Lien'er wish for?"

Bai Mei Lien was happy with his response and exclaimed, "I want Brother Cheng to accompany me to the Qi Qiao Festival!"