Upon hearing this, Cheng Xuan's hand, still gripping the knife, moved towards his neck.
"You wretched child!"
But at that moment, Madam Cheng's angry shout abruptly stopped Cheng Xuan's movement.
"Sparing this lowly servant's life is the limit of what I can concede. If you're still not satisfied, then you might as well die with her! Our Cheng family will consider you as having no son or grandson!"
Cheng Xuan was simple-minded and not particularly strong-willed. The reason he had mustered the courage to confront Madam Cheng earlier was only in a moment of desperation, busy protecting Li Niang's life. Now that Li Niang's life was spared, coupled with Madam Cheng's angry rebuke, his momentum softened, and he was completely suppressed by Madam Cheng.
Therefore, after Madam Cheng finished speaking, he couldn't bring himself to move the knife forward.
"Second Young Master,"
Li Niang finally spoke up quietly, "Please listen to Madam! Madam is magnanimous; I'm already grateful for her sparing my life. As for what happens next, I'll leave it all to Madam's arrangement. I was originally a maid of the Cheng family, so my life and death are up to Madam."
"Heh, you little girl, you do know your place."
Madam Cheng snorted coldly upon hearing this, but still didn't give her a kind look.
At this moment, Cheng Xuan could no longer hold on. His hand loosened, and the knife fell to the ground. Seeing this
, Madam Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered her attendants, "Quickly drag this wretched maid out of here, and never let her appear before the young master again!"
"Yes!"
Two burly old women immediately stepped forward, grabbed Li Niang's arms, and dragged her out.
"Li Niang..."
Cheng Xuan was still reluctant. Seeing that Li Niang was about to leave him, he subconsciously stood up again.
"Xuan'er, stop!"
Madam Cheng roared again, and his feet seemed nailed to the ground, his legs unable to lift.
While he was still stunned, Li Niang had already been dragged out.
Madam Cheng was true to her word.
After dragging Li Niang out of Cheng Xuan's residence, she waved her hand as if shooing away a fly: "Send this girl to the servants' quarters, and tell Aunt Liu to give her some work to do!"
"Yes." The old woman immediately dragged Li Niang towards the servants' quarters.
From being the second young master's glamorous personal maid, to becoming the lowest-ranking servant in the servants' quarters, it was a world of difference for Li Niang.
And to the people in the servants' quarters, Li Niang was a huge joke. From the day she was sent there, everyone was waiting to see her fail, always seizing every opportunity to mock and ridicule her.
But no matter what others said, Li Niang simply buried herself in her work every day. No matter how hard or tiring it was, she insisted on doing her job properly.
Before she knew it, she had been working in the servants' quarters for a month.
That day, the household suddenly became unusually busy from morning till night.
Unsurprisingly, Li Niang was assigned a pile of dishes to wash.
She wrapped her head in a blue cloth, rolled up her sleeves, and began washing.
Beside her, others were drying chair cushions and other items. Several maids, busy at work, huddled together, chattering incessantly—
"Did you hear? It turns out the Grand General is coming today!"
"The Grand General? Is that General Xiao Lang, the one who took the enemy's head from the midst of a vast army before he was even twenty, and then was appointed Grand General at twenty-four?" "
That's him!"
"My goodness! I was wondering why the household was so cautious; it turns out General Xiao is coming! It seems Master is planning to find a way to win him over! I think the simplest way to win someone over is through marriage, right? We have two young ladies of marriageable age in our household, but I wonder which one Master will choose?"
"Who cares which one? It's none of our business. Are we going to take the place of our eldest daughter and marry him to become the Grand General's wife?"
"That's true."
...
The maids chatted and laughed, gradually changing the subject.
Li Niang overheard for a moment, then forgot about it and continued working on the pile of dishes in front of her.
Before she knew it, evening had arrived. Finally, having finished her chores, Li Niang had just picked up a bowl of rice and eaten half when a group of people rushed into the servants' quarters.
The head maid glanced around and randomly pointed to a few pretty maids: "You lot, quickly wash your faces and come with me!"
Li Niang was among them.
Not daring to delay, Li Niang quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks, washed her face, and followed the head maid outside.
There, several pretty maids were already standing. However, these maids were already wearing matching clothes. As
As soon as Li Niang and the others stood still, a set of identical clothes was thrown at them.
"Hurry up and change into these clothes, then come with me to the front!"
The old woman had a cold expression and spoke with a stern face; she was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, Li Niang recognised her; she was Granny Jin, the head steward of the Cheng household, a woman of absolute authority with a formidable temper.
Therefore, they all obediently changed their clothes.
After changing and tidying their hair, they were led to the kitchen.
Only then did Li Niang and the others finally understand—it turned out that because there were so many guests today, and the festivities were so grand, there weren't enough maids to serve the food, so Granny Jin had rushed to each courtyard to find replacements. Once inside
The kitchen, there was no need for further explanation; everyone quickly took the plates from the cooks and filed towards the front hall.
The front hall of the Cheng household was bustling with activity. Red candles hung high inside and outside the hall, and musicians played instruments and sang on both sides. In the centre of the hall, a seductive dancer swayed her body, frequently casting flirtatious glances at the guests in the main seats.
The place was bustling with activity, inside and out.
Li Niang followed the people in front into the main hall.
Although she was dressed like everyone else, Cheng Xuan, sitting in the crowd, spotted her immediately.
These past few days, Cheng Xuan had been kept under house arrest by Madam Cheng, unable to see her even once. His longing for her had accumulated for days, driving him almost mad!
Finally seeing Li Niang again, he could no longer contain himself and called out softly, his voice filled with deep affection, "Li Niang!"
His position was so obvious that Li Niang naturally saw him immediately.
However, she never dreamed that Cheng Xuan would be so bold as to call her name in public!
Her heart skipped a beat, and she lost her footing. Without warning, she twisted her ankle and fell forward.
Oh no!
As she leaned forward, Li Niang inwardly groaned. Thinking of what was about to happen, she simply closed her eyes.
Unexpectedly, just as she thought she was about to be dumped on top of him, food and all, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist, catching her firmly.
The plate that had flown from her hand didn't even make a sound when it hit the ground.
Li Niang opened her eyes and found the plate firmly held in a rough hand. And this hand was the same one now wrapped around her waist.
As for the owner of these two hands…
Li Niang looked up and met a pair of burning eyes.
Those eyes… the fire in them was raging. The fierce flames seemed to burst from his eyes and devour her whole.
In an instant, Li Niang felt as if her clothes had been burned away by this fire.
The man's eyes were fixed on her body, and she suddenly felt as if he had seen right through her from head to toe.
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