kingnovel Chapter 366 Punishment
Chapter 366 Punishment
Liu Xueying's eyes held three parts heartache, three parts sadness, and four parts disbelief, truly resembling that of a mother deeply hurt by her daughter.
Ye Qing'an watched from the sidelines, but a hint of admiration for Lan Qing was revealed in his heart.
Lan Qing has spent so many years in brothels and taverns, and the people she has met and the things she has experienced are probably more than the average young lady in her entire life.
That's why they were able to make it look so realistic.
Liu Xueying's eyes were red-rimmed as she looked intently at Ye Weilan: "She said her biggest worry was that after I died, the master would remarry. But it wouldn't matter much, since by then, she would probably already be married and no longer in this mansion..."
"When I opened my eyes, I saw that she was holding a pill in her hand and was about to put it into my mouth."
Liu Xueying pointed to a pill scattered on the bed: "That's it. She probably didn't expect me to wake up, so she was caught off guard and I knocked the pill away."
Ye Qing'an picked up the pill, smelled it, and then handed it to Steward Li.
Liu Xueying took a deep breath and burst into tears: "I never knew that the daughter I raised for so many years was such a ruthless character."
But Liu Xueying, while crying, suddenly laughed: "Hahaha, before, I was single-mindedly scheming and plotting for her, but in the end, the daughter I wholeheartedly protected and cared for actually wanted to take my life!"
"what!"
Liu Xueying screamed, crying and laughing, her demeanor frantic, truly resembling a madwoman.
"I've done so much for her, and she actually thinks I'm a burden?"
"Hahahaha... I really hate it. How did I wake up at this time? If I had been killed by her without knowing anything, I would have been able to go to the underworld in peace."
The butler frowned, his gaze sweeping over Ye Weilan's face, his eyes also gleaming coldly.
Ye Qing'an glanced at Liu Xueying's appearance, then out of the corner of her eye, she scanned the expressions of the others in the room before speaking softly, "Mother, why don't you rest first? We can talk about it tomorrow, okay? You're tired..."
Liu Xueying leaned back against the corner of the bed, her face filled with despair: "Yes, I'm tired. You can all leave. I don't want to see anyone right now."
"Yes." Ye Qing'an paused slightly. "There are always people guarding outside, and Granny Li is always here. If you need anything, Mother, you can call Granny Li."
Liu Xueying remained silent, staring blankly at the peony embroidery on the top of the bed curtains.
Seeing her like this, Ye Qing'an bowed to her, then turned to the steward and Granny Li and gave them a wink before looking at Ye Weilan: "Second sister, you should go out with us too."
Ye Qing'an followed the steward at the front and walked into the courtyard.
The guards holding torches were still in the courtyard, which was brightly lit, as bright as day.
Ye Weilan stopped and turned to look at Ye Weilan: "Second sister, is there anything you want to say?"
Ye Weilan shrugged: "I have nothing to say. She woke up at the wrong time."
"Are you still so stubborn? If your mother hadn't suddenly woken up, you would already be in grave danger, do you know that? She is your own mother!"
Liu Xueying explained the matter so clearly that Ye Weilan knew she had no way to defend herself. She just glanced at Ye Qing'an casually and said, "Yes, my biological mother."
"If she weren't my biological mother, I wouldn't have tolerated her until now."
Ye Qing'an took a deep breath and said after a long while, "I can tell that you are not very clear-headed right now. You should go back to your room and rest. Someone, take the second young lady back to her room."
It was ostensibly a delivery, but in reality, it was guarding.
Ye Weilan was well aware of this and did not object. She simply glanced at Ye Qing'an silently with a sinister look in her eyes before heading towards the side room.
The butler naturally saw all of Ye Weilan's little actions, and gritted his teeth inwardly, feeling somewhat annoyed.
He never expected that so much trouble would arise in just two days after Ye Qinghao left.
And none of these were minor incidents. First, Liu Xueying was poisoned and went mad, and then Ye Weilan went berserk and tried to kill her mother.
The butler took a deep breath, feeling a bit overwhelmed: "Miss, what do you think is the best way to handle this matter?"
Ye Qing'an frowned slightly, seemingly troubled as well.
"Killing one's own mother should naturally be severely punished. But unfortunately... it was the second younger sister who wanted to kill her own mother."
"My second sister is the Fifth Prince's consort, personally betrothed by the Emperor. Although the wedding date is not yet set, this marriage is practically a done deal. Moreover, this marriage will greatly benefit our Ye family and Father..."
"If word gets out that my second sister intended to kill her own mother, this marriage will likely have to be called off. This is something none of us want to see..."
Ye Qing'an also felt that this matter was somewhat difficult to handle. She bit her lip and pondered for a moment before saying, "How about this, we first order people to keep quiet about this matter and strictly prohibit anyone from spreading it. We should keep this matter within our Ye residence, preferably within this courtyard."
"Afterwards, we privately gave our second sister a certain punishment."
The butler nodded. Every word Ye Qing'an said hit the nail on the head; these were also the difficult things he found to be.
"But, punish the second young lady in private? And how should that punishment be given?"
Ye Qing'an paced back and forth in the courtyard several times before turning her head again: "Murder of one's own mother is a serious crime, and the punishment must not be too lenient. If the punishment is too lenient, others may follow suit, or others may have emotional complaints..."
"But Wei Lan is currently engaged, and if we were to physically punish her, it would be easy for people to notice something amiss, and we wouldn't be able to explain it to them if they asked."
Ye Qing'an bit her lip and thought for a moment: "How about this, create an illusion, throw Wei Lan's mind into it, and punish her mind in the illusion, let's punish her with twenty lashes."
"That's one thing. Secondly, Wei Lan's actions are also a morally questionable act. So let's punish Wei Lan by making her write the Classic of Filial Piety fifty times."
"Thirdly, the budget for Wei Lan's dowry has also been halved."
Ye Qing'an thought carefully for a moment: "These are the only three methods I can think of, Steward, what do you think..."
“Alright.” The butler nodded. “I think this is feasible, but I still need to find a way to pass on a message to the master and wait for his reply before proceeding.”
Ye Qing'an nodded slightly: "That's right. I never expected that such a big thing would happen in just two days since Father left. We should consult with Father."
Ye Qing'an sighed deeply: "Let's stop here. Please, let's make sure nothing else happens."