Chapter 295: Dantai Mingyue audits the accounts, killing the chicken to scare the monkey to eliminate hidden dangers

In the garden.

An Embroidered Attire Envoy carried a carved chair through the corridor and placed it behind Dantai Mingyue.

She sat down calmly, her plain hands resting on the armrests, her gaze sweeping calmly over the servants still standing respectfully in the garden, finally stopping on Steward Chen: "Go and fetch the account books of the Duke Mansion..."

"Yes."

Steward Chen did not dare to be negligent; after replying, he ordered two young servants behind him: "You two, go quickly and fetch them!"

"As you command."

The two young servants walked away quickly and returned before long, holding a thick stack.

Steward Chen stepped forward with a bowed body, the wrinkles on his face bunched together, piling up a face full of smiles, the lines at the corners of his eyes seeming to be filled with obsequiousness.

He held several blue-cloth-covered account books with both hands, his fingertips turning white from the force; the account books were held as high as his shoulders, his slightly leaning body almost bent to ninety degrees, as if he were afraid that the things in his hands would suffer the slightest mishap.

"The mansion's account books are here, please take a look, Miss Mingyue!" His voice was pressed extremely low, carrying a trembling tone he had deliberately softened, the tail of his voice rising slightly, revealing a bit of cautious sycophancy.

"Mm."

Dantai Mingyue reached out to take them and said nonchalantly: "You just go and stand to the side!"

Little girl, putting on such a big act... Steward Chen, who only felt slighted and neglected, rolled his eyes in his heart and cursed, but the smile on his face didn't diminish by half; instead, he added a bit of humble obsequiousness, bending his waist even lower, and replied: "Yes."

After saying this, he obediently retreated to the side.

There was no help for it; each dynasty has its own emperor, and each emperor has his own courtiers; it was no longer the time when the Duke was here.

He couldn't afford to offend anyone by Chen Yan's side.

Especially since the side was filled with Embroidered Attire Envoys...

More than half an hour later.

Dantai Mingyue's gaze was still focused on sweeping over lines of tiny characters, her brows slightly furrowed.

Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow on her eyelids, concealing the emotions in the depths of her eyes, revealing only her tightly pursed lip line, which carried a bit of unquestionable seriousness.

Steward Chen stepped forward and suggested: "Miss Mingyue, these servants have all been standing in the garden for nearly an hour..."

"Should we let them disperse first and go about their respective duties?"

Steward Chen truly couldn't fathom this little girl; she neither lectured nor set rules, just sat there looking at the account books without saying a word...

The key was that he had to stand here and accompany her!

"Steward Chen, are you teaching me how to do things?"

Dantai Mingyue raised her beautiful eyes slightly, sweeping toward the owner of the voice, and asked back with great displeasure.

Such great majesty... Steward Chen muttered a sentence in his heart, but didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction, and said respectfully: "I wouldn't dare!"

When had he ever suffered such anger?

But now that the Duke Mansion had changed masters, he could only endure it...

Dantai Mingyue's lips curled into a very faint smile, but that smile didn't reach her eyes; instead, it carried a bit of coldness: "Wouldn't dare?"

Within her words was full of sarcasm.

"Miss Mingyue, what do you mean by this?"

Steward Chen sensed the chill from this little girl and said: "I don't understand..."

Dantai Mingyue slammed the account book onto the ground; the blue cloth cover burst open at a corner, the pages flipping messily, revealing several red marks she had scratched with her fingernails.

"Steward Chen, explain why there are so many contradictions in these account books!" Her voice turned sharp abruptly, the previous nonchalance swept away, and suppressed anger surged in the depths of her eyes.

This little woman doesn't even look twenty, right? How can she really read account books?!... Steward Chen was startled, his eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained unchanged, and he quibbled: "Did Miss Mingyue see wrong?"

He suddenly slapped his thigh heavily, his voice carrying grievance: "I have been in the Duke Mansion for over ten years, how could I do such a thing?"

"My contribution to the Duke Mansion is something everyone has seen!"

It even carried a bit of the stubbornness of relying on one's age to sell one's seniority.

"Is that so?"

Dantai Mingyue didn't care, beckoned gently to the Embroidered Attire Envoy standing on the right: "Come here."

"What are your orders, Miss Mingyue!"

The Embroidered Attire Envoy stepped forward immediately, bowed respectfully, and said in a deep voice.

"She can actually command the Embroidered Attire Envoys under Chen Yan?!"

Steward Chen took in this scene, his eyes full of astonishment and surprise.

He never expected that this little girl could not only read accounts but could even mobilize Embroidered Attire Envoys.

He only felt that something big was wrong!

"Go and investigate this Steward Chen, as well as his relatives!"

Dantai Mingyue raised her hand, pointed at Steward Chen, and a cold smile curled at the corners of her lips.

She paused, then continued: "Half an hour is enough, right?"

"One stick of incense is sufficient!" the Embroidered Attire Envoy replied.

Half an hour?

That was looking down on their professional ability too much!

"Go!" Dantai Mingyue nodded and waved her hand gently.

Immediately, she ignored the bewildered Steward Chen and picked up the register Chen Yan had left behind to flip through.

The incense had only just burned past half.

The Embroidered Attire Envoy returned, holding something in his hands, and said respectfully: "Miss Mingyue, the things you wanted are all here..."

Dantai Mingyue took them, picked them up to look through simply, then threw them casually at Steward Chen's feet, and asked calmly: "Steward Chen, what else do you have to say?"

"This... this... Miss Mingyue, it was this lowly one who was momentarily possessed by a ghost!"

"I did things I shouldn't have done!"

Steward Chen looked at the things the Embroidered Attire Envoy had brought back, panicked beyond measure; his stiffened neck shrank abruptly, and the previous ferocity was instantly shattered by panic.

First, the cold sweat on his temples flowed down along the wrinkles, quickly connecting into lines, sliding across his cheeks, and dripping onto the bluestone, blurring into a small patch of dark water stains.

He wanted to raise his hand to wipe it, but just as he raised it halfway, he stiffened abruptly; his hand hung in mid-air, his fingertips trembling like withered leaves in the autumn wind.

"Steward Chen, your whole family has been dipping their hands into the till quite a bit, haven't you!" Dantai Mingyue sneered, sarcastically, "You want to brush it off with a light 'things I shouldn't have done'?"

"This lowly one has been in the Duke Mansion for over ten years; even if there is no merit, there is still hard work; I hope Miss Mingyue will let this lowly one off!"

"I will definitely reform in the future!"

Steward Chen knelt down with a "thud"; this time he was truly prostrate on the ground, and he was truly panicked.

Even his forehead was pressed against the cold bluestone, his voice carrying a crying tone, mixed with heavy breathing.

"Are you threatening me?"

Dantai Mingyue heard this, her brows raised slightly, and she asked back.

She paused, then continued: "In the Duke Mansion for over ten years, and you have been embezzling for over ten years?"

"You really do have a good talent!"

Between the lines, it was all chill.

"I... wouldn't dare!"

"This lowly one... also... didn't... mean that!"

"I hope... Miss Mingyue... will see clearly!"

Steward Chen's tongue seemed to be tied; he couldn't speak clearly, having to catch his breath for every word he said; his chest heaved violently, like an old ox pulling a bellows that wouldn't move.

With his chin against the ground, he didn't even have the courage to look up at her; only his shoulders twitched and trembled, revealing the panic in his bones.

"The state has state laws, and the family has family rules!"

Dantai Mingyue stood up, her gaze sweeping over the servants in the garden who didn't dare to breathe loudly, and said in a deep voice: "Since everyone is here today, I will take this opportunity to properly set some rules!"

"Someone come!"

"Here."

The Embroidered Attire Envoys in the garden replied in unison.

Dantai Mingyue was expressionless and said coldly: "Chen Guanying, lining his own pockets, embezzling a huge amount, remove him from the position of steward, and confiscate the property obtained..."

"And eighty strokes of the cane, to be executed on the spot!"

"As you command." The Embroidered Attire Envoy nodded.

She is killing the chicken to scare the monkey, using my life to establish authority... Steward Chen realized the intention of this little girl abruptly and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Miss Mingyue, spare my life!"

"Spare my life!"

Saying this, he prostrated on the ground and crawled toward her feet.

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Execute the punishment!"

Dantai Mingyue kicked Steward Chen away and said sharply.

Two Embroidered Attire Envoys stepped forward immediately, hoisted the limp Steward Chen, and dragged him toward the execution bench just brought into the garden.

He was like a fish out of water, his limbs struggling in vain, his mouth emitting "he-he" wails.

"Pa—" The first stroke went down; the heavy wooden board slammed fiercely onto his back, splitting open a gap with the sound, and his clothes were instantly soaked with blood.

Steward Chen arched his body abruptly, emitting a heart-rending scream.

That sound didn't sound like a human voice, but rather like the wail of a dying wild beast, making the people in the garden's scalps go numb.

"Pa! Pa! Pa!" The sound of the cane rang out one after another, each heavier than the last.

Each stroke that fell was accompanied by the dull thud of bones being shaken and Steward Chen's increasingly weak screams.

His body twisted violently on the execution bench; sweat, blood, and tears mixed together, staining the execution bench into a mess.

By the twentieth stroke, his screams had turned into gasping groans, his back swollen high, like a layer of purple, rotting flesh spread out.

By the thirtieth stroke, he no longer had the strength to struggle; only his limbs were still twitching unconsciously, his mouth intermittently spitting out blood foam, his eyes unfocused and lacking focus.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Steward Chen let out a final groan and breathed his last in pain.

The servants who witnessed all this discussed among themselves, whispering: "Steward Chen is dead?"

"This Miss Mingyue has such ruthless methods!"

"Stop talking, let's just work honestly in the future..."

"Lest we end up with the same fate as Steward Chen!"

"He died after only forty-something strokes?"

Dantai Mingyue glanced at the bloody corpse, snorted coldly, looked at the servants, and said sharply: "Have you seen clearly Steward Chen's fate!"

"We have seen clearly!" the servants replied in unison, trembling with fear.

"I will let bygones be bygones regarding past matters!" Dantai Mingyue held her head high and said, "But I hope everyone will be law-abiding in the future and do their own duties well!"

"Yes."

"Everyone disperse!"

Dantai Mingyue waved her hand.

The servants in the garden, as if granted amnesty, lowered their heads and walked away quickly.

Dantai Mingyue walked back to the chair, picked up the register, and handed it to the Embroidered Attire Envoy, "Trouble you to wait a moment and clear out everyone on this list..."

Establishing authority was for the ordinary servants to see.

The hidden dangers that should be killed still had to be exterminated and handled cleanly.

The Embroidered Attire Envoy's gaze sharpened, and he replied without hesitation: "Yes." ===== CHAPTER 296 =====