Chapter Ten: Why Won't You Listen?

Watching Luo Yunqiao’s departing back, Luo Zeting felt a heavy weight in his heart. This was clearly his own younger sister—so why did things always end like this?

“Yunqiao is truly too disobedient. If she were a bit more obedient, just like Yunzhen, there wouldn’t be so many troubles!” Luo Zeting murmured absentmindedly as he gazed in the direction she had gone.

“Big brother!” Luo Zefeng and Luo Yunzhen came out into the courtyard and saw Luo Zeting standing outside, puzzled by his presence.

“Big brother, why are you standing out here? Hurry inside. Let me tell you, Mother was just crying because of that wild girl, Luo Yunqiao,” Luo Zefeng exaggerated the earlier events.

Before Luo Zeting could respond, Luo Zefeng spotted the figure disappearing into the distance. His expression darkened. “Big brother, did Luo Yunqiao upset you?”

“I think she just doesn’t consider us family. She upset Mother just now, and now she’s angering you! Making the whole family restless—I think she’s nothing but a curse!” Luo Zefeng shook with anger.

“Little brother, maybe she just feels I’ve taken her place and is unhappy about it. If only I…” Luo Yunzhen's tears welled up, making Luo Zefeng’s heart ache with sympathy.

“What nonsense! You’re the eldest lady of the Luo family. You shouldn’t have to act according to others’ moods!”

“Big brother, look at Mother and Yunzhen—both crying because of her. She’s simply too much!” Luo Zefeng trembled with rage.

“No, I’m going to find her now and give her a good scolding!”

As he started to move, Luo Zeting quickly grabbed his arm.

Seeing the dark expressions on both their faces, Luo Zeting’s mood soured. “You two are misunderstanding Yunqiao. She hasn’t made me angry.”

“What?” Luo Zefeng was stunned. Could he have misunderstood her?

Guilt briefly surfaced in his mind but was quickly replaced by the memory of their argument on the way back. His face darkened again, and his dislike only grew stronger.

Even if it was a misunderstanding, who asked that girl to be so unlikable?

“When I came over, I overheard two of Yunqiao’s maids speaking ill of Mother’s favoritism,” Luo Zeting said, his gaze settling on Yunzhen standing nearby. “So I reprimanded those two maids. They will be punished shortly.”

“What? How dare they speak against Mother?” Luo Zefeng’s face grew even grimmer.

“How could Luo Yunqiao control her servants well enough to let them gossip about the lady of the house behind her back?” Luo Zefeng sneered. “Good for her! Yunzhen is usually so obedient; what’s wrong with Mother loving her more? That stubborn girl won’t admit her own mistakes and instead blames Mother for favoritism?”

“Surely that damned girl feels the same way in her heart, or else how would the maids dare to speak so freely about their mistress?”

Luo Zeting said nothing but inwardly accepted his younger brother’s words.

Back inside the courtyard, Luo Yunqiao’s face was grim.

“Miss, we—”

“Kneel!” Before Jin Xin and Yin Xin could speak, Luo Yunqiao sharply commanded. The bustling maids and servants outside quietly glanced over.

Without hesitation, the two maids knelt down together.

“Gossiping about the lady of the house is punishable!” Luo Yunqiao said coldly.

“You will kneel here for two full hours. Do not rise until I say!”

Hearing this, the two maids immediately complied and knelt stiffly in the flower hall, drawing curious looks from the passing servants.

It was often said that this Miss Yunqiao was unloved and never punished her servants, so what had happened today to make her enforce such a harsh penalty right away?

Luo Yunqiao took a book and sat in a rocking chair in the courtyard, but the pages remained untouched for hours. Her gaze was fixed on the bleak sky above.

The leaves had long withered, and through the bare branches, the cold sky loomed—mirroring her own situation. In this vast marquis estate, surrounded by family, no one truly cared for or loved her.

Two hours passed neither quickly nor slowly. As the sun dipped westward, the maids had knelt long enough.

Other maids had already prepared the evening meal in the flower hall.

“Rise,” Luo Yunqiao said to the two kneeling figures.

Jin Xin and Yin Xin helped each other to their feet, stretching legs long numb. Their slender limbs trembled uncontrollably.

“Miss, we spoke carelessly, causing the young master to—” Yin Xin’s tears nearly spilled.

Jin Xin looked equally uneasy.

“Sit down and have a little to eat,” Luo Yunqiao gestured to the stools by the table.

The two maids hesitated, mindful of the boundaries between master and servant.

“Now you understand the difference between master and servant? Then why did you carelessly gossip about the lady of the house outside just now?” Luo Yunqiao’s voice was icy. “Inside this courtyard, before me, you may do as you please—I won’t punish you. But if others outside hear you slandering the lady of the house, selling you off would be the mildest punishment!”

“Sit down. If you don’t eat now, there will be no food for you tonight.”

At her words, Jin Xin and Yin Xin cautiously sat, each eating a few pieces of pastry and drinking a bowl of porridge.

When they had nearly finished, Luo Yunqiao put down her chopsticks and looked at them.

“Do you know why I punished you personally?”

The two maids shook their heads, then nodded hesitantly.

Luo Yunqiao paid no mind to their reactions and continued, “In this vast marquis estate, no one cares for me—not even my own blood, my parents and brothers. I know both of you care for me, but your concern leads to careless words.”

“Your reckless speech will bring disaster upon yourselves and your families! If I don’t punish you today, tomorrow someone else will find an excuse.”

“Just for gossiping about the lady of the house, you risk being sold off.”

At her words, fear flickered in Jin Xin and Yin Xin’s eyes.

“Miss…”

“Now you’re afraid? Earlier out there, you had no filter on your words. If you’re always like this, how many faults will people find to use against you? How will you serve me in the future?” Luo Yunqiao’s cool eyes seemed to pierce their very souls, filling them with guilt.

Realizing this, Jin Xin and Yin Xin quickly bowed in thanks.

“Enough. You’ve knelt long enough today. There is some medicinal ointment in the storeroom for promoting circulation and relieving bruises. Take some and rub it onto your knees to prevent lingering ailments.”

“Thank you very much, Miss,” Jin Xin and Yin Xin said hurriedly.

“Miss, it’s time for your medicine!” Yin Xin reminded her and went to fetch the ointment sent by the Prince Yan’s residence.