Chapter 72: An Unwelcome Visit

"Yes, I'll scratch their faces for speaking ill of my mother. After I deal with them, I'll go after that Lin girl as well."

Sure enough, as Su Jingluo approached the doorway of the side room, she heard Yunbai inside, saying these vicious words in his childish voice.

"Young master, we were wrong, we were wrong, please spare us!" As expected, it takes evil to subdue evil. The three maids had been stubborn at first; even when Yunbai approached with a dagger, they hadn't been afraid. Who could have guessed he was truly ready to order them harmed? All three burst into tears from fright.

"Yunbai, come here. Do you know how cruel it is to scar a girl's face?" Su Jingluo was by no means soft-hearted—evil servants in the household deserved broken legs and shattered arms, never to be forgiven lightly. But she had never wanted Yunbai to become like this. It was better for a boy to be magnanimous and good-hearted, gentle as jade.

"I don't know. I suppose it must hurt a lot?" Yunbai looked at Su Jingluo with an innocent expression, holding the knife as if it were nothing more than a toy horse.

"Besides the pain, how will they ever marry in the future?" Su Jingluo explained sternly, laying out the consequences.

"They can marry or not, I don't care," Yunbai rolled his eyes and shot a fierce glare at the maids.

Was he really this tough at such a young age? Would he find a wife when he grew up?

"I think it's best if I handle these matters. You should focus on your studies and martial arts," Su Jingluo gently removed the knife from Yunbai's hand, patiently coaxing this sensitive and ruthless child.

"Why?" Yunbai didn't understand—why could his mother do it, but he could not?

"Because when people slander me, it feels much better to strike back myself," Su Jingluo replied. As soon as she finished, the three maids, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, tensed up again, trembling. Were this mother and son a pair of demons?

"Then why should I study or practice martial arts? They're not as interesting or fun as my poisonous little pets," Yunbai persisted, thinking his venomous treasures were far more amusing.

"Reading teaches you right from wrong; martial arts allow you to protect yourself. I want you to be reasonable and wise, and when you meet someone unreasonable, you'll have the strength to fight back," Su Jingluo explained. That, she believed, was the way of the strong, and her child must be raised by that standard.

Yunbai nodded obediently, half understanding, but trusting that his mother was right. Su Jingluo smiled with satisfaction. Children needed to be told things not once, but ten, a hundred, a thousand times—was there anyone who didn't grow up being nagged by their parents?

"Ruihuan, take Yunbai to the back garden," Su Jingluo instructed, sending Yunbai away. Now it was her time to act.

Su Jingluo paced back and forth before the three huddled maids, her face wearing a chilling smile. At first, the maids had hoped for salvation when she arrived, but after what they had just overheard, they were dumbfounded. The child was ruthless enough—his mother must be even more so. Bad seeds never grow good roots. As Su Jingluo prowled around them, their hearts thudded wildly, beating like drums. If she was going to do something, why not just say it?

Seeing the maids so terrified, reduced to tears and unable to speak, Su Jingluo had Alan fetch a chair and placed it at the entrance of Scarlet Moon Pavilion, sitting herself down. Then she ordered the servants to bring the three maids out.

No matter the world or the setting, there is never any shortage of onlookers. Nearly all the servants of the prince’s residence were hiding in the shadows, peeking out anxiously and curiously, eager to see what would happen.