I cry too

In the grand courtyard of the Pan Mansion, a tense and dramatic scene was unfolding. Pan Miaoqian was being escorted to the front of Ci'an Pavilion, where she was about to endure a punishment of being beaten with a bamboo board. This punishment was a severe one, and each strike of the board made her let out a heart - rending scream.

Pan Yueqing, with a composed expression, had deliberately positioned herself at the entrance of Ci'an Pavilion to watch this spectacle. As the servant boy, holding the ruler used for punishment, looked at a loss after the beating was over, Pan Yueqing casually waved her hand at him. "You can go about your business. I'll take Third Miss to the small Buddhist hall," she said calmly.

Pan Miaoqian, who had never experienced such humiliation and pain before, was being half - carried by Pan Yueqing's servants. Without even the chance to apply medicine to her wounds, she was being dragged towards the small Buddhist hall. Her clothes were still wet from the previous incident, and the pain made her break out in a cold sweat, making her look extremely disheveled. Gritting her teeth, she glared at Pan Yueqing and hissed, "Pan Yueqing, you wait. I won't let you get away with this!"

Pan Yueqing signaled Nanny Zhou and Nanny Zhao to force Pan Miaoqian to kneel in front of the shrine. She then squatted down, her slender fingers, as delicate as spring onions, suddenly gripping Pan Miaoqian's chin tightly. Her eyes were sharp and bright, and with a mocking smile, she said, "Is Third Sister already threatening me?"

The small Buddhist hall was dimly lit, and the flickering candles cast an eerie glow on Pan Yueqing's face, which sent a shiver down Pan Miaoqian's spine. Tears welled up in Pan Miaoqian's eyes immediately. "I want to see Father. You can't treat me like this... Father loves me the most. He wouldn't do this to me..." she sobbed.

"Father has ordered Third Sister to kneel here for three days," Pan Yueqing said coldly, releasing Pan Miaoqian's chin and standing up to look down at her. "When I was at Pinglong Nunnery, I had to kneel and chant scriptures every day for my 'younger brother'. Third Sister has only been kneeling on the straw mat for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. This is just the beginning." With that, she walked towards the door of the small Buddhist hall and coldly ordered the servants to close the door.

"Pan Yueqing! Come back! You can't do this..." Pan Miaoqian jumped up and grabbed Pan Yueqing's skirt.

Pan Yueqing stopped in her tracks but didn't even spare a glance at Pan Miaoqian. Instead, she slightly bent her knees towards the door and softly said, "Father."

Pan Miaoqian let go of the skirt and looked up, ready to pour out her grievances to Pan Haiyun. However, there was no sign of Pan Haiyun. When she looked up again, Pan Yueqing had already walked three steps away. Lying on the ground in a sorry state, Pan Miaoqian angrily shouted, "How dare you deceive me?!"

Surprisingly, Pan Yueqing then walked back to Pan Miaoqian. She reached out as if to help Pan Miaoqian up. But in her agitated state, Pan Miaoqian slapped Pan Yueqing's arm and shouted, "Don't pretend to be kind!" Just as the words left her mouth, Pan Yueqing smiled and whispered in her ear, "Third Sister, you're not the only one who can cry."

Then, she covered her wrist. Pan Yueqing had extremely delicate skin, and even the slightest touch could leave a mark. Now, she sat on the ground, her head bowed, with glistening tears in her eyes but remained silent. Pan Miaoqian, seeing Pan Yueqing's actions, looked up in horror and saw Pan Haiyun standing not far away, his hands behind his back, his expression unreadable.

Pan Miaoqian panicked. Before she could say a word to beg for mercy, Liu Shi, who was standing behind Pan Haiyun, stepped forward with a stern face. Liu Shi knelt down towards Pan Haiyun and said, "It's my fault. I didn't teach Miao'er well. Master, your punishment is just. I don't dare to plead for mercy. But since you've already punished Miao'er with the bamboo board, could you please show mercy and let the child recuperate for a couple of days before starting to kneel in the Buddhist hall?"

"Miss, are you okay?" Wan'er helped Pan Yueqing up.

Pan Yueqing covered her arm, her eyes glistening with tears, and softly said to Wan'er, "I'm fine."

"Do you see even the slightest sign of repentance in her?" Pan Haiyun said coldly, ignoring Liu Shi's pleading face. He then said to Wan'er and Gu Pan beside Pan Yueqing, "Help Second Miss back to her room."

Pan Miaoqian saw Liu Shi standing up and looking at her, mouthing "Quickly apologize to Father." Realizing the situation, she immediately lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, and pulled at Pan Haiyun's robe. "Father, Miao'er knows she was wrong. Miao'er shouldn't have disrespected Second Sister..."

Pan Yueqing, looking as delicate as a willow in the wind, stood beside Pan Haiyun. Her eyes never left Liu Shi. Seeing Liu Shi's hint and Pan Miaoqian's submission, she knew that this was as far as things could go today. Since Pan Miaoqian was taking on the role of the repentant one, she also needed to show her magnanimity and kindness in front of Pan Haiyun. "Father..." Pan Yueqing tugged at Pan Haiyun's sleeve, her tears still in her eyes. She shook her head slightly in response to Pan Haiyun and said, "Yue'er is fine. Father, don't blame Third Sister. She's young. As her elder sister, I should be more tolerant."

"You've always been so sensible," Pan Haiyun said, feeling somewhat gratified. He patted Pan Yueqing's hand in approval.

Pan Yueqing lowered her head, a triumphant smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she glanced at Pan Miaoqian. She knew exactly what Pan Miaoqian was capable of - nothing more than crying and making a scene. She couldn't understand how she had lost to such a person in her past life. It was all about pretending to be pitiful in front of others, and Pan Yueqing was confident that she could do it even better.

After returning to Dongfeng Pavilion, Pan Yueqing didn't immediately deal with the disloyal maids and servants in the courtyard. She acted as if nothing had happened and simply ordered them to clean up.

Pan Yueqing knew that Nanny Zhao had given Gu Pan to her to help manage the finances of the courtyard. Now, as Gu Pan sorted through Pan Yueqing's jewelry boxes and compared the accounts over the years, they discovered that one - third of Pan Yueqing's jewelry had gone missing.

"Miss, many things are gone," Gu Pan said, looking up. Pan Yueqing, sitting on a stool, was calmly sipping tea. Gu Pan stepped forward and handed her a booklet. "I've made a new account for the remaining items." Pan Yueqing nodded but didn't take the booklet. Instead, she looked out of the window at the servant girls who thought they had escaped punishment, busily sweeping and cleaning. "Bring Wuming here in a few days," she said.

"Wuming's injuries still need a long time to heal. Miss, don't be in a hurry. The old lady will take good care of him," Gu Pan said, with her eyes downcast. She then carefully tidied up Pan Yueqing's dressing table, opened some rouge and powder jars, sniffed them, and prepared to throw them away.

"Is there something wrong with the rouge?" Pan Yueqing noticed Gu Pan's actions. These rouges had always been purchased by the housekeeper for the young ladies in the mansion, and she had been using them without a second thought. But now, seeing Gu Pan's actions, she became suspicious.

"There's musk in the rouge. Miss, as a young lady, if you use it for a long time... it's not good," Gu Pan said, putting the jars into a box and opening the door to order the little servant girl outside to clean them up. Pan Yueqing immediately understood what Gu Pan meant. Using things containing musk for a long time could make it difficult to conceive in the future. No wonder she and Qi Sicheng had been together for so long in her past life but had never had any children.

Just then, Wan'er came in, carrying a basket of cloth. "Miss, Handan Courtyard said that this is the best cloth in the mansion. They've never even seen the flowing - cloud brocade you mentioned." She said angrily, putting the basket on the table.

The flowing - cloud brocade was her mother's dowry. In her past life, it had been used to make Pan Miaoqian's wedding dress when she married Qi Sicheng. Pan Yueqing looked at the basket of ordinary red satin and smiled faintly. "Don't worry. They'll bring the things here themselves."