A grandmother and granddaughter swap souls, causing chaos throughout the entire court.

These witnesses can prove that the five locations Chung Shih-chu passed by were exactly the routes he took to sneak into the main house.

One witness after another emerged.

Everyone's story is very detailed and plausible.

At first, Chung Shih-chu was still trying to explain, but later, his lips could only move silently.

He finally understood.

Nobody here wants to know who stole the bracelet.

They just wanted him to confess.

"With witnesses and physical evidence all presented, how long is Fourth Young Master going to keep making excuses?"

Granny Liu stepped forward, reached out and pinched Zhong Shichu's thin chin, forcing him to lift his face.

"Fourth Young Master, did the First Master or the First Madam instruct you to do these bad things?"

Chung Shih-chu's cheeks were pinched until they hurt.

He looked into Granny Liu's cloudy, cold eyes and understood the meaning hidden in her words.

"I didn't steal the bracelet."

"And no one instructed me to do it."

The child's hoarse voice wasn't loud, but it made Liu Mama's fake smile fade.

She let go of her hand and wiped her fingertips on the handkerchief as if they were dirty.

"Ungrateful."

"Bring up the torture bench!"

The two guards immediately brought out an ebony bench from the back room.

That torture bench had been used for who knows how many years; the surface of the bench was soaked in blood and turned dark brown.

The long bench was placed heavily in the center of the courtyard, and the several maids who were watching all stepped back.

Then an old woman brought over a walking stick as wide as a palm.

Zhong Shichu looked at the dark, heavy stick, and his thin body finally began to tremble uncontrollably.

He was only five years old.

Because he often went hungry, he was smaller than a typical four-year-old child.

The short blue cloth jacket hung loosely over her body, and her exposed wrists were so thin that they looked as if they could be broken with the slightest force.

Fifty strokes of the cane.

Even five strokes of the cane might not be enough for him.

Two guards grabbed his arms and dragged him toward the torture bench.

Granny Liu scanned all the servants.

"Madam is kind-hearted, and the Fourth Young Master is the master of the mansion. If he is beaten fifty times and his life is injured, others will inevitably say that we disregard blood ties."

Her gaze swept towards the second gate.

The gong has been struck.

With so many servants gathered in the front yard, the news should have spread long ago.

But there was still no movement from Songhetang.

After a moment's thought, Granny Liu suddenly raised her voice: "Press the Fourth Young Master down on the torture bench! Then send someone to each courtyard to announce that the Fourth Young Master has been caught red-handed stealing the Mistress's dowry. According to the family rules, he will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane. Let those who have time come to witness the punishment."

"However, the fourth young master is still young, and out of filial piety, the madam has granted special permission for the eldest son's family to come and see him one last time!"

She pronounced the last few words with exceptional clarity.

The people in the courtyard felt a chill run down their spines.

Where is it to see each other for the last time?

This was clearly a message to the eldest son's family: if he didn't come, Zhong Shichu would die here today!

The guard with the cane raised it, but hesitated to bring it down.

He took Liu Mama's signal and deliberately put on airs, waiting for someone to deliver the message to Songhe Hall.

Zhao Lihua did not want Zhong Shichu to be killed immediately.

This child was bait used to lure the first wife and her husband into marriage.

As soon as Zhong Tingyuan and Wen Jingxian step out of Songhe Hall, Lanxi Garden will have plenty of ways to detain them.

All that's needed to do is tell the outside world that the eldest son and his wife failed to properly discipline their son and allowed him to steal. Even if the old lady wakes up, she won't be able to bring the two criminals back to her side.

If the couple could really harden their hearts and watch their own son be beaten to death, Zhao Lihua would suffer no loss.

The death of the eldest son of the main wife is a good thing, as it eliminates one more troublesome bastard.

Anyway, that bastard child is almost useless now.

It wouldn't matter if I died a few days earlier.

The news of the fourth young master's theft quickly spread to Songhe Hall through the mouths of several well-prepared old women.

As soon as Granny Zhou reached the door, she saw Wang Da, who was guarding the door, rushing in.

Wang Da was sweating profusely as he ran, and almost couldn't stop when he got there.

"Granny Zhou! Something's happened!"

Granny Zhou's heart sank: "Is it the Fourth Young Master?"

Wang Dalian, barely catching his breath, hurriedly replied, "Yes! Everyone outside is saying that Madam lost one of her dowry gold bracelets, and it was found on the Fourth Young Master!"

"Granny Liu found a witness who said that the Fourth Young Master sneaked into the main room, and he's currently tied to a torture bench and will be given fifty strokes of the cane according to the manor rules!"

"Fifty strokes of the cane?"

Granny Zhou's vision blurred, and she swayed.

Wang Da quickly reached out to support her: "They've also spread the word that if the eldest son's family wants to see the fourth young master, they should hurry over, or they'll only be able to collect his body!"

Granny Zhou's lips were pale, and she gripped the pillars of the corridor tightly with her hands.

The fourth young master was only five years old and so thin that he was just skin and bones.

Fifty strokes of the cane are not family discipline, they are clearly a death warrant!

She had originally thought that, given her status as the head maidservant by the old lady's side, she could go to Lanxi Garden and say a few kind words to at least bring the fourth young master back.

It now seems that the lady had prepared the noose long ago.

The gold bracelet is fake.

The theft was a lie.

The real threat is using the Fourth Young Master's life to force the First Wife and her husband to leave Songhe Hall!

"That's truly a brilliant tactic!"

Granny Zhou murmured to herself, cold sweat beading on her back.

Wang Da asked anxiously, "Granny, what should we do? Should we take a few more people and go directly to Lanxi Garden to snatch them away?"

"We can't get it back."

Granny Zhou immediately shook her head.

Lanxi Garden is the territory of the third branch of the family, and all the guards and servants there are at Zhao Lihua's beck and call.

Even though Songhetang has several strong and capable servants, if they were to break into the mistress's courtyard to snatch someone, Zhao Lihua could immediately accuse them of insubordination and inciting a disturbance.

Not only will they be unable to save the Fourth Young Master, but they will also lose the gate that the Old Madam entrusted to them to guard.

But if I don't go...

After fifty strokes of the cane, how could the Fourth Young Master possibly survive?

Granny Zhou paced around halfway down the corridor in a hurry before suddenly stopping.

"No, we can't let the master and mistress know about this right away."

Wang Da was stunned: "But what about the Fourth Young Master..."

"The doctor has just escaped death and is pregnant with twins. If she hears that her own son is about to be beaten to death, she'll crawl out of Songhe Hall, even if she has to!"

Granny Zhou was so anxious that she was sweating profusely.

She gripped Wang Da's arm, her voice extremely low: "You guard the door. Don't let anyone in. Especially, don't let Master and Madam know what's going on at Lanxi Garden!"

Wang Da was covered in sweat: "But they've already sounded the gong over there. We probably have Madam's spies in this courtyard, so the news won't stay hidden for long. Besides, the Fourth Young Master is still being tortured on the bench; what if they really do something..."

That's why we need to come up with a solution quickly!

Granny Zhou released him and hurried towards the backyard.

There are four matrons in charge of Songhe Hall.

Granny Li is the most mature and quick-witted.

If she were in the mansion, she might come up with a good idea.

But she still hasn't returned home.

Right now, the only people left to discuss this with are Granny Wu and Granny Wang from the east wing.

Just as Granny Zhou rounded the covered walkway in front of the main house, before she could even instruct the maid to call for help, she saw the old lady come out of the room!

She excitedly rushed to greet him.