Chapter 152: Punishing the Insolent Servants

Wu Xindeng was at that moment mocking Caiming loudly over his request for silver. Seeing Yang Xin arrive, not only did he fail to quiet down immediately, but he raised his voice even further, blatantly trying to elevate his own status by stepping on Yang Xin's face.

Yang Xin found it utterly incomprehensible what sort of household upbringing could create a situation where a servant was regarded as more precious than his master.

Looking even more smug now, Wu Xindeng pretended not to see Yang Xin, pointed right at Caiming’s nose, and cursed: "Do you think this treasury is opened by your family? Even if you bring a couple more people here to throw tantrums, do you really think I’m afraid of you? I’ll put it plainly right here today: there is no money. If you want it, go have your mistress, the Hot Pepper Feng, beg the Second Mistress for it."

Yang Xin clearly caught the eager, lewd, and filthy expression that flashed across Wu Xindeng's face when he mentioned Wang Xifeng.

"This is Master Lian the Second!" Caiming was so furious his eyes were practically bulging out of his sockets.

Yang Xin also furrowed his brows slightly. He had imagined that Jia Lian did not hold a high status in the household, but he had never expected it to be this low—a mere head steward of the estate treasury could treat him with such utter disregard, practically pointing and cursing in his face.

"Oh, it's Master Lian! This humble servant was momentarily flustered and didn't see Master Lian. I deserve to die~" Wu Xindeng gave himself a phony, theatrical slap across the mouth—as fake as it could possibly get. And that was the end of it; pretending once more that he hadn't even looked at Yang Xin, he calmly went back to sipping his tea with an air of absolute indifference, showing not the slightest intention of fetching the silver.

Yang Xin shook his head once more, too lazy to waste words with him. He stepped forward, grabbed Wu Xindeng by the neck, and said in a chilling voice: "I am the legitimate eldest son of the Rong Mansion. Is 'Master Lian' a name for the likes of you to shout?"

Giving Wu Xindeng no chance to reply, Yang Xin delivered two crisp slaps—one backhanded, one forehanded—right across his mouth. The blows instantly swelled Wu Xindeng's face up like a steamed bun. And this was even with Yang Xin holding back his strength; had he exerted even a tiny bit more force, he probably would have exploded Wu Xindeng's head completely.

Frowning, Yang Xin noticed that there was not a trace of fear in Wu Xindeng's eyes, only a gaze full of venomous hatred.

"You've got spirit. I like that!" Yang Xin smiled. Then, using his left hand to force Wu Xindeng's jaw open, he flicked out with the fingers of his right hand.

*Thump~* A tooth was flicked flying by Yang Xin.

*Thump~* Another tooth was flicked flying.

A normal adult has twenty-eight to thirty-two teeth. Extending his hand, Yang Xin flicked them out one after another until twenty-four of Wu Xindeng's teeth were knocked out, filling the man's mouth with blood.

It wasn't that Wu Xindeng hadn't tried to struggle, but no matter how he thrashed, he could not break free from Yang Xin's iron-vise grip. Wu Xindeng had also attempted to cry for help, but the agony of having his teeth flicked out left him capable only of hoarse screams and shrieks. Even if he called out, no one dared to rescue him.

"Well, that's twenty. Caiming, Xing'er, gather up Wu Xindeng's teeth and deliver them to senior Madam Wang in the Second House," Yang Xin said flatly. Then, glancing at Wu Xindeng once more, he covered the man's mouth with his right hand and pressed down hard, crushing and snapping off all his remaining teeth, forcing him to swallow them down.

"A family ought to be neat and complete. You actually dared to wear such a sickening expression when speaking of my wife. Since you are so base and shameless, I shall leave you toothless! I am the master, and you are the servant. A servant must look like a servant; whatever the master says, you must obey. Even if you are unconvinced, you must swallow your broken teeth along with your pride right into your belly—and I am going to make sure you swallow those broken teeth!"

Caiming and Xing'er were stunned mute by Yang Xin's brutal methods. When Yang Xin's gaze fell upon them, both servants instinctively gave a start, lacking even the courage to meet his eyes, and hastily scrambled onto the floor to search for Wu Xindeng's teeth.

The others inside the treasury were likewise frightened out of their wits by Yang Xin's display, not daring to make eye contact as they scrambled down to help Caiming and Xing'er retrieve the teeth.

Once Caiming and Xing'er had collected them all, they timidly moved to hand the teeth over to Yang Xin.

"Why are you handing such filthy things to me? Take them to Madam Wang of the Second House and ask her how she manages this household. Caiming, you go—I trust you will recount everything that happened today to Madam Wang, detail by detail."

"This humble servant wouldn't dare," Caiming stammered, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Do as you are told. Go on." With that, Yang Xin shooed Caiming away, who naturally took Wu Xindeng's teeth with him.

By this time, Wu Xindeng had already passed out cold. How could Yang Xin let him off so easily? With a flick of his finger pointing at a pressure point, Wu Xindeng snapped instantly back to consciousness. "Do you perhaps harbor some inappropriate thoughts concerning Sister Feng?"

Yang Xin asked with a sinister sneer, then raised his leg and delivered a vicious kick right between Wu Xindeng's legs. Wu Xindeng's face flushed crimson, his eyes bulging so far from their sockets as if they might pop out at any second. His body bent double like a drawn bow, while a wet, rattling gasp of "Hoh—hoh—" escaped his throat in agonizing torment.

Yet Yang Xin deliberately employed a technique to prevent him from fainting, forcing him to endure the full measure of agony as he rolled back and forth across the floor.

Still unsatisfied, Yang Xin felt that for a mere servant to dare covet his master's woman—and to wear such a predatory grin right in front of the master himself—was utterly intolerable.

"Bone-Dislocating Art!" Yang Xin struck several rapid blows across Wu Xindeng's body.

Wu Xindeng let out a sudden, blood-curdling shriek, his eyes rolling back white, yet still he could not manage to black out. Like a dog with its spine pulled out, he collapsed limply to the ground, curled into a tight ball as spasms wracked his frame over and over again.

"Xing'er, take his keys," Yang Xin commanded, flicking his sleeves and seating himself nearby.

Intimidated by Yang Xin's overpowering intimidation, Xing'er did not dare to disobey. He stepped forward cautiously, preparing to roll Wu Xindeng over to retrieve the keys. The moment Xing'er touched him, however, Wu Xindeng let out another piercing shriek like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, causing Xing'er to jerk his hand back in fright.

"The Bone-Dislocating Art amplifies bodily pain tenfold. The slightest touch feels like your flesh is being torn apart. Ssss—just thinking about it hurts," Yang Xin remarked, standing by without lifting a finger.

Indeed, Yang Xin harbored a deep, bone-deep hatred for Wu Xindeng. It wasn't just because the man looked down on him, but because of the undisguised lust that had burned in Wu Xindeng's eyes when speaking of Wang Xifeng. Since Yang Xin had inherited Jia Lian's karma, he had to uphold Jia Lian's interests. No man could ever let such a transgression slide.

Shaken to his core, Xing'er initially wanted to beg for mercy and have someone else take the keys from Wu Xindeng's person. But feeling Yang Xin's lingering, scrutinizing gaze fall upon him, Xing'er gritted his teeth. Ignoring Wu Xindeng's wretched screams, he pried open the man's neck-ring pouch and swiftly stripped away the treasury keys.

"Open the vault! Fetch the silver!" Yang Xin said indifferently.

The Rong Mansion's treasury was vast, but it was also remarkably empty. At a single glance, Yang Xin could tell that the Second House under senior Madam Wang had embezzled and hollowed it out almost completely. No doubt Lady Jia, Old Dowager Shi, had long been aware of this, which was why she had been in such a rush to send him along with Lin Daiyu back to Hangzhou—she intended to use Lin Daiyu's dowry and the Lin family fortune to patch up the massive deficits in the Rong Mansion.

"Master Lian the Second, the one thousand liang of silver has been counted out," Xing'er reported excitedly.

"A youth like jade upon the banks, a peerless gentleman in this world! Call me 'Young Master' from now on," Yang Xin said coolly. Glancing down at the silver, he noticed it wasn't the gleaming bright white seen on television screens, but rather dark and tarnished. Picking up a single ingot, he tossed it up and down in his hand and said, "Fetch another nine thousand liang to make it a full ten thousand."

"This..." Xing'er froze, hesitation written all over his face. But catching the sharp look Yang Xin threw his way, and recalling the brutal, merciless methods the young man had just displayed, he quickly scurried to pull out another nine thousand liang, bringing the total to a full ten thousand.

In ancient times, one catty was sixteen liang, and a single liang of silver weighed slightly over thirty-one grams. Ten thousand liang amounted to well over six hundred kilograms, filling two large chests to the brim. Yang Xin instructed the men not to move the silver to his own courtyard, but instead straight into Jia She's outer study.

Naturally, the treasury keys were not returned, and the treasury account books were taken away by Yang Xin as well.

The events that transpired at the estate treasury instantly sent shockwaves reverberating through the entire Rong Mansion.