Severing the Source of His Evil

Upon hearing Lady Li's words, Madame Fei was truly shocked, quickly standing up and saying with a bow, "Lady Li is absolutely right. Fortunately, Miss Zhao is fine. Otherwise, I would be consumed with guilt."

With a sigh, she continued, "Ah, it's all my fault, an incompetent mother. I previously thought Fei Yi was well-behaved and sensible, and that her embroidery skills were good. Feeling sorry for the girl's separation from her concubine mother, I agreed to let her concubine mother raise her and personally take care of her. I never expected that with such indulgence, the child would become corrupted."

Wiping the nonexistent tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, she said, "Since Fei Yi has made a mistake, I, as her legal mother, cannot shirk my responsibility. On behalf of my daughter, I apologize for the grievance you've suffered, Miss Zhao."

Publicly apologizing to a junior, Madame Fei must have hated Fei Yi to death in her heart.

On the other hand, Fei Yi's face turned pale upon hearing Madame Fei's words.

Her status as the daughter of a concubine had always been her sore spot. Because of her embroidery skill, she had brought honor to the clan and earned her father's affection. Even though she was born of a concubine, nobody dared to criticize her. Moreover, her father had recently indicated his intention to officially register her under Madame Fei's name. This way, she would become a legitimate daughter and could marry into a good family in the future.

But now, Madame Fei's words implied that since she was raised by a concubine, she was unpresentable and this directly destroyed any possibility of her being registered under Madame Fei's name. Furthermore, with her reputation now damaged, it would be even harder for her to marry into a good family. Naturally, she felt utterly despondent.

Since Lady Li had spoken out against the injustice done to Zhao Ya, no one dared to oppose her. Eventually, Zhao Ya still won first place, and Fei Yi was asked by Sir Fei to apologize to Zhao Ya.

Utterly despondent, Fei Yi lowered her head, her eyes filled with humiliation. Losing first place hadn't felt this degrading. Fei Yi clenched her teeth and said, "Miss Zhao, it was my fault. I was just momentarily misguided and did something wrong. I'm sorry."

Though she spoke words of apology, how much sincerity was in her heart, no one could tell.

Zhao Ya just stood there, not responding.

Seeing this, Sir Fei had a servant take Fei Yi away. Then he chuckled and said, "Alright, although Fei Yi is my daughter, I have always been fair and just. Now that she has made a mistake, she naturally needs to be punished. Her competition results this time are nullified, and her ranking will be pushed down. As per tradition, the top three can enter our Fei Clan Embroidery Workshop."

Then he looked at Zhao Ya, a fervent desire in his eyes, "Miss Zhao, I sincerely invite you to join our Fei Clan Embroidery Workshop."

The Fei Clan Embroidery Workshop was the most famous in the Great Zhou Dynasty. For embroiderers, being personally invited by Sir Fei to join the Fei Clan was an immense honor. The embroiderers who participated in the competition all showed envious expressions.

However, just when everyone thought Zhao Ya would feel honored and gladly accept, she refused. All present were taken aback, looking at Zhao Ya in disbelief.

Sir Fei couldn't help but frown, a trace of displeasure flashing deep in his eyes as he asked, "You are unwilling?"

Zhao Ya nodded affirmatively. "Sir Fei, all my skills were taught by my master. I want to fulfill my master's dream of opening a top-tier embroidery workshop in Suzhou City, one belonging to my master and me. So, I thank you for your kind offer."

Hearing this, Sir Fei grew even more displeased and questioned, "You say you want to open your own embroidery workshop?" His tone held a hint of contempt.

Then he chuckled and tried to persuade her, "Young girl, your thinking is too simplistic. If you open an embroidery workshop, your embroidery will only circulate among commoners. Your talent will be wasted; what great accomplishments could you achieve then? It would be better to join our Fei Clan. I have always cherished talent and will certainly use the resources of our Fei Clan to make your embroidery techniques flourish. By then, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty will know of you. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Though it seemed he was extending a huge olive branch, in reality, he was merely after Zhao Ya's embroidery techniques. He likely intended to co-opt Zhao Ya's embroidery methods once she was in his household. The talk of making her famous was merely bait.

Therefore, Zhao Ya shook her head and declined without hesitation, "You honor me, Sir Fei, but I only wish to open my own small embroidery workshop. I'm not seeking fame."

Zhao Ya's repeated refusals made Sir Fei feel she was truly unappreciative. Annoyed, he no longer wished to persuade her, deciding not to offer earnestness only to be met with indifference. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he said, "Very well. Young people inevitably want to venture out and explore. That's fine. If you ever find yourself at a dead end, the doors of my Fei Clan will always be open to you."

Though his words sounded like those of a magnanimous elder looking after a junior, they carried a palpable threat. When it came to embroidery, the Fei Clan had countless ways to force a small shop out of business.

At this point, many onlookers thought Zhao Ya was somewhat unappreciative. Many also called her foolish for not seizing such a fine opportunity, choosing instead to open a shop that almost no one believed would succeed. Listening to the murmurs around him, Sir Fei's anger subsided somewhat.

The competition results were announced, and the three-day event finally concluded. The news of Zhao Ya planning to open an embroidery workshop, along with her stunning garment and first-place fame, spread like wildfire—a wave of free advertising, so to speak.

There was another piece of good news: Zhao Zhitong and her companions, having bet on Zhao Ya to win, had made a fortune.

Naturally, amidst everyone's joy, there was still one more thing to do!

「On the same day, late at night.」

It was a moonless, windy night—the perfect time for 'murder and arson.' From afar, a dark figure lightly scaled the Fei Clan's high wall. Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen waited quietly outside the courtyard wall.

A short while later, with a gust of wind, a dark figure leaped out from over the wall. Unlike when he had entered, he now carried an unconscious person.

Zhao Zhitong excitedly whispered, "Xiao Ge, you captured him so quickly! That's amazing!"

Flattered by his sister's praise, Zhao Yu grinned and threw the man he carried to the ground. "Sister, what do you plan to do with him?"

Zhao Zhitong tapped an arm-thick stick in her hand, looking coldly at the man on the ground. It was Fei Wen, the scoundrel who had bullied Zhao Ya during the day.

Zhao Zhitong confirmed, "Qiao Muchen, both of the maids died at the hands of this beast, right?"

Qiao Muchen nodded. "This young master of the Fei Clan looks outwardly respectable, but in reality, he's extremely perverse. The two maids we found were just the ones we know about; who knows how many others there are that we haven't discovered."

Zhao Zhitong nodded. "Good, as long as we're sure!"

For such a wicked person, only by severing the source of his evil can it truly be called punishment!

Thus, the three of them put a sack over Fei Wen's head, dragged him into the wilderness, and beat him ruthlessly. Afterward, Zhao Zhitong, without any hesitation, lifted her foot and stomped right down on Fei Wen's third leg!