C28 You Kneel down and Accept Your Punishment According to the Family Rules!

Swallowing hard, Lv Zheng replied, "At 8:20 p.m., as I was passing by the staircase, I personally witnessed the Eldest Miss instructing Miss Rui'er and Miss Fang Yuan to come to her room tonight." Seemingly concerned about the credibility of his own words, Lv Zheng added, "The Eldest Miss also asked me to find her a pair of scissors. At the time, I was curious, but... I never imagined that the Eldest Miss would actually..."

Upon hearing this, Yi Haoen stood up and fixed his gaze on Lv Zheng. "Are you certain?"

Lv Zheng glanced at Yi Rui'er and then nodded emphatically. "I'm certain!"

Fang Fang, upon hearing Lv Zheng come forward to vouch for Yi Rui'er, breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately adopted a heartbroken demeanor, "Lanyou... you child... why are you so cunning? How can you constantly plot against others? Rui'er is your half-sister, after all!"

"Auntie, why do you speak as though I was the one who cut Yi Rui'er's hair?" Yi Lanyou retorted with a cold laugh. "There's no need to exaggerate the situation to draw attention, is there?"

Fang Fang was taken aback, not expecting Yi Lanyou to see through her intentions. She was simultaneously astonished by Yi Lanyou's poise and calm, and was searching for a better argument when Yi Haoen cut her off.

"How can you be so manipulative? Always plotting against others?" Yi Haoen spoke in a measured, icy tone.

Yi Rui'er, hearing Yi Haoen echo the sentiment, smiled as if her malicious plans had succeeded, her shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Kneel!" Yi Haoen commanded sternly. "Zhou Li, go to the study and fetch the black vine whip. I intend to enforce the family discipline."

"Right away!" Zhou Li, delighted at the prospect of Yi Haoen using the black vine whip to discipline Yi Lanyou, hurried off to the study.

"Hmph!" Fang Yuan scoffed. Her family owned a similar black vine whip. Though it had never been used on her, she had seen her older sister, Fang Lian, use it to discipline unruly servants. With a full swing of her arm, Fang Lian would leave a bloody mark. Despite being a young lady, after ten lashes, the servants would be in so much pain they'd lose all sensation.

Was Yi Lanyou doomed this time? The thought brought Fang Yuan to an abrupt halt as she managed to squeeze out two tears, crying plaintively, "Uncle, you must stand up for Yuanyuan! I... I have never been so humiliated in my entire life!"

"Oh?" Yi Haoen turned his attention to Fang Yuan. "What would you like to do?"

"I want to whip her at least eight or ten times," Fang Yuan declared through clenched teeth, her voice seething with anger. Her hair was her most prized possession; how could she accept someone cutting off half of it without consequence?

"Yuanyuan, stop this nonsense!" Fang Fang felt it was her moment to express her maternal concern and quickly intervened, "Brother En, even though Lanyou has erred, she is still the Eldest Miss Yi and is expected to appear at the banquet in three days! While I do sympathize with Miss Lanyou, she was at fault initially. It's only right for you as her father to discipline her, but please, spare her face!"

Despite her words, Fang Fang secretly harbored a vengeful wish: Even if Yi Lanyou wasn't beaten to death, she hoped the girl would be left disfigured. Yi Lanyou's face was a constant reminder of Yuan Hui, that despicable woman.

"I understand," Yi Haoen affirmed, with no intention of striking his daughter's face.

In the midst of their conversation, Zhou Li returned briskly with the whip in hand, the one designated for Yi Lanyou's punishment. He carried the weighty Black Wood Rattan Whip with a sense of urgency, aware of the severity each lash would carry. A gleam of anticipation flashed in his eyes, yet he knew it was all for naught. Yi Lanyou was Yi Haoen's flesh and blood; he would never lay a cruel hand on her. If Zhou Li were the one to administer justice, he would not hesitate to lash her until she was bruised and battered.

"The Black Wood Rattan Whip is here," Zhou Li announced, bowing slightly as he presented the whip with both hands.

Yi Haoen took the whip from Zhou Li with a cold huff, "Kneel down!"

All eyes turned to Yi Lanyou, who stood tall, chin lifted defiantly. She watched the unfolding drama with a smirk, as if enjoying a farce that bore no relevance to her. Her detached demeanor was tinged with an air of arrogance that was uniquely hers.

"Lanyou, why are you just standing there? If you're in the wrong, kneel down already!" Fang Fang's advice seemed well-meaning, but only she knew that once Yi Lanyou knelt, the matter would be considered resolved, and Yi Lanyou's guilt would be solidified.

"Exactly. It'd be best for you to kneel down willingly!" Yi Rui'er chimed in, stepping forward to face Yi Lanyou. She figured that Yi Lanyou kneeling before her would satisfy her desire for revenge. "Kneel down!"

Before she could finish her command, Yi Rui'er felt a sharp kick behind her knees, sending her sprawling forward to kneel on the ground. She braced herself with her hands, but before she could comprehend what happened, a lash struck her back, the searing pain like a knife slicing through her.

"Ah!" Yi Rui'er shrieked, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Yi Haoen in disbelief. "Father! You! Why are you hitting me?!"

Yi Rui'er's outcry snapped everyone back to reality from the unexpected twist. Fang Fang quickly stepped up, grabbing Yi Haoen's arm. "Brother En, what did Rui'er do to deserve this? You... You've got the wrong person."

"She's manipulative, always plotting against others," Yi Haoen's eyes reddened with fury. "Isn't that what you said?"

"I..." Fang Fang was taken aback. She had been talking about Yi Lanyou!

"Uncle, it was us who were wronged. Why are you punishing Rui'er?" Fang Yuan was bewildered. "Yi Lanyou was the one who summoned us. She's the one at fault! We have witnesses!"

"Don't you understand?" Yi Haoen shook off Fang Fang and lashed Yi Rui'er again, raising his voice as he demanded, "Did you do something wrong?"

"Ah!" Yi Rui'er wailed, sobbing, "I'm not wrong! It was Yi Lanyou who framed me! It's all her fault!"

"You're still lying!" Yi Haoen's anger intensified. "What time did Lanyou call for you?"

"8:20," Yi Rui'er said, her words barely escaping before another lash struck her back. "Ah! That hurts!"

"Lanyou was with me from 8:00 to 8:30. How did she manage to tell you all to come to her room tonight?" Yi Haoen demanded.

As soon as Yi Haoen finished speaking, Fang Fang's face went ashen. She turned to look at Yi Lanyou, only to be met with a mocking smirk. It was then that Fang Fang realized they had all been duped by Yi Lanyou.