Chapter 131

Chapter 131: My Family Is Always Gentle and Humble

Yu Jiao Jiao’s voice was very sharp, and the other attacker seemed startled and stopped moving.

Yu Ming Yu got a moment to breathe and could not help letting out a sigh.

At the same time, he agreed with Yu Jiao Jiao’s words.

He said: “My sister is not wrong. First, my father taking bribes is only something Yu Zhi Yi said at random and does not count. Even if he really took bribes, what does that have to do with us?”

The more he spoke, the more reasonable it seemed to him.

The attacker seemed to agree and did not move for a long moment.

Just as Yu Ming Yu thought his words had worked, a cold laugh sounded, and then a kick heavier than before slammed down.

Yu Ming Yu felt the place that was kicked go numb, as if it no longer belonged to him.

But he had no time to care, because the attacker spoke in a low voice: “The reason punishment should not reach the children is that benefits should also not reach the children.”

Yu Ming Yu’s mind went blank. Then more pain fell.

No one knew how long the two attackers beat them. At last, when they seemed tired, they stopped. Yu Ming Yu’s head tilted, and he fainted. Before he lost consciousness, Yu Jiao Jiao had already gone silent.

Before his awareness sank into darkness, a thought flashed in Yu Ming Yu’s mind: [Punishment does not reach the children only if benefits also do not reach the children… I think I have said that before.]

Yu Zhi Yi soon heard that Yu Ming Yu and his sister had been thrown into sacks and beaten.

It was not that she had looked for their news. Someone happened to pass by where they were beaten and saw two people lying on the ground with bruised faces and weak breathing. The passerby was frightened, thought they were dead, did not even dare check if they were alive, and hurried to report it.

Even though it turned out to be a false alarm with no deaths, the prefect was still annoyed.

This was the Capital City. The Son of Heaven was wise; though kind, he was also strict. So this term’s Yamen worked hard and did not dare take any case lightly.

They would take even petty thefts seriously, let alone a beating that caused serious injury in broad daylight.

Moreover, these two were the son and daughter of the former Minister of Revenue.

Although the Minister of Revenue had fallen, Consort Yu was still there. And Consort Yu carried a dragon seed in her belly; who knew whether a few months later a young prince would be born? Might the Yu Clan rise again on Consort Yu’s tailwind?

So the Prefect of Jing Prefecture paid great attention to this case. He first personally sent them home, then waited until they woke to carefully ask about what happened.

What he learned was shocking. The one who woke first, Second Miss Yu, said the mastermind was very likely the daughter-in-law of the Chancellor’s Manor, now a director at the Ministry of Justice, Young Madam Du!

Setting aside that the Ministry of Justice director’s rank was on par with his, it was in the Ministry of Justice, so her real status was a little higher than his.

And as Chancellor Du’s daughter-in-law, he could not easily offend her.

But the matter was too big, and with Yiluan Charity now in the spotlight, he could not suppress it. He could only grit his teeth and summon Yu Zhi Yi.

When the summons from Jing Prefecture arrived, Yu Zhi Yi was calculating Li Feng’s birth characters. She had been interrupted earlier, so she had to cast the hexagram again.

Red Luan had already returned to the Splendid Brocade Workshop, since she had a pile of orders.

After a moment, Yu Zhi Yi drew back her hand, and a cold light flashed in her eyes. So that lord turned out to be…

Just then, Steward Wu Shan knocked on the door. The door was not closed, and Yu Zhi Yi said without looking back: “Enter.”

Behind Steward Wu Shan stood two yamen runners from Jing Prefecture. He looked worried and said: “Boss, Jing Prefecture asks you to come answer some questions.”

Yu Zhi Yi was not surprised. She rose and shook out her long sleeves: “Let’s go.”

Soon, they arrived at Jing Prefecture.

Yu Ming Yu and his sister were there too. Unlike their earlier swagger, both now lay on stretchers, wrapped in thick bandages. If the two yamen constables had not told Yu Zhi Yi their identities before she entered, even she would have needed a while to recognize them.

Yu Zhi Yi murmured: “…So a person should not be too arrogant and greedy, or they will get beaten.” She seemed to be talking to herself.

Master Yu had gone out to discuss business and had not yet returned. Yu Ming Quan went to teach people to play the zither to help with expenses, and Yu Zi had been forced by the Yu Clan to go study.

So only Madam Yu and Yu Meng Qin came.

Both were already full of anger. When they heard this, Madam Yu exploded: “Yu Zhi Yi, how can you say that!”

Yu Zhi Yi looked at her, puzzled: “What about me? I was not the one who hit them.”

Steward Wu Shan also stepped forward, bowing his head and saying meekly: “Madam Yu, you misunderstood. The boss was scolding me.”

The Yu Clan members: “…” The Jing Prefecture prefect: “…” Not only they, even Yu Zhi Yi was a little surprised.

No wonder Red Luan had picked out Steward Wu Shan at a glance in a crowd; he truly was a shrewd one.

Yu Zhi Yi did not like dealing with twists and turns, but if someone wanted to do it for her, she did not mind.

She stepped past Madam Yu and addressed the prefect: “Prefect Gong, why have you summoned me?”

The prefect of Jing Prefecture had the surname Gong.

Lord Gong had wanted to watch the show a bit longer. He felt a bit disappointed that it ended so soon, but his face stayed serious.

He gave Yu Zhi Yi a salute of equal rank, then said: “Official Yu, the Yu Clan accuses you of hiring thugs to beat Yu Ming Yu and Yu Jiao Jiao. Is this true?”

Yu Zhi Yi also returned the salute, then said: “Isn’t it your duty to solve cases and catch culprits, Prefect Gong? Since I am a suspect, whatever I say is not enough to be evidence in court. In the same way…” She looked at the two bandaged people on the ground: “They bear a grudge against me, so their words also cannot be evidence in court.”

Yu Meng Qin scowled: “They offended you just before, and right after that they were beaten! Besides, my Yu Clan has always been gentle. We have not offended anyone but you! It cannot be anyone else but you!”

Madam Yu said nothing, only looked at Yu Zhi Yi with a heartbroken face, as if she had really done something that angered heaven and men.

Yu Zhi Yi was about to speak when her gaze fell on someone.

He was the steward’s son from Yu Manor, a houseborn servant of the manor. He was twenty-eight, plain-looking, but extremely lustful. As a houseborn servant, he had more women than proper masters did.

Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes suddenly turned deep.

Yu Jian Ren saw Yu Zhi Yi staring at him and looked confused. Suddenly he seemed to think of something, and his eyes lit up: [Could it be that the eldest miss has taken a fancy to me?] Although she had married Young Master Du and was no longer pure, and she was that low fake, but… she was truly beautiful. And now she was even a female official. [In all my years, I have never played with a female official.]