Chapter 147: Turning Against Each Other
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Father, it was she who seduced me.”
“Father, I’m innocent! I’ve studied under a great sage, reading the classics with reverence. I would never do such a thing!” Lu Jing Huai’s voice trembled as he wept bitterly.
Su Zhi Qing’s body shivered. She watched Lu Jing Huai throw accusations at her like mud.
Gritting her teeth, she managed to say, “Marquis, Huai has already—”
Before she could finish, Lu Yuan Ze slapped his hand over her mouth. His eyes blazed with a bloodthirsty red, his expression chillingly terrifying.
“You wretched woman! You vile temptress!”
“Jing Huai is an obedient and upright young man, and you dare to seduce him, corrupt him!”
“Guards, gag her and drag her out! Beat her to death with rods!” Lu Yuan Ze’s breaths came heavy and fast. The events of the day had utterly shattered him.
But Lu Jing Huai was now his only legitimate son. He had to protect him.
He couldn’t even bear to look at Lu Jing Huai, turning his back to him instead. “Escort the young master back to the manor!” he ordered, his fists clenching tightly.
[Seduction?]
On Lu Jing Huai’s first day in the manor, he had embraced Su Zhi Qing! At that time, he claimed it was dark, he entered the wrong room, mistook the wrong person. Yet just now, when he entered the room, Su Zhi Qing’s tone of affectionate longing was unmistakable!
The two had been entangled for a long time!
How dare he?!
Lu Yuan Ze’s strength faltered as he struggled to remain conscious. He felt as though everyone around was pointing fingers at him, and even his breaths tasted of blood.
He dared not look at the crowd.
Stumbling, he brought Lu Jing Huai back to the manor, his rage boiling uncontrollably.
He was utterly mad with anger.
He had driven Madam Xu and her children out of the household just to give Lu Jing Huai space and position.
But never, not in his wildest dreams, did he expect Lu Jing Huai to dare touch his woman!
“To the ancestral hall, now!” Lu Yuan Ze roared, his face dark as iron.
Lu Jing Huai, pale and silent, knelt in front of the ancestral hall, his frail body trembling.
“Bring the family discipline rods!” Lu Yuan Ze demanded, his tone leaving no room for mercy.
Before the ancestral tablets of their forebears, he swung the whip high, letting it lash down with resounding force.
The first strike knocked Lu Jing Huai to the ground, his blood instantly soaking through his clothes.
“Shameless filth!”
“There are countless women in this world. Why her?!”
“You deserve death! You dare covet her, your own stepmother recorded in the family registry!”
Strike after strike, Lu Yuan Ze’s whip descended mercilessly. He was consumed by fury, irrational and unrestrained, venting his hatred and fear.
Hatred for Lu Jing Huai’s failure, fear of this scandal reaching the city. The very thought of the marquis household’s reputation being tarnished sent shudders through him.
“The household’s honor is utterly ruined,” he snarled, striking again. “Disgraced! How can I face our ancestors?!”
Seeing the severity of the situation, a maid hurried to call the Old Madam and Madam Pei.
The Old Madam, already gravely ill following her younger brother’s autumn execution, appeared even more frail, her face drenched in sweat from worry.
“Why is he beating the child?! Jing Huai has always been obedient, never giving him cause for concern,” she cried.
The moment she entered the courtyard, she saw Lu Yuan Ze’s whip raised high, striking Lu Jing Huai until he lay motionless on the ground, his life uncertain. Blood dripped from the whip, soaking through Lu Jing Huai’s clothes, leaving the ground stained red.
The Old Madam was terrified. Her walking stick clattered to the ground as she rushed forward in desperation.
“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?! Jing Huai, my grandson! Are you trying to kill him?!” She flung herself over him, shielding him with her body.
Madam Pei, witnessing the scene, was utterly distraught.
“My son!” she wailed.
“Move aside! All of you, move aside!” Lu Yuan Ze bellowed hoarsely.
“He’s just a child! Are you trying to kill him?! Why not kill me too, while you’re at it?!” the Old Madam sobbed, clinging to her grandson, inconsolable. Her hands were covered in his blood.
“A child?” Lu Yuan Ze growled through gritted teeth. “What kind of child dares share a bed with his stepmother, shaming his own father with a green hat?!”
“Caught in the act with Su Zhi Qing! Just how audacious is he? She’s his stepmother!” The humiliation burned brighter as he thought of the scandalous deed—his son had betrayed him.
Madam Pei trembled, tears streaming down her face, but she dared not meet Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes, clutching her son tightly.
“It was just a woman! Why beat him to death over it?” the Old Madam argued. “He’s just a child who made a mistake. Teach him properly, don’t kill him!”
“Su Zhi Qing is a temptress. Jing Huai is decent but lacks willpower. That’s all there is to it!” she pleaded, her tears unending. She called for a doctor.
Lu Yuan Ze, his rage mounting, spat out a mouthful of blood.
“My son, don’t be so angry,” the Old Madam urged. “Jing Huai is still young. Dispose of that wretched woman instead. Your son is your flesh and blood. And the top scholar list will be out in three days; he can still bring honor to the household.”
Her own heart ached.
For the sake of Lu Jing Huai, she had lied to Madam Xu for eighteen years, even casting her grandchildren out of the house. Now only Lu Jing Huai remained in the family registry. She had no way out.
Despite her lingering doubts about Lu Jing Huai’s involvement in Pei Yao Zu’s death, she’d already sacrificed everything for him. He was her only grandson.
“Yes, the scholar list,” Lu Yuan Ze muttered, his anger momentarily cooled. He wiped the blood from his lips. “Where is Su Zhi Qing?”
“Drag her out! Beat her to death!” he commanded, his voice cold and unyielding.
Regardless of the truth, Su Zhi Qing’s death was inevitable.
Su Zhi Qing, gagged with cloth, was pinned down and struck repeatedly with rods. The sound of each blow echoed in the courtyard, blood pooling on the ground.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan Xiao knelt in his own home, confessing his guilt.
“How dare you bring your sister to witness such filth?!” Madam Xu scolded, poking him in the forehead. “She’s barely two years old! How could you expose her to such disgrace?! What if it corrupted her nature?!”
“Mother, I know I was wrong,” Lu Yuan Xiao whispered, too terrified to admit that his sister had drawn a crowd with her antics.
Lu Chao Chao, seeing her brother kneeling, knelt beside him obediently. She lowered her head and stayed quiet, even making their dog, Windchaser, kneel by folding its forelegs.
The dog looked bewildered.
Madam Xu’s anger dissolved into laughter.
“Windchaser didn’t do anything wrong! Why make it kneel?”
“Chao Chao, do you know what you did wrong?” she asked, her tone serious.
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head, thought for a moment, and nodded. “I know, Mother.”
“What was your mistake?” Madam Xu pressed, her expression stern.
“My mistake was not calling you to watch too.”
Rofl. Tru, good things must be shared.
hahaha..