Ch 183: Shaving The Adopted Sister’s Head, Sending Her To A Nunnery!
Xu Rouzheng even forgot her words for a moment.
Her mouth opened and closed: “Father, I… I…”
Duke Wei, however, announced loudly: “Bring that servant girl up.”
Steward Ding brought people and dragged Cui Mei, who was dying and covered in blood, inside.
They threw her directly on the ground, and Cui Mei struggled, begging for mercy.
“Master… spare this servant girl’s life.”
Duke Wei stared at Xu Rouzheng: “You sent a maid to the gold shop to have a gold hairpin made, and you wanted it overnight, leaving behind the name of our Xu family. You fool! If the Government Office sends people to investigate, they will know at once that you have a guilty conscience!”
He flew into a rage and threw the gold hairpin, hitting Xu Rouzheng.
It hurt very much, but she did not dare to dodge. Instead, she knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face.
“Father, I really have nothing to do with Second Young Master Fan’s death. That night, I did see him, but I only spoke a few words before leaving!”
“What’s the use of telling me this? The shop assistants at Clear Wind Residence recognize your face, and the servants of the Fan family also recognize your face. Just you wait; it won’t be long before they come with the Government Office to your door, and you will bring shame to our Duke Wei’s Mansion!”
After Duke Wei finished speaking, as if still not venting his anger, he stood up abruptly and kicked her.
Xu Rouzheng fell down, gasping in pain.
She still had to endure the pain, supporting herself: “Father, I am truly innocent! That night, Eldest Sister was the last person to see Second Young Master Fan. She was also at Clear Wind Residence. If you don’t believe me, Father, you can question her servant, Cold Dew; you will know immediately!”
Xu Jingyang, upon hearing her mention herself, remained as still as a mountain, sitting steadily.
Duke Wei shouted: “Nonsense! Jingyang went to Clear Wind Residence to attend a banquet with the Princess. Do you still have the nerve to implicate her?”
Xu Rouzheng was truly speechless.
She was even more astonished. Clearly, Second Young Master Fan saw Xu Jingyang arrive; how could it have been to see the Princess?
“Father, please believe me! Second Young Master Fan said he wanted to teach Eldest Sister a lesson, deliberately luring her there, but he died mysteriously. Considering Eldest Sister’s excellent skills, isn’t it suspicious?”
“Second Young Master Fan didn’t even know Eldest Sister, why would he want to teach Eldest Sister a lesson?” Xu Jingzi asked.
Xu Rouzheng’s eyes darted around: “That day, Madam Fan was offering incense to Guanyin Bodhisattva and met Eldest Sister. Perhaps Eldest Sister said something unpleasant, which Second Young Master Fan found out about, so he wanted revenge…”
Xu Jingyang put down her teacup.
Her tone was cold: “Rouzheng, you are a habitual liar. I met Madam Fan that day by chance and didn’t even know that you had already taken filthy medicine with Second Young Master Fan. How could I say anything bad about someone so utterly unfamiliar to me?”
Xu Jingmiao said fiercely: “I can see it now, Xu Rouzheng has done all the evil deeds and wants to pin it all on Eldest Sister!”
Duke Wei pointed at Xu Rouzheng: “Someone, give her a good beating, to stop her nonsense!”
Mama Liu, who was beside Xu Jingyang, stepped forward and took on the task.
Xu Rouzheng’s hands were seized, and Mama Liu raised her rough hand and slapped her twice.
As long as Duke Wei didn’t call a halt, she wouldn’t stop.
Xu Rouzheng let out a terrible scream.
The scars on her face had only recently healed and were now torn open again, oozing bright red blood.
Xu Jingyang watched calmly as the blood dripped down, reminding her of the misery of her past life.
Her blood had flowed out like this too. If she hadn’t been so attached to her family in her past life, would she have been controlled by Madam Xu and the others?
While Xu Rouzheng was being beaten, the Third Madam cautiously asked: “Second Brother, a murderer has appeared in our family. This is no small matter. Although she’s an adopted daughter, if this gets out, the reputations of the other girls will be ruined!”
Xu Jingzi and Xu Jingmiao were of marriageable age, and Xu Jingyang would surely be betrothed soon. The Emperor would not allow such a prominent family like Duke Wei’s Mansion to be disgraced.
Duke Wei also thought of his own reputation.
An adopted daughter raised for many years not only incited Second Young Master Fan to take filthy medicine but also killed him in a dispute. Whether it was accidental or intentional, once it was spread, he would be the first to be ridiculed by the entire court.
Xu Jingmiao said: “Why don’t we send her to the Government Office and let her receive her just deserts!”
The Fan family would certainly not let Xu Rouzheng off.
“No!” Duke Wei decisively refused. “If word gets out that our family raised a murderer, your reputations will suffer, and the name of Duke Wei’s Mansion will also be disgraced. We absolutely cannot confess now.”
The Third Madam, who was always indecisive, asked: “Then what should we do?”
Duke Wei paced back and forth, his brows furrowed.
He was never a wise man, and now, racking his brains, he couldn’t think of a good strategy.
How could he suppress this matter and prevent Xu Rouzheng’s actions from implicating them?
At this time, Duke Wei looked at Xu Jingyang.
From beginning to end, Xu Jingyang remained calm, like a still pool of water, without a ripple.
Even though Xu Rouzheng was beaten like that, she didn’t even frown.
“Jingyang, why don’t you speak?” Duke Wei asked.
Xu Jingyang put down her teacup, her tone calm: “Regarding Xu Rouzheng’s matter, I cannot say anything. Mother treats her as her heart’s darling. If I were to deal with her, Mother would hate me to death.”
Duke Wei said forcefully: “What do you care about her? I’m telling you, speak now, tell me what to do with this matter. Decide!”
Xu Jingyang gave Mama Liu a look, and she immediately stopped.
At this time, Xu Rouzheng had been slapped more than twenty times. Her cheeks were swollen and bloody, staining her clothes.
As soon as Mama Liu released her, she fell to the ground, twitching slightly in pain.
Xu Jingyang looked at her and said calmly: “Dealing with her is simple. Shave her head and send her to a nunnery. If the Government Office comes looking for her, we’ll say she fled to avoid punishment, and we don’t know where she went.”
“As for the future, if the Government Office finds her in the nunnery, we just need to maintain a consistent statement, saying that she was afraid of the Government Office’s investigation, shaved her head and hid in a nunnery to try to escape arrest, and has nothing to do with our Duke Wei’s Mansion.”
Sending someone to a nunnery to become a nun was something Madam Xu liked to say to threaten Xu Jingyang.
Because those nunneries were not good places, and the girls who were sent there did not have a good outcome. Moreover, everyone knew that only girls who had made mistakes were sent there, a soft punishment akin to a death sentence.
Most people considered it unlucky and didn’t go there very often.
The Third Madam said: “Sending her to a nunnery is good. The girls who go there have committed ‘illicit affairs’, ‘loss of chastity’, or ‘elopement’. It’s not unjust for her!”
Upon hearing this, Xu Rouzheng suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide in her blood-smeared face.
She struggled to get up, but Mama Liu stepped on her back.
She could only lie on the ground and scream: “Xu Jingyang! You can’t do this to me! I’m innocent! I didn’t kill anyone!”
Xu Jingyang looked down at her, her gaze as indifferent as if looking at an ant: “If you really think you’re innocent, you can go to the Government Office to plead your case, as long as you’re not afraid of being caught by the Fan family.”
“From today on, Duke Wei’s Mansion will no longer acknowledge your existence. Xu Rouzheng, your days as an adopted daughter in Duke Wei’s Mansion are over.”
“Youโ” Xu Rouzheng trembled, suddenly screaming, “It was you! That day, you deliberately had Cold Dew follow me! You had already set a trap for me!”
Her voice was shrill: “Father! Don’t believe her! She is the murderer! She deliberately lured me to get the gold hairpin made, just for today!”
However, Duke Wei ignored her and nodded approvingly at Xu Jingyang: “This is a good plan. It saves face and clears us of any involvement.”
Xu Rouzheng was struck by lightning. She finally understood.
From Cold Dew deliberately revealing her whereabouts to arouse her suspicion, to her rushing to have the gold hairpin made to prove her innocence, every step was in Xu Jingyang’s calculation.
Her supposedly thorough remedy had become the most fatal evidence.
Just as she expected, Xu Jingyang had dealt with Xu Mingzheng and turned to make her suffer.
They were all targets that Xu Jingyang had her eyes on.
Xu Rouzheng’s bloodstained face twisted like a ghost, and she screamed hysterically: “Father, Zheng Ge’er was definitely killed by Xu Jingyang! She wants all of our lives!”
Duke Wei frowned and looked at her.
Just as he was about to speak, the gatekeeper hurried in.
“Master, people from the Government Office are here.”
