Upon returning to the village, Shen Yuan heard that Chu Yuning was trying to force his own mother to her death. He had already set up a stake in the ancestral hall to burn Zhao alive, intending to appease Chu's father's spirit in heaven.

The villagers of Chujia Village put down their farm work and rushed to the ancestral hall.

After all, the idea of ​​a son burning his own mother to death is unprecedented and unheard of!

Seeing that Granny Liu also wanted to go see the excitement, Shen Yuan said, "Let's take the things we bought home first, and then go to the ancestral hall."

Granny Liu agreed, and the two hurried home to put down their things before heading to the ancestral hall.

Before even getting close to the ancestral hall, Shen Yuan could see a dense crowd of people from afar. The ancestral hall was surrounded by layers upon layers of people, and almost all the villagers of Chujia Village had come.

It took Shen Yuan a lot of effort to pull Liu Mama through the crowd.

"I told you Zhao and the village head were having an affair! You didn't believe me back then! I noticed something was off between them a long time ago. The village head always hired people to cultivate the Zhao family's fields; Zhao herself never went into the fields to harvest rice!"

"It makes me so angry just thinking about it! We haven't even finished planting our own rice seedlings this year, and the village head has already called my husband to help Zhao with seedling cultivation and planting. He even said that Zhao is a pitiful widow and orphan, and that we villagers should help her out! So we're just there to make up for those two scoundrels!"

"Zhao is so lucky! Her husband is dead, but her brothers-in-law love her! She doesn't have to farm the land herself, she doesn't have to pay for her son's education, and her daughter even steals chickens and dogs to support herself!"

"This incestuous couple should be burned alive, burned to the ground, so as not to corrupt the morals of our village! Scholar Chu is indeed a man of great principle!"

"But I think this Chu Yuning is so cold-blooded. Not to mention that Li Zheng is his own uncle, Zhao Shi is his own mother! She is the mother who gave birth to him and nursed him! What kind of son would burn his own mother alive?"

"..."

The villagers chattered amongst themselves, each offering their own opinion.

Shen Yuan stood quietly in the crowd listening. She really didn't expect that Chu Yuning's first reaction upon learning about this was to burn Zhao Shi to death.

Although Zhao was a vicious person and had humiliated her after her family and friends rose to power in her previous life, Shen Yuan had thought about how Zhao would die. However, she never expected that Zhao would be forced to death by her own son, whom she was so proud of. This made Shen Yuan feel a little sad.

Inside the ancestral hall, Zhao was tied to a high wooden stake, with a small mountain of firewood at her feet, and flammable dry straw at the bottom.

"Yu Ning, I beg you, please don't burn me alive! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!"

Zhao cried her heart out, tears and snot streaming down her face, her hair sticking to her face in clumps, making her look utterly disheveled.

"I promise you, I'll never do it again! I'll stay home from now on, please give me another chance! Chunhua and Qiuyue are still so young, they can't live without their mother!"

No matter how much Zhao cried and pleaded, Chu Yuning remained expressionless. He held the torch high, his voice resounding: "The 'Records of Exemplary Women' states, 'A loyal minister does not serve two countries, and a virtuous woman does not marry twice. Therefore, once married, one should remain faithful for life.' Since you married my father, whether he lives or dies, you should be his wife! My father was a man of unwavering integrity who sacrificed his life for his country. Yet you disregard the proper conduct of a wife, engaging in illicit relations and bringing shame upon your clan. A woman like you is utterly unfit to be a mother or a wife!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a villager shouted, "Scholar Chu is indeed a man who has studied the classics. He was able to stand up for justice and even put aside his own family. He is truly a role model for all men!"

With the villagers' unwavering support, Chu Yuning's hidden reluctance vanished instantly. Yes! He was right to do it! Although Zhao had given him life and raised him, she had committed a grave mistake, and he couldn't forgive her simply because he was her son—that was unreasonable!

Only by stepping forward and personally punishing the Zhao family can he silence the gossip!

Moreover… he couldn't accept having a mother who had an affair. If word got out, how could he ever hold his head high at Ziyun Academy again? People would point fingers and ridicule him, calling his mother shameless, even calling him a bastard of unknown origin… He absolutely couldn't tolerate such a thing happening!

Therefore, the Zhao family must die!

Chu Yuning knelt on the ground with a thud. "Mother, I understand the hardships you've endured over the years, but you have ultimately made a mistake, bringing shame upon the Chu family. As a member of the Chu family, I have no choice but to stand up and resolve this matter. I can only repay your kindness in raising me in the next life!"

"Oh--"

Hearing these excuses, Shen Yuan could only laugh. No matter how high-sounding Chu Yuning's words were, they couldn't hide the fact that he simply couldn't accept that he had a mother who had committed adultery.

He was worried that her mother would hinder her career advancement.

At this moment, Shen Yuan finally saw clearly that Chu Yuning didn't love anyone; he was a complete egoist from beginning to end.

They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

The cold laugh was particularly jarring in the restless crowd. Chu Yuning couldn't help but turn around and saw Shen Yuan standing in the crowd. She had a half-smile on her face, and her bright eyes were like stars, clean and clear, as if you could see through the darkness in her heart at a glance.

For some reason, Chu Yuning suddenly felt afraid to look Shen Yuan in the eye, and he hurriedly looked away.

What is Shen Yuan doing here?

Was she there to laugh at me, or to show concern for me?

He doesn't need anything right now!

"Adultery is not one person's fault. A woman cannot commit adultery with herself alone. How can we only burn Aunt Zhao?" Shen Yuan stepped out from the crowd. Hearing her words, the previously restless crowd suddenly quieted down.

It seems they never expected that a child like her would dare to stand up and say such disrespectful things.

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