Chapter 40 When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter
Chapter Forty: When the Tree Falls, the Monkeys Scatter
While Su Su harbored doubts about her father and brother's promotions in Yongshou Palace, the courtyard of the second branch of the Su family was shrouded in gloom and anxiety.
The news of Zhuang Shijie's downfall and his sentencing to beheading and confiscation of his property swept through every corner of the second branch of the family like the coldest wind in the twelfth lunar month.
Su Maolin and Wang Shi sat frozen in the hall, their faces ashen. After the initial shock, they were overcome with overwhelming fear. They never imagined that the Zhuang family, the seemingly prosperous and towering tree they had relied on and thought would lead them to great success, would collapse so swiftly and tragically!
"It's over...it's all over..." Wang's eyes were unfocused, her lips trembled, and she kept repeating these words, the handkerchief in her hand was soaked with cold sweat.
Su Maolin was in no better shape. He slumped in his armchair, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and murmured, "How could this be... Lord Zhuang... How could His Majesty be so ruthless..."
Su Linyue, as if her soul had been ripped out, sat stiffly on the embroidered stool beside her, her face as pale as paper. Her eyes, which had originally held charm and ambition, were now filled with emptiness and disbelief.
Zhuang Lang…the man who vowed to marry her and bring her wealth and luxury. His adoptive father…is gone? What about Zhuang Lang? What will he do? What will she do? Have their tender whispers in the flower boat meditation room, their dreams for the future, all become nothing but illusions?
In the midst of this deathly silence and panic, a servant from the second branch of the family stumbled and scrambled through the door, his voice trembling with sobs and utter terror: "Master! Madam! Second Miss! No...nothing good has happened! Young Master Zhuang...Zhuang Zedong...he...he's been arrested by the Imperial Guards too! The Zhuang family...the Zhuang family has been ransacked! All the gold, silver, valuables, antiques, and paintings have been taken away, the servants have all been dismissed, and the women have been sent to the brothels! And...and...the master and young master of the first branch have been released by His Majesty! No...not only released, His Majesty has also issued a decree, promoting the master to the rank of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a third-rank official! And the young master to the rank of Commander of the Imperial Guards, a third-rank official!"
The barrage of news, like a tidal wave, completely shattered the last shred of hope held by the three members of the second wife's family.
"What?!" Wang screamed, her eyes rolled back, and she slid off the chair, falling heavily to the ground. She was so frightened that she fainted and was caught by the maid beside her.
Su Maolin felt as if all the bones in his body had been removed; his legs went weak, and he would have collapsed to the ground if he hadn't been holding onto the table.
The eldest son's family not only escaped unscathed, but actually benefited from the misfortune and was promoted! As for the second son's family... they were completely finished! They lost the Zhuang family as their backer, and were now at odds with the eldest son's family. They might even be investigated for colluding with the Zhuang family... Thinking of this, an overwhelming chill instantly engulfed him.
As Su Linyue listened to the servant's report, her body trembled violently. Zhuang Zedong had been arrested, the Zhuang family had been raided, and her uncle and brother had not only been released without charge but had also been promoted. This extreme contrast was like a dull knife, repeatedly cutting into her heart.
She abruptly covered her mouth with her hand, but couldn't stop the desperate sobs that escaped from her throat.
In stark contrast to the bleak wind and rain here, the inner courtyard of the main house was now bathed in sunshine and warmth.
Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi stepped into their long-missed home. Although they looked slightly haggard, their brows revealed the clarity and composure that came after their innocence had been cleared.
He rushed to the main house immediately, his heart filled with concern for his wife, knowing that she must have been extremely worried these past few days.
Tang Wanqing had already received the news and was standing under the eaves, supported by her maid, eagerly awaiting her arrival. As soon as she saw her husband and son appear at the moon gate, her tears instantly flowed freely, and she disregarded her composure, rushing forward to greet them.
"Master! Ji Zhi!" Her voice was choked with sobs, filled with immense joy at regaining what she had lost, and lingering fear.
Su Mufeng quickened his pace, opened his arms, and hugged his wife tightly, feeling her slender body trembling slightly in his arms.
"Wanqing, I'm back. It's alright, everything's alright..." he whispered, gently patting her back.
Tang Wanqing cried uncontrollably in his arms, releasing all the worry, fear, and grievances she had accumulated over the past few days: "You scared me to death...you really scared me to death..."
Su Mufeng tenderly wiped away her tears, his tone gentle yet firm: "Alright, don't cry anymore. Before I left, I told you not to worry, that everything would be fine. Look, Ji Zhi and I are doing just fine, aren't we? His Majesty is discerning and has not only cleared our names but also bestowed rewards upon us."
He paused, his expression turning serious, and briefly told his wife about the collusion between the second wife and the Zhuang family.
Upon hearing this, Tang Wanqing was first shocked, then overwhelmed with anger: "How could they... how could they be so foolish! So ungrateful! They actually helped outsiders harm their own family!" She trembled with rage, and if her husband hadn't been released and returned, she couldn't even imagine the consequences.
Once his mother had calmed down a bit, Su Jizhi asked in a deep voice, "Father, what should be done with the second wife's family now?"
Su Mufeng's eyes turned cold, but his tone remained unusually calm: "Although they may have been deceived and manipulated by the Zhuang family to some extent, they are so stupid and have such ulterior motives that they are no longer suitable to live under the same roof as us. Tomorrow I will go and tell the clan elders to remove their branch from the clan genealogy."
"What should be done with the steward's son?" Su Jizhi pressed.
A glint flashed in Su Mufeng's eyes, and he had already made up his mind: "If we just expel him from the manor, there's no guarantee he won't hold a grudge, or be used by the remnants of the Zhuang family, becoming a hidden danger. After informing the steward, we'll have him tied up and sent directly to the Jingzhao Yin's office. We'll accuse him of betraying his master, stealing secrets, and colluding with other departments. With witnesses and evidence, he'll be in jail for ten or eight years. In this way, we'll have a legitimate reason and eliminate any future trouble."
"I'll go and do it right away." Su Jizhi accepted the order and immediately got up to find the steward.
The old steward was checking accounts in the outer courtyard when he heard that the young master was looking for him, so he rushed over. Su Jizhi called him aside to a quiet place before whispering the whole story.
The steward, Li Zhongchu, was initially shocked. But when he heard that his only son had committed such a treacherous act that nearly pushed the Su family to the brink of destruction, the color drained from his face instantly, and he swayed. If Su Jizhi hadn't caught him in time, he would have almost collapsed.
“This unfilial son…this unfilial son!” The steward wept, his voice trembling with grief and shame. “Master has treated my son and me with boundless kindness. I have served the Su family for decades, and Master has never mistreated us in the slightest. This wretched child…this wretched child not only shows no gratitude, but has also done such a despicable thing! He is addicted to gambling, and my attempts to persuade him were useless. I thought he was hopeless, but I never imagined…I never imagined he would dare to collude with outsiders and bring disaster to our master’s family! This old servant…this old servant is truly ashamed to face Master and Madam!”
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and suddenly grabbed Su Jizhi's sleeve, his cloudy eyes filled with determination: "Young Master! You don't need to worry about this old servant's reputation! This kind of ungrateful wretch is not worthy of being my son! I beg you, Master and Young Master, to handle this matter fairly and according to the law! Whether you beat him, kill him, or send him to the authorities for investigation, this old servant will have no complaints!"
After saying that, he pushed Su Jizhi aside, knelt down with a thud in the direction of the main courtyard, and kowtowed heavily.
Su Jizhi watched as the old butler's gray hair trembled from the violent movements, and he felt a pang of sadness.
He stepped forward and helped the steward up, his tone steady and firm: "The steward is very righteous, and my father and I are grateful to him. Rest assured, the Su family will not wrong an innocent person, nor will it let a traitor go unpunished. The government will handle this matter according to the law."
The next day, at the Su Family Ancestral Hall.
The atmosphere was solemn and tense. Several white-haired elders sat at the head of the table, while Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi stood to one side, their faces calm. Su Maolin, Madam Wang, and Su Linyue, whose face was pale and whose eyes were vacant, knelt in the center of the ancestral hall.
When Su Mufeng proposed removing the second branch from the family genealogy, Su Maolin and Wang Shi panicked and kowtowed, tears streaming down their faces, begging for mercy: "Big brother! Big brother, please spare us! We were just confused and were deceived by the dealer! We know we were wrong, we really know we were wrong! Please, for the sake of our shared ancestry, give us a way out!"
The elders looked at each other, disapproving of the second branch's actions, but expulsion was a serious matter.
The most senior elder stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, then glanced at Su Linyue kneeling on the ground and slowly spoke: "Expelling them from the family... is a bit too much. Maolin and the others are indeed at fault, but they are still blood relatives. How about this, since Linyue has already lost her purity with that Zhuang Zedong... keeping her in the capital will only cause trouble. I know a merchant from the south, over forty years old, with a fairly substantial fortune, but he lost his wife early and is looking to remarry. Why not let Linyue marry him? Firstly, it will preserve his reputation, and secondly, the merchant will likely be willing to offer a generous dowry, which can be considered some compensation for the family."
"What?!" Su Linyue suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief and resistance, and she shrieked, "Marry to the south? Become a concubine to a merchant in his forties? Why?! Why can Su Su be a noble concubine in the palace, enjoying wealth and honor, while I have to marry thousands of miles away to serve an old man?! I won't marry him!"
Her pent-up jealousy, resentment, and despair erupted completely at this moment.
Seeing this, Madam Wang hurriedly tugged at her daughter's sleeve and whispered, "Lin Yue! Shut up! The elders are doing this for your own good! If you marry into the family, you'll at least be a proper wife, wearing gold and silver. It's better than staying here and being pointed at and gossiped about. You won't even be able to find a decent family in the future!"
The elder frowned slightly, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Lin Yue, this matter is no longer up to you to be willful. It is your own fault. If you do not agree, then there is no other way but to be expelled from the family. From now on, your second branch will have no further connection with the Su family. Whether you live or die, you will have to find your own way."
Su Maolin's expression shifted as he weighed the pros and cons. Ultimately, the desire to preserve his clan status and obtain the betrothal gifts prevailed. He gritted his teeth, kowtowed to the elder, and said, "Elder... please don't remove us from the clan... Lin Yue... we agree to marry you!"
"Father!" Su Linyue cried out in anguish, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe that her father was really going to push her into the fire.
Su Mufeng watched this scene with a cold eye. He had long known that the elders in the clan only cared about the balance of interests, so he had more or less expected this outcome. He was not very moved. He said calmly, "Since the elders are unwilling to be removed from the list, then let's divide the family. From now on, the second branch and my first branch will have separate businesses and live their own lives, with no further connection."
The elders were silent for a moment, looked at Su Mufeng who was determined, and then at the incompetent second branch of the family. Finally, they nodded and said, "Very well, let's do as Mufeng says and divide the family."
Su Maolin opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but under Su Mufeng's cold gaze and the elder's tacit approval, he finally lowered his head in dejection. Separating from the family, though losing their support, was still better than being completely expelled from the clan.
Within a month, the second branch of the family moved out of the Su family mansion, where they had lived for generations, amidst desolation, and moved to a small courtyard under the Su family's name in a remote part of the capital. Without a large retinue of servants and without fine clothes and delicacies, they wore coarse cloth clothes and had to do everything themselves, and their lives plummeted.
Su Linyue spent her days in tears, cursing Zhuang Zedong who had deceived her while staring at the dilapidated window frame, and resenting the injustice of fate. She was unwilling to accept this and continued to resist the arranged marriage to a distant place.
Looking at her increasingly thin and dazed daughter, Wang felt both heartache and anger. Finally, one day, she hardened her heart and growled at Su Linyue, "What are you still doing?! Do you still think you're the innocent second young lady of the Su family? Who knows if you're already pregnant with Zhuang Zedong's bastard child! What right do you have to be picky? You have no choice!"
These words struck Su Linyue like a final thunderbolt, utterly crushing her. She collapsed to the ground, stroking her flat stomach, tears of despair streaming silently down her face.
She hated Zhuang Zedong's sweet talk, hated the family's ruthlessness, and hated her own stupidity and greed, which pushed her step by step into this abyss of no return.
The ambitions and pampering of the past have now become ironic jokes, leaving only endless regret and a bleak future.
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