Minister Lü had intended to help his wife up, but upon hearing this, he immediately withdrew his hand.
"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! My wife is..."
Mu Xiuyu interrupted him directly.
"What is it? You want to beat up my brother in front of me? Do you think that by silencing Siqing, no one will know about this?"
That's exactly what Mrs. Lü thought. As long as the person involved denies it, whatever others say is just a rumor.
Mu Xiuyu could tell what she was thinking at a glance.
"You're dreaming! This matter has already been turned into a story, and it's being discussed in teahouses and bookstores everywhere. If it reaches the Emperor's ears, he can send an imperial physician to examine it and find out. What do you plan to do then? Deceive the Emperor?"
Upon hearing this, Minister Lü immediately knelt down to pledge his loyalty.
"I, Lü Houlin, am utterly loyal to the Emperor and would never do anything to deceive him!"
Seeing his mother vomiting blood and fainting, Lü Simian was filled with rage and pointed at Mu Xiuyu, demanding an explanation.
"Young, young lord, are you here to cause trouble?"
His stammering words perfectly matched the rumor that the person punished by heaven had an unclear and stammering speech!
Only then did Minister Lü fully realize that he was the one punished by Heaven!
Mu Xiuyu, Mu Feng, and Mu Xiao were so trying not to laugh that their faces changed color.
Mu Feng went through all the sad things in his mind before he managed to suppress the urge to laugh.
He walked up to Lü Simian and glared at him fiercely.
"You think you're worthy of causing trouble for our young lord? You're a person punished by heaven, the young lord wouldn't even defile you by looking at you!"
After he finished speaking, he turned around and quickly touched Lü Simian's arm with the vine bracelet Qin Luo had given him.
Immediately, Lü Simian shouted, and visible lightning crackled around his head and body.
The onlookers all screamed in surprise.
"Divine punishment! It's divine punishment! I saw the lightning striking!"
"I saw it too, his hair was practically smoking!"
"Heavens! I thought it was just a rumor, but I never imagined that the legitimate son of the Minister of Rites would suffer divine punishment twice. How many sins has he committed!"
"Yeah yeah…"
For a time, the people were all talking about it.
The moment Minister Lü saw the lightning, he collapsed to the ground.
None of the maids or servants dared to step forward to help him up; in the end, it was Lü Siqing who helped him up.
"Father, are you alright?"
Minister Lü looked at his son, whom he had never met before, and a trace of guilt flashed in his eyes.
"Qing'er, it's all my fault!"
While a scene of filial piety was unfolding here, all the members of the Lü clan rushed over.
Mu Xiuyu, Mu Feng, and Mu Xiao each grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, ready to watch the show.
Seeing Lü Simian once again punished by heaven, the clansmen unanimously demanded that Minister Lü expel him from the clan and divorce Lady Lü as well.
The area in front of the Lü residence was extremely lively that day, with crowds of people gathering there.
The matter eventually reached the palace, and Minister Lü was demoted to Vice Minister, his nearly ten years of hard work coming to naught.
Lady Lü's imperial title was revoked, and Lü Simian was punished by Heaven for his sins, sent to the family temple to repent for the rest of his life and never to leave!
The only real beneficiary of the whole affair was Lü Siqing.
He was praised by the emperor for his loyalty and righteousness, serving as a model for brotherhood.
The clansmen not only included him in the family genealogy, but also as the eldest son.
But Lü Siqing refused; he took back everything that belonged to his mother.
He also obtained indentures for the two servants who had followed him back, thus restoring their freedom.
Carrying her mother's memorial tablet and ashes, she left the Lü residence without looking back.
Perhaps feeling genuinely indebted to him, Vice Minister Lü slipped hundreds of thousands of taels of silver notes into his mother's belongings.
Before leaving, Lü Siqing made a point of saying goodbye to Mu Xiuyu, who then arranged for two guards to escort him back to Hanyun County.
He personally escorted him to the city gate.
"We part today, and I don't know when we'll meet again. Take care!"
Lü Siqing bowed to him.
"Young Master, please take good care of yourself. We will definitely meet again in the future!"
After bidding farewell, Lü Siqing embarked on her journey back to Hanyun County.
Mu Xiuyu watched his retreating figure, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
"Sigh, how come everyone else can leave, but I can't just step out of this city gate!"
Mu Feng sighed resentfully.
"I wonder where Luo Luo and the others are now!"
Mu Xiao sighed as well, then mustered her courage and looked at Mu Xiuyu.
"Young Marquis, if I were to ask you for leave, would you grant it?"
Mu Xiuyu nodded
"Sure! How long do you need to hire me?"
Mu Xiao felt like she had been hit by a pie.
"Is half a year okay? It takes a long time to travel back and forth, and I want to spend more time with my dad!"
Mu Xiuyu nodded again
"Granted!"
Mu Xiao was so happy she almost jumped for joy.
"Thank you, young marquis! You are truly awe-inspiring!"
Mu Feng then asked Mu Xiuyu, "Young Marquis, can I ask for leave when he returns?"
"Sure, how long do you need to stay?"
"I need to go find Luo Luo. Can I ask her for five or six years?"
Mu Xiuyu glanced at him sideways
Do I look like I'm five or six years old?
Mu Feng didn't immediately realize that he was being mocked.
"You look just like me! You've looked like me for more than five or six years, you've looked like me for seven!"
Mu Xiuyu was too lazy to even acknowledge him.
"Return to the manor!"
Mu Feng wanted to ask more, but Mu Xiao stopped him.
"Don't even think about it. The young marquis wants to find Luo Luo even more than you do. He won't let you go without him!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Feng deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Does that mean I can never go see Luo Luo in this lifetime?"
Mu Xiao rolled her eyes at him
Do you know where Luo Luo is?
One sentence was enough to freeze Mu Feng in his tracks. He truly didn't know where Qin Luo was, or even her approximate location...
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
