Chapter 122 He deserved to lose his life.
"I will give her the right to dispose of you."
The Duke of Chu's words shocked and bewildered Jiang Chengye. He looked up at the Duke of Chu, a man in his seventies with graying, withered hair and deep wrinkles etched on his face. Suddenly, his eyes blurred.
"Father, sob sob sob..."
The Duke of Chu was unmoved by his tears and said in a still sharp voice, "Do you know how Xie Zihui died?"
Jiang Chengye lowered his head and shed tears. The Duke of Chu walked to the bedside and sat down. "If you hadn't been beheaded, if it weren't for Yu'er's vigilance and discovery that you had been framed, if it weren't for Yu'er's quick thinking and decisiveness in clearing away the traces for you, Xie Zihui's fate would have been yours. My Duke of Chu's mansion would have been like the Marquis of Jiangling's mansion, with the whole family exiled."
"Father...."
Jiang Chengye knelt on the ground and cried. The Duke of Chu looked at him and continued, "Don't say I'm biased, and don't say Yu'er stole your position. It was Yu'er who saved you and saved our Duke of Chu's mansion."
“But she’s a woman. You think I’m useless? I’m willing to be a puppet, I can be a puppet!” Jiang Chengye’s voice was very urgent. “If you hand over the Duke of Chu’s mansion to her, how am I supposed to live?”
The Duke of Chu sneered, his heart filled with sorrow. This was the son he had raised—selfish and indifferent to others and family. It was all his fault; he had failed to educate his child.
"I'm telling you this today so that you won't be unable to accept the news when it comes later. But if you disagree, then die."
The last word was spoken by the Duke of Chu with an icy chill, and Jiang Chengye trembled with fear. He hurriedly said, "No, no, no, I agree, I agree."
The Duke of Chu looked at him coldly, "Don't think that just because you are Yu'er's biological father, you can use your status to suppress her."
The Duke of Chu leaned forward and looked at Jiang Chengye, saying, "Do you think you can outmaneuver Yu'er with your brain clouded by wine and women? Son, one should know one's own limitations. You didn't raise her, and after she returned to the manor, you and your daughter haven't had a single moment of proper time together. How much affection do you think she has for you?"
Even if I'm disappointed in you, I'll still be lenient with you, because I still think of you as my son. But to Yu'er, you mean nothing.
Jiang Chengye's hands trembled. He had been observing Jiang Yu's style of doing things these days, especially the matter of her using a horse to cripple Xie Lei's leg. He specifically asked the accompanying guard about it, and the guard was very quick-witted and described the whole incident in great detail, even vividly depicting Jiang Yu's expression when she trampled Xie Lei's knee with a horse.
He believed that Jiang Yu was definitely a ruthless character.
Seeing that he was frightened, the Duke of Chu leaned back on the couch and said, "Yu'er is a sensible child. If you are obedient and do not cause trouble for her or the family, she will still respect you. After all, you are her biological father."
"I understand, son... I understand," Jiang Chengye said tremblingly.
The Duke of Chu hummed in agreement. “Go back. If Yi Fang finds you annoying, don’t keep going around her.”
Jiang Chengye blushed with embarrassment, kowtowed to the Duke of Chu again, and got up to leave. The Duke of Chu sighed deeply, and Li Zhong came over to help him to rest.
Sitting on the bed, he said, "I don't know if he heard me. I'm doing this for his own good. If he's stubborn and doesn't see the truth, he deserves to lose his life."
He was absolutely certain that if Jiang Chengye did anything again that would put the family on the brink of crisis, Jiang Yu would not hesitate to kill him.
Li Zhong sighed inwardly, but said aloud, "After going through this, the young master will understand many things."
"I hope so." The Duke of Chu sighed again and lay down. Li Zhong turned off the light in the room and tiptoed out. As he reached the door, he heard the Duke of Chu sigh again.
Li Zhong shook his head; good-for-nothing children and grandchildren are a burden.
Jiang Chengye staggered towards his courtyard, the words of the Duke of Chu echoing in his mind. He felt a mixture of fear and resentment. He was the heir apparent to the Duke of Chu, so why did Jiang Yu, a mere maid who had recently returned home, end up getting everything?
The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Later, fear gradually consumed him by his feelings of grievance. By the time he turned around, he had already reached the entrance of Jiang Yu's Yunfeng Courtyard.
He looked up at the three characters on the plaque above the courtyard gate, powerful and vigorous, and one could even see the expectation that the Duke of Chu had carried when he wrote them. His grievances and resentment intensified.
"Young Master, what are you doing here so late?"
A voice rang out, and Jiang Chengye's gaze shifted from the plaque. He saw that the speaker was Granny Liao. He sneered inwardly. His good father was truly exceptionally good to Jiang Yu; he had even given her Granny Liao.
"Where is Jiang Yu? I need to talk to her."
As he spoke, he stepped inside, but Granny Liao quickly stopped him, "Young Master, Miss has been working very hard these past few days and has already gone to bed. Please talk to her tomorrow."
“I’m her father. Even if she’s asleep, she has to get up and listen to me.” He raised his voice and shouted towards Jiang Yu’s dormitory, “Jiang Yu, get up... and talk to your father.”
By the end of his statement, his voice had lost its previous forcefulness.
Seeing his reaction, Granny Liao's face also turned cold. "Young Master, what is the Eldest Miss working so hard for? Isn't it all for the Duke of Chu's mansion? Can't you show her some compassion?"
Jiang Chengye's expression was somewhat embarrassed. Did he know how hard Jiang Yu had worked? Of course he did. In every imperial examination year, there were candidates who hadn't been carried out of the examination hall, which showed how physically demanding the examinations were. Moreover, it was said that the questions Jiang Yu had taken this time were more difficult than those in any previous imperial examination.
However, he acted impulsively and without thinking, and now he regrets what he said. But he's in a bind now and doesn't know what to do.
Just as I was trying to find a way to back down, a voice rang out, "If Father wants to speak to me, come to the study."
Jiang Chengye looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jiang Yu wearing a nightgown with a long robe over it, her hair loose over her shoulders, and her face looking even paler under the light of the corridor lamp.
Jiang Yu looked very delicate, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
When Jiang Chengye saw Jiang Yu like this, he didn't know what to say for a moment. He regretted his impulsive decision to come to Yunfeng Courtyard once again.
"You...you've had a tough time these past few days, I...I..."
"Come to the study." Jiang Yu turned and walked towards the study, her tone leaving no room for refusal. Jiang Chengye's mind cleared up a bit. He opened his mouth as if to say that he wanted to go back to sleep, but Granny Liao had already gestured for him to enter.
Jiang Chengye had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk into the study. When he entered, Jiang Yu was sitting lazily in a chair. When he saw him come in, he stood up, bowed, and said, "Father, please sit down."
Jiang Chengye nodded and sat down opposite Jiang Yu. Xia He served tea to the two of them and then left, leaving only the father and daughter in the room.
Jiang Chengye held his teacup, head bowed, unsure what to say. Jiang Yu propped his head up with one hand, leaning back in his chair in silence. The room was quiet for a moment, so quiet that Jiang Chengye's heart pounded wildly.
........
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