Xie Ying's eyes widened. "So, this is my sister-in-law? She didn't tell you about those furs, silver, and grain?"
Li Ruo also looked at Xie Xiao in surprise. This guy really was used to doing good deeds anonymously.
Xie Xiaowei's face darkened as he said to Uncle Luo and the Third Master, "Go and bring Xie Heng and Fang Shi over, along with the Fourth Master and the Fifth Master."
Su stared at Xie Xiao, "You sent us a lot of things?" Her fingers were already white from clenching them.
Xie Ying said, "Of course, otherwise you wouldn't be living such a comfortable life. Who knew that my sister-in-law would be such an ungrateful wretch."
Su felt dizzy.
Xie Ying continued to defend her second brother, "When the flood was coming, your second brother warned you, but you didn't believe him. He was afraid you would die, so he insisted on bringing you here, but you still insisted on going down the mountain. Well, later the flood really came, and you didn't leave, but you weren't quiet for a single day."
First, she complained that the food wasn't good enough. Later, she tried to interfere with her second brother's betrothal gifts. When that failed, she plotted to betray her second brother.
"Fang betrayed your second brother? Weren't they afraid of being executed along with their entire family for treason, and that's why they left to protect their two children?" Su's expression showed that she didn't understand the inside story.
Xie Ying pouted, "That's what your older brother and sister-in-law told you this morning? You believe whatever they say, but not what we say?"
Su choked up.
Soon Xie Heng and Fang Shi were brought over.
Upon seeing Fang, Xie Heng pounced on her feet like a giant baby, crying, "Mother, Mother, please save us! We didn't do anything!"
"Didn't do it?" Xie Xiao laughed sarcastically. "You didn't manage to do it, did you, brother?"
Xie Heng shuddered, looked up and his face was full of tears, "Second brother, I admit, I was afraid of being executed along with my entire family and wanted to escape from here. I had no other thoughts."
Fang, who was also crying, nodded vigorously in agreement.
Xie Xiao's chest heaved with anger, his eyes dark and brooding. "Fifth brother, you tell me."
The Fifth Master said, "That Aunt Zhang has already confessed. She's not Aunt Zhang at all, but a woman who looks similar to Aunt Zhang. She's one of the Prince of Jiangning's people. Because she's hunchbacked and only gathers firewood and tends the fire, no one pays much attention to her appearance. When we first took in refugees, this person switched places with the real Aunt Zhang in the kitchen and hid in the back kitchen. Fang Shi was greedy and complained about the food, so she often went to the back kitchen to steal food. Gradually, she was used by Aunt Zhang. Xie Heng's encounter with the Fourth Master at the pigsty was not accidental. It was Aunt Zhang who instigated Fang Shi to send Xie Heng there. The Fourth Master was provoked and took his brothers to Xuzhou. All of this was within the Prince of Jiangning's calculations."
Later, Aunt Zhang encouraged Fang to escape and find the Prince of Jiangning, and Xie Heng agreed. "If we hadn't discovered it early, you and the two children would have really been arrested."
Xie Heng's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Fang Shi. "Didn't you say you were going to see the Emperor? Why is it the Prince of Jiangning?"
"I……"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
That's an admission!
Xie Ying sneered, "Mother, look, they're thinking of going to the Emperor, it's not as simple as just escaping, they're trying to betray us."
Xie Heng then realized what he had said, and his face panicked. "No, no, what I meant was—"
"You don't need to argue anymore!" Xie Xiao kicked a stool next to him, causing Xie Heng to howl in pain.
Xie Heng, in a panic, clung to Su Shi's leg, pleading, "Mother, save me! I was just momentarily bewitched. It's all her fault! This woman said that the Emperor is in dire need of capable people, and if I go, we can definitely be pardoned."
Fang was shocked and pointed at Xie Heng, "You, you're putting all the blame on me. It's clearly because you're jealous of your brother, can't stand that he always puts you down, and want to be better than him, that's why you agreed to my request."
This is Xie Heng's scholarly integrity, and this is his wife's virtuous and kind nature. The two of them got into a fight in front of everyone.
"Enough!" Madam Su's face turned pale and her lips turned white; she almost fainted.
Xie Ying said, "Mother, now you see clearly. This is your eldest son, your daughter-in-law, who betrayed my second brother and our brothers."
I really want to beat this stupid older brother to death.
Xie Xiao glared at Xie Heng, "Do you know how many of our brothers died in Xuzhou? If I lose my composure because of you this time, how many more brothers will suffer?"
Xie Heng, Madam Su, and Madam Fang were all stunned.
Xie Ying continued, "And Mother, look, did they say they would take you with them when they fled? They certainly didn't, yet you still protected them."
Su's face was ashen, and she felt as if she had been punched repeatedly in the heart.
Last night, upon learning that a loyal and righteous man like Li Qing had agreed to marry his sister to Xie Xiao, a bandit, her belief in loyalty and righteousness had crumbled.
Now, the principles of filial piety and righteousness that she believed in have also collapsed.
Su has always felt that she is different in the village.
She had a brave husband who had served as a commander of a thousand households, a son who had passed the imperial examination at the county level, a virtuous daughter-in-law, and two well-behaved grandsons. She also had her own set of beliefs.
Therefore, having a bandit son was a stain on her life, and she treated him as if he were no longer a son.
But when the flood came, it was this bandit's son who saved her whole family. Later, it was this same son who saved so many refugees. Her shame was becoming more and more like that of her husband, whom she was so proud of.
Her son, whom she was once so proud of, turned out to be a coward who has now betrayed his brothers, showing no integrity whatsoever.
Her world collapsed.
Su felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and fainted.
Li Ruo said to the third leader, "Go quickly and call Doctor Sun."
The truth may be a bit cruel, but it's time for the Su family to face it head-on.
Sun Langzhong quickly revived Su Shi, and her two grandsons kept calling out "Grandma, Grandma!"
They don't care about their parents anymore. They're eight and ten years old, and they already know what shame is.
Xie Heng and Fang Shi trembled with fear, especially the latter, who kept pleading, "Second Uncle, please spare me for the sake of me being the mother of two children. I'll do anything for you."
“This isn’t the first time.” Xie Xiao stepped back, his expression one of disgust. “Uncle Luo, Third Master, Fourth Master, Fifth Master, what do you suggest we do?”
"this……"
The four of them looked at each other, wondering if this was putting them in a difficult position.
Then they all looked at Li Ruo: Why don't we have the bandit's wife speak up?
Li Ruo clutched her stomach, "Ouch, I ate the wrong thing this morning, my stomach is cramping." She was new and knew nothing, so she passed the buck back to the leaders.
Xie Xiao frowned. "Are you feeling unwell? Quickly let Doctor Sun take a look." He also told the two of them to move aside.
Li Ruo glanced at Xie Xiao, feeling a slight warmth in her heart. He didn't want to cause her any trouble. "Hey, Doctor Sun, I know I have a bad stomach, yet I still ate oranges on an empty stomach. Isn't this a case of reaping what you sow?"
Sun Langzhong's lips twitched. "Yes, don't do that again."
"I understand, I understand. Why don't you just prescribe some medicine to regulate my spleen and stomach and clear up my original lesions so that I don't accidentally eat something wrong and it relapses in the future?"
The leaders: ...We understand, but we don't understand where the oranges came from.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
