She looked at Old Madam Zhuang and said very bluntly, "You could have lived for another twenty years, but because you protected the wicked, couldn't distinguish right from wrong, challenged the rules of the underworld, and disrespected the Lord of the Underworld, Fengdu Emperor, your lifespan has been halved, leaving you with only ten years to live."
Old Madam Zhuang staggered back several steps, her face ashen and her eyes filled with panic.
The others were also taken aback.
Then she recalled what Jiang Shumiao had just said about the rules of the underworld. Although Zhuang Xiuyan committed evil deeds in the human world, she colluded with evil spirits. The underworld is under the jurisdiction of the Fengdu Emperor, and her actions were indeed tantamount to challenging the authority of the Fengdu Emperor, which constituted disrespect for the gods.
Those who show great disrespect to the emperor will bring disaster upon their entire family.
Those who pleaded for leniency were all targeted with anger.
Therefore, it's not unreasonable for Madam Zhuang to have lost ten years of her lifespan.
But Old Madam Zhuang didn't think so.
The prosperity of a family is due to the unity of its descendants.
Men entered officialdom, and women married into other families.
This has always been the case for prominent families.
Zhuang Xiyan married into the Cheng family, but Zhuang Xiuyan might even marry someone better than her sister.
Since Zhuang Xiyan has been rescued by a benefactor and is now safe and sound, why bother to pursue the matter further?
Little did she know that her selfish motives would ultimately harm her.
Jiang Shumiao didn't care what she was thinking. Some people are always self-centered. This old lady's meanness is comparable to that of the Ye family's daughter.
"And you—"
Jiang Shumiao looked at Zhuang Shixu with an unfriendly expression, "You're biased and always trying to smooth things over. You always weigh things up, always trying to keep the peace, always putting your own interests first, and you have no fatherly heart. Your career is over. Don't even think about getting promoted."
Zhuang Shixu's face immediately turned pale.
He's only in his early forties, with another twenty years to go. If he remains stuck in this position of Vice Minister...
"Princess..."
He had barely opened his mouth when Jiang Shumiao interrupted him.
“As the head of the family, you should act justly, otherwise it will be useless no matter how hard your descendants try. If you continue to be biased and indulgent in the future, the family will gradually decline until its fortune is exhausted.”
Zhuang Shixu swayed.
Everyone understood the meaning behind her words—Zhuang Xiuyan must pay the price for what she had done.
"No!"
Seeing that there was no hope of survival, Zhuang Xiuyan screamed, "I did nothing wrong, it's all your fault, you blocked my way, you deserve to die, you, Zhuang Xiyan! Why did you seek medical help? You should have rotted in the mud, never seeing the light of day again. You took everything from me, it's all your fault!"
She had gone mad and started uttering incoherent words, spilling out all the things she had kept hidden in her heart.
Seeing her beloved granddaughter in such a wretched state, Old Madam Zhuang was deeply shocked. She slumped into her armchair and murmured, "What a tragedy."
Jiang Shumiao shook her head. "You are full of resentment. Don't you know that if your mother hadn't donated silver every year to help the people and accumulated merit, your shady deeds would have angered the heavens long ago, and you wouldn't have been exposed only today. Greed will eventually bring disaster upon yourself."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
