Chapter 83 Shen Qingshu Killed Himself by Headbutting Him
Zhang collapsed instantly in the hands of the bailiffs, unable to utter a sound.
Shen Qingshu was being pushed and shoved by the yamen runners as he walked out. He suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared intently at Lu Zhaoruo.
The downfall of the Shen family and the destruction of their foundation all stemmed from the marriage contract he had personally visited and painstakingly obtained years ago!
He used to think of her as kind-hearted but timid, someone who would only shut herself in and weep silently even when she suffered great injustice, a pushover who would swallow her pride and suffer in silence.
Who would have thought that beneath that humble, gentle, and frugal exterior lay such a ruthless and decisive heart and such meticulous scheming!
I regret it...
I truly regret what I did!
He wished he could go back thirteen years to grab that stubborn, headstrong version of himself and slap him hard to wake him up!
He brought the wolf into the house; he ruined his entire family and disgraced his ancestors!
She looked once again at her beloved son.
He was overwhelmed by endless regret and guilt.
No……
He absolutely cannot let Rongzhi suffer this pain!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a resolute determination to risk everything flashed in his eyes.
He looked at the stone archway in the courtyard, inscribed with the words "Your salary and emoluments are the people's blood and sweat," and thought of how his Shen family had come to such a state...
Suddenly, he unleashed a burst of brute force, broke free from the constables' grip, and slammed his head against the base of the stone archway...
A muffled thud!
Blood spurted out immediately, staining the carved bluestone base red.
Shen Qingshu lay in a pool of blood, barely breathing. With his last ounce of strength, he looked at the prefect in the courtroom and hissed, "Your Honor... all the blame... I will bear... I beg Your Honor... to be lenient with my son..."
After saying that, he used all his strength to turn his head and look at Shen Rongzhi. He managed to force a smile, then his head lolled to the side and he breathed his last.
Zhang cried out in heart-wrenching agony, "My lord!"
His eyes rolled back, and he fainted in the hands of the constables.
Shen Rongzhi stared blankly at the horrific sight of her father, whose brains had splattered and who lay in a pool of blood.
The warm, jade-like mask on his face shattered instantly, all color drained from his face, leaving only a cold, pale expanse.
He didn't scream or cry out; his tightly pressed lips trembled, and two lines of clear tears slid down his handsome cheeks...
It's not because I'm particularly sad.
Instead, his father used such a resolute and unbearable method to ruthlessly shackle the heavy burden of "pleading for his son" onto his shoulders, which was more suffocating than any scolding.
What he felt was not emotion, but a loss of elegance when forced into a desperate situation, a deep-seated sense of utter disgrace.
Lin Yingyu was also terrified by this sudden tragedy, her face turning pale, and she instinctively protected her abdomen.
Then, she coldly observed the chaos and bloodshed before her, a surge of irritation rising in her heart. She made no attempt to hide it as she moved to the side, as if afraid of staining her skirt with blood.
She traveled a long way to follow Shen Rongzhi back, thinking she was stepping into a luxurious and wealthy place where she could enjoy honor and privilege. Competing with Lu Zhaoruo would only be a pastime when she had nothing else to do.
Unexpectedly, they were faced with this filthy scene of having their homes ransacked, their families destroyed, and being forced to commit suicide in court!
This is truly... extremely unlucky.
The Shen family, from the oldest to the youngest, had not a single capable member; they were all useless good-for-nothings who were more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything, and they only dragged her down.
Lu Zhaoruo stood quietly in place, her gaze sweeping over the pool of blood on the ground and the gradually hardening corpse, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She knew all too well that Shen Qingshu's son, whom he loved so dearly, might not truly care about the two of them.
If he truly had even a shred of filial piety, how could he have left so easily back then, abandoning himself and his parents at the same time?
How could he not return for thirty years in his previous life? How could he not even come back to see Zhang Shi and Shen Qingshu one last time when they both passed away?
Shen Rongzhi's heart has always been cold.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhaoruo felt a chill creep up from the soles of her feet.
But then I thought, aren't Shen Qingshu and Zhang Shi... pitiful too? Despite all their faults, they've spent their lives scheming, struggling, and protecting Shen Rongzhi, all for his sake. Yet, their own son doesn't seem to care about them at all.
She turned her head slightly away, unwilling to look any longer.
The crowd watching outside the hall was dead silent for a moment, then erupted in a roar!
"Oh my god! We've crashed... we're dead!"
"Sigh, what a man, he risked his life to save his son's life..."
"If only they had known this would happen! If they hadn't committed evil deeds, things wouldn't have come to this!"
The sounds of discussion, exclamations, and sighs mingled together. Everyone was deeply shocked by the bloody outcome in the courtroom. They craned their necks to push forward, and the scene almost spiraled out of control.
Seeing this, the prefect frowned and slammed his gavel down: "Silence! What kind of behavior is this!"
He immediately ordered the constables: "Collect the body immediately! All the criminals, take them to prison right now!"
The constables then recovered from their shock and escorted Shen Rongzhi, Lin Yingyu, the unconscious Zhang Shi, and the one-year-old 'Zhu Niang' away from the bloody courtyard.
The courtroom was deathly silent, except for the pervasive smell of blood.
The prefect remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed and said in a deep voice, "So be it. Considering that he risked his life for her and still has the affection of a parent, I will grant him leniency outside the law and reduce Shen Rong's exile by a thousand li."
The gavel slammed down heavily at the end!
"The case is closed. Court adjourned!"
The crowd of onlookers outside the hall slowly dispersed.
As Lu Zhaoruo and her entourage stepped out of the state government office, she stopped and bowed respectfully to Xiao Yeming, saying, "I am deeply grateful to General Xiao for his great help. I will always remember this kindness."
Xiao Yeming stepped aside to avoid the full bow, his voice low and deep: "No need for thanks."
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he continued in a hoarse voice, "Congratulations, Madam Lu... on achieving your wish."
Lu Zhaoruo then bowed to Gu Xian.
Gu Xian unfurled his fan with a "whoosh," smiling like a spring breeze: "Since Madam Lu wants to thank us, why not be more practical! Please invite us to Anle Tower for a sumptuous banquet, with plenty of fine wine and delicacies, how about it?"
After saying that, he deliberately glanced at Xiao Yeming.
"That's only natural."
Lu Zhaoruo smiled slightly, "How about tomorrow evening?"
Gu Xian clapped his hands and laughed, "Wonderful!"
He then lightly touched Xiao Yeming with the rib of his fan.
Xiao Yeming remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Lu Bohong stepped forward, his tone firm: "Little sister, don't take Mother's past foolish words to heart! The Lu family will always be your home, and your brother will always keep the door open for you!"
With red eyes, Dongrou urged, "Wife, hurry back to bathe and change your clothes to get rid of this bad luck!"
Stone and Greenie agreed.
Lu Zhaoruo gazed at the end of the long street and gently shook her head: "Let's not go back to the Lu family yet."
She looked up at the clear blue sky, her words clear: "I want to go back to the Shen family and personally... smash that chastity archway."
At this moment, a blue-curtained carriage was already waiting outside the government office.
Xiao Yeming's eyes flickered slightly, and he coughed lightly. Gu Xian immediately understood and stepped forward with a smile: "I have already prepared carriages and horses. I will send Madam Lu back to the Shen residence now."
Lu Zhaoruo nodded, did not refuse, and calmly boarded the carriage.
The carriage moved slowly, and people along the way stopped to watch, their voices rising in discussion.
Some applauded her for her strong will; others whispered, worried that a divorced woman would have a hard time making a living in the future; still others were old-fashioned and conservative, secretly cursing her for defying social norms.
Outside the Shen residence, a huge crowd had already gathered, with people who had come after hearing the news blocking the streets and alleys.
Mr. Wang, the storyteller at the teahouse; Mr. Liu, the manager of the Qingfeng Tea House; Mr. Hanmo, who specializes in writing plays about unfaithful lovers; and Gui'er, the maidservant of Lady Wan, had already spread the news of the Shen family's affair throughout the city.
Now, from eighty-year-old women to three-year-old children, everyone knows that Lu Zhaoruo is going to personally smash the imperial chastity archway today...
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