Chapter 41 The Path to Despair "I laugh at your foolishness."
The Li family was doomed, but after Princess Yu'an left, Li's third brother entered the mansion late at night and kowtowed to beg for forgiveness.
"She dared to defy her superiors, which is a crime deserving of death. However... my brother and I died in battle without an heir, and my subordinates damaged the foundation in the early years, making it difficult to have a successor. Only my eldest sister's lineage still exists. The family has already discussed changing the name and surname of my eldest sister's youngest son to continue the family line."
"General, you promised after my brother's death that if any calamity were to befall us in the future, you would spare the lives of all the descendants of the Li family. My elder sister's death is nothing to regret, but I beg you, General, to spare her life for the sake of my deceased brother. I am willing to give my life for you!"
Li Laosan kowtowed twice, the eight-foot-tall strong man's face was covered in tears.
The reason why Granny Li was so popular in the mansion was undoubtedly due to her two brothers, who were both highly skilled in martial arts. Li Lao Er and Li Lao San were appreciated from a young age and followed General Xue through thick and thin on the battlefield. Li Lao Er died tragically at the hands of the enemy five years ago while saving General Xue, and he was deeply devoted to General Xue.
He could disregard his own daughter, but he couldn't disregard his prestige in the army. If he truly disregarded his past promises and exterminated the Li family, would any soldiers still be willing to risk their lives for him in the future?
Of course, the most crucial point is that he despised his own daughter from the bottom of his heart, and he didn't care about the humiliation she suffered. In fact, the actions of Granny Li and others were carried out with his tacit approval and indulgence.
So, seeing Li Laosan wailing uncontrollably, he softened.
He stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and personally helped him up, turning a blind eye as Li Laosan took Li Mama's young son away from the mansion.
Even though so much time had passed, Jingnu still vividly remembered the resentment she felt at that moment. Even though she had anticipated it, seeing the grateful Li Laosan and the benevolent General Xue, she couldn't help but clench her fists, wanting nothing more than to rush forward and ask General Xue, "You pity your subordinates, yet treat your own daughter like dirt?!"
But remembering her wife's words—"If the owner doesn't loosen the rope, how could they possibly pounce on and bite people?"—she fell into a numb silence.
Having secretly found out where Li Laosan's family lived, she wanted to go and eliminate them completely, but her wife stopped her. The young-looking wife's expression was indifferent, with a hint of mockery: "No need, why would we need to lift a finger?"
......
"General Xue has already shown leniency, but you, you vicious woman with a heart of stone, are still relentless and unwilling to let us go!"
Bu Hui's roar echoed in the secret room as he desperately listed Xue Rongyue's crimes: "Not only me, you even dared to raise a butcher's knife against my uncle's family. When did they ever offend you that you would be so ruthless as to exterminate them all?!"
Jingnu's eyelids twitched violently. She was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "Even now, you still dare to make false accusations and slander—"
Before she could finish speaking, an uncontrollable laugh suddenly rang out, interrupting Jingnu's unfinished words.
"why are you laughing?!"
Bu Hui's face flushed red as he glared angrily at Xue Rongyue, who was laughing uncontrollably.
I laugh at your stupidity.
Xue Rongyue wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and said mercilessly, "You actually think that the deaths of Li Laosan's family have anything to do with me?"
"I was young back then. If I really had the ability to wipe out a family with a flick of my wrist, would I have been bullied by you petty scoundrels?"
“After the incident, I was taken to the palace to stay temporarily. How could I have had the time to do anything to you?”
Bu Hui's face showed a mocking expression, and he said in a deep voice, "You dare to do it but not admit it? Do you think I would believe your nonsense? I have investigated what happened back then, and it was clearly a guard from the Xue family..."
“You said yourself that you were a guard of the Xue family,” Xue Rongyue interrupted him directly. “Back then, who did the Xue family guards listen to? Did they listen to me?!”
Bu Hui froze, his mind racing, and his lips trembled involuntarily.
"Do you think I'm the only one who wants you dead, who wants the Li family dead?"
A thick layer of ice settled in her eyes, but a smile played on her lips as she spoke sharply, "As long as you live, one more person will know about his heinous act of premeditatedly killing his daughter. Why would he willingly hand over such a huge handle to an ignorant child like you? As for your uncle..."
Looking at Bu Hui's bloodless face, Xue Rongyue sneered twice: "From the moment he made up his mind to save you, his fate was already sealed."
After a few quiet breaths, Xue Rongyue stood up and looked at him calmly: "Now that I have recognized you, I have naturally investigated your experiences over the years thoroughly. You have married and had children. If you want your wife and children to live, then tell me everything. As long as you are willing to talk, I will inform Princess Yu'an and take them to the Princess's residence to ensure their safety."
"If your hatred for me is greater than the lives of your wife and children, then you can say nothing, and I will send your whole family to the underworld to reunite."
Xue Rongyue shifted her gaze to the slowly burning incense stick beside her: "You still have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to consider."
Stepping out of the secret room, Luo Zhen cleared out a room for Xue Rongyue to rest in.
Jingnu served her a cup of hot tea, and seeing that she was in a bad mood, she did not disturb her any further and quietly withdrew.
Luo Zhenhou was outside when he saw Jingnu come out. He hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask, "Back then, did Madam really... torture Granny Li to death?"
How old was my wife back then!
Jingnu shook his head with a bitter smile: "How could that be? My wife and I don't have the ability to cut someone into a thousand pieces. We each stabbed her once, and after she passed away, we set a fire and that was it."
The second part of Jingnu Yin's story is not mentioned.
The woman's hands trembled violently, and her face was pale as she stabbed the knife only an inch deep before it fell to the ground in her panic.
Luo Zhen nodded knowingly.
really.
Even dismemberment requires skill; only seasoned executioners can perform it. If the two children, Lady and Jingnu, can do it, they are truly gifted.
Having thought things through, Luo Zheng was about to ask his wife if she really would kill Bu Hui's wife and children, but he stopped himself from speaking.
How could that be?
Although my wife has a sharp tongue, she is by no means a ruthless person.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed, Bu Hui heard footsteps approaching in front of him and slowly raised his head.
His face was ashen, and he said in a calm voice, "Do it, kill me."
Jingnu was furious and coldly retorted, "That's right, how could people like you possibly care about the lives of your wives and children!"
His head drooped limply, Bu Hui's eyes dimmed, and he coughed violently, spitting out a thick layer of blood and foam from his throat: "You can't protect my wife and children, and besides, I don't know much. Telling you would be useless, and would only make my wife and children suffer even more, making their lives worse than death."
Xue Rongyue had anticipated this answer: "Over the years, you must have guessed that the guards you sent to the Li family to kill and silence witnesses back then weren't under my command; you were just deceiving yourself."
Facing imminent death, Bu Hui nodded frankly and said with self-deprecation, "I was too stupid at first and believed it. But one can't be stupid forever. By the time I woke up, I had already embarked on this path of no return. Under the control of others, how could I turn back? I could only go down this dark road."
Xue Rongyue turned and walked out, with Luo Zhen following closely behind. He asked in a low voice, "My lady, wouldn't it be a pity to kill him like this? Why don't you give me some more time, and I'll find a way to get him to talk?"
Xue Rongyue shook her head: "He values his wife and children."
Luo Zhen understood the unspoken meaning in her words.
Even the lives of his wife and children couldn't pry open his mouth, let alone anything else.
He understood, but still felt it was a pity. Just as he was about to say something more, he heard Xue Rongyue say, "Go find Zhong Yuan and have her use the incident in the bamboo forest that night to tie up Bu Hui and report it to the authorities."
Luo Zhen was taken aback. Xue Rongyue said, "If we can lure the snake out of its hole, then it's not a dead end."
Luo Zhen frowned and asked in a low voice, "What if the man in black doesn't budge?"
“That means he really is just a nobody, not worth the trouble that the man in black has to worry about.” Xue Rongyue sighed. “In that case, it’s just as he said, even if we go to great lengths to find out, it will only be a trivial matter.”
Bu Hui is a catalyst; he could either lure out the man in black or become a dangerous situation that would bring trouble upon her. She cannot gamble with him.
Xue Rongyue instructed, "After Bu Hui is sent to the yamen, you must clean this place up thoroughly, and bury the secret room as soon as possible, leaving no trace. After things have calmed down, sell this house as soon as possible."
Luo Zhen's heart skipped a beat: "Is my wife afraid that the man in black is using Bu Hui as bait to lure us into a trap?"
This trip wasn't entirely fruitless.
Bu Hui would rather sacrifice his family's lives than utter a single word, and his final sigh revealed the truth.
The man in black must be of high rank and power, which is why Bu Hui was so afraid of him. Even with the guarantee of the general's daughter, Princess Yu'an, he still felt that he couldn't protect his wife and children.
When Li Laosan was murdered to silence him, how old was Bu Hui? How could a lone orphan like him find out that the person who went to kill the family was a guard from the Xue family?
It can only be a person dressed in black.
The man in black took away the orphan who had a deep-seated hatred for the Xue family, carefully nurtured her, and arranged for her to be invited to a banquet a few days ago, intending to drown her in the lake.
She was the only daughter of the Xue family and was attending a grand banquet hosted by Princess Yu'an. If she were to die at the banquet, even if she was not favored, her father, Xue, would not care about her life or death. But what about the emperor? Would the emperor continue to trust this great general, who had achieved numerous military exploits and had no further titles to bestow, and continue to be loyal to him?
Xue Rongyue stood there, letting the gentle spring breeze ruffle her hair, and the golden sunlight shone down, but she felt no warmth at all.
It was already fraught with danger.
What are you thinking about?
It wasn't until a tall figure loomed in front of her that Xue Rongyue finally came to her senses.
Qin Jin crossed his arms, his jawline taut, his face cold and stern: "Madam Xue, do you still remember inviting me to lunch today?"
He emphasized the words "have lunch together".
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