Chapter 43 Chapter 43 You kid!
When Xiaoman heard the word "Ga Dan", his first reaction was to clap and cheer.
Before she even uttered the word "OK", she realized that something was wrong. Two red clouds suddenly appeared on her face, and she kept cursing, "Castrated pig."
Wu Yong gave a thumbs up: Accurate description!
Chen Lingan glanced at him and said, "Stop talking nonsense and go open the door."
Xiaoman also instructed the maid her mother had sent, "Guard the second gate. No one is allowed to disturb Miss Chen."
The door creaked open, and Wu Yong waved outside. "Hey, good morning, everyone."
As soon as Chen Ling'an appeared, the wailing stopped, and then an old woman rushed over like a madman, "Traitor, give me back my son's life—"
The officers accompanying the Censorate immediately stopped her, but her momentum showed no sign of weakening. Her face was distorted, and her hands were twitching nervously as she looked at Chen Ling'an and grabbed him fiercely, obviously with great hatred.
Liao Kai, the Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, saw that this was not a good thing and advised, "Mr. An, please take care of yourself. I will investigate the matter thoroughly."
Old Lady Zhao wept, "My son, Zhao Zhen, impeached him. He harbored a grudge and fabricated charges to arrest my son, torturing him in various ways to vent his anger! Lord Liao, this traitor is a threat to the country. If he is not removed, the people will be divided, the ministers will be uneasy, the law will be weakened, and Heaven will not tolerate this!"
Chen Ling'an sneered, "Excuse me, did I stop you? Beating the drum to file a complaint, crying out your injustice three times, and then slamming your head against the Meridian Gate is definitely more effective than crying at my doorstep. Why don't you go? Are you unwilling to exchange your life for your son's?"
Xiaoman couldn't help but want to laugh, so she quickly lowered her head to hide it.
Liao Kai sighed, "Master Chen, please be more polite. How can you have a clear conscience when treating a sixty-year-old man like this?"
"Some elders deserve respect, while others are a waste of food." Chen Ling'an retorted bluntly, "I'm annoyed and don't have the mood to bother with you. If this is about Zhao Xi's case, please present your case to the emperor, Lord Liao."
"If my son is guilty, the court will judge him according to its own laws. On what basis, on what basis..." Overwhelmed with grief, Old Mrs. Zhao could not continue.
Chen Ling'an's face was filled with undisguised disgust. "Why did you castrate him? Just because I wanted to."
"Eunuch, eunuch..." The news was so shocking that Liao Kai was tongue-tied. "That's too much! Lord Zhao only has one daughter. Are you trying to wipe out the Zhao family?"
"I just want the Zhao family to be extinct."
"Castration is an extrajudicial torture. Only the emperor has the authority to rule. You are challenging the authority of heaven."
"Haven't you always wanted to bring me down? Now you have a ready-made handle. Hurry back and write the impeachment letter."
Liao Kai was completely powerless to deal with him, and in a fit of rage, he said, "Since that's the case, Lord Chen, just wait for the joint impeachment letter from all the officials!"
Old Mrs. Zhao looked at Liao Kai with a pleading look in her eyes: "Please, sir, rescue my son."
Liao Kai felt guilty and embarrassed. "It's difficult for me to succeed alone. Why don't I accompany Lao An to visit Chen Ge Lao's home?"
Old Lady Zhao gritted her teeth and said, "There's something else I need your help with. One of my maids didn't return from visiting the prison yesterday, and I heard she was kidnapped by Chen Ling'an."
After hearing this, Liao Kai's disdain for Chen Ling'an grew even stronger. "What you did was too despicable. Return him to the Zhao family immediately."
"No." Chen Ling'an's face suddenly darkened. "Let's just be clear. She's my biological sister, and she has nothing to do with the Zhao family from now on!"
Liao Kai was stunned. He knew that the Chen family's youngest daughter had been lost since childhood, but he didn't expect that she would end up in the Zhao family.
In this case, it is reasonable for Chen Ling'an to detain the person and not return him.
Old Lady Zhao: "Meixiang is my son's concubine. She has long been a member of the Zhao family. How can she deny her involvement?"
Mrs. Zhao, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up: "Meixiang is pregnant with Master's child. We just found out the day before yesterday. She's over three months pregnant. The doctor said it's a boy."
Now that they have a child, it’s time to return the person to the Zhao family.
Liao Kai nodded and was about to speak when something suddenly occurred to him. He glanced at the Zhao family with an ambiguous expression, then stroked his beard and said to Chen Ling'an, "I remember your sister was lost when she was about five. I was working in Yingtian Prefecture at the time and helped the Chen family search for her for several months. We posted notices all over the city. It left a deep impression on me."
Chen Ling'an slowly closed his eyes, exhaled heavily, and after a while he said, "It's been nine years. I didn't expect that he would be right under my nose. Haha, why didn't I find out sooner!"
"Anyway, we finally found it." Liao Kai shook his head, his face full of regret, and took two steps to the side, and then two more steps.
The officials from the Censorate also walked aside tacitly.
The Zhao family was invisibly singled out.
Old Mrs. Zhao was a little dazed.
Xiaoman tsk-tsks, "The truth doesn't lie in the loudness of the voice. It doesn't mean that everyone will side with you just because you make a lot of noise."
Old Mrs. Zhao thought to herself, if I can’t cure Chen Ling’an, how can I not cure a little girl like you?
But before she could say anything, she heard the sound of hurried wheels coming from afar, and then suddenly stopped at the gate.
The person driving the car was actually Chen Lingyi!
He first glanced at Chen Ling'an, then turned around and carefully helped a noble lady out of the carriage.
The woman was graceful and elegant, and probably because she took good care of herself, she looked less than 40 years old, and her actual age was hard to guess.
When he saw her, Chen Ling'an's face froze noticeably.
Xiaoman was curious about who this person was. Chen Ling'an lowered his eyes and said in a complicated tone, "Chen Lingyi's mother."
Xiaoman suddenly felt something was wrong. Chen Shao and his son and Chen Ling'an were enemies. Could it be that these two people came here to support the Zhao family and force Chen Ling'an to release the people?
"Madam Han!" Old Lady Zhao was overjoyed. As soon as Zhao Li got into trouble, she asked the Chen family for help. Unfortunately, the old lady went to Qixia Mountain to escape the summer heat, so she came to nothing.
Chen Lingyi's wife didn't have much friendship with her, so she didn't refuse or agree to anything she asked for. She just asked her to drink a cup of tea and then sent her away.
In desperation, she spent money to smooth things over and asked someone to send a letter for help to Mrs. Han.
Mrs. Han must have seen her letter, her son is saved!
She excitedly stepped forward and said, "I have finally arrived, Madam. I beg you to redress the injustice done to me, an orphan and a widow, and redress the injustice!"
Madam Han frowned slightly and walked straight to Chen Ling'an, "Where is Ning'er?"
"It has nothing to do with you. She's my own sister, and I'll protect her myself." Chen Ling'an said in a bad tone.
Chen Lingyi shouted, "You're just a bitch. Castrating an imperial official is a small matter. If it weren't for my father, you would have been executed at the Meridian Gate."
As soon as these words were spoken, all around fell silent.
The wind seems to have blown in the wrong direction. Aren’t these two families mortal enemies?
Old Mrs. Zhao was extremely panicked. "Madam Han, don't you remember me? I am Zhao Xi's mother. Zhao Xi is the disciple of the Minister. Last year, when the Minister celebrated his birthday, my mother and I went to visit him and celebrated!"
Madam Han turned around and said lightly, "How could you not remember? Ten years ago in the winter, at the plum blossom viewing banquet at my sister-in-law's house, I introduced you to her. You even held my Ning'er in your arms and fed her candy."
The wind died down in an instant, and there was deathly silence; even the horses did not move.
She has seen five-year-old Chen Yanning!
She had seen five-year-old Chen Yanning!!
Chen Ling'an's body swayed, he bent over in pain, holding his chest, coughed twice, and actually coughed up blood.
"grown ups!"
"Chen Ling'an!"
Xiaoman and Wu Yong supported him on both sides.
"Kill her," Chen Ling'an's eyes were bloodshot, and he reached for the knife at his waist, "Kill her!"
But he touched nothing: he didn't bring a knife because he was afraid of scaring his sister.
Wu Yong held him tightly and refused to let go. "Sir, there are a hundred ways to kill her, but not now."
They have great power and can arrest or kill anyone they want.
The people who could be killed were either those whom the emperor disliked and wanted to kill, or officials who had proven guilty. If the officials' families were involved, they had to wait for the emperor's order.
Killing innocent people, especially court ladies, isn't that just a way to give your political enemies a handle? Those pen-and-ink officials are the best at playing with words and stirring up emotions. A single stone can stir up a thousand waves, and the court and the people are all criticizing them. To calm the anger of officials and the people, the emperor will definitely give up on you.
It's easy to kill this woman, but it's hard to clean up the mess.
If the master falls, these lackeys will be doomed.
Wu Yong was about to cry.
Old Mrs. Zhao was already sweating with fear, and she hurriedly explained, "I only met her once, and I don't remember it at all. If Madam hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten it. The kidnapper said she was her father, and I bought her because I thought she was so lovable. I really didn't know she was Madam's niece."
You are still quibbling even now!
Xiaoman felt a burst of pain in her chest. Her hands were faster than her brain. She rushed to Old Lady Zhao and swung her arm to hit her in the face.
The sound was so loud and crisp that it made Old Mrs. Zhao spin half a circle on the spot, and she was stunned.
"Nonsense! That gentleman just said that notices were posted everywhere. Are you blind and can't see? Your family is all dead and you can't see? They locked people up in the inner courtyard and couldn't even step out of the second door. Aren't they just afraid of being discovered?"
Xiaoman pointed at her nose and cursed, "The Chen family has been a family of scholars for generations. You knew she was a daughter of the Chen family, but you deliberately concealed her background and refused to let her learn to read. You always acted like her savior, teaching her to be submissive. She obeyed you in everything, serving you like a slave and maid, and she still felt grateful to you."
"The most despicable thing is that you actually let her be your son's concubine. She's not even fifteen yet, and she's already pregnant. How could a human being do that? You talk about righteousness and morality, but you keep silent about morality. You hypocrites, bah! You're not even worthy of being human!"
Xiaoman recalled the fear and misery she had endured when being beaten and scolded by kidnappers in the past, and couldn't help but shed tears, but then she wiped them away fiercely, "Old hag, if it weren't for buyers like you, how could children be kidnapped!"
Old Lady Zhao finally came to her senses, covered her face and cursed, "What a bastard, born of a mother but not a father! Your lies are in vain, and the wife of the Grand Lord won't believe a single one of you. Everyone knows that Chen Ling'an is going after Grand Lord Chen. He is the Chen family's mortal enemy. Whoever kills Chen Ling'an will do a great service to Grand Lord Chen."
This is the truth, but Mrs. Han must not stand on the Zhao family's side in this matter, otherwise Chen Lingan will be in danger.
Xiaoman tried her best to think outside the box: "So you tricked his sister into harming him so you could win the credit from Lord Chen. That's right, Chen Ling'an would be wary of anyone except his own sister, whom he'd been searching for so long."
"But how did you know nine years ago that Chen Ling'an would pose a threat to Elder Chen? No, that's not right. Or maybe you wanted to use that child to curry favor with Elder Chen and push him out as the daughter of your enemy. It's a pity you didn't expect Madam Han to be a kind aunt who doted on her niece."
He did not forget to flatter Mrs. Han while speaking.
Old Mrs. Zhao was almost jumping up and down: "Nonsense, I raised her for nine years, is it just to kill her in the end?"
"That's right, could it be..." Xiaoman's face turned extremely cold, "You're jealous and hate Chen Ling'an's mother, so you're trying every way to mistreat her daughter. She wasn't lost at all, you hired someone to kidnap her! The kidnapper kidnapped her, and then you ran into her right after. How could such a coincidence happen in the world!"
Mrs. Zhao flatly denied it: "All of this is just your wild speculation! Madam Han, don't fall for their attempts to sow discord."
Her voice suddenly paused.
Everyone followed her gaze and saw a maid supporting a staggering little girl by the hall door. The little girl had tears on her cheeks and looked very young, with a hint of childishness on her face.
I don’t know how long I’ve been there or how much I’ve heard.
"You are... Ning'er?" Mrs. Han called out softly, tears already streaming down her face.
Old Lady Zhao shouted, "To be faithful and loyal is to be a woman of integrity. Since you are pregnant with my blood, you belong to my family. Come home with me and raise the child well. This is the right thing to do!"
Before he finished speaking, Chen Ling'an kicked out, and at the same time, the whip in Chen Lingyi's hand fell.
Boom! Snap! Snap—
Old Mrs. Zhao had several broken ribs, her face was covered in blood and flesh, and she let out a scream and passed out.
Xiaoman closed her mouth and stood aside silently.
"Old lady..." Chen Yanning was shocked and stumbled to check on Old Lady Zhao's injuries.
Madam Han stood in front of her and said, "Don't be afraid, someone will take care of it."
"She's not dead." Wu Yong walked over to check on Old Lady Zhao's breath. "She can still be saved." He looked at Mrs. Zhao, who was hiding far away. "Drag your mother-in-law back for treatment. If it's too late, she'll be paralyzed if not dead."
Chen Lingyi nodded slightly to Liao Kai and said, "You may report the truth about what happened today."
Liao Kai knew it very well: it was just a whipping, and the young cabinet minister would at most be scolded by the emperor, but Chen Ling'an might not be so.
He looked at Chen Ling'an with sympathy. Even if there were reasons for privately castrating an imperial official, it was still against the law.
Chen Lingan rolled his eyes at him.
Liao Kai: Damn, the joint impeachment letter signed by all officials has been written!
-
The gate slowly closed, and Chenjia Lane returned to its former tranquility.
The weather in August is already getting chilly, with a cold wind gradually rising. A few drops of remaining rain are falling in the courtyard. The vines in the corners of the wall are swaying gently in the wind, making a slight rustling sound.
The door to the main room was closed, and the sobbing sounds were intermittent.
The two Chen brothers stood in front of the hall with their hands behind their backs, and their eyes never exchanged.
After a long pause, Chen Ling'an said coldly, "Your father is still my mortal enemy. No matter what happens, this will not change."
Chen Lingyi: "It's the same. You're also the person I want to kill the most."
Chen Lingan asked again, "How did you know my sister was back? And Zhao Li was castrated. There was no time for this news to spread."
"You brat," Chen Lingyi said bitterly, a flicker of envy crossing his face that he himself was unaware of. "Eunuch Lu came to see my father this morning. Humph, you brat submitted a secret memorial overnight, and the Emperor actually tacitly allowed you to take action."
This kid is so experienced in doing things and never gives others any chance to take advantage of him. He doesn't look like a newcomer who has just entered the officialdom. It is clear that he is a veteran who has been in the officialdom for many years!
Although he also felt that Zhao Li deserved it, why did he feel so uncomfortable?
He is patient, capable, ruthless and honest. Even his father praises him and says that if the situations were reversed, he would never be able to reach Chen Ling'an's position and would be lucky to find a corner to keep his life.
Chen Lingyi's gaze unconsciously turned to the man next to him: Bah, I'm definitely better than him!
Chen Ling'an immediately gave him a sharp look and gently stroked his neck with his hand.
Chen Lingyi was furious and glared back with even greater ferocity.
The door creaked open from the inside, and Mrs. Han stepped over the threshold with red eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." They both looked away awkwardly at the same time.
Mrs. Han couldn't help but laugh. "It's still the same as when we were little. We fight as soon as we meet, and won't tell you anything even if I ask."
Chen Ling'an said coldly, "The current relationship between our two families doesn't seem suitable for reminiscing about the past."
"You are shameless. We are not going to bother with you. Do you really think we are afraid of you?" Chen Lingyi wanted to say more, but was stopped by his mother.
Madam Han said, "Ning'er is too weak. Why don't you come with me to the southern suburbs villa to recuperate for a while? You can come back and live here after the storm has passed."
Chen Lingan didn't appreciate it, "There's nothing shameful about my sister."
Mrs. Han was stunned. "I'm mistaken. But have you decided whether to give the baby away or raise it yourself?"
The weather turned cloudy again, and mist-like raindrops fell gently in the slightly chilly wind.
Xiaoman approached with a tray, "Are they gone?"
Chen Ling'an was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath as if he had made up his mind. "I've made up my mind. This child cannot stay."
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