"You want to see me?" Wei Chenglin was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the man who had been locked up in jail for more than a year and no one could get a word out of him would actually take the initiative to ask to see him.
However, when he saw the undisguised anger on the other person's face, he couldn't help but feel a little stunned.
Does this person... have a grudge against me?
"Yes, I want to see you. I want to see when a beast like you who looks like a heartless person will get his retribution!" The man's eyes were blazing with fire, and he squeezed out the words from between his teeth.
Wei Chenglin's face immediately darkened, and murderous intent appeared in his eyes.
"If you think I'm only here to vent my anger, I'm sorry I won't keep you company!" Knowing that he couldn't do anything to the other party for the time being, he could only suppress his anger.
"You have betrayed human ethics and acted like a beast. You must not die a good death! Wei Chenglin, you were disloyal and unfilial. You ignored your biological mother and caused her to die in vain in the family temple. When you wake up in your dreams at midnight, aren't you afraid that your Wei ancestors will come to find you and call you to account?!"
Wei Chenglin's face changed drastically. The death of his biological mother had become a thorn in his heart. The scolding of Jing'an Bo, the indifference of Yang, and the alienation of his cousins seemed to be whipping him mercilessly. However, no one had ever scolded him so bluntly to his face like the person in front of him.
"Such beastly behavior, even if it is..."
He suddenly stretched out his hand and strangled the man's neck tightly, and the curses stopped abruptly. The man's face turned red due to his pinch, but his unusually bright eyes were filled with stubbornness and anger, without any fear or begging for mercy, which aroused his anger even more, and the strength of his hands became stronger and stronger.
The man's breathing became increasingly difficult, and his face became increasingly ugly. It looked as if he was about to die on the spot. Zhi Mo, who happened to walk in, was horrified, and hurried forward, trying his best to save the man.
"Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot do that!" Seeing the murderous look on Wei Chenglin's face, he did not care about the man who had escaped death and was lying on the ground gasping for breath, and hurriedly tried to stop him.
“Oh, you, you are just angry and embarrassed because someone said something right…” The man finally recovered his breath and said sarcastically when he saw the situation.
Wei Chenglin's anger rose again after being persuaded by Zhimo. He heard the man say in a stern voice, "Do you know what kind of life she has lived in the family temple? She is the wife of the Duke's mansion, but she only has one trustworthy person to serve her. But she is just temporarily lost in mind, and even a servant in your house dares to lie to her. And all this is thanks to you, a good son!"
Wei Chenglin shuddered and subconsciously retorted: "What nonsense!"
"Nonsense?! Ha, ha ha." The man sneered, and then changed his tone, looking like a proud and arrogant servant, "Next month is the Madam's birthday, the Duke has ordered a grand celebration, and now everyone in the mansion is busy as hell. Anyway, the Madam stays in the house all day and doesn't go anywhere, so there's no rush, so let's make the four seasons of clothes later!"
After a while, his tone changed again, and he continued, "I'm sure Madam Tai can't eat so much, so why don't you give these dishes to me and let my grandson have a taste!"
No matter how stupid Wei Chenglin was, he could tell that he was imitating the servants. His pupils shrank because of the inner secret revealed in these words.
That was his biological mother. Even though she was sent to the family temple, her food, clothing and daily expenses were still the same as those of the Duke's wife. But now...
He forced himself to calm down and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? What is your relationship with my mother? Why do you know so much?"
The man sneered again: "You don't need to care who I am. I was seriously injured that day and hid in your Wei family temple. I know everything that happened to the lady."
When he was seven years old, his adoptive parents passed away one after another. He was taken away by his biological father's loyal servant and only then did he know his life experience. From then on, he had only one belief in life, that is to avenge his family's blood feud!
That day he was seriously injured and had to flee to the Wei family temple. He happened to be hiding in the lady's room and witnessed her condition with his own eyes.
He took a deep breath, his eyes sharp, "You all thought she had gone mad, but even if she was mad, she only thought about you and your sister! She is also sad that you didn't love her own son, and your daughter died early!"
He remembered countless times when that person was clearly mentally confused and even mistook him for his son Wei Chenglin, but she called him "Brother Lin" in a tone of voice and was so gentle when she felt pity for the wounds on his body, just like every mother in the world who was full of love for her child.
"She hated herself for being weak and incompetent, unable to educate and take care of her own son, heartbroken by her son's indifference and alienation, grief-stricken by her daughter's early death, and unable to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother. You only blamed her and resented her for not understanding you, but you never took the initiative to try to understand her, and when she was most sad and desperate, you only abandoned her completely!"
"Wei Chenglin, the person who should die is not her, but you!"
Wei Chenglin's face was pale and his body was shaking constantly.
He really wanted to yell at the other person, tell him to shut up, to tell him that he had never thought of abandoning his mother, he just didn't know how to face her, to face someone who didn't understand him at all and was full of hatred for his wife.
The man became more and more excited as he spoke, and in the end he almost ignored the chains on his hands and feet and wanted to fight him up. However, Zhi Mo stopped him in time and ordered the jailer to take him away by force.
Wei Chenglin didn't know how he walked out of the prison or returned to the Duke's Mansion.
When he came to his senses, he had already walked into the courtyard where his father lived.
He pushed the door open gently and walked in. The table and chairs in the house were neatly arranged. Since his father passed away, no one had lived here. Only servants came to clean the house every few days.
After so many years, he could hardly remember what his father looked like. He only remembered that gentle and loving face, which was always smiling. When he looked at him, even his eyes seemed to be smiling.
He sat at his desk, recalling his father's voice, appearance and smile when he was alive, and gradually his eyes became blank.
If my father had treated my mother like this, causing her to die in misery and loneliness, would that be...
"My Lord." Zhi Mo's voice echoed in the room.
He calmed down, suppressed the sadness in his heart, and asked in a deep voice, "Have you found out?"
"I've found out clearly that when the lady was alive, apart from Chunliu who took care of her with all her heart, the others were able to fulfill their duties as servants at first. But as time went on... there were always things that Chunliu could not take care of." Zhimo hesitated, but still reported everything he had found out.
Wei Chenglin looked calm, but there was a storm in his eyes.
Very good, very good...
But Zhou Wanning was making small clothes for her two children when she suddenly saw the maid Liushuang running in in a panic: "Madam, it's bad, the Duke wants to beat Nanny Sun and others and drive them away..."
"What? Why is this happening?!" Zhou Wanning was shocked. She put down her embroidery, grabbed Liushuang and asked.
Nanny Sun was her dowry nanny, who had been serving her since she was very young. Thanks to her being by her side and helping her with the chores in the house over the years, she was able to devote herself to taking care of her husband and children.
Even if Nanny Sun has not made any contributions over the years, she has worked hard. Why did her husband suddenly attack her?
"I couldn't hear clearly outside, but I just know that the Duke suddenly ordered someone to take away Nanny Sun, as well as those who served the Madam in the past. They were all given thirty beatings with boards, and he said that it would not matter if they were beaten to death, but if they were not dead, he would take further action!" Thinking of the coldness on Wei Chenglin's face when he gave the order, Liushuang couldn't help but shudder.
Zhou Wanning's heart tightened and he clenched his hands subconsciously.
The people who served the Madam... Could it be that this matter was related to the deceased mother-in-law? Or did Madam Sun do something in private?
She was just about to go to Wei Chenglin to plead for mercy, to save Nanny Sun no matter what. But before she could even step out of the door, she heard a flurry of footsteps outside, accompanied by a woman's plea for mercy.
"What are you doing?!" She couldn't bear it any longer and rushed out, and saw a group of guards coming out of nowhere and forcibly dragging away several maids in her courtyard.
"Madam, I am under the order of the Duke to take these disgusting things away!" The leading guard said with a stern face, bowed to her and replied.
"What do you mean by eating inside and taking outside? What inside and what outside?!"
"I don't know. If you want to know, you might as well ask the Duke in person. But the Duke is busy right now, so I'm afraid he won't have time to answer you for a while."
Zhou Wanning wanted to say something, but the man bowed to her and waved his hand. The guards behind him escorted the maids away.
Zhou Wanning watched them walking further and further away with his eyes wide open, and suddenly a sense of panic arose in his heart.
What happened? Why did her husband want to deal with the people around her without her consent?
All the people around her were carefully selected by her parents before she got married. They have been loyal to her all these years, and she didn't have to worry about them at all. Now that they were taken away, no matter how stupid she was, she knew that they would never come back.
This massive cleansing of the inner house left everyone in the mansion puzzled, but no one dared to say a word.
Even Nanny Sun who was beside the lady could not escape. It can be seen that the Duke was very furious this time. Although no one knows what they had done to deserve such an end, no one dared to touch this mold. Didn’t the Duke even refuse to see his most beloved lady?
"What do you mean? Sending away all the capable people around Awan, isn't that breaking her arms?" That day, Wei Chenglin had just got off work in the yamen and was about to return home when Zhou Mao sent someone to invite him. As soon as he entered his study, he heard Zhou Mao's dissatisfied question.
"Those people were disrespectful to their masters, and they deserved to be punished," he replied expressionlessly.
"What do you mean by deserved it? I've forgotten about others, but that Grandma Sun..."
"Father-in-law!" Wei Chenglin interrupted him before he finished speaking.
"My dear father-in-law, this is my family affair, please do not worry about it. If I marry your daughter from the Zhou family, does that mean my mansion will also be named Zhou?"
"You!!" Zhou Mao's face turned pale. He couldn't believe that he actually said such a thing. He immediately became furious. "What do you mean by that?!"
"That's the obvious meaning. The Duke's Mansion doesn't support people who are greedy for money and take advantage of their own resources. Since they are still obsessed with their old master, I will help them! Father-in-law, you don't have to worry about where they are going. Now they are in Awan's dowry farm. If you are still worried, just go and bring them back!" Wei Chenglin said in the face of his anger.
"you……"
"Alright, alright, can't you just talk it out nicely? Why are you so angry?" Wen came in and tried to calm her furious husband down. She then said softly to Wei Chenglin, "It's getting late now. Ah Wan must be waiting for you to go back. I won't keep you here any longer. Be careful on the road."
Wei Chenglin pursed his lips, but didn't say anything else. He bowed and left.
"What do you think he meant? It makes me so angry!!" Zhou Mao was still furious.
Wen frowned and sighed, "I'm afraid my son-in-law is dissatisfied in his heart, dissatisfied with Madam Sun telling us about the things in the mansion from time to time."
Zhou Mao sneered: "Who has the time to care about what's going on in their house? I'm just worried about my daughter."
Wei Chenglin did not return home immediately, but sent his followers away, rode out of the city gate alone, and headed towards the outskirts of Beijing.
In that direction is the Wei family temple. His biological mother died there.
"Bastard, let go!!"
"You bastard, if it weren't for you, how would I have ended up like this!"
"Let go, let me go!!"
When I rode to the foot of the mountain, I suddenly saw a man and a woman arguing and pulling each other in front of me. The man grabbed the woman's hand tightly, as if he was going to drag her away. The woman struggled and suddenly lowered her head and bit the man's hand hard.
The man felt the pain, raised his hand, and slapped the woman hard, knocking her to the ground. Not satisfied yet, he took a step forward, grabbed the woman's collar with one hand, and tried to hit her with the other.
Just as he was about to slap the woman again, Wei Chenglin dodged and grabbed the woman's wrist with his big hand, making her unable to move.
"Wei Chenglin?!" The man was furious and was about to fight back, but his face changed when he recognized him.
"Do you recognize me?" Wei Chenglin frowned.
He didn't remember knowing anyone like this who would beat a weak woman in broad daylight.
"He knows all the dignitaries in Beijing." The woman who had just been knocked to the ground got up and said coldly.
"It's your luck!" The man said arrogantly, but he didn't dare to look Wei Chenglin in the face and ran away in a hurry.
Wei Chenglin had no intention of chasing after her. His eyes fell on the woman and he saw that half of her face was swollen from being beaten, but her expression was quite cold. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he actually saw a hint of disgust in her eyes.
"Madam, madam, what's wrong with you? Did that beast beat you again?!" Suddenly, a woman dressed as a maid ran out from the other side and ran straight to the injured girl. Seeing the injuries on her face, she felt heartbroken and angry.
"Let's go!" The woman did not answer her and said lightly.
The maid wiped away her tears and inadvertently saw Wei Chenglin, who was silent. She looked a little stunned, but she didn't say anything and chased after the woman.
From a distance, Wei Chenglin heard her whisper, "Madam, isn't that the Duke of England whom the old man highly praised when he was alive?"
"What can I say about a disloyal and unfilial person?" The woman spoke with disgust, and Wei Chenglin could hear it even from a distance.
The master and servant walked farther and farther away, and finally disappeared completely from his sight.
He frowned for a long time, and finally remembered who the other person was.
If she is really the daughter of General Huang, then the man just now must be the one who wanted to divorce his wife and remarry, but was scolded by his original wife in the street and forced to "divorce" her, causing a big uproar in the city. In the end, he was dismissed from office and stripped of his honors by the court, and his efforts were in vain.
The 'original wife' that had caused so much discussion in the court and the country was none other than the only daughter of General Huang, who had passed away many years ago, a girl named Qingshu.
You are a beautiful woman, but why did you marry the wrong person?
If General Huang knew in his afterlife that the husband he had carefully selected for his daughter ended up ruining her life, he would probably not be able to rest in peace even in death!