Chapter 108 [VIP]
Before long, Liang Bozhan rushed over. You could tell he was in a hurry; he had tied his belt wrong and put his shoes on backwards.
"I will definitely give Young Master Huai an explanation for this matter. Please don't be angry, elder brother."
"Explain? How are you going to explain yourself? You ruined my chances of passing the imperial examinations back then, and now you're planning to harm my apprentice?!"
Upon hearing this, Liang Bozhan knelt down with a thud, his eyes red and swollen, and said, "Brother, you mustn't say that about me. I knew nothing about what happened back then, and I didn't do it. You can't blame me like this!"
Liang Boqing snorted coldly, "Then what exactly happened today? Is this how you've managed your household all these years? A mere maid dared to climb into your bed! Don't let the whole of Yangzhou laugh their heads off!"
Liang Bozhan couldn't refute this, as the responsibility for the matter was indeed his. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and immediately ordered the steward of the manor to investigate overnight.
There are currently thirty-four maids and servants in the mansion. To prevent any from slipping through the net, the steward Liang Li called them all over and had them stand in a row outside the courtyard.
It was the dead of night, and everyone had just gotten out of bed, standing there groggily, not knowing what was going on.
Liang Li said with a stern face, "Which maid went to Young Master Huai's room tonight? Step forward."
The women exchanged glances, all shaking their heads in denial. Although they were responsible for taking care of the household's daily needs, they rarely came to the master's courtyard. This was because Liang Boqing had his own personal attendants and servants, and he disliked strangers coming to his courtyard.
Since no one admitted to it, we had to check them one by one. The thirty-odd people were quickly identified. After questioning everyone, we found four suspicious people. All of these people had gone out at night.
The four maids were about the same age, around eighteen or nineteen, kneeling on the ground trembling, not knowing what had happened.
Liang Li pointed at one of them and said, "You go first, what's your name, and what did you do out tonight?"
The maid who was accused immediately kowtowed and said, "My name is Xiaoxia. I had an upset stomach after dinner and went to the outhouse for a quarter of an hour before returning to my bedroom. I haven't gone out since."
"Going to the outhouse?"
"It's true, it's really true! He pooped so much..."
Liang Li frowned. This maid was vulgar in manner and had an average appearance. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like climbing into someone's bed.
"Next!"
“My name is Qingya. I’m in charge of helping out in the kitchen. I went to work in the kitchen after dinner tonight. Zhang Mama told me to peel a basket of garlic, saying we would need it tomorrow. Although no one saw me, all the garlic I peeled was in the kitchen. My fingernails were all split from peeling it.”
Qingya stretched out her hand, and there were indeed cracks in the nails on her thumb and forefinger. Although the official didn't say anything, he glanced at the kitchen maid standing behind her.
Preventing people from sleeping late at night and peeling so much garlic is clearly bullying. These old hags think they're half masters just because they've served in the mansion for so many years, ordering people around without batting an eye.
The third maid was named Chunzhao. She was much more beautiful than the other maids. Not only was she tall, but she also had beautiful features. Even though she was wearing coarse clothes, her beauty could not be hidden.
Liang Li narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, asking, "Chun Chao, what did you do outside tonight?"
"I didn't do anything. I just felt a bit stuffy, so I came out for some fresh air. I was back in less than a quarter of an hour."
"Going to get some fresh air?"
Chun Chao lowered her head in a panic, "This servant dares not lie."
The last maid was honest and directly admitted that she had gone to meet someone in secret, and that the person she met was Liang Bozhan's illegitimate son. He was so angry that he called his son over and slapped him twice.
All four of them said they had never been to Chen Qinghuai's house, and they didn't know who was lying.
Just as things were at a stalemate, Chen Qingyan whispered something in his cousin's ear.
Chen Qinghuai mustered his courage and said, "That person left in a hurry and tore my clothes at the foot of my bed, leaving a strip of cloth behind..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chun Chao was pressed down by two servants.
"Your Honor, I'm innocent! This servant truly never entered Young Master Huai's room."
Liang Boqing stood up and walked over with his hands behind his back. "When Qinghuai was speaking just now, everyone was looking at the hems of other people's clothes, but you were the only one looking down at your own clothes. What else do you have to say for yourself?"
"I'm innocent! I was just looking down and didn't look at the hem of my clothes!" She tried to argue, but Liang Li didn't give her the chance.
They sent men to her bedroom and found a lot of gold and silver jewelry in the chests. These things were not something a maid could afford to wear. Since she couldn't tell where they came from, it was theft.
Anyone who steals property will be punished with thirty lashes for less than ten coins, fifty lashes for more than ten strings of cash, and tattooed and exiled for one hundred strings of cash. Her jewelry was worth more than one hundred strings of cash, enough for her to be tattooed and exiled.
Chun Chao then became frightened and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. "Master, spare my life! Master, spare my life! Someone paid me to get close to Young Master Huai. They said that if it worked out, I would not only become Young Master Huai's concubine, but also receive a large sum of money!"
Upon hearing this, Liang Bozhan angrily retorted, "Who instructed you to do this!"
“This servant does not know. I only know that a servant named Liang Er from the outer courtyard contacted me, and these jewelry pieces were all delivered by him.”
As luck would have it, this Liang Er was Liang Li's nephew, and his father was working for the Second Master Liang Botao.
Liang Li's face turned pale. He turned to the two masters and said, "I'll go and fetch Liang Er right away!"
Liang Bozhan understood everything. Everyone had seen how much his elder brother valued these three disciples when he returned. His second brother's actions could both anger his elder brother and frame him. It was a brilliant scheme to kill two birds with one stone.
My second brother had long been envious of me managing the family business, but I never expected him to resort to such methods!
Liang Boqing naturally understood what was going on, and wearily waved his hand, saying, "Take this maid away and keep her under control. Everyone else, leave. Don't let a word of tonight's events get out, or I will not let you off the hook if I find out!"
"Yes!" Liang Li quickly had his men take Chun Chao away, while the others returned to their bedrooms to rest.
This commotion made everyone lose their sleepiness, so they simply sat down in their master's room.
Liang Boqing comforted Qinghuai, saying, "You did very well and were not seduced by that maid. You should know that you may encounter all sorts of situations after you enter officialdom. Although such despicable tricks are simple, they are also the most effective. They can disrupt your household. If the inner quarters are not peaceful, the family will be ruined. You must remember this."
Chen Qinghuai and Chen Qingyan nodded and noted it down. There are advantages to living in a small town; most men take one wife and very few take concubines.
Their fathers both married only one woman, so much so that the two of them felt deep down that a man should only marry one woman.
"The second brother will come tomorrow morning. I will definitely make him explain this matter clearly and give Qinghuai justice."
Chen Qinghuai hesitated and said, "Maybe we should just forget about it..." Liang Botao is already quite old, and besides, this matter hasn't caused any irreversible damage.
Chen Qingyan tugged at his younger brother and gently shook his head. This matter was not only about Qinghuai, but also a power struggle among the three brothers in their family. It was best for them not to get involved.
They waited until dawn before Liang Li led his men to the residence of Master Liang the Second and summoned everyone there.
When Liang Botao arrived, he seemed completely unaware of anything. "Brother, why did you call me over so early? What happened?"
Liang Boqing dismissed everyone, leaving only himself and his third brother, Liang Bozhan. "Now that there's no one else around, you don't need to pretend with me anymore. You were the one who ordered that maid to leave, weren't you?"
"I don't understand what you're saying, brother."
Liang Bozhan said urgently, "That maid was acting under Liang Er's orders. Liang Er's father works right next to you. You're saying you didn't know?!"
Liang Botao said with a forced smile, "Third brother, I don't understand what you're saying either. What do you mean by 'I instructed'? Do you have any proof?"
"Fine, fine, do I have to completely break off all ties with you before you'll admit it?!"
"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!"
"Alright, you two, stop arguing!" Liang Boqing slammed his hand on the table, and the two quieted down.
The old man, who hadn't slept all night, looked quite grim. He coughed twice, clenching his fist, and said, "Second son, I already know about the time you hid the notebook in my inkstone. I haven't told you all these years because Father begged me before he died to spare you the hatred of our brotherhood. But why are you so incorrigible?"
The color drained from Liang Botao's face instantly. "Big brother, what are you saying?"
“The day before the provincial examination, you came into my study and switched the inkstone. You hid the inkstone that was switched under the five-drawer cabinet in the east wing.”
"No, no, I didn't..."
Liang Boqing continued, "After the cheating was discovered during the imperial examinations, I sent people to investigate every single person in my household. The servant in charge of sweeping saw you sneak into my study, and I also found the inkstone that had been switched. If my father hadn't stopped you, you would have been sent to the estate long ago."
"No, it's impossible..." Liang Botao was still shaking his head, not knowing whether he couldn't believe that his elder brother knew, or that his father would stop his elder brother from punishing him.
"Otherwise, why would your father separate you from the household so early and let you live on your own?"
Liang Botao slumped to the ground, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. His heavy body and jiggling fat face made him look like a waterlogged pig, a sight that evoked disgust.
Liang Bozhan said, "That Liang Er has already confessed. His father took a lot of gold and silver jewelry and asked him to find a maid to seduce me and frame me, and at the same time ruin the reputation of the three young masters. It's just a pity that you didn't expect that the disciples that your elder brother took in were all people of noble character!"
Liang Botao suddenly burst into tears, “Can you blame me? Can you blame me! I am only two years younger than you, and I have been compared to you since I was a child. You are the eldest son, the son that Father values most. You are exceptionally intelligent, comparable to a child prodigy. You have had all the good things in the world.”
We're both sons of the same father, yet I'm being ridiculed!
“When I was six years old, it was also a winter like this. My father took you to visit friends, and I wanted to go with him. At first, he was unwilling to take me, but later he got impatient with my pestering and took me along. However, he wouldn’t let me into the house, so I could only sit in the carriage with the servant and wait.”
"It was so cold in Yangzhou in November. I sat in the carriage waiting and waiting, until the sun was setting, but you still hadn't come out. I was so hungry and tired that I fell seriously ill when I got back. But my father didn't even say a word of comfort to me!"
"How can this be? What kind of father is this!"
Liang Boqing had long forgotten the incident he mentioned, but his father did indeed like to take him out to visit friends when he was young. Because Liang Boqing was precocious and had an amazing memory, he had read through the Four Books and Five Classics at a very young age, which his father used as a source of pride.
Every time he was taken out, he would show off. After a while, Liang Boqing became unwilling to go out. After all, he was not a monkey and did not like being surrounded by people watching the spectacle.
I never imagined that what happened in my childhood would hurt my half-brother so much.
Standing to the side, Liang Bozhan said, "No matter what, this is no excuse for you to harm others. Father favors your eldest brother because he is capable. If you were capable, would Father not love you?"
"Don't talk like that without understanding the situation. If it weren't for your mother's seductive charm, would you have been able to manage such a large family business?"
"How dare you insult my mother?!" Liang Bozhan reached out and slapped him, and the two men in their forties rolled around like children.
Liang Boqing slammed his fist on the table in anger, "Let go! You two are about to fight! Someone, someone come quick!"
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