Chapter 96 The Past Chapter 96 The Past...
Chapter Ninety-Six: The Past
Before Gongzi Yu's biological father was removed from the list of those responsible, and before Gong Jiu called himself Gong Jiu and before both his parents were alive, the two of them would often meet at various banquets. This was probably because they both thought everyone else was foolish, were the same age, and got along quite well.
At first, they did get along quite well. But overly intelligent people always think they are the smartest, and the two of them once argued over a case in Kyoto.
At that time, there was a wealthy family in Kyoto. The wife had been widowed for many years and lived with her son. However, three years after her son and daughter-in-law got married, when the daughter-in-law was eight months pregnant, she poisoned her son and killed him. This case shocked the entire city of Kyoto, because there had never been a case in Kyoto where a mother who lived with her son had murdered him.
The case was investigated by the then-young Zhuge Zhengwo. He had a gut feeling that there was more to the case than met the eye, so he spent time investigating. He later learned that this woman had not only killed her son, but had also killed her husband before that. In other words, she had killed both her husband and son.
For a time, a huge clamor arose in Kyoto demanding that the lady be cut in half at the waist, as if her crimes were so heinous that only death could appease public anger. The men, in particular, felt a chill run down their spines at the thought of their own wives harming them. They wanted to suppress this possibility, so they strongly demanded that the lady be cut in half at the waist.
However, Zhuge Zhengwo discovered the previous details: the woman killed her husband, and her mother-in-law did it with her, because her husband was a devil who took pleasure in killing. At that time, some beggars in the capital were lured home by her husband, who would humiliate and torture them before dismembering them alive into five pieces and burying them in the garden.
The woman and her mother-in-law had tried to dissuade her husband, but were beaten by him. After the woman was five months pregnant, her mother-in-law drugged her husband, and the two women stabbed him to death with knives, claiming he died of a sudden illness.
Because even the lady's mother-in-law said so, no one doubted it. Later, the lady's mother-in-law passed away, leaving her and her son to depend on each other. Everything was going well; she got married and had children, and everything seemed perfect.
It wasn't until the wife discovered that her son, bored after his wife became pregnant, went to a brothel and returned as if he had changed his personality. He began to lure beggars or poor children from outside the city back to him, just like his biological father, to abuse, torture, and bury their bodies, just like his father.
He had never met his biological father, and he was a posthumous child, yet he looked exactly like his biological father.
The woman was overwhelmed with grief, so she harmed her son. Her mother-in-law couldn't accept that her grandson had a murderer as a father, and neither could she. But this time, the woman's actions were discovered. Both father and son died suddenly from illness—how could this be? So the woman was reported to the authorities by her neighbors, and the truth came out.
As the truth came to light, most of the women began to sympathize with the woman and called for leniency. However, almost all the men disagreed. How could a woman who had killed her husband and children live? If she lived, wouldn't that mean women could retaliate?
The men, upon considering this, vehemently disagreed. The late emperor, being a man himself, naturally disagreed as well. The crown princess even argued with the late emperor about this matter and was subsequently placed under house arrest. Ultimately, the lady was sentenced to death by hanging. Because her daughter-in-law was unaware of the affair and, having lost her husband, was also a pitiful person, she was spared.
Although the case was closed, it was still being discussed by everyone in Kyoto. Young Master Yu and Gong Jiu, despite their young age, were too clever for their age, and they also spoke about it. Young Master Yu thought that the Madam had been too lenient; if she had been more ruthless, the truth would never have come out. Furthermore, he believed that the Madam and her daughter-in-law were both involved in killing their son.
However, Gong Jiu believed that only the Madam was responsible, and that she didn't actually need to kill anyone. He argued that if she had crippled, paralyzed, or rendered mute and kept the person at home, they wouldn't have been discovered, and they wouldn't have died. Furthermore, he didn't believe the Madam's daughter-in-law was involved; he thought that was just Gongzi Yu's imagination.
At that time, everyone in the capital knew of Zhuge Zhengwo's abilities. Yet, Gongzi Yu claimed that something had been discovered even by him. What else could this be but conjecture?
The two insisted on their own arguments, neither able to convince the other, and somehow, they started fighting. Gongzi Yu knocked out one of Gong Jiu's teeth—even though Gong Jiu was in the process of losing her baby teeth, and the tooth was already a bit loose—and the commotion alerted the Crown Princess.
After that, the two of them couldn't get along at all when they met, and neither of them spoke to the other. Just when they wanted to talk to each other calmly, that incident happened at the Prince Taiping's mansion, and Gong Jiu's personality changed drastically, losing all her former gentleness. Then, Gongzi Yu's biological father did something foolish and was removed from his post. For Gongzi Yu's life, the Crown Princess sent him to Shen Lang's side.
Gongzi Yu and Gong Jiu hadn't seen each other since before they came of age. After they grew up, neither of them were good-natured; one was sinister, the other aloof, and they'd resort to violence at the slightest provocation. And adult violence was nothing like childhood violence; they were deadly, which further worsened their relationship.
"What was the truth behind that case back then?" Ling Hao asked.
Gongzi Yu was not surprised that Ling Hao was most concerned about that case; otherwise, she wouldn't be herself. "Perhaps there really is karma. Madam's husband was killed by her and her mother-in-law together, and Madam's son was killed by her and her daughter-in-law together. But in order to protect her daughter-in-law, Madam never revealed a single word."
Ling Hao thought for a moment, "It was Uncle who found out, right?"
“Yes.” Gongzi Yu nodded. “Back then, after Uncle Shi found out, he went alone to question that lady. The lady knelt before Uncle Shi in prison, begging him to keep it a secret and spare her daughter-in-law. The lady knew she was doomed, but she wanted to fight for her daughter-in-law’s life. The late emperor ordered the lady to die, and Uncle Shi had no choice but to help save her daughter-in-law.”
Just as he had suspected, his wife and daughter-in-law were both involved in the murder.
"Where is that child?" Linghao asked again.
"It's born, it's a girl," Gongzi Yu replied.
"That's great." Ling Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily, it's not a boy." She always felt that the men in that family had a criminal gene in their blood, which was terrifying. It's better to have a girl; she won't go down the same path.
Gongzi Yu said with a smile, "That's what Uncle Shi said back then too."
Ling Hao suddenly looked Gongzi Yu up and down, "You don't know where that girl is, do you?"
Gongzi Yu raised an eyebrow. "Why does Ahao think so?"
"Hmm, it's just a gut feeling," Ling Hao thought for a moment and replied, "I don't know why, it's just that feeling."
“Your feeling is correct, I do know.” After leaving Shen Lang, Gongzi Yu thought of the case from back then and had someone investigate. “She is doing very well now, living in Jiangnan with her mother. She is very resilient, like her grandmother, upholding the family.”
"That's good." Hearing this, Ling Hao finally showed a relieved smile. "So, you and Gong Jiu don't really have any deep-seated hatred, then why do you still fight every time you meet?"
"I just dislike him when I see him," Gongzi Yu replied after thinking seriously. "I find him annoying, and he probably feels the same way about me." There's no need for a reason to dislike someone; Gongzi Yu simply disliked Gong Jiu.
As they spoke, they returned to the villa and stood in the garden. Ling Hao stopped and looked up at Gongzi Yu, "Yu, do you know why Gong Jiu calls himself Gong Jiu?"
Gongzi Yu waved his hand, signaling all the people hiding around to leave, and then replied, "I know, he wants to rebel and ruin the reputation of Prince Taiping, so that he will be cursed forever." He smiled, as if he had thought of something, "Gong Jiu used to be a simple-minded person, and he still is. He actually wants to take revenge on Prince Taiping in this way."
If he were to take action, he would be far more meticulous. Not only would he be able to escape unscathed, but he would also condemn his opponent to eternal damnation, a fate worse than death.
Ling Hao was extremely surprised, "How did you know?"
“I found out.” Gongzi Yu pulled Ling Hao to sit down in the pavilion. “He was clearly in good health, but he had always claimed to be seriously ill and recuperating at home. I felt something was wrong, so I went to the Prince of Taiping’s residence myself, and then I discovered that the Prince of Taiping’s heir was a fake. As I continued to investigate, I found something amiss, connected everything, and, thinking about Gong Jiu’s hatred for the Prince of Taiping, I guessed a few things. His actions over the years have also proven my guess to be correct.”
At that time, Gongzi Yu had not yet met the adult Gong Jiu. Although he didn't care much about him, he didn't want him to die, so he went to investigate himself. He found out that Gong Jiu was practicing martial arts on an unnamed island, and after investigating other things, he guessed his purpose.
"He is indeed very smart in some aspects, but in others, he is incredibly stupid." When he said this, Gongzi Yu's expression was somewhat complicated, not just simple disdain and mockery, but also seemed to carry a bit of concern. "That Wu Ming is clearly using him to achieve his own goals, and that idiot Gong Jiu is actually willing to be Wu Ming's knife, ha."
Ling Hao hadn't expected that Gongzi Yu knew everything. It seemed that compared to Gong Jiu, he was the ultimate villain. "Does His Majesty know about Gong Jiu?"
“I know.” Gongzi Yu nodded. “I already told her back then.”
"So you're not going to do anything about it?" Ling Hao asked, a little curious. Such a serious matter as treason—were he and the emperor really going to let it go unchecked?
Gongzi Yu suddenly smiled, as bright as the sunshine at that moment. "Ah Hao, do you know how many people want to rebel?"
Linghao shook his head.
“From the past to the future, there will always be a number of people plotting rebellion.” Gongzi Yu’s expression was cold. “There will always be some people who think they are different, who think they can do it all. Wu Ming is just one of them. What is known is much more controllable than what is unknown.”
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Author's Note: Little Gong Jiu clutched her teeth and wailed, while Little Gongzi Yu, his face covered in bruises, looked on with disdain. [Sprinkling flowers]
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