Chapter 136: Ruthlessness Runs in the Family

Chu Renjie knew in his heart that he had fallen into someone else's trap.

The ones who had schemed against him were none other than the Madam Shen and the eldest brother.

They had kept him completely in the dark, watching as he personally gathered all the incriminating evidence against the old matriarch.

They watched with their own eyes as he turned against the old matriarch, cutting ties and single-handedly sending her off to prison.

Destroying his own retreat, those vile wretches must be overjoyed in private right now.

It was all his own fault for being too foolish and failing to investigate thoroughly, which had led him to this miserable end.

Chu Mu rose to his feet, ignoring the raving and ranting Second Master Chu. Once today's events spread, Second Master Chu's reputation would be utterly ruined.

How could Chu Renjie watch the person who had harmed him walk away? He lunged directly at Chu Mu.

He completely forgot about the times he had been beaten and abused by Chu Mu.

Seeing Chu Renjie dragging his injured body as he fiercely charged toward him, Chu Mu did not hesitate at all, raising his leg and delivering a vicious kick.

He lashed out fiercely right at Second Master Chu.

He put his entire strength into this kick. Ever since he had regained consciousness after fainting at Pang's estate, he could clearly feel that Ah Zhao's body was recovering.

He was no longer weak and listless, nor was his whole body limp and exhausted; right now, he was brimming with energy.

With a loud thud, Second Master Chu was sent crashing to the ground, landing flat on his back with his limbs splayed toward the sky.

Chu Mu's expression darkened. "Such a foolish wretch, completely overestimating his own capabilities." Chu Renjie truly never learned his lesson after taking a beating.

"Ah... You little bitch... Little bitch... What do you think you are? No matter how useless I am, I am still the third brother's half-brother by the same father! The third brother would never drive me out of the Grand General's Estate. We share a deep fraternal bond! Treating me like this, aren't you afraid I'll have the third brother divorce you?!"

Clutching the spot where Chu Mu had kicked him, Chu Renjie curled up on the ground and writhed in pain. Spasms wracked his entire body, yet his mouth did not stop hurling curses.

Although he was not born of the legal first wife, he was still their father's son.

He and the third brother always shared blood ties.

The third brother would forever be Chu Renjie's backing.

Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an hurriedly ran to Chu Renjie's side.

Their faces were plastered with panic and helplessness. What should they do now?

Their father was not the legal grandmother's son, and he had even sent their biological grandmother to prison.

How were the two of them supposed to survive in the Second House from now on?

Without the protection of their grandmother, who would ever look twice at their Second House?

It was all because their father was brainless and fell into someone else's trap without bothering to investigate properly before sending the old lady to prison.

They completely forgot how malicious their own attitudes toward the old matriarch had been, and how every word they uttered to her had pierced her heart like daggers.

In their minds, it was entirely Chu Renjie's fault alone.

All the blame had nothing to do with them; it was entirely caused by their useless father.

And now, their father was acting like a madman, offending the third aunt. With the grandmother arrested, aside from the third uncle, the third aunt held the highest authority in the Grand General's Estate.

Especially since the third uncle was completely consumed by affairs of the imperial court and the military camp, the third aunt was the only one who could make decisions in the entire general's estate.

Their father was truly muddle-headed! Not knowing how to ingratiate himself with the third aunt at a time like this, they must ensure they were not implicated by their father once again.

If they wished to maintain their dignity as young noble gentlemen, their only option was to butter up the third aunt.

"Father, are you alright?"

"Father, if you're fine, we'll head back to our courtyard first."

Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an spoke in flat tones, neither of them reaching out to pull up Chu Renjie, who was still sprawled on the ground.

Right now, the third aunt must utterly loathe their father; they would not be foolish enough to court disfavor by helping him and thereby displeasing the third aunt.

"What are you two idiots staring for? Why aren't you helping your father up?!" Looking at the expressions of his two sons, Chu Renjie felt rage boiling up to his chest.

What kind of looks were those bastards giving him? He was their father!

Observing the performance of Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an, Chu Mu's dislike for the two of them deepened even further.

He had already witnessed their cold-bloodedness toward Lady Liu, and their ruthlessness toward the old matriarch; and now, he had seen with his own eyes how completely they disregarded Chu Renjie.

All three of these individuals were their closest blood relatives, which just went to show how cold-blooded the two brothers truly were.

Under Chu Renjie's continuous cursing, Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an had no choice but to bite the bullet and help their father up.

The two of them bent down with clear reluctance to support Chu Renjie.

The injuries on Chu Renjie's body had not yet healed, and having just suffered Chu Mu's full-strength blow, his entire body felt as though his bones had been shattered, leaving him without an ounce of strength.

He could only rely on the strength of Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an to get to his feet.

No sooner had Chu Renjie been propped up by the two than they abruptly released their grip, letting him crash right back to the ground before he could even steady himself.

Chu Shanjun was the first to speak up:

"Father, how can you be so clumsy? Such a grown man and you can't even stand properly."

"Exactly. Father, do you have any idea how heavy you are? Just lifting you up used up every last shred of our strength. You'll just have to crawl up yourself; my brother and I simply have no strength left to support you."

As Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an chimed in one after the other, Chu Mu, who had been watching the entire spectacle, couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart for Chu Renjie.

He had seen it clearly just now: Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an had clearly not exerted any real effort at all. The very moment they lifted Chu Renjie, they had disgustedly shoved him forward, which was why he had fallen to the ground once more.

"You two little beasts! You eat my food, live under my roof, and I raised and educated you—is this how you repay me?!" Chu Renjie panted heavily as he glared at the two sons he had always been so proud of.

Chu Shanjun said impatiently, "Father, you really have the nerve to say such things. When have you ever actually earned silver to support me and Shan'an?

Now you come asking us to repay you—well, how did you repay grandmother?

We are merely following your example. Father, you are also a scholar; how can you act like officials are free to burn down houses while commoners are forbidden even to light lamps?"

As they spoke, the two raised their eyes to observe Chu Mu's expression. Surely, this performance was enough to make their current stance clear to her, right?

"You... You... You little beasts! From now on, I will never ask about you again, and you can fend for yourselves and rot! You won't get a single coin of the Second House's wealth!"

Chu Renjie's heart was thoroughly shattered by his two sons.

"Ha! Father, you probably don't even know yet: for your own good, grandmother deliberately kept a major piece of news hidden from you."

Chu Renjie's heart tightened. "What major news?!"

"Mother emptied out the entire Grand General's Estate. Every last coin she got her hands on went to subsidize the Liu family.

It was all squandered away by Liu Jinbao. Now, not only does our Second House not have a single coin left, but the entire Grand General's Estate is cleaned out."

Chu Renjie's eyes bulged in shock. How dare that damned woman Liu!

He had originally figured that even if he rescued the old matriarch, she would no longer be on his side.

As long as he had money in his hands, even without the old matriarch plotting for him, the Second House wouldn't fare too badly.

And now he was being told the money was gone—not just the Second House's money, but the entire estate's fortune had been looted by Lady Liu to support Liu Jinbao.

How was he supposed to conduct himself or survive from now on? What face did he have left to face the third brother?

Unable to bear this relentless barrage of blows any longer, Chu Renjie rolled his eyes and fainted dead away.

Lady Liu and Madam Zheng, who had hurried over, stood there in utter bewilderment. They had just received word that the old matriarch had been arrested by the constables of the Capital Magistrate's Office.

Why was the atmosphere in the inner hall so bizarre right now? Everyone wore expressions of frost and cold indifference.

"Second Master... What happened to Second Master?" Lady Liu hurried over toward Chu Renjie in quick steps.

No one in the inner hall paid her any mind, save for the sound of her own muffled sobbing.

Chu Mu turned to Chu Renqing and said, "Come with me, I have something to say to you."