Chapter 92: Luring the Bastards Into the Trap

He had simply seized what belonged to the Du family and made use of it for himself.

Ah, how infuriating.

Shen Zhao shot an eye-roll at the exasperated Du Qian’an. She was hardly a paragon of virtue.

Now that Du Kang was a servant sold into the Chu household, she had nothing to fear.

“Lord Du said it himself: a gentleman must keep his word. But I am merely a rough soldier; I never claimed to be a gentleman. Whether I keep my word or not has nothing to do with me. That is a matter for you scholars.”

“Besides, warriors like us usually call ourselves heroes. It is you scholars who insist on calling yourselves gentlemen.”

Du Qian’an nearly choked on his own anger. Had gentlemanly conduct ever been argued like this?

You surnamed Chu, what sort of crooked nonsense is this?

“You... Is General Chu not afraid that my Du family will abandon Du Kang?”

She truly was not afraid. If the Du family had truly meant to abandon Du Kang, Du Qian’an would not still be standing here threatening her.

He would have long since turned on his heel and left.

Why would he stand here, swallowing his anger until his face and neck flushed red? That fine fox-like face of his was already losing all its seductive charm.

For some reason, she kept feeling that he had a trace of foolishness in him, enough to make him unworthy of that face.

“Lord Du, do mind the road on your way out. Shall I have a servant see you off?”

Du Qian’an: ...

He was not leaving.

You surnamed Chu, I can bend and I can endure. Just wait until I catch your weakness, and I will make sure you suffer for it, down to the bone.

Phew.

“General Chu, you really are fond of joking. I never said I was leaving. You must not drive away a guest.”

“I am not in the habit of joking, nor do I like being threatened. Lord Du, put away those petty schemes of yours.”

The little wretch still thought to cross blades with her? He had lost sight of what mattered. Did he not know who was begging whom right now? She would anger him to death.

“You...” A flush of anger rose to Du Qian’an’s face.

“Hm? What about me, Lord Du?” Her tone remained utterly calm, yet it made Du Qian’an want nothing more than to rush forward and tear him apart with his teeth.

“General Chu is forthright and upright in all things. I am deeply admiring of you!” Du Qian’an’s words were practically ground out between clenched teeth.

“I know. No need to praise me!”

Du Qian’an: The man surnamed Chu was truly shameless. Know what, exactly? Know his own worth? Ridiculous.

All his earlier compliments were pure nonsense, not to be taken seriously.

Aside from Shen Zhao and Du Qian’an, everyone else was completely bewildered by the exchange.

Chu Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. He had his suspicions. Du Qian’an’s visit to the Grand General’s residence was likely for Du Kang.

And from the way they were speaking, it seemed Zhao had reached some sort of agreement with Du Qian’an.

He would have to ask Zhao about it later. He must not let her suffer any loss in silence.

The old madam, frantic with worry, had no patience to listen to Mu’er and the Du-surnamed lord go on jabbering.

What mattered most now was stopping the second son and getting rid of Du Kang.

“Mu’er, at a time like this, the important thing is to send someone to stop your second brother and to deal with Du Kang according to the family rules. It is not the time to stand here and waste words with someone irrelevant.

Du Kang is a scourge. He must not be kept alive!”

Du Kang, having just caught his breath, was shaking with rage.

That vicious woman! How desperately she wanted him dead.

How little she thought of him.

She knew full well what his origins were, and still kept calling him a servant.

Yes, he had served in the Chu household all these years, but who was he doing it for?

If not for the sake of the three of them, mother and sons, why would he ever have chosen to become a servant to be ordered about at will?

Without him, with the old madam’s background, how could she ever have married into the Chu family?

The Chu family had not enjoyed the glory it did now back then, but it was still a family of officials.

The old madam was only the daughter of a fallen scholar, and worse, a motherless daughter at that. Among the three women not to marry, one was a motherless daughter.

If not for his help, she would never in her life have entered the gates of an official household.

It was hateful that in those days, in order to escape his merchant status and flee the Du family, the old madam had refused to marry him.

That was why he had taken the risk and sent her, already carrying his child, into the Chu family.

If he had known he would come to such a day, he should never have pitied her in the first place.

Shen Zhao let out a soft sigh. “Old madam, the upright need not fear slander. If you truly have been wronged, what is wrong with letting Second Brother report the matter to the authorities? No matter how much you talk now, he will not believe you.

Why not let him see the truth for himself? Then, without you saying another word, he will believe you. After that, he will only be more filial to you.

The more you try to stop him now, the more suspicious he will become of you. In the end, it will only deepen Second Brother’s hatred.”

Her meaning was very clear.

She would not stop the second young master from reporting it to the authorities.

Rather than having Chu Mu and herself reveal the truth behind the death of Chu Mu’s birth mother, it would be better to let the second young master and the officials uncover it.

By then, no explanation from them would be needed; the world would believe the truth on its own.

After all, the one who went to the authorities would be the toxic woman’s own son, and the ones to uncover the truth would be the authorities.

Perhaps Chu Mu would even gain a wave of sympathy out of it.

After all, aside from the rumors that he was unpopular, Chu Mu also had a reputation for extraordinary filial devotion.

The old madam was wrung tight with worry, yet she understood Mu’er’s meaning.

From his words, it was not hard to hear that Mu’er believed her.

Precisely because he believed her, he was willing to let the second son report the matter and clear her name.

If she were truly innocent, she would be grateful for Mu’er’s sincere heart.

But she was not innocent.

Once it was exposed...

The consequences were unimaginable.

“Mu’er, do you no longer intend to listen to your mother’s words either? The second son is muddle-headed, and now you mean to follow him into muddle-headedness as well? Hurry and send someone to stop him...”

After thinking it over, the old madam realized that she might be able to have Mu’er stop the second branch once, but she could not have him stop them every single day.

If no one from the second branch could step out of the Grand General’s residence, then no matter how great the second son’s abilities were, he would never be able to report the matter to the authorities.

Her tone shifted as she said, “Send the mansion guards to keep the people of the second branch under watch. Also send someone to ask the second son’s tutor for leave on his behalf.

And Shan Jun and Shan An too—have them stay in the residence these few days and take good care of the second son. Send someone to the Imperial College to request leave for them as well.”

Shen Zhao answered, “Yes, Old Madam. I will issue the orders at once.”

She would indeed issue the orders. How she chose to issue them was another matter.

The second son was her good Second Brother. One side was the old madam, the other was Second Brother; she could not be seen favoring one over the other, could she?

While helping the old madam, she would also help Second Brother, naturally. For example, she could make sure the people of the second branch endured all manner of trials and tribulations before “escaping” from the Grand General’s residence.

For example, she could help the second branch spread the word far and wide.

The tighter the old madam kept the second branch under watch, the more convinced the second branch would become that what they now believed was true.

Thinking of how to help spread the word for the second branch, Shen Zhao suddenly thought of someone.

Her little brother, Xie Yuheng.

A few days ago, that fellow had publicized her grand feat of weeping, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself in the imperial court all over the capital.

He was the perfect person for this kind of thing.

Far away in the camp at the capital, where he was waiting with his maternal grandfather for Shen Zhao to come, Xie Yuheng sneezed pitifully.

He muttered, “Whose young lady is missing me now? If you miss me, just say so boldly. If the person is good enough, I’ll marry her... no, I mean, I’ll marry her...”

After settling the matter of the second son reporting to the authorities, the old madam’s eyes fixed on Du Kang.

It was time to take his dog life.

If the third son would not strike, she had other ways to force him to do it.

The blood feud of a murdered father could never be shared under the same heaven.