Mrs. Meng led the people and strode to Mrs. Xin's courtyard. The maids and servants in the courtyard saw her eyes were red and her teeth were gnashing. They were all shocked, and no one dared to come forward to ask questions. Finally, the old woman surnamed Ding beside Mrs. Xin dared to stop: " Madam is sick, and she was frightened by the fire just now. She is lying down right now. Second Madam has something to do, tell me first, and wait for me to report..."
Before she finished speaking, she ate a loud ear shot, leaving a clear five-finger print on half of her face.
The old woman was beaten up - it should be noted that although the two sides have not communicated much on weekdays, but they did so, but they turned their heads, covered their faces, and watched Madam Meng's group crowded in and pushed open the door.
Mrs. Xin was sitting on the bed with a heavy handkerchief on her forehead. She was very anxious. She patted the edge of the bed and urged people to go out to find Brother Quan. Brother Quan is now fourteen years old. At a young age, he developed the habit of gambling. In the past, I only secretly called the little servants to gather at home, throwing dice and betting on small money for fun. From last year, when my father was drunk all day long, the little concubine named Yunniang gave birth to a stillbirth, and then she died. The stepmother Zhou’s house, After three days and two troubles, my grandmother's body was getting worse and worse. She couldn't control herself, so she dared to sneak out and ran to those privately opened dark venues to gamble for money. The people inside knew that he was the grandson of Duke Wei's mansion. Seeing that he was young and a fat fish, all of them held him in their arms. At first, they deliberately let him win some money. He slipped out at both ends, and the more he gambled, the more money he ran out, he started stealing the antiques and utensils in the house, and even before he took the conspicuous things, he even asked him to steal the key to the storeroom, and he secretly assigned one to the storeroom. Unknowingly, she took it out. Mrs. Xin also needed something at the end of last year and found that it was missing. Only then did she find out about it and tell Pei Xiuzhi. Pei Xiuzhi beat Brother Quan hard and locked him up. They called someone to take over the casino again. It’s just that kind of place, changing the field every three days, and the selection is still an open field that is crisscrossing the streets. Some people specialize in the four corners, and they also set a secret code that only their own people know. Before the officers and soldiers arrived, people had already fled. .
Brother Quan has been locked up at home since the end of the year, and he didn't have any money on hand. Seeing that Ben was much more honest, Mrs. Xin thought that her grandson had taken care of her, but she didn't expect that she told him to sneak out the day before yesterday and has not returned yet. , I must have gone to gamble again. I checked it again, but there was no loss of property at home. It was a little strange. Madam Xin was very anxious. Suddenly seeing Meng Shi brought a group of people, they broke in angrily, and was taken aback. There was a fire, and Xiuluo was a little bad. I was the only one who sent people to put out the fire. You came to me to ask if I was guilty?"
The second lady's eyes widened in anger, and she no longer had her usual peaceful appearance. She gritted her teeth and said: "You wicked woman! I used to see my ancestors' sake, so I tolerated you everywhere! You saw my son's success, your heart Dissatisfied, this is why people lock my son in the warehouse and want to burn him to death, right or not? You are so vicious, you are not afraid of retribution on your children and grandchildren? Poor my Luoer, who is he provoking? Who, how could they be so mutilated!
The mother and son were in a heart-to-heart connection, and the second lady burst into tears when she thought of the horror of her son's life being worse than death.
The old woman hurried to Mrs. Xin's ear and explained in detail what happened over there. Mrs. Xin heard that Pei Xiulo's face was completely burnt out, and most of her body was terrible. Listening to the doctor's words, her life was at stake, and she realized that. When the problem was serious, I was taken aback. At this moment, I didn't care about the whereabouts of my grandson, so I sternly called someone to call Zhou Jiao'e and the girl, but unexpectedly, a cheer call came from outside the door: "Madam, it's not good! The second grandmother's door was locked upside down, and no one answered the call, just opened it, and the second grandmother... hanged from the beam!"
Everyone was taken aback and turned around and came out. Mrs. Xin was supported and ran to her son's room in one breath. Seeing that Zhou Jiao'e had been unfastened, she was lying upright on the ground, her face was dark blue, her tongue was sticking out, two The toes were stretched out straight, and there was a deep bruise on the neck. Looking at the early breath, a few maids and servants were running around like headless flies. Her daughter threw herself on the ground, shivering. Crying nonstop.
Seeing this, Mrs. Xin's face turned pale, but Mrs. Meng's eyes widened. Before she poked her finger in Mrs. Xin's face, her expression became more and more agitated: "It's not what I expected! You killed my son first, then turned around. Forcing your daughter-in-law to death again, if you do this, you can leave yourself behind? Afu! Afu!"
Madam Meng turned her head and cried out to Jia Fu while crying: "Afu, you have seen it all! When You An comes back, you must do justice and speak for your aunt, my poor Luo'er..."
She fell into a chair, covered her face and wept bitterly, and the servants who came with her tried to persuade her.
When Jiafu arrived, she looked at Zhou Jiao'e's upright appearance, and was shocked. She hurriedly asked someone to take the girl away to comfort her, and then summoned the imperial doctor.
The imperial physician arrived quickly, rolled his eyelids, touched the side of Zhou Jiao'e's neck with his finger, shook his head, and stepped back.
Jiafu could not believe that Zhou Jiao'e had died like this. Seeing that a woman took a piece of cloth and covered Zhou Jiao'e's body, she could smell the stench in the house, and it was hard to breathe. , turned around and just went out, but saw Mrs. Ding next to Mrs. Xin grabbing a girl's arm, dragged it in from the ground, and pushed it to Mrs. Meng's feet.
Mrs. Xin followed her in and ordered all the idle girls to go down. Only a few confidants were left to leave, so Mrs. Ding pinched the girl on the ground. The girl was Zhou Jiao'e's side, and she was killed in the evening. Seeing the one who went to see Pei Xiuluo, she hid and cried, "Second grandma and third master got together a few years ago, and the third master was about to break up last year, so the second grandmother asked me to secretly send it to the third master in the evening. I sent a message saying that I would meet at the warehouse in the evening. When he came, I would return the things that the third master had sent to him. After the two of them were involved, I only sent a letter. As for how the third master was detained later Go in, how the fire broke out in the warehouse, I don't know, big grandma, big lady, second lady, please forgive me..."
Mrs. Ding put a piece of cloth in the girl's mouth, pulled a rope, and tied the girl.
Mrs. Xin's face was still pale, but compared to just now, she finally recovered a little bit of vitality, staring at the second lady who was still stunned: "Mengshi, you also heard that, if you want to blame this, it's your own son who came here. Seducing my daughter-in-law, now one must get away, the other refuses to let go, the dog bit the dog, and this is how it ended!"
She sneered, "If you want to make things bigger, I'm barefoot and not afraid to wear shoes! If you want to save face for each other, I'll admit that I'm unlucky here. You can go back and take care of your son. It's too ugly to eat. ."
Mrs. Meng's face turned red and white, white and red, and changed a lot.
On the surface, Pei Xiuluo is a gentleman, but in private, he is lecherous, and especially prefers women. In the past, Mrs. Meng had a steward, and the mother-in-law at home was a bit beautiful. After going back and forth, Pei Xiulo actually hooked up with the woman. Fortunately, Mrs. Meng found out and sent the steward couple away. That’s all.
There is no better child than the mother. Pei Xiulo has such a bad habit, how could Madam Meng not know? It's just that she never dreamed that her son would be with Zhou Jiao'e.
Madam Meng suddenly turned to Jiafu: "Afu, don't believe her! How could our Xiuluo do such a thing? This crazy woman, she spit out blood and wants to slander Luo'er!"
She turned back, looked at Madam Xin, and sneered: "Zhou Jiao'e has already been hanged, you can arrange it as you like. A girl's empty words are just a few words, how can you count them? You want to kill my son, but you are still corrupt. His reputation is so vicious! I only put things down in the eyes of You An and Afu. If you dare to say anything bad about him again, I will tear up my face, and I will never leave you. Don't let it go!"
Madam Xin's angry face turned pale again, and she poked Madam Meng with her fingers, trembling uncontrollably, unable to say a word.
"Madam, Madam, my brother is back!"
At this moment, there was a noise outside, and Mrs. Xin hurried out to see that Brother Quan had returned, but he was brought back sideways. Two servants carried him, and his head was wrapped in blood-stained cloth. He was tied up, his face was like golden paper, his face was stained with blood, his whole body was covered with dry mud, as if he had rolled back from the field, his eyes were closed, and he was unconscious.
Yang Yun followed behind.
Mrs. Xin was taken aback and rushed up to "Brother Quan" and "Brother Quan" and called out a few times, straightening her voice to ask for the imperial doctor to come over. The imperial doctor was still observing Pei Xiuluo's burn condition and did not leave. Hearing the news, he hurried over and ordered the whole brother to be carried into the house and put down to start treatment.
The Imperial Physician dealt with Brother Quan's injury with a very solemn expression.
When the imperial doctor was busy, Yang Yun came to see Jiafu and said that Mr. Pei knew that secret gambling in Beijing was increasingly rampant, ranging from white-haired old men to ignorant teenagers, many people went bankrupt, and Quan Xun's children participated in it, and the legacy was endless. He also mentioned Brother Quan to Yang Yun, and ordered the five army governors to clear the blockage with all his strength, and asked him to participate together. If he saw Brother Quan, he would be arrested. Yesterday, Yang Yun and the people from the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion received news and rushed to a mountain col, a hundred miles west of the city, to destroy a large-scale dark casino that had been hidden there for some time, and arrested them. Hundreds of gamblers were gathered. When searching nearby for those who escaped, they found Brother Quan who had been thrown in in a stinky ditch.
Brother Quan's head was smashed with a hole by a big rock. Not only did the man strike very hard, but he also fell into the ditch upside down, apparently trying to kill him. Fortunately, he found it in time and gave some treatment at that time. Only then did he barely save his life, and Yang Yunxian sent him back overnight.
The imperial doctor was busy, dressing Brother Quan's wound again, and blowing some powder into his nostrils. After a while, Brother Quan finally woke up slowly, but his mouth and eyes were crooked, the corners of his mouth were drooling, and his eyes were staring at Madam Meng beside him. , the mouth kept opening and closing, as if trying to speak.
The doctor said that he was seriously injured on the head, and it is not easy to wake up like this. This face is also the sequelae of the severe head damage. Not only can he recover in the future, but whether he can survive or not, it also depends on the will of God. After speaking, he sighed. With a sound, he shook his head and stepped out.
Heartbroken, Mrs. Xin stepped forward and hugged her grandson, but she heard Brother Quan struggling, and said vaguely, "Uncle Third and stepmother are good friends... I saw it before... I just asked Uncle San to ask for some money... Uncle Third but it will kill me..."
After Brother Quan finished speaking, he rolled his eyes and passed out again.
The room fell into a dead silence, only Mrs. Xin's mourning and crying sound remained.
Gave was stunned.
This night, the accident happened one after another, which made people overwhelmed.
At this point, the context of the matter finally became clear.
It seems that Pei Xiulo and Zhou Jiao'e started fornication many years ago and were discovered by Brother Quan, but he didn't say it, and only blackmailed Pei Xiulo. So he arranged for someone to wait for an opportunity to attack his nephew in a casino outside the city, in order to eliminate future troubles.
At the same time, it should be that he was anxious to distance himself from Zhou Jiao'e, but Zhou Jiao'e refused, perhaps because the conditions were not met, perhaps because she really fell in love with this third master, and was forced to be anxious, and she couldn't think of it for a while. This is what made such a lose-lose thing.
Madam Meng remembered her son's injury, and just wanted to leave first, but when she heard that her son was mentioned by Brother Quan, she stopped and listened carefully. When she heard it clearly, she was furious, rushed up, and shouted sharply. : "Your big room, one by one, are you going to take turns to put my son to death? I can tell you that my son was born in a dignified scholar. , I will vouch for him with my life!"
Mrs. Xin stared at the grandson, who rolled her eyes, her hands and feet were twitching constantly, her eyes were black with bursts of blackness, she grabbed a woman nearby, calmed down, turned her head slowly, and stared at Meng fiercely. Madam looked at it for a moment, then suddenly turned to Jiafu and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law! I have nothing to say now! What happened when You An was sixteen years old, whether it was the old lady or your husband and wife, I am afraid that They all agreed that I did it, and that concubine's life was also caused by me!"
"My injustice! I didn't know it at the time, but now I understand it. I was in a daze. Not only did I get in the way, I was also used by others and took the name of murder in vain!"
The past twenty years ago, scene by scene, came to mind.
At that time, Mrs. Xin had just lost her husband, but her grief could not make her suppress her hatred for the eldest son who stole everything from her son.
Just when that kind of hatred kept gnawing at the bottom of her heart, in the middle of the night, she was woken up by a woman beside her and told her that when she came out just now, she saw the prince's concubine, hanged by the eldest son. before the yard.
Mrs. Xin was shocked at first, and immediately went to inform the old lady, but the old lady said that it must be the eldest son who was interested and offended the aunt left by the deceased father during the period of filial piety. In front of the eldest son's courtyard gate? If this matter spreads, I am afraid that the eldest son will be ruined and his reputation will be ruined, and there will be no place for him in this palace.
Mrs. Xin was moved by such a sentence.
In her subconscious, she didn't believe that the 16-year-old innocent boy would do such a thing. There must be other reasons for the death of the concubine and the corpse hanging outside his door, but another voice in her heart did not. He kept urging her and made her choose to believe this statement, so she acquiesced, as if she didn't know. The next day, terrible rumors spread throughout the whole house, and Mrs. Pei didn't even have time to suppress the servant's mouth. It has already reached the ears of the Censor.
Mrs. Xin turned to Mrs. Meng, whose face changed slightly, her eyes were bloodshot, she stared at her viciously, and forced her towards her.
"You bitch! I didn't do that. Who else is there besides you in this Pei family? It's just that for so many years, I've never understood why you are so good at killing that concubine? He even asked people to touch the concubine's genitals. Duke Wei obviously never touched her, but she was lost at the time. Now I can understand it! It must be your son who killed Qiandao who touched her. Concubine, maybe he strangled her to death. You were afraid of being found out and ruining your son's future, so you came up with such a poisonous plan, which not only framed me, but also framed You An, and made me and his mother and son turn against each other. So far it's a stranger!"
Mrs. Xin looked at Jia Fu, and two lines of regretful tears rolled down.
"Old people, I know I can't be sorry for You An, and now I don't have the face to ask your husband and wife to forgive me. I just hate that I was too stupid back then, and someone saw my mind and set up this evil plan to trick me into it. That old woman is long gone. Now that I think about it, it was hers at the beginning. In order to protect her son, she not only harmed me, but also harmed You An, who has nothing to do with her! This aunt of yours, with a vicious heart, is now You should have counted it. My words just now, every word and every word, are all true, if there is a half of it false, I will die!"
Gave was completely shocked.
She had always thought that the person who forced Duke Wei's concubine to death and set up a bureau to frame Pei You'an was Madam Xin, but she never thought that there would be such twists and turns in the middle.
She looked at Mrs. Meng Er.
In her impression, when she was young, her mother mentioned to her more than once, how gentle and meticulous her sister, who was married to the capital of the capital, was in the boudoir, and the two sisters were deeply in love. , I remembered later, and I still miss it very much.
What happened to make a sister in the boudoir who can remind her mother for many years to become such a woman who is greedy, extremely selfish, and ignores the life and death of others
Madam Meng Er suddenly let out a strange cry and rushed towards Madam Xin viciously, beating her while scolding her, her face was red and her hair was disheveled. Where is the demeanor of a court woman
"Stop me all!"
Jia Fu couldn't bear it any longer and shouted sharply.
Mrs. Meng shuddered, stopped, turned her face slowly, and looked at Jia Fu for a while, her face gradually turned pale, and she kept shaking her hand: "Afu, you must not listen to her! She Full of nonsense, she lost her mind and went crazy! She hated me so much, and she hated you and You An so much, and up to now, she is still sowing discord!"
Jiafu ignored it, took a step back, and looked around the confidants of the two ladies who were present. Seeing that they all looked like mourning concubines, she said coldly: "Tonight's affairs are limited to this, when the uncle comes back, I will be with him. Explain, what should be done, everything is up to him. If half a sentence is spread, all of you who are present will be killed, regardless of right or wrong!"
The servants hurriedly knelt down, saying they didn't dare.
Mrs. Meng slumped to the ground, her eyes were straight, and she was motionless.
"Second madam, third master is not well-"
Suddenly there was a call from Zhang Huang outside. As if stabbed by a needle, Meng Shi struggled to get up from the ground, murmuring, "Luo'er, mother is here, mother is here—" Pushing away the person in front of her, she stumbled out.
Jiafu turned around and went out of the house, passed the road, and saw Pei Xiuzhi still drunk on the ground, with a servant next to him calling in his ear, but he closed his eyes and fell asleep, then stopped. , called someone to bring a basin of cold water and poured it on his head.
Pei Xiuzhi screamed, opened his eyes, sat up, and looked up to see Jiafu standing in front of him, brows furrowed, looking down at him, his eyes were clear, 70% disgusted, 30% contempt, he couldn't help feeling ashamed, and he didn't dare to make peace with him. She looked at each other and slowly lowered her head.
"Pei Xiuzhi, you are in vain as the son of the prince! As long as you have the masculinity of your father, you will not live as such a waste, harming others and yourself! The pain my husband has experienced, from childhood to adulthood, will only be better than you. More! I advise you, instead of complaining about the injustice all day long, it is better to think more about the fierceness of your ancestors in the Pei family. As a descendant of the descendants, how should you act accordingly, otherwise, you will not regret death, but I ask you What face is there, to meet the ancestors in the underground of your Pei family?"
After Jiafu finished speaking, she turned and left.
Pei Xiuzhi stared blankly at her back, dripping wet with water, sitting there, motionless.