bullyxtreme Chapter 496 Muddy Waters
Chapter 496 Muddy Waters
Lady Wu Guogong knew very well in her heart that since she had come to ring the drum to report the incident today, she had no way out.
She just didn't want to give in anymore, so she went to the throne room.
She glanced at Duke Wu.
The man who occupied her entire heart during her girlhood, now appeared in her eyes in a very hideous and disgusting way.
Once upon a time, he and I were a pair of fairy lovers. We had love in our childhood, shared the ups and downs after marriage, and even walked hand in hand in the turmoil of war.
But that hand in hand now seems very ridiculous.
His falling in love with someone else has already betrayed the vows they made on their wedding day.
She tolerated letting her concubine in once, thinking about it for the sake of her husband's face and the integrity of the family, but the consequence of her tolerance was that she kept giving in, again and again.
The great scholar whom she had painstakingly sought out for her son was asked by her aunt to teach the illegitimate son.
She took great care of the household and tried her best to solve all of Duke Wu's troubles. Over the years, after several wars, the family was already overwhelmed. What's more, the people in Duke Wu's mansion had to maintain the face of an old noble family. She thought of almost every way to make money, and finally supported the food, clothing and other expenses of the entire Duke Wu's mansion.
She was so busy trying to maintain her family's dignity and financial well-being that she neglected her own son's upbringing. She had originally thought that by finding a great scholar and martial arts expert for her son, she could raise him, if not a well-rounded scholar, but at least a learned and well-mannered man who knew some martial arts and could protect himself. Little did she know that, in her busy life, with the connivance of Duke Wu, her concubine had killed her child.
Not only that, she also secretly instigated others to take her son to live a life of debauchery, eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring! In the end, he contracted that dirty disease.
During the years when her son was ill, she had endured so much contempt and grievances at home. She had no one to talk to and could only swallow her anger and anger.
When she was trying her best to save her son's life, Duke Wu and his concubine actually joined forces with the elders of the family and forced her to acknowledge the illegitimate son and even asked for the illegitimate son to be named the crown prince.
Originally, she thought that if her son really died, she would burn down the Wu Guogong Mansion and burn all the wealth and glory earned with her flesh and blood, so that she and her son could leave the world cleanly, but now her son's illness has been cured.
Then she couldn't burn it all herself! She wanted to see everything that Duke Wu and that bitch had achieved come to nothing. She wanted to protect her property and ensure a stable and peaceful life for herself and her son for the rest of their lives.
She knew that going to the palace today might not necessarily help her son regain the title of the Duke of Wu's Prince, but she also knew that if she did not take this step now, she and her son would completely become two insignificant wronged souls in the Duke of Wu's Mansion.
Duke Wu and that bitch can't tolerate her and her son!
Sooner or later, she and her son will die in the backyard of Duke Wu's mansion, and everything she has worked hard for in half her life will be used to make wedding dresses for others!
So she has no way out today.
Seeing her so resolute, Duke Wu's heart ached for no reason.
"Come on, thirty strokes of the cane!" Emperor Longchang said with a frown.
He was beaten with the cane thirty times in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.
This is a shameful thing even for a man, let alone a woman.
The wife of the Marquis of Pingnan gave birth in the main hall a few days ago, and a few days later, the wife of the Duke of Wu also gave birth in the main hall!
No one in the court said a word. Some watched with gloating pleasure as the wife of Duke Wu was pinned down in front of the hall and beaten. Some turned their backs and sighed in pain. Others looked at Duke Wu with strange eyes.
After about an incense stick of time, the thirty beatings of the cane were completed, and the wife of Duke Wu was supported by someone and returned to the main hall.
She was already pale with pain, and cold sweat covered her face, which still had a bit of Xixi's charm. After the beating in court, she knelt under the red jade with trembling all over, her hands still holding high her petition.
Even though Emperor Longchang hated that Lady Wu was looking for trouble at this time, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
That’s all.
He waved his hand and someone took the complaint and presented it to Emperor Longchang.
Emperor Longchang unfolded the petition and took a look at it. Just one look and his frown deepened!
What did he see?
Duke Wu actually colluded with the Minister of Revenue to embezzle military pay?
This is not just a private matter of Duke Wu's Mansion!
He read the complaint carefully from beginning to end, and then read it again.
"Luan, is what you said in the petition true?" Emperor Longchang looked at the wife of Duke Wu, whose face was as pale as paper and still trembling, with a dark look on her face.
"Every word I said is true!" Lady Wu said gritting her teeth.
"Do you have any evidence?" Emperor Longchang asked in a deep voice.
"Yes!" Lady Wu nodded. "I know of a courtyard in Rong Lane that contains some account books. While incomplete, they are sufficient to confirm what I have said."
Upon hearing this, Duke Wu's face suddenly changed. He looked at his wife in disbelief. "What are you talking about? What yard? What account book?" What exactly was written on that complaint? Hadn't she been brought to the throne room and beaten with a stick to accuse him of lax household management and allowing his concubine to harm her son? Why did she mention that house again? How did she know about it?
Duke Wu's head buzzed for a moment, and then everything went blank. Cold sweat broke out on his face without him noticing.
Lady Wu Guogong didn't even bother to look at him, and stared straight at Emperor Longchang. Even though this was considered an insult to the emperor, she didn't care. She was not afraid of death now, so why would she be afraid of those trivial things?
Emperor Longchang nodded and said, "Come here! Take people to search that courtyard. I want to see if what Luan said is true."
This sudden change caused the originally silent court to suddenly become turbulent.
Everyone stared at the scene in front of them in amazement and couldn't help but whisper to each other.
"What do you mean?" Xue Ziyi tugged at Wei Ling's sleeve, a little puzzled. "Why do I feel like there's something else written on this petition?"
He already knew about the little things that happened in Duke Wu's mansion.
But judging from His Majesty's behavior now, this is not just a simple family affair of the Duke of Wu's Mansion.
"Look, Duke Wu is sweating." Wei Ling smiled softly, covering his lips and saying, "This matter is definitely not trivial!"
Isn’t this a big deal?
Since Chen Xinghe had the Lady of Nanping throw a bomb that set off a storm in the court, he could also throw another brick to continue muddying the waters!