Chu Zhao admired someone like him—of upright birth, both civil and martial, diligent in study, neither proud nor impatient!
That girl definitely wasn’t Chu Zhao, just looked like her, or was another Chu family miss, that one called Chu Tang!
The surrounding discussions and emotional fluctuations seemed to last a long time, but actually only took an instant.
In this instant, the middle-aged man holding the whip was first shocked, then immediately informed by his attendant: “Chu Ling’s daughter.”
Chu Ling’s daughter!
The middle-aged man looked at the girl protected in front of the young man.
“Miss Chu,” he asked gravely. “What are you doing?”
……
……
Chu Zhao withdrew her glare at Xie Yanlai and pushed him aside, standing before the middle-aged man.
“I think what you’re doing is wrong,” she said.
Wrong?
The middle-aged man laughed in disbelief: “What does Miss Chu mean? Do you think it’s wrong for us to punish a descendant who harmed so many lives, or—” He smiled with some deeper meaning, “Do you think unconscionable acts are nothing serious?”
The surrounding citizens were in an uproar. Qi Leyun and the other girls couldn’t bother questioning Chu Tang. Liang Qiang standing by the window clenched his fists—
Xie Yanlai behind the girl sneered: “Deserved it. Looking for trouble yourself.”
His voice could only be heard by the two of them.
Chu Zhao ignored him, didn’t care about the surrounding uproar, and wasn’t angered by the middle-aged man’s provocation either.
What a joke. She, Chu Zhao, had died once and just survived a Chu Garden literary gathering. This was nothing but a small scene.
“What I mean is, your Xie family doing this is wrong,” she said. “If you want to punish a descendant who did wrong, just confine him and punish him. Why do it for the world to see?”
The middle-aged man frowned: “This child did evil and ruined our Xie family’s reputation. Of course we must announce it to the world, parade him through the streets. Our Xie family will absolutely not tolerate such behavior. How is this doing it for the world to see? According to Miss Chu, the world doesn’t deserve to see? Our Xie family should close our doors and punish ourselves privately, concealing this matter?”
With that, he cracked the long whip.
“Our Xie family dares to act and take responsibility. We won’t cover up our own failings.”
The surrounding citizens all nodded. Yes, not airing family dirty laundry was what people always did, especially those aristocratic families and powerful nobles. Just imagine if descendants of the Zhao or Yang families did such things—bah, what do you mean “if”? The evil deeds of Zhao and Yang family descendants couldn’t be recorded even with endless writing.
Who had ever seen their families punish them? If victims came to their door, they would instead be beaten away or arrested.
Moreover, how many victims never even had the chance to speak up, but were directly eliminated along with all evidence, roots and all.
The citizens’ expressions were grief-stricken. Thinking this way and looking at the Xie family again, it was truly a heaven and earth difference.
And this Miss Chu dared to say the Xie family was wrong!
The citizens’ expressions became complex. Their gazes at Chu Zhao turned mocking, recalling some old matters. This Miss Chu had also done evil—after beating someone, not only was she not punished, she even ran to their family gate to curse the elders.
Could it be she thought all privileged descendants in the world who did wrong wouldn’t be punished?
Thank goodness there was still the Xie family in this world!
Seeing public sentiment instantly inflamed, Xie Yanlai behind Chu Zhao let out an even louder sneer. Chu Zhao’s expression remained calm.
“Since the Xie family doesn’t conceal this matter, then send him to the authorities. If there’s guilt, judge it accordingly. If he killed people, he should pay with his life. Your Xie family makes such a grand show of parading him through the streets for the world to see—what are you trying to do?”
She turned back to glance at Xie Yanlai and pushed him with her hand.
Xie Yanlai was unprepared and was pushed by this girl, his body turning to show his bare back.
Up close, this blood-soaked back was truly terrifying.
Chu Zhao reached out and touched the vine branches, her fingertip turning red. She held it up before her eyes to examine.
“You let the world see, beat him like this, and the matter is settled?”
“You let the world see, you punished him, and those who died, died in vain?”
“You let the world see, you punished him, and your Xie family’s reputation is perfectly intact?”
Saying this, she looked at the middle-aged man and smiled.
“Long have I heard that Young Master Xie San has an upright reputation and strictly disciplines family descendants. So this is the method.”
The surrounding clamor paused. The middle-aged man’s mocking expression also instantly froze.
This woman was coming for Young Master Xie San?!