Chapter 133: Auditing the Investigation

Yu Zihan nodded. He truly wanted to go inside now and find out if the Yu clan mentioned by the Old Madam was indeed his own.

He had never understood the strange and unorthodox marriage contract between the Yu and Chu families. Nor did he know the cause of his own clan’s rapid decline. In his youth, he had once been pointed at and cursed by people who accused the women of the Yu clan of being shameless and unfaithful. Yet, his father only had one brother, and their generation consisted entirely of men—so where could these Yu women have come from? When he had asked his father, his father’s reaction was intense; he said nothing, only telling him to focus on his studies. It seemed the truth was not as it appeared; perhaps he should have had an aunt.

Chu Mu led Yu Zihan into the inner hall.

"Why have you come? Who told you to come here? I did not send anyone to summon you! Get out at once, and tell Mu’er to return to the manor immediately!" When the Old Madam saw Chu Mu and Yu Zihan enter, her face turned as hideous as a demon crawling up from hell. She was certain that the "wretch" Shen was only here because she had received news and wanted to gloat over her misfortune. She would not let this woman have her way.

Chu Mu ignored the Old Madam and looked toward the leading bailiff, questioning, "May I ask who in my household has committed a crime? It allowed this officer to bypass the General and bypass me, the General’s wife, and enter the manor to make an arrest without even a formal notification." Chu Mu was displeased; after all, this was the Grand General’s manor. These bailiffs had not even bothered to announce themselves before forcing their way in. They clearly did not hold the Grand General in any regard.

Before the bailiff could answer, Chu Renjie interjected with annoyance, "What would a woman like you know? This is none of your business, so step aside." Although Madam Shen was the wife of his third brother, he was still the legitimate son of the Chu family. He and Madam Shen had been at odds for days, and he was not about to let her ruin his plans. He had brought these bailiffs into the manor himself; if his third brother were here, he would never let them make an arrest, as the "vile woman" was his own mother. He had to act while the third brother was away to swiftly deal with her, secure justice for his own mother, and reveal his status as the only true legitimate heir of the Chu family.

Chu Mu cast a cold glance at Chu Renjie. Chu Renjie shrank back slightly; he had not fully recovered from his injuries, and for some reason, the look in Madam Shen’s eyes made his wounds ache.

The bailiff bowed respectfully to Chu Mu and said, "We pay our respects to the General’s wife. We are here because the Second Master of this house went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to report a crime. He explicitly instructed us not to notify the manor, and we apologize for any disturbance caused to you, Madame." The bailiffs themselves were unsure of what exactly they were here for or whom they were arresting; they only knew that the Second Master of the Grand General’s manor had reported a homicide. They had simply followed him back to the manor, never expecting to stumble into the private scandals of the Grand General’s household. They wished they had never come.

Chu Renjie’s eyes widened. What were these bailiffs doing? Had he not told them not to alert the enemy? They dared to reveal everything he had told them right in front of Madam Shen—this was a blatant disregard for his authority. A bunch of bootlicking dogs who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

Chu Mu’s gaze toward Chu Renjie grew even colder. Chu Renjie puffed out his chest defiantly and snorted at Chu Mu. What was that look in her eyes? She was merely an inconsequential and unfavored General’s wife—did she think he was afraid of her?

Chu Renjie stiffened his neck and shouted, "So what if I ordered it? Madam Shen, I advise you to stay out of this. The arrest of this vile woman is for the benefit of us both. Have you forgotten how she tormented you all these years?"

Chu Mu had not come to stop Chu Renjie from dealing with his own mother; she was merely displeased that these people did not hold the Grand General’s manor in high regard. Now that she knew it was Chu Renjie’s doing, even that slight dissatisfaction vanished. She said in a cold voice, "Mind your own business. If there is truly a grievance, I will not interfere in the slightest. Officers, do not concern yourselves with anyone’s status; conduct your investigation as usual. I shall remain here to watch and listen so that when the General returns, I can give him an account of these events."

Chu Mu had no intention of leaving; instead, she found a chair and sat down. The bailiffs nodded thoughtfully, taking this as a cue from the General’s wife to investigate thoroughly and cooperate with the Second Master. Yu Zihan glanced at Chu Renjie several times before standing beside Chu Mu.

Chu Renjie shot a look at Madam Shen; at least she had enough sense not to stop him from dealing with the vile woman. The Old Madam’s blood boiled—that wretch Shen actually dared to help the second son humiliate her! And she was even encouraging these bailiffs to investigate without restraint. She was trying to take revenge on her! How dare she! She had ordered her to send someone to the military camp to summon Mu’er; how dared she ignore her commands? Was she not afraid that she would have Mu’er deal with her? And to sit there and watch the investigation—it was a grave insult. If it weren't for the fact that everyone in her courtyard had been subdued by the men the second son had brought, she would never be in such a passive position.

"Madam Shen, did you not hear what I said? I ordered you to go to the camp and bring Mu’er back. How dare you treat my words as wind? You rebellious and unfilial wretch!"

Chu Mu frowned. The vile woman was venting the anger she felt toward Chu Renjie on her. Even though Chu Renjie had defied her so blatantly, she did not call him unfilial; instead, she chose to pin such a label on her, who was merely a bystander, in front of everyone. It was clear she was used to bullying her.

"In reply to the Old Madam, it is not that I am unfilial and refuse to summon the General, but that I am truly powerless to do so. Perhaps the Old Madam is unaware, but soldiers from the capital camp have just reported that the General has fallen into a mysterious coma at the camp and has yet to wake. How would you have me bring him here? Would you have me send men to carry his unconscious body back to the manor? Old Madam, why are you afraid? If you have done nothing wrong, why fear an investigation by these officers? If you have truly committed heinous acts, the General is a man of such integrity that he would never shield you. What difference does it make whether I summon him or not?"

The fact that A-Zhao was in a coma at the camp was no longer a secret, and she used it to silence the Old Madam. The Old Madam choked—first, she was incensed by Chu Mu’s tone; how dared she retort so righteously? Second, she was shocked by the news of Mu’er’s sudden coma. How could he have suddenly fallen into a coma? She had been feeding him fertility-suppressing medicine all along. Could it be that the beast, Du Kang, had secretly poisoned him with something else, causing his condition to flare up? Damn it all! How could it be such a coincidence? Seeing the second son’s determined expression, the Old Madam wished she could slap him a few times to wake the self-righteous, unfilial brute up.

"Stop struggling, you vile woman. Today is the day your evil deeds are revealed to the world!" At Chu Renjie’s words, the Old Madam wished she could sew his mouth shut. She was his mother, the mother who had poured her heart and soul into him—how could he hurt her so? Calling her a vile woman at every turn, determined to drag her into an abyss of ruin.

"Chu Renjie, take these people and get out of my courtyard immediately!"

Chu Renjie sneered and pulled a written accusation from his robes. He had not only reported the case to the authorities but had also hired a legal advocate to draft the charges. He began to read aloud, in front of everyone, the list of the Old Madam’s transgressions.