Chapter 134: You Seek Matricide

Chu Renjie had clearly put a great deal of effort into this, documenting all of the Old Madam’s heinous acts over the years. This included the servants she had tortured and murdered for failing to satisfy her whims, even specifying exactly where their remains were buried.

As Chu Mu listened to Chu Renjie’s litany of accusations against the Old Madam, he couldn't help but think, *What a truly "filial" son he is.* Every single charge was clearly intended to ensure the Old Madam’s demise.

Chu Mu turned his gaze to the Old Madam. Her face was distorted with rage, her eyes flashing with a terrifying, predatory light. It looked as though she wished she could devour the incessantly babbling Chu Renjie alive.

The bailiffs also looked uneasy. They had not expected this seemingly kind and virtuous old woman to have so much blood on her hands, especially given the depravity of her killing methods.

"Shut your mouth, you beast!"

Chu Renjie continued to recite, not only listing the crimes but also condemning the Old Madam’s malice with every word. "Vile woman, are you afraid? I haven't even reached the part about how you murdered my birth mother to take her place. Why are you so agitated? Just listen!"

Chu Renjie recounted everything he had heard and everything he had surmised, speaking with such vivid detail that it was as if he had been present at the scene all those years ago.

Standing to the side, Yu Zihuan was stunned. He truly had an aunt who had been the wife of the Chu family, and most importantly, she had been murdered—driven to her death by this very Old Madam. Their own Yu family had fallen into ruin soon after, their reputation destroyed by the schemes against his aunt. No wonder his father had been so conflicted and helpless when he handed over the marriage contract to him.

But was this Second Master Chu truly his aunt’s son? If his aunt had left an heir in the Chu household, it should have been the Great General, who bore a striking resemblance to his father and even himself.

Chu Renjie turned to the bailiffs. "Why haven't you taken this vile woman into custody yet?" He had evidence for the earlier charges and was still investigating the others. Since the events of the past were long ago, he needed to get her into prison immediately to ensure she couldn't escape justice.

"I’d like to see who dares! I am the Old Madam of the General’s Mansion, the Great General’s own mother. Let’s see who dares to lay a finger on me."

The situation reached a stalemate. The bailiffs were truly afraid to move against her. If any harm came to her, they would be unable to bear the consequences. Furthermore, although Second Master Chu spoke with conviction and claimed to have witnesses and material evidence, they had yet to verify anything and dared not act rashly.

"What is this? You are bailiffs of the Jingzhao Prefecture. Are you going to pretend you don't know about all the wicked things she has done? Had I known, I wouldn't have come to the Jingzhao Prefecture; I would have gone straight to the Dali Temple to report this."

The Old Madam gasped for air. *Damned beast, damned beast.*

Just then, a voice came from the doorway.

"Officers, feel free to proceed. Every charge Chu Renjie has mentioned is true, including the fact that she framed the legitimate mistress all those years ago. I am a witness to those events. I can accompany you to the office to give a statement and provide the evidence of her framing the legitimate mistress."

Chu Renqing walked in as he spoke. He had heard every accusation his younger brother leveled against the Old Madam from outside. He had never known that during all these years in the capital, his mother had been responsible for so many deaths. These people had not deserved to die; they were someone’s children or loved ones. If not for his own indulgence over the years, his mother would never have been able to commit such atrocities under the protection of the title of the General's Old Madam.

"Eldest, what are you saying! Your brother has gone mad, and now you are following suit? You are all trying to drive me to my grave, aren't you?" The Old Madam stood up from her chair in a fit of agitation. What had she done wrong? The children she had raised with such painstaking effort now all wished for her death. Everything she had done was for them! Had they forgotten all the sacrifices she had made over the years?

"Mother, heaven is clear and justice is swift. Do you remember how many conscience-less things you have done? In the dead of night, have you ever seen the faces of those you murdered? The legitimate mistress treated you like a sister; have you never regretted what you did to her? Mother, it is time to atone for your sins. Officers, take her away and bring justice to the innocent souls who died."

"Pfft..." The Old Madam spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the floor. She pointed a trembling finger at Chu Renqing and Chu Renjie in a frenzy. "You... you are trying to commit matricide... this is matricide!"

"Old Madam, what are you saying? Our father is not your son, so how could there be any matricide?"

"Exactly, the Old Madam must be getting senile in her old age."

Two voices rang out from the entrance as Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an walked in together. They approached Chu Renjie, their words dripping with sarcasm and mockery.

"Shanjun, Shan'an, I am your grandmother..." The Old Madam’s heart was bleeding. She had loved them to her very core. Over the years, she had worried herself sick over these two grandsons, fearing that their incompetent father, the Second Master, would hinder their official careers. She had wanted to give them every resource the General's Mansion had to offer.

But these past two days, they had utterly broken her heart as a grandmother.

"You are not our grandmother! Let us say it again: our grandmother is the legitimate wife of the Chu family, and her surname is Yu!" Influenced by Chu Renjie’s brainwashing, Chu Shanjun and Chu Shan'an were convinced that their true grandmother was the Yu woman who had been the legitimate wife and had been murdered by this Old Madam, not the woman who had clawed her way to the top through deceit.

"Retribution... this is retribution! Is this the punishment heaven has sent me?" The Old Madam suddenly began to laugh and cry like a madwoman.

Chu Mu frowned. *Has this vile woman been pushed over the edge into insanity?*

The Old Madam looked at Chu Renjie, who was still urging the bailiffs to act. Then she looked at the two grandsons she had held in the palms of her hands. They looked at her with contempt and deep-seated hatred. They hated her. They actually hated her!

How dare they hate her? Without her, how could they have lived such comfortable lives? How could they have been served by others and enjoyed the fine clothes, exquisite food, and wealth that others could only dream of?

"Second brother, do you truly refuse to acknowledge me as your mother, wanting to seek justice for that slut and see me dead? Have you forgotten everything I have done for you over the years?" The Old Madam stared at Chu Renjie with a desperate intensity.

Chu Renjie let out a mocking laugh. "You vile woman, you were never my mother. Now that you are facing death, you want to play the family card? What have you done for me? If you truly cared for me, would I still be an idle man living off others today? If my legitimate mother were still alive, I would have been wearing official robes and bringing honor to my ancestors in the imperial court long ago, instead of living as a guest in someone else's mansion."

"Ha... haha... so that is what you think. So in your heart, you blame me for your own failures..." The Old Madam’s words caused the Second Master’s face to flush a deep red.

"Vile woman, it is all because of you that I am like this! Don't you dare try to deny it!"

"Bah! Chu Renjie, you brainless fool! Without me, you would have been out begging on the streets long ago. I’ll tell you the truth: you are indeed my own flesh and blood. As for wanting to be the son of that Yu woman, keep dreaming—that will only happen in your next life!"

As she spoke, the Old Madam pointed at Yu Zihuan, who was standing behind Chu Mu.