SFS Chapter 15 Begging for Mercy
Chapter 15 Begging for Mercy
Shen Wenying made no attempt to hide her disgust and spat on Xu Biyun's face to express her anger.
Madam Qiao felt dizzy and her vision blurred. She wished she could faint right then and there, but she was perfectly lucid.
She glanced at Li Pu furtively, her heart pounding on the edge of a precipice.
Li Pu's face was so black it looked like ink could drip from it, his eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and the scripture in his hand was already crumpled into a ball.
His eyes and brows were no longer as kind as they had been during the day; disgust was now evident in his expression. He gave a cold laugh and said...
"What a deeply affectionate Lord Qiao! If I hadn't copied that scripture more often, I wouldn't have witnessed this wonderful show today. Is this what you call loving harmony and longing for your wife?"
His tone was cold, and his face was full of anger at being deceived.
Li Pu turned his head and glanced at Old Madam Qiao again, his eyes full of disdain and mockery.
Qiao Jizhou never expected Li Pu to return. His heart sank. Just a few hours ago, he was full of excitement and dreaming of promotion. Now, he felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar and wanted to die.
He wanted to slap himself a few times. How could he have been so bewitched as to do this with Xu Biyun in the mourning hall at this critical moment!
He looked up, about to explain something, when Li Pu said coldly.
"I never mentioned the transfer. In the future, don't even think about getting promoted. As long as I, Li Pu, am still here, you, Qiao Jizhou, will never have a chance to rise in the ranks!"
His words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, freezing half of Old Madam Qiao's body in place, and making Qiao Jizhou freeze on the spot as he was about to speak.
Qiao Jizhou felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, almost as if he were being blown away by these words, and knelt there dumbfounded.
Li Pu didn't say much, but threw the scriptures in his hand into the copper basin, bowed, and said...
"May my benefactor, Madam Bai, be reborn soon and find a good family in her next life. Respectfully submitted by Li Pu."
He moved swiftly, turned around, and strode away, his anger blazing.
Qiao Qingshu stood outside the door, bowed slightly to Li Pu, and watched him leave without saying a word.
As Li Pu stormed out, he caught a glimpse of a smile on the face of the eldest daughter of the Qiao family. Though surprised, he did not stop his hurried steps. He merely turned his head slightly at the corner and quickly disappeared into the night.
Xu Biyun, with a "what's the use" attitude, casually straightened her clothes, displaying great arrogance.
She thought to herself that it was a good thing that the truth was out. Anyway, she would find out sooner or later that she wanted to be the matriarch of the Qiao family. Although today was inappropriate, she could still win a round by insulting Bai Shi in front of her spirit tablet.
Just as he was feeling smug, a slap unexpectedly landed on his face.
Old Madam Bai glared fiercely at Xu Biyun and reprimanded her.
"Who do you think you are! How dare you insult my daughter like this in front of her spirit tablet!"
Shen Wenying was also furious. As the daughter of a military general, she was full of chivalry and courage, and possessed great strength. She grabbed Xu Biyun by the hair and started slapping her.
"You damned whore! You dared to climb into my sister-in-law's bed on the seventh day after her death. If I don't beat you to a pulp today, I'm not a Shen!"
Just moments before, Xu Biyun had been radiating arrogance, but after being struck by iron-like slaps and fists, she immediately cowered in a ball, screaming and begging for mercy.
"Madam, save me! Madam, save me!"
At this moment, Madam Qiao seemed to have lost all her strength. Tonight's events were so absurd that she was at a loss for what to do.
Being caught in the act of adultery is not something that can be resolved by making excuses; you want to speak up but don't know how.
Old Madam Bai's expression was cold and sharp as she spoke slowly.
"If I hadn't stayed overnight, I would have truly thought I'd found a good in-law and a good son-in-law. Now I see they're a whole family of wolves and tigers, trampling on my daughter's corpse and desecrating her! Miao Er, if you don't give me an explanation today, my Zhenguo Gong Bai family will never let your Marquis's mansion off easily!"
Miao Er was the maiden name of Madam Qiao. Madam Qiao was the second child in her family. Her original name was Miao Man, but she was called Miao Er when she was young. She also had an older sister named Miao Yu.
Old Madam Qiao hadn't heard anyone call her by her maiden name in a long time, so she looked up at Old Madam Bai, knowing that Old Madam Bai was truly angry.
Madam Qiao's heart trembled violently. It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid. The Bai family, the Duke of Zhenguo, was not someone her Yongchang Marquis's mansion could afford to offend.
Previously, relying on Bai Chanzi's marriage into her family, she seemed to have a handle on her and often acted arrogantly. The Bai family would not do anything to her, which made her very pleased and proud.
Now that Madam Bai is dead, the Bai family has no more scruples. And with this incident today, it's practically a lesson delivered to the Bai family's doorstep. The Marquis's mansion is still in the wrong, so it has no choice but to obediently apologize and admit its mistake.
Thinking about all this filled her with resentment. Her son had just lost his newly acquired official position, and now she had angered the Bai family. With nowhere to vent her anger, she turned around and slapped Qiao Jizhou and Xu Biyun across the face, snarling fiercely.
"You two bastards! You're living for today and have no tomorrow! Why don't you just die!"
Old Madam Bai snorted coldly.
"Don't try these tricks on me, Miao Er. If you don't give me an explanation today, tomorrow morning court will be filled with petitions against your Marquis's mansion! I'd like to see how many more days your Marquis's mansion can survive! I'll be unworthy of being a mother if I don't destroy your family and bring you to ruin!"
The current emperor places the highest importance on moral principles and ethics. If any civil or military official is not virtuous, he will certainly not have the opportunity to be promoted. Therefore, all officials and ministers know to restrain themselves and follow the rules.
Qiao Jizhou's indecent behavior before his wife's seventh-day memorial service is a serious offense. If word gets out, the Marquis's mansion will not only lose all face, but the Qiao family will also never have a chance to rise again for the next hundred years!
The Bai family, the Duke of Zhenguo, has held important positions in the imperial court for generations. As a long-established noble family, their influence is deeply entrenched, and they have many allies and cronies within the court. If the Bai family intends to deal with them, the Yongchang Marquis's mansion will truly be on the verge of collapse and doomed!
Startled by these words, Qiao Jizhou broke out in a cold sweat and threw himself at his mother-in-law's feet, wailing loudly.
"Mother-in-law, please forgive me. I was out of my mind today and did such a stupid thing. Please forgive me this time, and I will never dare to do it again."
Bai Zhining was enraged by Qiao Jizhou's cowardly appearance, so she kicked him hard again, sending him flying towards the coffin.
"You bastard! Everyone said my sister was marrying down when she married you, that you were a toad lusting after a swan! If you hadn't sworn to heaven in front of my parents that you would only have my sister for the rest of your life, how could our Bai family have agreed to your family's request! You don't know how to cherish her, and now you've done such a vile thing on the seventh day after my sister's death. You're worse than an animal! If I don't impeach you to death in front of the emperor tomorrow, I, Bai Zhining, will have wasted my time in the officialdom! You can expect to be interrogated by the Ministry of Justice tomorrow!"
These words terrified Qiao Jizhou so much that he trembled like a leaf, clinging to Bai Zhining's legs and wailing.
“Good brother-in-law, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. Please have pity on me, have pity on Qing Shu. This girl is not married yet. If word gets out about this matter in the Qiao family, I'm afraid the Xiao family will definitely want to break off the engagement. Please have pity on your niece.”
Hearing her father plead for her life, Qiao Qingshu slowly walked into the main hall, knelt down in front of Qiao Jizhou, and stared directly at him.
"Father, I would rather not marry than not seek justice for my mother. Today is the seventh day after her death, and I was hoping that you would sincerely pray for her soul. I never expected that you and my aunt would do such a thing in front of my mother's spirit. Today, I will risk my life to avenge my mother!"