SFS Chapter 335 Madam Liang's Collapse
Chapter 335 Madam Liang's Collapse
The atmosphere at the next morning court session was as solemn as iron.
Holding a memorial in hand, the Jingzhao Yin tearfully accused Liang Zhi of all kinds of evil deeds: he had tortured and killed seven maids, crippled more than ten servants, and raped women... There was solid evidence for every crime.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his face looking terribly gloomy.
Liang Shangjiong knelt down on the steps and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please have mercy! Zhi'er has disabled legs and is mentally ill. Please spare his life for the sake of the Liang family's generations of loyalty!"
Liang Shangjiong was crying and his forehead was bleeding.
Minister Zhao glanced coldly at Liang Shangjiong and continued, "Your Majesty, Liang Zhi's crimes are heinous. If he is not severely punished, how can we uphold justice and appease the people's anger? Yesterday, the Jingzhao Yin caught him red-handed for torturing and killing a maid. The maid's death was so horrific that even the experienced coroner could not bear to look at it."
Someone stepped forward and echoed: "I second the proposal. Liang Zhi relies on his family background to act tyrannically, and the people are complaining. If he is not severely punished, he will lose the support of the people."
The emperor slammed the dragon table, and the hall suddenly fell silent.
"Liang Zhi's crimes are unforgivable! He will be immediately taken to the city and beheaded in public! Liang Shangjiong has failed to educate his son properly and is dismissed from his post as general and ordered to reflect on his mistakes! Concubine Liang has failed to properly discipline her relatives and is confined to her house for one month!"
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the whole court was in an uproar.
Minister Zhao raised the corner of his mouth slightly and looked at Liang Shangjiong, who was lying limp on the ground, with a meaningful look.
-
When the news reached the harem, Concubine Liang almost fainted on the spot.
The Second Prince hurriedly supported her: "Mother, take care of yourself."
Concubine Liang shook his hand off and said angrily, "Is this what you said, that everything has been arranged?"
"Also, is Liang Zhi crazy? At this critical moment, he actually dared to act so recklessly. He deserves to die, and he even implicates us after his death!"
"Idiot, idiot, idiot who deserves death!"
The second prince's expression was also very ugly.
"Those people had clearly accepted the money, but who would have thought that they would turn against us and not acknowledge us."
"And Minister Zhao clearly promised to speak for us, but I've heard that in court, he strongly advocated for Liang Zhi to be severely punished. That's why the emperor ordered Liang Zhi's execution."
Concubine Liang pondered, "Did the Zhao family notice something was wrong after what happened with Feng Wei last time?"
Feng Wei went to the Third Prince's Mansion, and there was no news after that. They had no idea what had happened.
Later, the Third Prince's Mansion became heavily guarded, and the Second Prince wanted to find out information, but he had no idea where to start.
The Second Prince said firmly: "Feng Wei will not betray us, he dare not."
Concubine Liang sneered: "Nothing in this world is absolute. In short, if Feng Wei's affairs are exposed, the Zhao family will definitely hate us. You must be careful in the future."
The emperor's decree has been issued, and no matter how unwilling Concubine Liang is, she can only be temporarily confined to her room.
-
When Mrs. Liang learned of Liang Zhi's death, she felt like the sky had fallen.
Recently, because of Liang Yusong's ringworm, she has been living with her daughter at her mother's house.
Unexpectedly, no matter how he turned around, the second son died!
Minister Zhao was indeed decisive and efficient. By noon, Liang Zhi was dead. When Mrs. Liang hurried back to the Liang family, the mansion was in chaos.
When Madam Liang saw Liang Shangjiong, she ignored her usual manners and tugged at his clothes, asking repeatedly, "Where is Zhier? Where is my child?"
Liang Shangjiong mechanically pointed to a ball of something covered with white cloth on the ground. Madam Liang ran over and tried to uncover it with trembling hands, but she didn't dare.
Liang Yusong covered her mouth in disbelief, shaking her head and muttering, "Impossible, impossible, this isn't my second brother."
Madam Liang stared at the white cloth. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed a corner of it. The scene that came into her eyes made her scream and she immediately fainted on the ground.
Liang Yusong clenched the sword tightly in his palm, not even noticing the sharp nails piercing his flesh. Beheading...
Second brother died without a complete body!
"what……"
-
The Liang family set up a mourning hall with white banners hanging low. Liang Zhi's tablet was placed on the altar. However, because his death was not glorious, not many people came to pay their respects.
Madam Liang knelt on the mat, mechanically throwing paper money into the brazier. The firelight illuminated her haggard face, with two deep dark circles under her eyes.
"The Second Prince has arrived."
The housekeeper's announcement made Madam Liang tremble and she slowly turned her head.
The second prince walked into the mourning hall in plain clothes, his eyes were red, obviously he had been crying.
He walked to the coffin and wanted to burn incense, but Mrs. Liang suddenly stood up, overturned the brazier, and burning paper money flew all over the floor.
"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Liang's voice was as sharp as a knife.
The second prince was shocked by this sudden question: "Aunt, of course I am here to pay my respects..."
“Worship?”
Madam Liang sneered bitterly, "If it weren't for helping you and your son fight for power and cause trouble, how could my Zhi'er end up like this!"
Seeing this, Liang Shangjiong stepped forward quickly: "Shut up, you are crazy, how can you say these words."
After saying this, he winked at the steward, asking him to dismiss the idlers in the mourning hall.
"calm?"
Madam Liang turned to her husband, her eyes burning with fury. "Liang Shangjiong! Look at this family! Yusong was poisoned and has to wear a veil every day, afraid to see anyone. Zhier was crippled and even beheaded. He was less than twenty years old, and he's gone!"
"And Zhong'er, his engagement was broken off and he became the laughing stock of the entire capital! Who is to blame for all this?"
She pointed at the Second Prince, her fingers trembling with anger. "Isn't it all because of them, mother and son?"
"If they didn't have so much ambition, my child, how could they have ended up like this!"
"Liang Shangjiong, can't you see clearly now? If you continue to stir up trouble, I'm afraid everyone will die!"
Mrs. Liang did not have such ambitions. She just wanted her children and husband to be alive and well.
There have been constant turmoil in the past few months, and she is exhausted both physically and mentally.
She was afraid.
She doesn't want these things anymore. She just wants her family to live in peace and security, instead of having to wait for her loved ones to die like they are now.
The mourning hall was dead silent, with only Mrs. Liang's hysterical voice echoing.
Fortunately, the servants in the house left, otherwise, if the news got out, who knows how much trouble it would cause.
Liang Shangjiong's face was extremely ugly. He first tried to comfort the Second Prince: "Your aunt is just furious and her mind is not clear. Don't think too much about it."
The second prince's face also looked unhappy.
He was already worried about his impotence, and Liang Zhi's failure to live up to his expectations led to his mother being confined to her room.
At this point, my aunt still has the nerve to blame them and their son!
However, for the sake of his uncle, he would not really bother with Madam Liang.
"Uncle, don't worry. Mother and I are both very sad about my cousin's situation. We understand my aunt's grief."
"However, the more we get to this point, the more we cannot retreat. We cannot let our cousin lose his life in vain and let our enemies go unharmed."
His expression grew increasingly serious. “Besides, uncle, do you think we have any way out?”
Liang Yusong's voice was firm: "That's right, we have no way out. Besides, if we don't make them pay for their blood debt with blood, what's the point of living in disgrace?"
The second prince has always loved Liang Yusong.
"Cousin, don't you blame me?"
"Cousin, my mother is so sad that she says these stupid things."
Liang Yusong spoke in a rhythmic voice, "The people who killed my brother were Lu Jiangnian and his gang. It had to be them. One day, I will take their heads and offer them as a tribute to my brother's spirit."
Liang Shangjiong and Liang Zhong both expressed that they thought so too.
Since they have placed all their wealth and lives on the Second Prince, they cannot lose, nor can they become alienated from him.
When Mrs. Liang saw that her husband and children were still stubborn, she laughed bitterly and didn't know what to do.
Outside the window, the cool breeze slapped against the window lattice. Mrs. Liang slowly closed her eyes, and the faces of her three children appeared in her mind.
Yusong, who should have been beautiful, was covered with horrible red spots. The healthy and lively Liang Zhi became a cripple. The calm and steady Liang Zhong was unwilling to accept the humiliation of breaking off the engagement.
Two lines of tears slid down her cheeks, and she didn't even know who she was crying for.