PNB Chapter 428 It was you two who forced her to the brink of death.
Chapter 428 It was you two who forced her to the brink of death.
Lu Yuxiu's wailing stopped abruptly, as if someone had suddenly grabbed her throat.
She stared wide-eyed at her son, and after a long while, she roared at Zhou Jianming, "You wretched child! Don't you know which women you shouldn't touch?!"
Lu Yuxiu knew exactly what kind of person her son was. He had slept with every pretty maid in the mansion before.
It's not a big deal for a man to be a little philanderer.
Moreover, Lu Yuxiu didn't think it was Zhou Jianming's fault; it must have been those sluts who seduced her son.
I never expected that Zhou Jianming would be so reckless as to cause a death in the Lu family.
She struggled to pounce on him, but as soon as Shi Ying let go, Lu Yuxiu darted out and punched Zhou Jianming's shoulder hard. Zhou Jianming howled as he was beaten, his uninjured hand clutching his head and curling up in a ball.
"Mom, please stop hitting me, it hurts!"
"It's not my fault, it was her own doing! She just died suddenly! It really wasn't my fault! I just... I just wanted to go see her..."
"Take a look at her?"
Lu Jiangnian stepped forward, looking down at him condescendingly, his voice as cold as ice, "Taking advantage of my sister's wedding and the chaos in the mansion, you forcibly broke into a concubine's residence? Is this what you call 'taking a look'?!"
He suddenly threw a teacup at Zhou Jianming, hitting him squarely on the forehead. Blood gushed out instantly, and Zhou Jianming screamed in agony as his entire face turned bright red, looking utterly terrifying.
"You wretched child! You wretched child!"
Old Madam Lu was in tears, whether from heartache for her grandson or fear of the Emperor's wrath, she couldn't tell. "How dare you... how dare you do such a thing!"
Seeing her son in such a miserable state, Lu Yuxiu was heartbroken. No matter what, she couldn't bear to watch her son die.
"Jiang Nian! Your aunt is begging you!"
She actually kowtowed in public, crying, "Jianming... he was just confused for a moment!"
"Mother! Mother, please save Jianming! He's innocent! It's that wretched woman's own bad luck!"
Seeing this, Old Madam Lu also looked at Lu Jiangnian: "This matter... this matter may not be without room for maneuver."
"No matter what, Liang Yuhua is just an insignificant concubine. You are a trusted person of the Emperor. The Emperor will certainly not blame you for a woman."
Her shrewd and sharp eyes darted around, and she suddenly raised her voice: "It must be that Aunt Liang who's restless! If she hadn't deliberately seduced him, why would Jianming have suddenly run off to the courtyard?"
“That’s right!”
Lu Yuxiu, as if grasping at a straw, crawled over and hugged the old lady's leg, "Mother is right! That Liang Yuhua is definitely seducing her on purpose! She can't stand being alone, so she's showing off her charms..."
"hehe!"
"The old lady and my aunt are truly twisted to the core; no wonder they raised a beast like Zhou Jianming!"
Lu Yuxiu glared at him angrily: "Yuan Shi, shut up."
Yuan Wanru looked coldly at Lu Yuxiu, "Aunt, Aunt Liang's body is still lying in the courtyard. Her forehead is smashed. Why don't you go and take a look now?"
"Since ancient times, murderers have been punished with their lives. Zhou Jianming truly deserves to die. Does the old lady still intend to protect him?"
"Not only do you feel no remorse, but you're also eager to smear the dead. Aren't you afraid that Aunt Liang will turn into a vengeful ghost and come after you?"
Wang Min could no longer tolerate it: "That's right, our manor cannot tolerate such a heinous beast. Jiang Nian, send him to the authorities immediately."
Lu Yuxiu quickly crawled back and hugged Zhou Jianming, saying, "No, you can't take my son away! Mother, Jianming is still a child!"
Old Madam Lu slammed her hand on the table: "Madam Wang, Madam Yuan, don't spread alarmist rumors."
She turned to Lu Jiangnian, her voice suddenly softening.
“Jiang Nian, your grandmother knows you’re the most resourceful. Couldn’t we say that Liang Shi accidentally fell into the well? She was just a concubine, and the daughter of a disgraced official at that; it shouldn’t matter.”
Zhou Fang suddenly exclaimed, "Madam! This matter can't be covered up anymore!"
She grabbed Lu Bai's sleeve and cried, "Master, please say something! The old lady has made a mistake, we can't be mistaken together and ruin our whole family for a damned Zhou Jianming!"
"Jiang Xun has a bright future ahead of him, how can you bear to ruin it?"
Lu Bai's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his back was already soaked: "Mother, this matter is not as simple as you think."
"Second Brother!"
Lu Yuxiu let out a piercing wail, like a madwoman, "How can you bear to watch your own nephew die?"
Zhou Fang spat and said, "He brought this on himself, how can he blame anyone else?"
The old woman's chest heaved violently, but her eyes, fixed on Lu Jiangnian, gradually revealed a pleading look: "Jiangnian, I'm begging you, Jianming... he does have Lu family blood in his veins."
Zhou Jianming suddenly shouted, "It has nothing to do with me, Grandmother. That woman wanted to die herself. It has nothing to do with me."
Lu Yuxiu's eyes lit up: "That's right, my son is innocent, you have no evidence."
Lu Jiangnian's expression was solemn and cold. "Grandmother, there are witnesses to this matter, and there is no way to deny it."
"If anyone has any doubts, just listen to what Liang Yuhua's maid has to say."
Soon, Yunxiu, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, was led in. She knelt down with a thud, pointed at Zhou Jianming, and her voice was filled with deep fear and hatred.
“It’s him! Young Master! He…he stumbled into the courtyard drunk. I tried to stop him, but his attendants grabbed me.”
"He...he rushed into the house, uttering...uttering foul language! I heard it all clearly from outside! My aunt kept crying and shouting, 'Let me go,' 'Please let me go!'"
"...Later...later I heard my aunt scream, 'You forced me to my death! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!'"
"...Then...then the young master rushed out shouting 'Someone's dead!'...This servant rushed in...the concubine...the concubine was already lying on the ground...she...she's not breathing..."
Yunxiu finished speaking haltingly, already sobbing uncontrollably.
Yuan Wanru had someone take her away.
"You beast, you beast without a shred of humanity!"
Wang Min's chest heaved with anger; she hated these beasts who forced women into marriage more than anything in her life.
"She's talking nonsense! That vile wench! She's spouting lies!"
Zhou Jianming struggled and roared in despair, "I didn't kill her, she took her own life."
"Grandmother! They've conspired to frame me!"
Yuan Wanru suddenly spoke, her voice soft as if she were chatting casually, "Madam, do you think it was Miss Liang's own fault, or...?"
Her eyes flickered as she glanced at Zhou Jianming. "Driven to desperation by some beasts?"
"I hope you can make a fair, just, clear-headed and reasonable judgment."
Old Madam Lu's cloudy eyes darted around, then she suddenly straightened her hunched back: "Hmph!"
"Don't you all know what kind of life Liang lived after she entered the Lu family?"
Her finger pointed directly at Yuan Wanru, "Blame it on your jealous nature, clinging to Jiang Nian and refusing to let go! It's you and your husband who's driving her to the brink of despair!"