lcionline Chapter 192 Protecting Weaknesses (2)
Chapter 192 Protecting Weaknesses (2)
According to the housekeeper, Xu Weiming had caused a lot of trouble outside over the years, and in order to protect Xu Weiming, the Tang family concealed it all.
At first, it was just some minor troubles like teasing cats and dogs, but later with the support of the Tang family, Xu Weiming became more and more daring, and even had the intention of "doing all kinds of evil".
Last year, he almost caused a death and was reprimanded by the Tang family. After that, he expanded the scope of his "evil deeds" to outside the city.
This wasn't the first time a woman like Mei Shuang had been forcibly abducted, but the Tang family had always dealt with it. Poorer families were dealt with through money, while those as troublesome as Mei Shuang were forced to resort to outside thugs.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Xu was so angry that her whole body was shaking. She no longer cared about protecting the face of the mistress of the Tang family and started scolding her.
"A loving mother often spoils her son! Our Xu family's century-old foundation is about to be destroyed in your hands! As elders, we can forgive children when they make mistakes, but we cannot fail to distinguish between the most basic right and wrong! Blindly indulging is tantamount to raising a tiger to harm oneself! I don't ask Xu Weiming to inherit the Xu family's legacy, but at the very least, he should know what is propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. If he can't even meet such a simple request, then I will take it upon myself to expel him from the family tree to prevent him from bringing disaster to the entire clan in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Tang stood up as if her tail had been stepped on, and loudly protested, "Mother, Weiming is the only son of the Xu family! Even if those lowly people were combined, they wouldn't be able to hold a finger against my son. How could you bear to embarrass your own child for those lowly people!"
"You, you, you!" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xu was so angry that she fell backwards. She felt her ears were buzzing and she couldn't even utter a complete sentence for a while.
Seeing this, Jiang Lige hurriedly comforted Madam Xu. Fearing that the old lady would get angry and get hurt, he stood up and stood in front of Madam Xu, retorting.
"Which of the people bullied by Xu Weiming wasn't born and raised by their parents? Since we're all the same, what distinction is there between high and low? To put it bluntly, no matter how lowly their background is, they've never taken a single cent from our Xu family. We have no right to treat them like dirt and bully them at will!"
With the two sides at loggerheads, Tang spoke with even more abandon. "A high-and-mighty person who calls herself a princess is telling me that all men are created equal. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Okay, you want to discuss your identity with me, right?" Jiang Lige was not annoyed at all. "Then Madam Xu, have you forgotten that you are just a commoner?"
Jiang Lige's words were like stepping on Tang's sore spot. He tugged at his handkerchief in frustration, and then a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes. He pushed Ning Yunxiao beside him in anger, "What's wrong with common people? We have a foreigner here. Who knows if he's here to steal information from Nanchu!"
Ning Yunxiao, who was still seriously injured, was not paying attention and was pushed by Tang, causing him to stagger. The wound on his body that had originally healed was torn again. He groaned in pain, and the blood that seeped out instantly dyed his clothes red.
Everyone was frightened by this sudden change, and Jiang Lige rushed forward angrily, supporting the staggering Ning Yunxiao. His eyes were already red before he opened his mouth.
"I...I didn't mean to..."
"Snapped--"
Before Tang could finish her explanation, Jiang Lige slapped her across the face, leaving her stunned. It took her a long while to come back to her senses. She covered her face in surprise and asked, "You...you hit me?"
"If you dare to touch this princess, I will not punish you enough." Jiang Lige raised her eyes slightly, and her voice was so cold that it seemed to come from the distant horizon. "You'd better pray that he is okay, otherwise, I guarantee that you will die a miserable death."
The poisonous gaze fell on Tang, like a bloodthirsty tiger or wolf, frightening her so much that she staggered and almost fell. She trembled and cried to Madam Xu: "Mother, no matter what, I am also Princess Zhaohua's elder, this..."
"Shut up!" Old Madam Xu scolded her harshly, then shook her head. "What a misfortune for our family! What a misfortune for our family!"
"Grandma, there are some things I have to say."
Jiang Lige settled Ning Yunxiao on the armchair, then took a step forward and stood in front of Ning Yunxiao.
"The Xu family is a prominent and high-ranking family, and is also the family of the current empress. Such a prestigious family is a thorn in the eyes of countless people. If ordinary people make mistakes, there is still room for correction. But for a family like ours, if we make a mistake, we will not only be criticized by the civil officials, but also attacked by the people of the world, becoming a treacherous villain pointed at by thousands of people! Grandmother, one wrong move will lead to a complete failure. Li Ge, this is all I have to say."
Madam Xu nodded tiredly, "Grandmother knows. The prince is injured. Li Ge, take him to the wing room to rest first. Grandmother will take care of this matter."
"Yes." Jiang Lige was still angry and didn't want to get involved in Tang's affairs anymore, so he helped Ning Yunxiao back away.
Ning Yunxiao was arranged by Old Madam Xu in the front yard. The yard looked very elegant. After the two entered the yard, Jiang Lige dismissed his attendants and personally invited Manzhu to examine Ning Yunxiao.
It was only an hour in total, and in the blink of an eye, Ning Yunxiao was covered in injuries again. Manzhu couldn't help but scold him when she saw this.
Jiang Lige and Ning Yunxiao didn't dare to talk back, so they just listened with their ears drooped, and then complained in a low voice in private.
Fortunately, Ning Yunxiao's injury was not serious. It was just torn by Tang's push, and he only needed to re-bandage it.
Just as Ning Yunxiao's injuries were bandaged, someone knocked on the door and announced that it was Old Madam Xu who had specially called someone in to inform Jiang Lige and the others of the outcome of the treatment.
After this incident, Xu Weiming was temporarily kept in Madam Xu's yard. Additional staff were assigned to keep him under strict supervision, and he was not allowed to leave the house except to go to school.
Xu Weiming's mother, Tang, had her household management rights taken away from her and was confined to the main courtyard.
In addition, Xu Weiming and his mother also signed a letter of guarantee with three rules: if something like what happened to Mei Shuang happened again, they would be expelled from the family tree and kicked out of the Xu family.
As for the rest of the people, the housekeeper was beaten with a stick and expelled from the Xu Mansion; and none of the servants who followed Xu Weiming to do evil today escaped punishment.
Frankly speaking, Madam Xu's handling of the matter was almost the same as Jiang Lige had guessed, so Jiang Lige didn't feel anything special. He just nodded, gave some copper coins to the person who came to deliver the message, and sent the person away.
Seeing Jiang Lige walk into the house with his head lowered, Ning Yunxiao couldn't help but comfort him, "I think the Xu family has noticed this and will be more careful. Things will definitely go more smoothly in the future."
"Thank you for your kind words." Jiang Lige smiled, but he still felt a little uneasy. "The Xu family and the Southern Chu royal family are closely related. If either side loses balance, it will be a great disaster for Southern Chu."