Chapter Thirty-One: The Punishment Is Too Light; I Forbid It!

Seeing the Duke of Zhen waver, Song Lian'er wept even more bitterly, sobbing, "Third Brother, please, just admit your mistake."

She wiped her tears and walked toward Jiang Lingyao. "Sister, you know how impulsive Third Brother is. This was an unintentional mistake on his part. Please, can you let it go? I am begging you, sister, won't you?"

As she spoke, Song Lian'er looked truly pitiful. Jiang Lingyao stood her ground with a cold expression, making it appear to any observer as though she were the one bullying Song Lian'er.

"Lian'er!"

Jiang Xiushu charged toward the two of them, shielding Song Lian'er behind him. He glared at Jiang Lingyao, shouting angrily, "Do you still want to bully Lian'er? She is crying like this; how can you be so heartless? You owe her so much—can't you treat her properly?"

He turned back to Song Lian'er, his expression softening slightly. "Lian'er, don't pay any mind to this cold-blooded woman, Jiang Lingyao! Do not beg her!"

Jiang Lingyao remained unmoved, shifting her gaze to the Duke of Zhen at the head of the room. She cared only about the punishment for Jiang Xiushu.

"This..." The Duke of Zhen frowned deeply, hesitating for a moment before asking her, "How about we reduce it to five strokes? Mingzhu, when your third brother was injured in the past, you were the one who felt for him most. Today, he has already been battered by you; if he receives ten more strokes, you will only feel distressed as well."

The front doors were wide open, and a sudden gust of cold wind blew in, extinguishing most of the candles. In the darkness, Jiang Lingyao slowly took in the expressions of everyone present: Jiang Xiuyuan and Jiang Xiumo looked solemn, Jiang Xiushu was furious, and Song Lian'er appeared delicate and pitiable. The Duke of Zhen spoke as if he were asking for her opinion, yet his eyes held a weight of coercion, laced with a sense of compulsion.

On their faces, she could not see a single trace of concern for her grandmother.

Her heart, which had felt numb, was suddenly struck, as if plunged into ice water, causing her to shiver. A surge of hatred rose within her—hatred for their cruelty, hatred for their callous, wolf-hearted nature!

Grandmother! The person lying on that bed was the elder of the entire ducal household, the mother who had given birth to their father, the grandmother to these brothers! How could they utter such words?

Jiang Lingyao's hands, hanging at her sides, trembled slightly. Under the weight of her rage, she gradually grew calm, her gaze turning increasingly icy.

"Mingzhu."

Jiang Xiuyuan, who had been silent until now, spoke, sighing as if he were in a difficult position. "Your third brother has a reckless nature, and Grandmother spoils him. If she knew that Xiushu was being punished because of her, she would not be at peace."

Jiang Lingyao scoffed, her voice steady and cold. "I don't care about anything else. If one does wrong, one must be punished! If you insist on letting this matter slide today, I will make sure Jiang Xiushu never has a moment of peace. Filial impiety, coupled with gambling—if word of this were to spread..."

Jiang Xiushu shuddered, staring at her intensely, his eyes bloodshot.

But Song Lian'er interrupted, "Sister! Do not spout nonsense. No one will believe such baseless accusations."

At her words, Jiang Xiushu calmed down instantly. Lian'er was right. Jiang Lingyao had just returned from Qingshan Temple; if she went out and said anything, no one would believe her. Among the servants of the manor, or even his brothers and father, not a single soul would stand with her.

If Jiang Lingyao dared to speak, they would simply tell everyone that she had lost her mind and was slandering her own brother upon returning home.

Realizing this, Jiang Xiushu grew even angrier and raised his hand high.

*Slap!*

Jiang Lingyao was faster. She struck Jiang Xiushu across the face with all her might, the blow sending stars dancing before his eyes as he stumbled back two steps.

"Third Brother!" Song Lian'er lunged forward, her face full of alarm.

No one had expected her to strike first; they were all caught off guard. As Jiang Xiushu recovered, his eyes reddened as he prepared to retaliate. Jiang Lingyao stared at him coldly and raised her voice. "Who said I have no proof? I still have the IOUs Jiang Xiushu signed at the gambling den."

He froze in place, blood rushing to his head. His vision blurred with rage, and he spat out, "Fine! Fine! Fine! I knew you, Jiang Lingyao, were nothing good. I wondered why you were suddenly acting so kind to help me—it turns out you were just saving those IOUs to threaten me!"

"Jiang Lingyao, you scheming, treacherous bitch!"