Chapter 76: Sixty Strokes of the Cane

Chapter 76: Sixty Strokes of the Cane

Over the years, Wu Guoliang had navigated his career and personal life with extreme caution and diligence. Although the Wu family was known for its scholarly tradition, with generations of officials in its lineage, none had held high office. His attainment of a fourth-rank position was already the pinnacle within the Wu family.

His marriage to a daughter from the Zhang family, a household that rarely sought government positions yet boasted a great scholar as the head of the Shanglin Academy, had significantly bolstered his standing. It was through the Zhang family's connections, coupled with his own scheming, that he had reached his current station.

His wife, a paragon of virtue and obedience, always put him first. Aside from her frail health, she was faultless. He had always believed their daughter to be exemplary in every way, never imagining she could harbor such venom.

Feng had once hinted to him that Wu Jingshu had fallen victim to Wu Jingyun's machinations. Overwhelmed with myriad concerns at the time, Wu Guoliang had sought only to quell the turmoil, indifferent to whatever sibling rivalry lay beneath, convinced that both were to blame. He had never delved deeper.

Only now did he realize the extent of Wu Jingshu's suffering, all orchestrated by the daughter before him. Why? Wu Jingshu's disgrace would tarnish her as well! Why would she commit such a self-destructive act?

"Why... why would you do this?" Wu Guoliang's voice trembled as he approached Wu Jingyun, crouching down, bewildered, he asked, "Though your mother passed early, I've always treated you fairly since you were a child. As for your... your stepmother, despite her intentions to usurp your betrothal, had you informed me, I would have intervened on your behalf. How could you commit such an act? Are you unaware that once exposed, our entire Wu clan, especially the females, would suffer the consequences? What drove you to this?"

Wu Jingyun, who had been hanging her head low, suddenly lifted it. With a scornful look, she retorted, "You claim you've never wronged me? Ha, what a farce! When I was eight, Wu Jingshu pushed me into the lake, nearly drowning me. After being rescued, I told you it was Wu Jingshu, but she denied it. Although Feng defended me, her underlying implication was that I envied Wu Jingshu and was framing her. And how did that turn out? The incident was swept under the rug."

"At ten, I fell ill with a cold, and a month of medicine brought no relief. Do you know why?" Wu Jingyun sneered, "Feng had someone add cold-inducing substances to my medicine. Because my illness lingered, Feng suggested I move to a quiet place for recuperation, relegating me to the remote and dilapidated courtyard I now inhabit. Soon after, Wu Jingshu took over my former residence."

"This... you never told me!" Wu Guoliang's face twisted in embarrassment, having never suspected Feng of such malice.

Wu Jingyun laughed mockingly again, "Father, is it that I never told you, or you simply never cared?"

"This..." Wu Guoliang was rendered speechless.

"Such instances are countless. My clothes, jewelry, even the ornaments in my room, though seemingly untouched, are all castoffs from Wu Jingshu and Wu Jingya, most ill-suited for me," Wu Jingyun added.

At this moment, Elder Madam Zhang burst into tears, pointing at Wu Guoliang, she exclaimed, "You... you are utterly unworthy of being a father. Why did I ever allow my daughter to marry you?"

Master Zhang clenched his fists so tightly with hatred that it seemed the next moment they would strike upon Wu Guoliang.

Tang Shuyi let out another heavy sigh. She could imagine the difficulties Wu Jingyun faced in her daily life, but only upon hearing it did she realize the true extent of her hardship.

Xiao Yuchen was stunned, knowing the Hou Mansion’s back courtyard was peaceful. He had heard that in some households, the women of the inner quarters engaged fiercely with each other, but today was the first time he had learned in such detail that the struggles between these women could be so vicious.

The elderly Madame Zhang, having wept inconsolably, grasped Wu Jingyun, questioning why she had not confided in her earlier. Wu Jingyun merely shook her head. Tang Shuyi suspected that Feng's actions were impeccable, leaving Wu Jingyun defenseless and without recourse even if she had spoken up.

Yet, with Feng's prowess, having suffered so much at her hands, why hadn't Wu Jingyun learned a thing or two? Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so disastrously defeated in her previous life's struggle against Liu Biqin. But then again, considering Xiao Yuchen's heart belonged to Liu Biqin, all of Wu Jingyun's schemes would have been in vain regardless.

Sympathy aside, Wu Jingyun's plight was not her making, and Xiao Yuchen had already avenged her, settling their grievances. Nonetheless, there were things Tang Shuyi felt compelled to say.

After embracing Wu Jingyun and weeping for a while, Madame Zhang rose and deeply bowed to Tang Shuyi, saying, "Madame Hou, it was all Jingyun's fault before, and I apologize on her behalf. But this time, she truly had no part in it. It was all the doing of this scourge in my family. I leave him in your hands, to punish or kill as you see fit."

Madame Zhang truly loved Wu Jingyun, but had Wu Jingyun ever considered Madame Zhang and the Zhang family's well-being?

"Madame Zhang, my visit today is not to seek retribution," said Tang Shuyi. "However, wrongdoings must be faced with responsibility. But as for the punishment, I'll leave that to you."

Hearing her words, Madame Zhang looked towards Xiao Yuchen's pale face and the large bloodstain on his clothes, her hands clenched into fists once again. She closed her eyes briefly before calling out, “Nanny Zhang.”

A nanny in her forties or fifties lifted the curtain and entered. Madame Zhang instructed her, “Go to the front yard and call over Zhang Da and Zhang Er.”

As he spoke, his gaze turned resolutely towards Master Zhang, his voice firm, "For your selfish gains, you framed others. All these years of learning have been in vain. A punishment of sixty canes will serve as a lesson."

"Madame Zhang," Nanny Zhang immediately knelt down with a thud as soon as Madame Zhang finished speaking, pleading, "Madame, Zhang Da and Zhang Er are strong men. With sixty strokes of the cane, the young master will lose half his life."

"Only with a harsh punishment will he learn his lesson. Go now," Madame Zhang instructed.

Nanny Zhang, with shaky limbs, left to call the others, understanding why Madame Zhang was so stern once she saw the large bloodstain on Xiao Yuchen. The young master had been gravely injured, so it was only natural that their Master Zhang, the perpetrator, could not be let off lightly.

With trembling hands and feet, Nanny Zhang left, her heart still resentful towards Wu Jingyun. If not for her, the young master wouldn't have suffered so greatly.

Before long, the Zhang family's two guards, Zhang Da and Zhang Er, arrived. Master Zhang walked out with a tragic expression, and Wu Jingyun, watching his retreating figure, burst into loud weeping. Soon after, the sounds of the cane striking flesh and Master Zhang's muffled groans echoed from outside.

Madame Zhang’s hands remained tightly clenched; this was her most beloved grandson, how could she not be heartbroken? Yet if she didn't ensure he learned his lesson this time, he might cause even greater disasters in the future.