The Chu family.
"Is, is this real or not …"
"Grand tutor, what, what should we do?"
"The public's discontent is already boiling outside. They're coming here!"
…
Several elders paced back and forth in the hall with anxious expressions on their faces. Because of the 'Fine Sound Pavilion Murder Case', the Chu family had already been pushed to the heart of the struggle. As the case progressed, although most of the officials could still maintain their calm due to the prestige of the grand tutor, the common people of the capital had already lost trust in the Chu family and the elders.
Yesterday, a rather famous scholar had been smashed in the head with a rock for merely saying "a sycophant harming the country" against County Marquis Li. His body was covered in rotten leaves and he was in an extremely sorry state. When he returned home, even the walls of the courtyard had been pushed down.
The cause of all this was the Chu family.
The Chu family had won the hearts of the people, but they had also lost the hearts of the people. The old man before them was just an ordinary old man.
Grand tutor Chu sat in a chair with a calm expression. It was impossible to tell what was on his face. He only stared blankly at the door as if in thought, but his eyes were empty.
A servant of the Chu family ran in in a panic and shouted, "The Ministry of Justice is here!"
Several constables walked in and slowly bowed to the old man in the chair. The one in the lead said, "Lord Grand Tutor, we suspect that your grandson is related to a serious case. Please come with us, young master Chu."
A middle-aged man rushed out from the side and shouted, "You think you can take Ping 'er away just because you suspect him?"
The constable took out an item from his sleeve and handed it over. He bowed and said, "Lord Chu, this is a warrant from the Ministry of Justice. Please take a look."
The middle-aged man didn't even look at the warrant. He said coldly, "How can a member of the Chu family be taken away so easily by the Ministry of Justice? Without His Majesty's imperial edict, I'd like to see who dares to act recklessly in the Chu family!"
The constable's face showed some difficulty when he heard this.
This was the Chu family. The Chu family was different from other family clans. With Grand Tutor Chu present, even the members of the Ministry of Justice could not act too brazenly. Of course, if the Chu family was reasonable, things would naturally go smoothly. If they insisted, they would probably have to seek His Majesty's decree.
The constable looked at him and bowed, "If that's the case, we'll take our leave first."
After the bailiffs left, the middle-aged man quickly walked up to Grand Tutor Chu and said loudly, "Father, are you going to watch as they take Ping 'er away?"
"Qin Wen is right. The change of dynasties, the rise and fall of clans, these are all fated. How can there be a dynasty that can last for thousands of generations? How can there be a clan that can last forever …" Grand Tutor Chu climbed up from the chair with some effort and murmured, "This old man is really old. When one gets old, it's easy to become confused.
"Father!"
"I'll leave this matter to you …"
A few constables walked out of the Chu family's door, but they did not leave. This was because in front of them was a crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Where is Chu Ping?"
"Why didn't that beast come out?"
"Is it because the Chu family refuses to release him?"
…
Before the constables could answer, the crowd had already surged forward. When the Chu family's gatekeeper saw the black mass of people, he was frightened out of his wits and immediately closed the door.
"Hand over Chu Ping!"
"Hand over the murderer!"
"Return Lady Shuangshuang's innocence!"
"The people inside, listen up. You have been surrounded. Hurry up and hand over Chu Ping!"
…
Inside the Chu family, they heard the deafening shouts coming from outside. Even the ground beneath their feet was trembling. The faces of the elders were pale and their hearts were filled with extreme fear.
It was not difficult to imagine how many people were outside from the sound and the situation. Once the Chu family's door was breached, the entire Chu family would be razed to the ground.
Inside the Chu family's ancestral hall, an elder with white hair and beard faced the memorial tablet of the Chu family ancestor. He knelt on a praying mat as tears streamed down his face.
"Unfilial descendant … you have brought shame to the Chu family ancestor!"
In the capital's county government, county magistrate Liu, who was flipping through the case files, jumped in fright when he heard the voice that resounded throughout the capital. He was caught off guard and the pen in his hand fell to the ground.
In the imperial palace, MIngzhu put down the memorial and slowly walked out of the hall. She looked at the sky outside the palace walls.
"What's the situation outside?" She seemed to be talking to herself.
A female official walked over from the side and said respectfully, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I have already sent the imperial guards over. There won't be any trouble."
In Hibiscus Garden, Emperor Jing, who was lying on the sickbed, slowly opened his eyes. Chang De walked over and closed a window.
"Grand tutor Chu, what a pity …"
Chang De narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "His death is not to be regretted for delaying His Majesty's illness …"
In the Li family, Li Yi covered the little fellow's ears to prevent him from being frightened by the sounds outside. When the first sound had come, it had startled the little fellow who had been taking an afternoon nap. He immediately bawled. It was not easy to coax him back to sleep, but the sounds outside still continued.
His hand covered Li Duan's ears, but a hint of melancholy and pity appeared on his face …
At this moment, whether inside or outside the capital, no matter what they were doing, almost everyone stopped what they were doing and raised their heads to look at the sky. In the sky, there were birds fleeing in all directions in fright.
"Hand over Chu Ping!"
"Hand over Chu Ping!"
… …
The Chu family.
The tightly shut doors slowly opened. Everyone was about to rush in when they saw the old man with the cane in front of them. They could not help but take a few steps back. The deafening sounds also gradually quieted down.
"All of this is my fault."
Grand tutor Chu handed his cane to the servant next to him and slowly knelt in front of the crowd. In a hoarse voice, he said, "I have let down that lady, let down the ancestors of the Chu family, and let down the people of the world …"
"Grandfather, get up. This is not your fault."
After a sigh, a figure limped out from the crowd at the back. He walked in front of Grand tutor Chu and carefully helped him up. He smiled and said, "It's not a good feeling to kneel. You're already so old. Kneeling like this will hurt your legs."
Two servants of the Chu family hurriedly helped Grand tutor Chu.
Chu Ping did not even look at the crowd discussing outside the door. He slowly knelt in front of Grand tutor Chu and heavily kowtowed.
"I didn't mean to kill Lady Shuangshuang … However, it's no longer important to say these things now."
"You've brought me to so many places in the past, seen so many sceneries, and met so many people. I'm really grateful to you."
Chu Ping kowtowed again. As he stood up, he said, "Everyone says the capital is good. In the past, when I was outside, I always thought about coming back. Only after coming back did I realize that the capital is actually the most boring place …"
"Thank you … I'm sorry." He stood up and apologized to Grand tutor Chu. He turned to face the vast crowd outside the Chu family and said loudly, "Everything that I, Chu Ping, have done is my own doing. It has nothing to do with the Chu family!"
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
He knelt down on both knees and heavily kowtowed three times to the crowd.
After the three kowtows, there was no more sound. He knelt there silently.
The constable closest to him seemed to have thought of something. He took a step forward and gently pushed him.
Chu Ping's body fell sideways. A dagger was stabbed straight into his chest. Fresh blood stained his clothes.
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