Chapter 1407
Jin Yue 8
Chapter 1407 Jin Yue 8
Outside the gates of the Duke's mansion, Cheng Qian, clad in full armor, rode majestically on a tall horse. Behind him followed a line of more than twenty fine horses, each soldier exuding an imposing aura.
When Madam Wei rushed to the front gate and saw Cheng Qian, she burst into a heart-wrenching wail: "Qian'er, you're finally back! You're finally back!"
Cheng Qian immediately dismounted and frowned as he looked at Madam Wei and the maids around her: "Mother, what's wrong? Has anyone wronged you?"
Wei immediately seemed to have found a scapegoat, and she quickly began to complain: "I can't live like this anymore! Qian'er, that Lin Jinyue is a monster! She's been like this for a month..."
At this moment, when she talked about Tan You, she no longer had the headache she usually had. Madam Wei just thought it was because her son was capable and could keep this little monster Tan You in check.
Cheng Qian's personal guards, who were following behind him, also heard this series of conversations. These included, but were not limited to, how Tan You dealt with the Wei family, how she punished Wei Ruoyu, and how she extracted money from the Wei family.
The more people listened, the more surreal it seemed. How could it sound so unreal?
As Wei continued her rambling, she didn't notice the suspicion on everyone's faces. After recounting the most serious things Tan You had done, Wei added, "Also, Lin Ge'er contracted smallpox and died."
"She did it all!"
Cheng Qian's face darkened, and anger surged: "Two people, bring Lin Shi here!"
His personal guards obeyed the order, took two steps, and collapsed. Cheng Qian was puzzled and was about to check on the guards when he himself began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. He took one step and knelt on one knee.
A baby's voice rang out: "Mother, everyone else has fallen, but he's still kneeling."
Tan You led Cheng Sui over, stepping over the group of people lying haphazardly on the ground. She stopped in front of Cheng Qian and said, "Indeed impressive. Young general, how could you not be impressive after fighting on the battlefield at such a young age?"
Cheng Sui pouted: "So-so. No matter how good she is, she still got taken down by Mother."
The crowd was merely limp, not unconscious or dead, so they naturally heard the conversation clearly. Their expressions shifted several times before they realized that what Madam Wei had said was true.
Tan You looked down at Cheng Qian, handed the hand warmer to Gu Yu, bent down slightly, and unceremoniously stretched out two fingers to clamp Cheng Qian's chin, forcing Cheng Qian to look up at Tan You in this humiliating position.
What do you want to do?
Tan Youzai scrutinized Cheng Qian's appearance closely, as if trying to see through his exterior to his inner self. Hearing this, she clicked her tongue in disdain and released her grip.
Cheng Qianchun managed to stay upright by holding onto his longsword, and asked again, "What do you want to do?"
Tan You didn't answer him, but stood still in front of Wei Shi. Just as Cheng Qian's eyes were about to burst with rage, she raised her foot and stepped on Wei Shi's hand, grinding it hard.
Wei immediately burst into tears from the pain, but because of the muscle-relaxing powder, she couldn't move. "Miss, Miss, I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again."
“You didn’t behave,” Tan You chuckled, the prayer beads in her hand spinning faster and the pressure under her feet increasing. “I said last time that if Cheng Qian behaved after he came back, I would naturally let him off the hook.”
"But look, he's disobedient, and so are you. If I let this go easily today, who in the Duke's mansion will respect me in the future?"
Wei trembled like a leaf, desperately grabbing Tan You's skirt: "Miss, Miss, I really know I was wrong. I only have one son, Cheng Qian. Please have mercy and spare his life."
Seeing that Tan You remained unmoved, Madam Wei felt utterly hopeless. Looking at Cheng Sui beside her, she said urgently, "Miss, you may not care about Qian'er, but he is still Sui'er's father. If Sui'er loses his father, who will support him in the future?"
Tan You chuckled, "Do you take me for a three-year-old like Sui-ge'er? If Cheng Qian lives, countless illegitimate sons and daughters will spring up. But if anything happens to him, Sui-ge'er will be the undisputed heir of the Duke's mansion." Cheng Qian sensed the murderous intent in Tan You's words. He looked up at her, "You...you want to kill me? Don't forget, murdering one's husband is a capital offense!"
Tan You shrugged: "I know, but who saw me do it? You're still alive and well."
That's what she said; everyone could see that she wanted to kill Cheng Qian. But everyone knew she wouldn't do it now, because doing so would give others ammunition to criticize her.
But since Cheng Qian and Wei Shi are both so disobedient, she definitely has to teach them a lesson.
Cheng Sui had absolutely no good feelings towards Cheng Qian. Don't underestimate the child just because he's young; he remembers the kind of life Cheng Qian led before.
The child counted on his fingers: "Mother, if he doesn't listen, then beat him until he listens."
Cheng Qian stared at Cheng Sui, never expecting him to say such a thing.
Tan You chuckled: "Good idea, but it won't work. Physical pain is only temporary; we need to torment someone mentally."
Cheng Sui clenched his fist: "Then how do we do it?"
Tan You said softly, "First, lock up all his guards, then sever their tendons. This is what will happen if they dare to lay a hand on me."
"How dare you!" Cheng Qian shouted. "They are all soldiers who fought their way to the top on the battlefield. How dare you treat them like this? They all have families to support. Have you considered the consequences of your actions?"
"What does it have to do with me?" Tan You said lightly, "They are your soldiers, and they are only loyal to you. Now that they are following your orders and intend to offend me, they should bear the consequences."
"As for their entire family, it should be up to you, their master, to consider their situation. You see, you should have investigated their background before you took action. Now you've bitten off more than you can chew."
Cheng Sui swiftly drew her small dagger: "Mother, I'll do it! I've learned from you before, I'm sure I can do it very well!"
Tan You nodded: "Go ahead."
Cheng Sui, wielding a small dagger, charged toward the two guards who had just been about to capture Tan You. He moved with lightning speed, and soon the tendons in the hands of the two guards were severed. They twitched in pain, and despair rose in their eyes.
Just as Cheng Qian was about to continue, a clever guard immediately pleaded for mercy: "Young Madam, from this day forward, I will only be loyal to you. I will do whatever you ask of me and will never dare to disobey!"
Once one defected, another followed, and soon all twenty or so guards had "betrayed" them. After all, Cheng Qian was now in Tan You's hands, so how could they expect Tan You to be merciful to them?
If they were crippled, they would be completely useless. Even if Cheng Qian managed to escape, could he heal their injuries? Nobody's a fool; everyone knows what the choice is.
Tan You said listlessly, "There's not a single tough nut to crack."
She kicked Cheng Qian in the knee: "Now, they're all mine."
"Guyu, take those two downstairs to get them bandaged. I'll go check on them later." She pointed at the two guards whose tendons had been severed by Cheng Sui. "Send Cheng Qian to the main courtyard. Oh, and bring Wei Ruoyu up too."
"My lord has returned; how can I, as a concubine, not appear?"