☆、060, Severely punish the Hong family father and son!
Hong Mansion
Hong Wantang went straight to the Hong residence as soon as he returned from court today. Hong Yicheng had made a huge fool of himself yesterday, and Hong Wantang had told him not to go out recently and to avoid trouble.
"Xiao Lian, come here quickly, or I'll catch you."
"Mei Shuang, you little vixen, where have you run off to again? Come out and have some fun with your young master!"
"Oh, young master, you're so mean!"
"Oh, am I really bad? Then why are you leaning against me and touching me like that?"
"Young Master, you're so annoying! You know perfectly well what you're asking!"
As soon as Hong Wantang arrived at the backyard, he heard Hong Yicheng laughing and joking with the maids. Hong Wantang's face immediately darkened. Turning the corner to the courtyard entrance, he saw Hong Yicheng with his clothes half-open, two women smiling seductively at him. Hong Yicheng's hands were groping the maids' buttocks, his words laced with flirtation and seduction, bordering on vulgarity and lust. The three women were all disheveled and pressed closer together. Hong Wantang felt that if he hadn't gotten up early, Hong Yicheng wouldn't have actually been fooling around in the courtyard.
Hong Wantang, his face grim, shouted, "What are you doing!"
"Father, you're back from court."
"This servant greets you, sir!"
"This servant greets you, sir!"
Hong Yicheng smiled at Hong Wantang, while Xiao Lian and Mei Shuang gracefully bowed, their voices soft and sweet, clearly carrying a hint of affection...
Hong Wantang coldly stared at the two women: "Shameless things, how dare you openly seduce the young master in the manor! Guards, drag them away and find a matchmaker to deal with them immediately."
"Please forgive me, sir. I will not do it again."
"Please calm down, sir. Mei Shuang will definitely be more careful in the future."
The two maids were shocked by Hong Wantang's outburst. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Although they usually stayed indoors, they didn't know why, but ever since their young master attended the banquet, he had developed a particular fondness for outdoor sex, which had indeed made them more sexually aroused. So, naturally, they didn't refuse Hong Yicheng's advances. Who knew this would become Hong Wantang's pretext for punishing them! Xiao Lianmei and Shuang, ever since Hong Yicheng took a liking to them, were his women and no longer virgins. Now that the matchmaker was dealing with them, she would definitely send them to a brothel to suffer the torment of being slept with by many. Their young master had a promising future, was talented in literature, and was infatuated with them; they might even rise to prominence with him in the future. Why would they want that!
Two maids immediately rushed towards Hong Wantang, clinging to his legs and pleading. Their eyes were blurry with tears, and their clothes, half-undone from playing with Hong Yicheng, clung softly to Hong Wantang. Even Hong Wantang, whose face was dark, paled. However, the next moment, he suddenly stretched out his foot and kicked Mei Shuang hard in the chest. Mei Shuang immediately clutched her chest in pain, large beads of cold sweat dripping down her face.
"ah!"
"Guards! Didn't you hear what I said? Sell these two sluts to a brothel and see if they still dare to act like sluts!" Hong Wantang began to curse loudly.
"Master, please forgive us, Master, please forgive us..." Immediately, servants pulled Xiaolian and Meishuang away, but the two cried and refused to comply.
Hong Yicheng's face was still flushed with emotion, but when he saw Hong Wantang suddenly take his two concubines to a brothel, his expression turned sour: "Father, what are you doing? You know very well that Xiaolian and Meishuang are usually my favorites. What do you mean by suddenly sending them away?"
Hong Wantang roared, "You bastard! You still don't know how to repent! All you know is how to seek pleasure! I gave birth to you just to watch you cause trouble!"
Seeing that Hong Wantang was truly angry, Hong Yicheng shrank back slightly, then immediately realized the reason: "Father, you were impeached at court today? But with the Crown Prince protecting you, it won't be a big deal. At most, your monthly salary will be deducted. Father, don't be angry. Xiaolian and Meishuang have nothing to do with this matter, so Father, don't bother with them."
Seeing Hong Yicheng's nonchalant attitude, Hong Wantang became even angrier: "Come inside with me!" He stormed into the house, and Hong Yicheng followed him in nonchalantly. As soon as he entered, he was almost hit by a teacup thrown by Hong Wantang, and he couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Dad, you scared me to death!"
"You bastard, you still haven't realized your mistake!"
Hong Yicheng scoffed inwardly. He naturally knew what Hong Wantang was angry about. Today's court appearance must have been due to his impeachment and the mockery from his colleagues. Hong Wantang's background wasn't high; he had only gotten to where he was today through cunning and manipulation, so he valued his reputation more than anything else. It was Hong Wantang who had given him a firm order to deal with the people in the General's Mansion, which was why he had set his sights on Ouyang Yue. Now that something had happened, the blame was being placed on him, which displeased Hong Yicheng as well.
"Dad! Please calm down, I know I was wrong!"
Hong Wantang sat in the main chair with a sullen face. Seeing Hong Yicheng admit his mistake, his expression improved slightly, but his eyes still held a gloomy look: "Hmph, that old scoundrel was mocking me again today, saying that I relied on currying favor with the Crown Prince and that my humble origins meant I could never amount to anything. Do you think I don't know they're jealous that I hold a higher official position than them!"
"Yes, yes, yes." Hong Yicheng nodded repeatedly.
Hong Wantang's brows were furrowed with gloom: "No wonder your father is so angry. You just made a fool of yourself with Ouyang Hua. If this gets out, not only me, but you too will have no face to show your face in the capital. Can't you even wait a few more days? Although you didn't handle this matter well, Ouyang Hua is still a hundred times better than Ouyang Rou. You do have some skills, kid. Tomorrow, your father will go with you to the General's Mansion to propose marriage and get this engagement settled. Although it doesn't sound good, it will at least give you an advantage, and it will be easier for me to speak to the Crown Prince!"
Hong Yicheng asked, "Judging from Ouyang Zhide's demeanor yesterday, he doesn't seem like he would agree to my relationship with Ouyang Hua. My son knows this is a good thing, but whether it will work out is a question."
Hong Wantang sneered, "The General's Mansion has three daughters. One has been having affairs with multiple men, another's chastity was ruined in your hands, and Ouyang Yue is one of the three most disgraceful women in the capital, each more despicable than the last. What reason does Ouyang Zhide have to disagree? As for that daughter who has been defiled, if our Hong family wanted her, he should be burning incense in gratitude. He's not worthy of pretending with me!" While saying this, he looked at Hong Yicheng and advised, "However, Ouyang Zhide is currently favored, and even the Crown Prince wants to win him over. He's using this opportunity to gain face for us, so Ouyang Zhide is still useful. After Ouyang Hua marries in, you should restrain yourself. As long as Ouyang Zhide completely submits, you can ruin the General's Mansion's daughters, and I won't care. But you need to know how to control the degree!"
Hong Yicheng immediately laughed and said, "Father, don't worry. That bitch Ouyang Hua looked down on me back in the General's Mansion, but in the end, she still moaned and groaned under me. She's so shameless! I know how to subdue her."
Hong Wantang nodded: "That's good, that's more like my son. Don't even think about those two concubines. As long as you achieve success in the future, you can have any kind of woman you want. If Ouyang Hua sees those two restless women after he enters the mansion, he'll definitely cause trouble. It's not worth it."
"Father, I understand. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Hong Wantang nodded with satisfaction.
But then!
"Hong Wantang, you old scoundrel! Hong Yicheng, you scum, come out here for me!"
"Hong Yicheng, you despicable wretch, get out here and face me!"
"Get out here! Get out here! Get out here!"
Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted outside. Hong Wantang and his son, who were chatting, immediately turned grim and strode out. The servants of the Hong residence rushed out in surprise. Over the years, Hong Wantang had been a man of high status and power, and no one had ever dared to block the entrance of the Hong residence and shout insults. The servants quickly gathered at the entrance.
Meanwhile, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance, pointing and whispering about the Hong residence. After Hong Wantang and Hong Yicheng came out, the discussions became even louder.
"He's out, he's out! It's that wicked woman, that innocent scoundrel! I thought this one of the Three Talents of the Capital was some kind of noble person, but she's just a beast in human form!"
"That's why you can know a person's face but not their heart. Who can know that a seemingly refined gentleman might actually be a despicable and filthy creature behind the scenes!"
"Bah! One of the Three Talented Scholars of the Capital? He doesn't even deserve the title! He's not even worthy to carry my shoes!"
It turned out that Ouyang Zhide had led a group to cause trouble at the Hong residence, making quite a racket along the way. This attracted many onlookers, including commoners and young masters and ladies from prominent families, as the commotion at the Hong residence wasn't exactly pleasant to watch. So when the two emerged, they were nearly drowned in a shower of spittle.
Hong Wantang's face flushed with anger. Seeing Ouyang Zhide standing in front of the Hong residence, he said in a deep voice, "General Ouyang, what do you mean by this? Bringing people to cause trouble in front of the Hong residence, aren't you afraid of being invited for tea by the Prefect of the Capital?"
Ouyang Zhide sneered: "Open your dog eyes and look carefully. I am one zhang away from your Hong residence. Within one zhang is your Hong residence, but beyond this zhang is the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. My standing here is not considered out of line!"
The Great Zhou Dynasty had a special law: the area one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) in front of each mansion belonged to that mansion. If anyone crossed this boundary and could not be driven away, they could be punished for theft or other crimes. Of course, this applied to nobles. Some commoners had smaller homes and reduced the area in front of their houses according to the corresponding regulations.
So as soon as Ouyang Zhide finished speaking, Hong Wantang's face immediately darkened. Just as Ouyang Zhide had said, Ouyang Zhide and his men stood a dozen feet away, surrounded by layers of people behind him, but none of them crossed the boundary. The roads on both sides were almost blocked, but no one had crossed the law. Hong Wantang was being cursed at right at his doorstep, yet this martial artist Ouyang Zhide actually resorted to such tricks! Even if Hong Wantang wanted to sue him, it would be difficult to fabricate a crime.
"Brother Ouyang, you said you were coming, but why are you blocking the entrance with people? Come in and talk to me." Hong Wantang said with a smile.
"Bah! Hong Wantang, you old scoundrel! I'm not here to chat with you today. I'm here to ask you how you raised your son. He insults women's chastity and does all sorts of dirty things, and you don't do anything about it. I can't possibly set foot in such a lowly and despicable family!" Ouyang Zhide cursed directly.
Hong Wantang, enraged, retorted, "General Ouyang, what do you mean by this? I know you're referring to yesterday's events. You were there that day, and it was clearly a misunderstanding. Ouyang Hua and Cheng'er both explained that they were framed. The people of the capital have their own judgment on Cheng'er's character; otherwise, why would he be hailed as one of the three talents of the capital? This is no exaggeration!"
Ouyang Zhide sneered: "High moral character, you really have the nerve to say that! If you were of such high moral character, would you have gone to break off the engagement just because Yue'er was implicated by Mo Xuyou's reputation? If you were of such high moral character, why did you always choose to take secluded paths instead of going anywhere else in the Ning Mansion? If you were of such high moral character, why was it Hong Yicheng who was framed? It's clear that Hong Yicheng is a scoundrel, and he was already identified, so they used him to do it secretly. Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. Your son is of such high moral character, how could he be targeted by someone who smells foul odors?! Stop trying to glorify yourself, this general doesn't buy it!"
In the end, Ouyang Zhide resorted to profanity, causing Hong Wantang's face to turn red and then pale: "You...you...you've disgraced us!" Hong Wantang was, after all, the Crown Prince's tutor and teacher, and he couldn't be like Ouyang Zhide. Even though he had a bellyful of curses to utter, with so many people watching, he absolutely couldn't, and absolutely couldn't, utter them!
"You call yourself civilized? Yes, you're just a civilized scoundrel!" Ouyang Zhide was like a powder keg today, cursing incessantly.
“General Ouyang, out of consideration for your triumphant return to the capital, I will not hold it against you. But don’t go too far. Yesterday, I was already preparing to arrange a marriage between your family and the General’s residence. Your so-called defamation of your innocence is completely unfounded. If that’s the case, why would I have Cheng’er marry your eldest daughter? Don’t be so hypocritical!” Hong Wantang’s words were not wrong. If the Hong family did not recognize Ouyang Hua, then Ouyang Hua would probably have a hard time getting married. After all, she was a woman who had been with Hong Yicheng, and many people had seen it in public. Furthermore, even those who were wary of the Hong family would not dare to marry Ouyang Hua. If the Hong family were to blame them, probably no one would dare to confront them directly! In this way, it seemed as if no one owed anyone anything.
"Shameless bastards! You forced the young lady to her death, and you still have the nerve to make sarcastic remarks? Shameless! You all deserve to die!" Aunt Ming, who had come along but hadn't stepped forward when Ouyang Zhide appeared, shouted angrily.
Her words struck the ground like a thunderbolt, creating a series of booming sounds!
"What did you say!" Hong Wantang and Hong Yicheng both exclaimed, their expressions changing drastically.
Aunt Ming roared hoarsely, "It was you! Last night, the eldest young lady hanged herself in grief. Her suicide note clearly tells us that you drugged her, causing her to lose her mind, and then defiled her. What man in black? That's all a fabrication! You treacherous wolf! Afterwards, you pretended to be innocent and then hypocritically went to the General's Mansion to propose marriage. You scoundrel, go to hell!" Aunt Ming rushed forward, pulling at Hong Yicheng, causing him to stumble. Meanwhile, Aunt Ming's beautiful, manicured nails scratched deeply into Hong Yicheng's face.
Hong Yicheng immediately felt a cool sensation on his face and smelled a bloody odor. Startled, he immediately spread his arms, knocking away Aunt Ming and roaring, "What are you doing!"
Aunt Ming was furious and didn't notice that Hong Yicheng was still unrepentant at this point and even dared to fight back. He was so shocked that he fell backward and sat on the ground. Aunt Ming was stunned for a moment, and then burst into tears: "There is no justice in this world! You forced the young lady to her death and you are still so arrogant. You treat human life like dirt. You all deserve to die!"
"That's right, they ruined the young lady's reputation and drove her to her death. When she came to demand an explanation, look at how the Hong family acted so self-righteously! They're utterly hypocritical!"
"Pah! Calling them human-faced beasts is too lenient. What are they anyway? That's an insult to the term 'human-faced beasts'!"
"This is absolutely outrageous!" The surrounding crowd joined in the cursing. Hong Wantang and Hong Yicheng turned pale with anger and glared at the loudest ones. But their reaction only made the cursing intensify.
Hong Wantang's forehead throbbed with anger: "General Ouyang, there must be some misunderstanding here. And how could Miss Ouyang have died so suddenly? You say she left a will, and that will is genuine. Could it be that someone has forged it to deceive you? These are turbulent times. Our two families are related by marriage. To be so easily fooled by such a despicable person would be a great loss!"
"The suicide note is here, read it yourself!" Ouyang Zhide angrily threw the suicide note over. Hong Wantang was stunned when he saw the blood-red suicide note, and then his face turned even uglier when he saw the contents of the suicide note.
Before yesterday, he didn't know what Hong Yicheng's plan was. But after returning from the Ning residence yesterday, Hong Yicheng revealed his previous plan with Ouyang Rou. Although they ended up with Ouyang Hua by mistake, the desired effect was achieved. Therefore, Hong Wantang didn't think much of it and was well aware that Hong Yicheng was not innocent in that matter. But he still had to say it this way, and what was written in the suicide note was exactly the same as what Hong Yicheng said: Hong Yicheng had kidnapped the wrong person and slept with the wrong person! Ouyang Hua was proud and didn't think Hong Yicheng was the best match for her. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she became, and she hanged herself!
So it's true that Hong Yicheng drove Ouyang Hua to his death, and it's understandable that Ouyang Zhide and the others came to his door in a fit of rage!
Hong Wantang's eyes darted around a few times, but the truth was the truth, and they couldn't admit it, or they would lose all face and reputation!
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! Yi Cheng would never do such a thing. We don't even know if this suicide note is truly Miss Ouyang's handwriting yet, so how can you be sure this isn't another conspiracy targeting the General's Mansion and Hong Yi Cheng!" They were determined to deny it to the death!
Ouyang Zhide's eyes blazed with fury: "Surround them!"
At this moment, the guards from the General's Mansion that Ouyang Zhide brought out, each holding a wooden handle, surrounded them. Hong Wantang and Hong Yicheng were startled and immediately shouted, "Someone come quickly! Someone come quickly! Protect your master and young master!" No one from the Hong Mansion jumped out for a while, but these guards from the General's Mansion, holding wooden handles, surrounded the Hong Mansion and began to tap the ground "tap tap tap," just like the actions of the yamen runners before opening the court in court. The sounds were loud and resounding.
At the same time, the guards of the General's Mansion shouted in unison, "The Hong family is despicable! They are scoundrels who have done all sorts of dirty things. When will they go to hell?" Their voices were loud and piercing, and their faces were full of contempt and disdain. Coupled with these curses, it was enough to make the people of the Hong family cower and unwilling to come out.
Needless to say, Hong Wantang and Hong Yicheng, who were blocked outside the Hong residence, were so angry that their faces turned ashen and even purplish-blue, and they trembled all over.
"Ouyang Zhide, don't go too far! I am, after all, a second-rank Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. How dare you insult me like this? Have you thought about the consequences? Do you want to openly make an enemy of the Hong family?" At this point, Ouyang Zhide clearly did not want to let it go. Hong Wantang and Hong Yicheng also knew very well that they were not wronged. In fact, Ouyang Hua was killed by them. Further sophistry was useless. They had no choice but to lay it all out!
Ouyang Zhide's face darkened, his fierce eyes glaring: "Hong Wantang, you old scoundrel! Back then, you relied on me, on being someone else's dog, to climb to your current position. And you dare to threaten me! You scoundrel!"
Although Ouyang Zhide is currently only a third-rank General of Guide, he commands 100,000 elite troops. This makes him far more powerful and favored by the Emperor than some civil officials with only clerical titles and little real authority. The army is always a crucial weapon in conquering the world. Even though Ouyang Zhide's official rank is lower than Hong Wantang's, he is not afraid of him. The only one he might fear is the Crown Prince. However, since Ouyang Zhide's daughter has died, and he is now seeking justice from the culprit, no one can say anything against him.
Even if the Crown Prince wanted to use this as an excuse, he would have to consider whether he could be used to commit a crime of favoritism and injustice, which would be the most unacceptable thing for the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou!
What does Ouyang Zhide have to fear?
"That's right, a villain, a villain indeed!"
"Scoundrel!"
At this moment, the guards of the general's mansion shouted in unison, "The Hong family is despicable! They are scoundrels from a respectable family, committing all sorts of filthy deeds. When will they go to hell!"
This caused such a huge commotion that the noise seemed to pierce the heavens.
Upon hearing the news, the Prefect of Jingzhao, responsible for maintaining order in the capital, knew that these two men were not to be trifled with, but he still had to intervene. The Prefect, accompanied by his constables, quickly squeezed through the crowd, only to find a tense and hostile atmosphere. He broke out in a cold sweat. Although the Prefect was also a second-rank official, the same rank as Hong Wantang and serving the Emperor, Hong Wantang was ultimately a man of the Crown Prince. Officials in the capital were shrewd and cunning, and no one wanted to create another enemy. Ouyang Zhide, a military officer, was known for his fiery temper; who could tolerate him? Besides, Hong Wantang was the aggrieved party today, and if things went wrong, he might be implicated as well!
"General Ouyang, Lord Hong, this matter needs to be discussed calmly. In my opinion..."
"What's there to talk about? This kind of scum deserves to be struck dead by lightning!"
"That's right, what's there to talk about! What kind of Prefect of the Capital is he? He's just scared. A perfectly good young woman was ruined for nothing, and with nowhere to confide in, she committed suicide. What's there to say!"
"Shut up! This is an official's case. Anyone who dares to speak again will be dragged back for causing an disturbance and locked up for two days!"
The crowd fell silent. The Prefect of Jingzhao looked at Ouyang Zhide, only to see the latter staring coldly at him: "A life for a life, a debt for a debt. Hong Yicheng's despicable actions drove my daughter to her death. Today, he will pay with his life!"
"That's right, a life for a life, a life for a life, a life for a life for a life for a life!"
Hong Yicheng's face turned pale, his fists clenched, and he coldly looked up at the source of the shout. However, there were too many people outside the Hong residence, and all he could see were dark heads. He had no idea who started it, and even if he wanted to find someone to take revenge, he couldn't find them!
"Why waste so much time on nonsense? This Prefect of the Capital is a scoundrel, a den of snakes and rats, all of them deserve to die!"
Suddenly, someone shouted something, and before anyone could respond, several rough voices yelled, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! We don't care who gets splashed on!"
"Wow, what's that? It stinks!"
"Get out of the way!"