Орден Красного Лотоса

Глава 74

"Even if the truth comes out, how will we settle accounts for the more than one hundred lives lost?" Li You shook his head, then looked at Madam Ye and smiled, "Madam, do you know who framed Sect Leader Tao?"

Madam Ye trembled all over.

Why did he press Madam Ye for an answer? Not only Yang Nianqing was puzzled, but Tang Keyou and her brother also looked at their mother with confusion.

Li You continued to stare at her, his long eyelashes framing a playful smile in his eyes, yet somehow sharp and menacing: "Madam must already know that Lord Tang is heartbroken, and so is Madam."

He didn't move, but Madam Ye involuntarily took a few steps back, looking at him with a mixture of fear and pleading—

What a failure! So many people guessed it already. Xiao Shu's confidence is slowly eroding.

Volume Three: The Truth Revealed

Seeing her swaying as if about to collapse, Tang Kesi could no longer hold back and immediately supported her: "Mother!"

Li You shook his head: "If it weren't for Sect Master Tao, I'm afraid there wouldn't be a Madam today. But if there were Sect Master Tao, Madam wouldn't be in Tang Family Fort now, would she? Madam is caught in a dilemma, and she will always be heartbroken."

That's even stranger.

Yang Nianqing was secretly surprised.

Madam Ye seemed to have already lost her footing: "That's right, it's all my fault..."

Her voice trembled; she was clearly trying hard to control herself.

“I’m afraid that’s exactly right,” He Bi suddenly sneered. “If it weren’t for Madam, Sect Master Tao would not have suffered this calamity of being killed and his entire family wiped out.”

Seeing his disrespectful words towards her mother, Tang Kesi angrily retorted, "You're being unreasonable! Even if Uncle Tao is innocent, it's not that my father doesn't want to avenge him, it's just that he doesn't know how to investigate. Why are you forcing my mother now? It's ridiculous!"

He Bi coldly said, "It's quite laughable. The people who betrayed and framed Sect Leader Tao are none other than Sect Leader Tao's two good brothers, Tang Jingfeng and Liu Ru."

This was nothing short of a thunderclap!

Being betrayed by a good friend or brother is a truly tragic thing, as everyone knows. No one could have imagined that the people who framed Tao Huayu and then betrayed him, leading to the massacre of his entire family, were actually his most trusted friends and brothers—Tang Jingfeng and Liu Ru!

Possessing weapons and gunpowder privately is a grave crime. Tao's family was at the height of its power at the time. Even if their defenses were lax, it was unlikely that someone would secretly transport these things to their backyard without their knowledge. No wonder everyone was only suspicious at the time, but eventually had to believe the truth.

The only person who had the opportunity to hide weapons and firearms in the Tao family's backyard beforehand was his most trusted brother!

Tang Kesi exclaimed, "You're talking nonsense!"

He Bi remained silent.

"No!" Tang Kesi's face turned red with panic. "My father has always been heartbroken for Uncle Tao and is still investigating the murderer who framed him. He... didn't!"

Qiu Bailu suddenly said, "There are quite a few strange things like thieves crying 'stop thief'."

Upon hearing him insult his father by calling him a thief, Tang Keyou, who had been kneeling on the ground without saying a word, suddenly stood up and angrily said, "My father is an upright man. You have no evidence and do not make baseless accusations!"

His hand was already on the hilt of the knife.

Qiu Bailu said calmly, "Young Master Tang wants to kill me to silence me?"

Tang Keyou was even angrier.

Madam Ye immediately looked panicked and shouted sharply, "You'er!"

"Mother……"

"Don't be so unreasonable and impulsive! Have I wasted all these years raising you?!"

Tang Keyou had probably never seen her so flustered before, nor had she ever heard her say such harsh words. Besides blame and sorrow, there was also a lot of fear in her eyes. She was stunned for a moment and slowly lowered her head.

Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry!

She knew this day would come sooner or later, and the truth would eventually come to light. What she had always worried about was her son. With his impulsive nature, would he cause trouble if she were gone? If it weren't for her son, she probably wouldn't have waited so long.

He Bi looked at her and said slowly, "When the court wanted to exterminate the Tao family, the person sent to be in charge of the matter was none other than Cao Tongpan, who was the most famous at the time. Now he has admitted it himself. You don't think he is lying, Madam."

Madam Ye's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

Li You nodded: "Even if the incident involving Lord Tang and Lin Xing comes to light, Madam would not abandon years of affection for this matter. The reason that made Madam make up her mind must be the matter of Tao Men."

As he spoke, he smiled and said, "It is said that Master Tao once had a favor to you, Madam. Since you know about his enemy, you will not sit idly by. However, by doing so, you are being fair to Master Tao, but you are also being unfair to Master Tang."

Madam Ye's eyes flickered, and she murmured, "Yes, I've let him down."

Tang Keyou said blankly, "Mother..."

Seeing that she did not argue, he had already tacitly agreed to the matter.

Tang Kesi hugged her mother in fear: "Mother, Father didn't..."

Madam Ye gently shook her head, looked at her children, and finally shed tears: "He was indeed wrong back then, but for so many years, he has been filled with guilt and his life is no better than those who have died. Now..."

She stopped talking.

Tang Keyou also showed shame and indignation. Betraying friends and brothers is the kind of despicable person that everyone in the martial arts world despises. She never expected that her father would do such a shameful thing!

How would you feel if you watched your idol, whom you've admired and respected since childhood, crumble little by little?

Li You suddenly laughed and said, "I'm wondering about something."

Before Madam Ye could speak, he continued, "Master Tang, Liu Ru, and Master Tao not only have no enmity, but are also close friends. If there was no profit to be gained, why would they do such a thing? I investigated the other day and found that after Master Tao left, the Tao family's business fell entirely into Liu Ru's hands."

"And Lord Tang," he looked at Madam Ye with amusement, "has not gained a single penny of the Tao family's wealth, nor has he benefited from it. Why is he so confused?"

Madam Ye remained silent, her expression sorrowful.

Yes, he gained nothing. His wife killed him more than twenty years later, and he himself suffered greatly from his conscience during his lifetime, and even earned a bad reputation after his death...

What was his purpose in doing this?

After a while.

Li You said, "Master Tao treated his wife very well back then."

Madam Ye nodded and said softly, "He... is my benefactor. Since he saved me, I cannot let him down and allow the Tao family to suffer injustice."

Li You smiled and said, "Master Tao has indeed been kind to Madam, but if it weren't for this incident, Madam would probably have truly become a member of the Tao family. Does Madam hate Master Tang?"

Madam Ye finally turned her face: "Yes, I liked him back then. When my mother left and never returned, I suffered all kinds of humiliation. When I was fourteen, I met him and he saved me."

“He’s a good man, always enjoying poetry and wine, and never thought of fighting for anything,” she said, glancing at her stunned children, and smiled slightly. “Even though I know he already has a wife, I still can’t help myself…”

“Later, I met Jingfeng,” she said, lowering her head. “As you know, he was very good to me.”

Li You smiled and said, "Lord Tang has only had one wife in his life. It is already rare to see someone so affectionate. Now that his wife understands his feelings, he must be very happy."

She shook her head: "But at the time, I was only focused on Brother Tao and didn't pay any attention to him at all."

What kind of humiliation did a teenage girl suffer when she was left to wander the streets? And one day, she suddenly found herself rescued. Who could understand that feeling... Moreover, Tao Huayu was a very good person, so even though she knew he already had a wife, she was still willing to follow him.

for a long time.

He Bi said in a deep voice, "Is this why Lord Tang wanted to kill you?"

Madam Ye shook her head, her face filled with anger: "It was all Liu Ru's idea! Liu Ru coveted the Tao family's property and used me to persuade him, so he... he did such an unjust thing!"

Everyone fell silent.

The reason why Lord Tang turned against his brother was because of Madam Ye.

Madam Ye, however, was in love with Tao Huayu. Although Tao Huayu already had a wife and children, in this ancient era, it didn't prevent him from accepting another woman. The best way to make her give up was to make the man she loved disappear forever. Although she would be heartbroken, time and love would eventually heal everything... Besides, she didn't dislike herself.

Li You shook his head and said, "Although Lord Tang made a grave mistake in a moment of confusion, he was always only thinking of his wife. He was sorry to Sect Leader Tao, but he was worthy of his wife. Now that his wife has avenged Sect Leader Tao, she is sorry to him again and has killed many innocent people. What is the point of all this!"

Wenwan's gaze became blank.

Qiu Bailu said calmly, "If he truly has no ulterior motives, even Liu Ru cannot sway him. Madam has now avenged the Tao family. Although she mistakenly entered the Tang family, she is still a member of the Tao family. I believe the entire Tao family will be grateful."

Madam Ye smiled: "No, I am a member of the Tang family."

Everyone was stunned.

Madam Ye said slowly, "I am a member of the Tang family, and the one I love now is Jingfeng."

"Mother!" Tang Keyou finally knelt down in front of her again with a "thump". All along, he had thought that his mother had betrayed his father and had a deep misunderstanding. Now that he heard these words, how could he not feel guilty?

He lowered his head and choked back tears, saying, "Your son is unfilial!"

Madam Ye reached out and gently stroked his face.

Immediately, tears streamed down her face: "Over the years, your father has often been sad for no reason. Now I understand that he felt guilty. He was tormented by his conscience every day he faced me, but he still endured it alone, treating me and tolerating me as always. For twenty-three years, how could his life have been easy!"

Yang Nianqing's nose tingled, but she didn't know what to say.

Nangong Xue remained silent, yet her expression was somber.

Is it right or wrong? A man you deeply love is killed by a man who loves you deeply, and his entire family is wiped out. If it were you, would you choose to remain silent, or would you, like Madam Ye, avenge him?

Tang Kesi's eyes were red from crying.

Madam Ye shook her head: "I don't want to harm him, but I can't let Brother Tao down either. He was indeed wrong in this matter."

His tone was full of sorrow and helplessness.

She looked at everyone and said softly, "He was wrong, but I don't blame him. If it weren't for me, how could he have done such an unjust thing? In the past twenty years, if he hadn't felt guilty in front of me, how could he have had these absurd things with Lin Xing... I don't blame him."

Whatever he did, it was all for her.

Li You looked at her and said softly, "We have no concrete evidence. Madam originally didn't have to admit it, but now..."

Madam Ye smiled bitterly: "No need. In any case, this whole thing started because of me. Besides... since he treated me like this, why should I go down and keep him company?"

Li You was disheartened.

After a while.

He Bi frowned and said, "There are still many things I don't understand about this case, Madam..."

Madam Ye suddenly waved her hand, interrupting him: "Since you already know, why ask any more questions? I killed Liu Ru. I also killed Master Situ and Zhang Mingchu to cover up the crime, so as to prevent people from becoming suspicious. I put their bodies in the Nangong Villa."

After saying that, she turned to look at her two children, her eyes filled with kindness and pain: "I am sorry for your father. I should have gone down to be with him long ago, but I was really worried about you two. You'er, you are so grown up now. Don't be willful in everything you do in the future."

Tang Keyou's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.

A life for a life; no one can escape it.

Tang Kesi hugged her mother and cried, "Are they going to arrest you?"

Madam Ye shook her head and gently embraced her: "Sisi..."

Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Mother, what's wrong!"