Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 210: The Great Families

Chapter 210: Chapter 210: The Great Families

For generations, the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion had been a family of unwavering loyalty and sacrifice, leaving only Xie Yuan alive from the previous generation. And now, must her son be offered as well? Haven’t enough people from the Marquis Mansion died already? For the crimson armor, for the lives of the soldiers, her husband and sons charged into battle—now that peace talks have been established, why must her son still be lost?

She couldn’t understand!

She could only vent her anger on Xie Yuan. Even though she knew her husband’s pain surpassed her own, she had no one else to blame. If not him, then who? The Emperor Jianming?

Or Dugu Jing?

She had guarded the Marquis Mansion for over twenty years, yearning for her family to reunite, only to lose Ting Feng’s eyes in the end—why must it be so!

"My lady..." The Marquis Zhenbei called out hoarsely to her. The two locked eyes through their tears, sharing the same despair and pain. Xie Zhang and Xie Xun’s eyes were red as well, suppressing their emotions in stoic silence.

The Marchioness turned away and left. Xie Zhang gave him a look, and Xie Xun followed after their mother. The Marquis Zhenbei staggered unsteadily, but Xie Zhang quickly stepped forward to support his father. "Father!"

The Marquis Zhenbei, overwhelmed by emotions, felt a painful metallic taste rise in his throat. His second son, who had always been proud and aloof, now blinded—if not death, then what fate awaited him in the future?

This hunting expedition had been utterly catastrophic.

Fang Chuning was at death’s door. Xie Jue had lost his eyes. Yet Xie Jue’s Shadow Guards—One, Two, and Three—and Chen Lin had miraculously survived despite their grave injuries. When Xie Xun sent people to search for them, all four of them were found severely wounded but still alive, maintaining the faintest pulses. As for the Beiman warriors, apart from Dugu Jing, all were killed on sight, their mangled bodies scattered gruesomely.

Furthermore, twenty-six other corpses were found in the forest. The most bizarre detail: all the bodies had been mutilated beyond recognition, their faces completely disfigured, making identification nearly impossible. Some bodies had even been gnawed at by wild beasts—a scene of extreme brutality.

The Marquis Zhenbei was incensed. This had been a fundamentally unfair hunt. Someone had ambushed the party in the forest—forcing Xie Jue and Fang Chuning to fend off over thirty assailants alone. The fact they survived was nothing short of miraculous.

When Emperor Jianming interrogated Dugu Jing, the latter responded with a cold laugh and said, "Before Xie Jue and I went hunting, we both signed a life-and-death agreement. Life and death are our own responsibility in this matter. Besides, those twenty-some corpses—what connection do they have to my Beiman? The ambush was clearly not orchestrated by us. Emperor Yan Yang, this is your own Yan Yang Kingdom’s problem. How does it concern an external tribe?"

Though the disfigured bodies were unrecognizable, it was still evident that they were not Beiman but Yan Yang people.

Since there was indeed a life-and-death agreement between Dugu Jing and Xie Jue, and five Beiman warriors had perished as well, pursuing the matter further was deemed unwise. However, the Marquis Zhenbei demanded a thorough investigation—exactly who had slipped past their cavalry’s guard to stage an ambush in the forest?

Someone in Yan Yang had laid a trap to kill Xie Jue in the woods, causing Fang Chuning and Xie Jue to narrowly escape with their lives—this was undoubtedly the most shocking aspect of the hunt. Enraged, Emperor Jianming commanded the Crown Prince to conduct a full investigation and provide an answer for Fang Chuning and Xie Jue.

"Yes, Father, I receive your command!"

The civil and military officials were abuzz with speculation. Who were the dozens of men hiding in the forest, seeking to kill Xie Jue? Why would they go to such extremes to end his life?

Marquis An Yuan was furious, exclaiming, "The Second Young Master has been stationed outside for years and has no personal grudges—so who could possibly harbor such hatred that they’d want him dead? It’s sheer insanity!"

"If I ever find out who did this," Junior General Cui Lansong, enraged, swore, "I’ll tear them to pieces!" A deputy under Xie Zhang’s command, Cui Lansong’s father, General Cui, commanded Ningzhou’s border defenses. Despite his youth, anger overwhelmed him. "How can we just let Dugu Jing go like this?"

Dugu Jing provoked the Eldest Young Master and harmed the Second Young Master—how could this matter be so easily dismissed?

The military officials were collectively indignant, yet none dared act rashly. Without orders from the Marquis Zhenbei or Xie Zhang, they could not confront Dugu Jing directly. If they jeopardized the peace talks, no one could bear the consequences.

"How infuriating! Dugu Jing is taking full advantage of our unwillingness to risk the peace talks to act so arrogantly!"

"The Second Young Master has lost his sight—what will become of him now?"

"Who exactly sent those people to kill the Second Young Master? Who could be so vile, so insidious?"

"Could it have been related to the New Policies?" Cui Lansong suddenly recalled the widespread disputes regarding the new reforms. "Aside from those reforms, the Second Young Master didn’t offend anyone else!"

"Watch your tongue!" a senior officer admonished. Cui Lansong, being an impulsive and loud young man, had already let the words spread far and wide.

The rumor quickly took hold: the Second Young Master’s stance on the New Policies had made enemies, and because of this, someone sought his life!

And who would be offended by the New Policies but the aristocratic clans?

The rumor began among the military, but it spread like wildfire. Before long, the civil officials were discussing it too. Among the scholars and bureaucrats, other than a few clean-faction individuals, most came from prominent aristocratic clans who naturally stood against the New Policies. Even those loyal to the Marquis Zhenbei, who themselves hailed from noble families, openly resisted the new reforms.

As for Xie Jue, who was withdrawn and taciturn compared to his father and brothers, who else could he have offended but those tied to the New Policies?

Rumors swirled—was it not the aristocrats who sent assassins to the forest?

"Kill the Second Young Master, delay the New Policies—repeating the tragedies of the past, could it really be..."

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Li, frowned deeply. "Mr. Wu, without firm evidence, refrain from spreading baseless gossip."

"Where there’s smoke, there’s fire."

"The Second Young Master, having exhausted himself over the New Policies, often debated with the Grand Scholars in the cabinet. He clearly angered the aristocratic clans, making it entirely possible for them to want him dead!"

"Though the New Policies were conceived by the cabinet, it’s well known that they were spearheaded single-handedly by the Second Young Master. If he dies, the New Policies would lose their driving force, effectively paralyzing the reforms."

The murmuring among officials grew louder, sharply accusing the aristocrats and pointing fingers at Grand Scholar Lin Hongyuan, with whom Xie Jue had recently engaged in heated debates. Rumors multiplied, growing increasingly volatile.

Lin Hongyuan and his brother Lin Hongcheng sought out the Marchioness in desperation. Lin Hongyuan was drenched in cold sweat. "Elder Sister, under no circumstances should you believe these rumors. While Ting Feng and I may differ in political views, he is still my nephew—how could I possibly order his assassination? Someone is clearly trying to sow discord between the Marquis Mansion and the Lin Family. You must believe me!"

The Marchioness was the eldest daughter of the Lin Family, deeply bonded with her younger brothers. Lin Hongyuan and Lin Hongcheng had always shown profound respect and love for her. When the Marquis Zhenbei took a concubine back in the day, despite knowing they lacked the strength to challenge him, the brothers still supported their sister in considering divorce and taking Xie Junhua back home with her.

Even when it became clear that it was the Marchioness herself who had suggested her husband take concubines, the brothers nonetheless held a grudge against the Marquis. When Xie Zhang and Xie Jue were born later, even though they were nominally under the Marchioness’s name, the brothers worried for her position and even advised her to sell off Lady Lan and Lady Mudan.

After being posted to official positions far away, both brothers began sending the Marchioness local specialties, fine jewelry, and silks every month. During festivals, their gifts surpassed even what they sent to their own family at home.

The Marchioness gazed at the slap mark on Lin Hongcheng’s cheek, her brow furrowing slightly. "Why did you hit him?"

Lin Hongcheng, indignant, replied, "Elder Sister, our eldest brother struck me after hearing those rumors without discerning the truth—you must stand up for me!"

"If you hadn’t harbored the thought of killing Ting Feng, why would he hit you?" The Marchioness’s voice turned cold.

Lin Hongcheng fell to his knees. "Elder Sister, I had no such thoughts about killing Ting Feng—not even the faintest. I may have argued with him and spoken harshly in the heat of the moment, but nothing more."

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