Farm Tough Girl-Chapter 483 - 484: Not Enough Heads in the Whole Family to Chop Off_1

"Lord Lu Ziquan was the one who did this for you?" Yu Ze opened the conversation slowly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Jin Yuanyuan, not daring to lie any longer, quickly replied, "Yes, it was him."

Ziquan’s face turned pale in an instant; he had not expected Jin Yuanyuan to fall from grace before him. He had been counting on her support, thinking that with Jin Yuanyuan as his backer, he could easily deal with this couple. But what kind of person was Yu Ze to be so fearless even against the Magistrate’s daughter?!

Lord Lu was even more shocked; after all, Jin Yuanyuan was the Magistrate’s daughter. Qiao Muniang might be wealthy, but she was just a merchant. How could Yu Ze dare to treat her like this? And to see Jin Yuanyuan, having been beaten, become so docile was something he had never witnessed before—a shrew subdued into surrender.

The first thing that came to Lord Lu’s mind was not that Yu Ze was audacious beyond bounds, for by his instinct, he knew this man was not one to act rashly. Lord Lu was merely trying to fathom what kind of background Yu Ze had that afforded him such boldness. Already his demeanor on a regular day was exceptionally out of the ordinary, and this act today only further confirmed Lord Lu’s suspicions.

"Lord Lu, since Ziquan has dared to harm my wife and unborn child, I cannot let him off. Do you intend to intervene?" With that question, Yu Ze was actually considering their past rapport, otherwise, he would have already taken down Lu Mansion by now.

Lord Lu was no fool; how could he not see the current situation? Yu Ze could handle Jin Yuanyuan so casually, and as just a Local County Official, even if he wanted to protect his son, it would be utterly futile. By asking if he wanted to intervene, Yu Ze was essentially asking if he wanted to share his son’s misfortune.

Lord Lu glanced at his useless son, full of regret for not being able to be tougher with him. He had always been hesitant to give him important tasks exactly because of reasons like this: not only did he not accomplish anything of significance, but he was also good for nothing but trouble! Now that such a scandal had broken out, what was he to do? No matter what, it was his own son, and he couldn’t bring himself to abandon him. But how could Yu Ze be someone easily dealt with?

While Lord Lu was still hesitant, Lu Qi’er entered and said sharply, "Since he has committed such acts, he naturally deserves punishment. Why should you interfere, Father? You used to teach me that the Emperor should be punished for his crimes just as the common people are. If you can’t even punish your own son, how can you talk about becoming a revered and righteous official?!"

Ziquan, furious, burst into curses: "Lu Qi’er, you heartless woman, not even sparing your own brother, you wish for my death, don’t you?!"

But Lu Qi’er ignored him and simply said with her head held high, "Father, please think it over. If you protect him now, not only will the common people surely be disappointed in you, but how will you explain to Sister Mu?"

The last sentence was tinged with anxiety, and it was clear that she was reminding Lord Lu of Yu Ze’s power. When Qingmei was taken away earlier, Tianniu had immediately concluded it must have been her doing. As Muniang brought the person to Lu Mansion to resolve the matter, Tianniu suspected it must be related to Ziquan.

She had hurried back in case her father, in a moment of impulsiveness, decided to sacrifice everything for such a person.

Lord Lu was still struggling but seeing the urgency in Lu Qi’er’s eyes, he realized what his daughter was worried about. If he protected his defiant son now, it was likely that his whole family would meet a dire end.

"This defiant son has caused such trouble; I can’t forgive him either. Regarding this matter, I naturally won’t intervene," said Lord Lu through gritted teeth.

Listening, Ziquan felt as if the sky was crashing down and he began to wail, "Father!"

Lu Qi’er breathed a sigh of relief inside. Since childhood, she had never cared for Ziquan, who was not born of the same mother. How could she harbor any good feelings towards him and his mother? For many years, her ability to keep Ziquan under strict control was not only due to Lord Lu’s affection but also her own strategies. If her father now compromised everything for such a scoundrel, that would truly be a waste.

Muniang played with her fingernails, a playful smile emerging on her face: "Lord Lu is so decisive; I am at a loss for what to do now. Mr. Lu has played such a big joke on me this time, what should I do in response?"

Lu Ziquan glanced at Muniang and immediately felt a chill run through his body; this woman was definitely no easy opponent. But he had always despised her, so why would he bow down to her now? He instantly burst into a barrage of curses:

"You wench, what does it matter if I gave you a scarlet pimpinella? You’ve done so many disgusting deeds yourself, it’s no wonder you can’t have children. Now you strut around with a belly, seeking out your own man to show off, mingling with a bunch of men every day, showing your face, who knows whose child this is?!"

Before Lu Ziquan could finish cursing, Yu Ze had grabbed him by the neck, his body radiating with a murderous aura: "Say it again."

How could Lu Ziquan speak? Yu Ze’s hand was like a vise, almost twisting his neck off; even if he wanted to say something, he couldn’t utter a word.

Lord Lu’s heart had risen to his throat, and Jin Yuanyuan’s face turned deathly pale with fear. She wasn’t worried about Lu Ziquan, but about herself; after all, she was the mastermind behind this mess. If Yu Ze treated Lu Ziquan like this, what would he do to her?

Lu Ziquan’s face gradually turned pale, then purplish-blue, feeling closer and closer to death’s door, until finally, when he was about to expire, Yu Ze let go, throwing him to the ground.

Lu Ziquan coughed violently, curled up on the ground, filled with fear; just a little while longer, and he could have been dead.

"Still want to curse?" Yu Ze said coldly.

Lu Ziquan quickly knelt to beg for mercy: "I was wrong, I won’t dare again, please spare my life, spare my life!"

Muniang didn’t want to be too ruthless, as Lord Lu was friendly with her. If she was too harsh on his son, despite him being out of favor, it would still harm their good relationship, so she said, "It seems Mr. Lu has been spoiled by privilege, causing wine and meat to clog his brain. Suffering a bit might actually do him good; he might even turn out to be a talented person."

Lu Ziquan swallowed hard, asking in terror, "What, what do you mean by that?"

"I hear the frontier is recruiting new soldiers again, and it just so happens my husband has some connections there, so directly sending you to the battlefield to toughen up might be good for you. If you manage to grow a backbone, Lord Lu won’t have to constantly worry about his prodigal son. Wouldn’t that be good?" Muniang clearly addressed Lord Lu, not considering Lu Ziquan’s opinion at all.

Lu Ziquan shuddered at the thought. Go to the frontier? Wasn’t that a death sentence? He lived a life of luxury, unable to lift a finger in toil. Was he meant to go to the frontier to become cannon fodder? This woman was literally pushing him to his death!

Lord Lu was still hesitant when he heard Lu Qi’er speak up: "Then let’s do just that. Mu Jiejie is taking such good care of my brother, Father should be very grateful."

Lord Lu became annoyed and muttered under his breath, "Qi’er, he’s your brother, how can you be so..."

Lu Qi’er, however, glared back, retorting, "If my brother had even half of Father’s achievements, he wouldn’t have ended up like this!"

Then she added anxiously in a whisper, "Father, do you know who Mu Jiejie is? For her to spare his life is already merciful. Otherwise, our whole family’s heads wouldn’t be enough to appease her!"