CHAPTER 566: CHAPTER 555: THE MARCHIONESS’S MAID

"Second Brother, what did you say?" Zhong Yin widened her eyes, then stood defiantly in front of her own courtyard gate.

Zhong Lang’s expression was very ugly: "Yin’er, everything in my courtyard and Mother’s has been sold, and it’s still not enough. For Mother’s sake, just pretend you never had those things!"

"Impossible!" Zhong Yin, like a cat with its hackles raised, wasn’t cute at all but instead looked ferocious, "Those are my things, you can’t touch them."

Zhong Lang’s gaze towards Zhong Yin changed, his tone unquestionable: "Stop being willful. Don’t forget how you got those things. They were never yours to begin with, and now you’re unwilling to use them to save Mother? Do you even have a conscience?"

Zhong Yin refused to accept this and jumped up: "I’m heartless? Why don’t you continue to seek help from the Wei Family? They are the ones with deep pockets."

"You think I haven’t sought them out? Now everyone in the capital is laughing at us," Zhong Lang finally roared out loud, "Can’t you stop being so selfish?"

Having said that, he grabbed Zhong Yin, then ordered the people behind him: "Go, take out all the valuable jewelry and items from the house."

Zhong Yin kept slapping at Zhong Lang’s arm, her nails nearly scratching his face: "You can’t touch them, you can’t take my things."

However, the servants listened to Zhong Lang, so she could only watch helplessly as all her jewelry and decorations were taken out, her eyes red with anger.

"Second Brother, I’m begging you, please return those things to me. I’m just a concubine daughter; if I don’t even have one piece of decent jewelry, those high-born ladies will laugh at me," Zhong Yin cried incessantly.

Zhong Lang remained unmoved: "If they are going to laugh at you, then there’s no need to associate with such people anymore."

"Second Brother, if you touch them, I’ll go tell Grandmother!" Zhong Yin glared defiantly, then as if she thought of something, "Right, Second Brother, we still have Grandmother, she definitely won’t stand by and do nothing, she must help us."

Zhong Lang hesitated after hearing this. He had thought of this idea, but Grandmother was seriously ill; was it really right to bother her with this?

"Second Brother, stop hesitating. Just think, even if you take all my jewelry, will it be enough to cover the debts? Big Brother will not let us off, only Grandmother can help us."

"But Grandmother can’t stop Big Brother from reporting us to the officials either," Zhong Lang was still hesitating.

"I don’t mean to persuade Grandmother to stop Big Brother from pursuing this, but to have Grandmother cover the losses. Grandmother was once a housewife; she must have money," Zhong Yin said confidently.

What she didn’t know was that Old Madam Wei and Aunt Wei, like the latter, had never stopped subsidizing the bottomless pit that was the Wei Family. When Zhong Lang brought up this matter, Old Madam Wei was so angry she almost passed out.

"Call Zhong Jue over, I want to see what kind of capability he has to push us to our deaths," Old Madam Wei lay in bed, gasping for air with anger, still scolding Zhong Jue, "This unfilial grandchild, if he doesn’t listen to me, I’ll just die in front of him and see if he can still face the world."

Zhong Jue was actually keeping an eye on Zhong Lang; he had anticipated this scene as soon as he and Zhong Yin came to Old Madam Wei’s courtyard. At the moment, he was standing outside with Zhong Huaiwen, hearing every word clearly.

Zhong Huaiwen’s face turned grim as he strode over to Old Madam Wei, "Mother, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Old Madam Wei, hitting the bedding and in tears: "I’m not talking nonsense. Zhong Jue is trying to drive our Wei Family to death, to drive this old woman to death! Is there no justice in this world?"

Zhong Jue stepped into the room with a mocking smile, looked at Zhong Lang, "Second Brother, is this your solution? Don’t you know that Grandmother is unwell? Still, you trouble her with such matters, what if something happens to her, do you think you can still hold your reputation? If Grandmother dies today, it’s not because I pressured her, but because you and Aunt Wei did it yourselves."

"You... you still dare to quibble!" Old Madam Wei was so angry that her face turned bright red, as if mustering a dying breath of energy.

Zhong Jue, expressionless: "What am I quibbling about? Was it me who embezzled the Silver Coin? Or sold the ancestral property? Or informed you of this matter? If it weren’t for Second Brother and his party coming over, Grandmother wouldn’t be this angry. How can you blame me? If by chance Grandmother passes away, that would be Second Brother and Aunt Wei’s fault."

"You unfilial grandchild, I knew you and your mother are no good," Old Madam Wei hadn’t realized the reality of the situation, thinking that age allows her to do as she pleases.

Hearing her mention Mrs. Ying, Zhong Jue’s face turned exceptionally cold, his words seeming to be edged with frost: "As a grandson, I naturally dare not be unfilial. I will go now to summon the Imperial Physician for you. If the physician is unwilling to come, I’ll tell him the whole story from beginning to end. Presumably, given the face of Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion and Duke Wei Mansion, he will make the trip."

After Zhong Jue finished speaking, he walked out. Zhong Lang and Zhong Yin panicked, not expecting him to be so ruthless in front of Old Madam Wei.

"Come back!" The one who spoke was Zhong Huaiwen, supporting Old Madam Wei, his face looking very bad.

Zhong Jue stopped, turned around and gazed back at him: "What is it, Father, are you also forcing me?"

Zhong Huaiwen seemed to hear the threat in Zhong Jue’s voice, his face grew even uglier, and he started to regret allowing his eldest son to expose Aunt Wei’s affairs.

"What is your purpose after all?" Zhong Huaiwen seemed to muster all his strength to finally see this son for who he really is.

Zhong Jue smiled: "Isn’t my purpose the same as Father’s? To recover the family estate. Father, aren’t you afraid of dishonoring our ancestors after a hundred years?"

"I..." Zhong Huaiwen murmured, unable to speak further.

"Big Brother." At this point, Zhong Lang suddenly spoke up, his entire demeanor deflated as he closed his eyes, "If I give up the inheritance, can you spare Aunt Wei?"

"Lang, what are you saying?"

"Second Brother, what nonsense are you talking?" Old Madam Wei and Zhong Yin exclaimed at the same time.

"Father, I am willing to give up the family estate, I will draw up a statement today as proof, I hope Big Brother can give me a promise," Zhong Lang’s tone was very firm.

"I don’t agree," Zhong Huaiwen’s face turned ashen, then looked at Zhong Jue and said word by word, "As your Father today, I am asking you, can we just let this matter go?"

Zhong Lang scoffed with irony, surprised that his father would go this far for him, a bastard son. He couldn’t help but doubt whether his father would plead so desperately or oppose so firmly if it were he who was renouncing the inheritance today.

"Let it go? Father, which kind of ’let it go’ are you referring to? Do you think I’m such an agreeable person?" Zhong Jue asked coldly.