bookcurios Chapter 1710 Handling the Aftermath
Chapter 1710 Handling the Aftermath
Ge Dongqing closed his eyes and said, "Beating him to death is a serious threat if such a menace is not eliminated."
Every decision Ge Dongqing made required immense courage. The women he dealt with were those who shared his bed, whom he considered confidantes and talented women. Yet, in the end, it was these very women who brought chaos to his household.
Today, Ge Dongqing displayed the authority of the head of the family. With a single command, the servants dragged the second concubine to the pavilion and tortured her in front of everyone as a warning to others.
Two servants wielding sticks attacked together, and screams of agony filled the air, drowning out the dying willows on the lake.
Ge Dongqing looked at the trembling third and fourth concubines with deep disappointment. The third concubine was the youngest and his favorite, while the fourth concubine had only been in the household for a few months and was also his beloved. In the past, he had always been obedient to them, treating them like precious treasures. In his eyes, they were innocent, lovely, considerate, and kind. He never imagined that they would dare to instigate each other behind the scenes and watch the abuse.
What disappointed Ge Dongqing the most was that when he asked the concubines to come to the pavilion for questioning, Chun'er's body was lying on the ground, and none of them showed any fear. Instead, they all had smiles on their faces. Ge Dongqing, a man, was trembling and at a loss when he saw Chun'er's tragic state. Yet they all acted so indifferently. He didn't believe that Chun'er's death had nothing to do with them.
People who kill and harm others, who treat other people's lives like dirt, are people Ge Dongqing dared not share a bed with or sleep with.
The fear on the faces of the third and fourth concubines as they trembled was not because of Chun'er's death, but because the two concubines above them had been thrown into a pig cage and beaten to death, respectively. They were afraid that they would be next, so they knew fear.
Ge Dongqing stopped listening to their far-fetched explanations. He already knew the whole story. He directly ordered his men to be dealt with: "Guards, poison the third and fourth concubines, make them mute, and imprison them. They are not allowed to step out of their rooms. Sell Chan'er to a remote place and make her a slave for life."
Ge Dongqing glanced at Chun'er's corpse on the ground and said, "Give Chun'er a proper burial."
This time, Ge Dongqing was quite decisive. As long as Chun'er hadn't died in vain, Lu Siniang didn't intend to make things difficult for Ge Dongqing. She got up, took one last look at Chun'er, and then turned and left. Lian'er chased after her to the door, crying, but couldn't stop Lu Siniang.
Lu Si Niang shouldn't have meddled in Ge Dongqing's family affairs today, but if she didn't act on behalf of Heaven, how could she face the tragically deceased Chun'er? This Ge Dongqing is a plague; anyone who gets infected by him will not be well.
When Wan Lianxing, who was sitting in the Prince Pang's mansion, heard the news, he was so angry that he almost fainted.
Madam Wan sighed, "What a tragedy!" Then she quickly twirled the prayer beads in her hand and chanted Buddhist mantras.
Standing behind Shang Xi, Yu Hua whispered to Shang Xi, "Is Chun'er that chattering little girl?"
Shang Xi shook her head: "No, the one you're talking about is Lian'er. The one who died, Chun'er, was more composed and didn't talk as much as Lian'er."
Yu Hua whispered, "This is really terrible! Do you think the Ge family might have done something wrong? Could there be a problem with their house?"
Wan Lianxing continued Yu Hua's words, "It's not the house that's acting up, it's the person! It's Ge Dongqing who's acting up! I told him long ago not to bring just anyone back to the mansion. Now look what's happened, half dead and half injured! If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off."
Cheng Feng sat to the side and made sarcastic remarks, "Uncle, I don't think it's a big deal. My Uncle Ge has only lost a few concubines. I believe he will soon have a large number of wives and concubines again."
Wan Lianxing gritted his teeth in hatred, "This man never learns from his mistakes. In my opinion, he's just been living a life of ease for too long."
Madam Wan said, "Alas, in the end, Lu Si Niang is still the most reliable. During the years Lu Si Niang was in the Ge family, none of these messy things came out. But after Lu Si Niang was kicked out, the Ge family fell into chaos. No matter what, it's all because Ge Dongqing was greedy for pleasure and brought all sorts of women into the mansion. Now, some are dead and some are injured. How pitiful! Isn't this just causing trouble for people! Lian Xing, Ge Dongqing is your subject and also your sworn brother. You should discipline him for his improper behavior. Once this matter gets out of the capital, it will cause a huge uproar, which will be bad for both your reputation and his."
“Sister-in-law is right. I’ve been too lazy to get involved in his affairs, but it seems that if I don’t, his life will be in chaos. I’ll have to keep an eye on him when he takes another wife or concubine. I felt guilty when he married Lu Si Niang, thinking I had played matchmaker. Now it seems that Dong Qing only behaves himself when Lu Si Niang keeps him in check. If Lu Si Niang hadn’t gone to manage his household affairs today, who knows what kind of mess his family would have become.”
"Yes, the Ge family is missing a matriarch like Lu Si Niang, otherwise, this kind of thing will continue to happen today."
“I still need to arrange some things for him to do. Whenever he has free time, he goes out to drink and carouse.”
At this moment, the imperial physician who had been taking Master Wan's pulse and administering acupuncture in the inner room came out. Wan Lianxing asked, "Imperial Physician Li, is my elder brother alright?"
Physician Li mustered his courage and said, "Your Majesty, we have all done our best."
"No one is going to punish you; just tell the truth."
"Your Majesty, Prince Pang's days are numbered! In my opinion, we should make arrangements for his funeral in advance!"
Cheng Youning, who was playing with the monkey, was displeased when she heard this. "Nonsense! None of you imperial physicians have any real skills. You used to say that my grandfather wouldn't live more than six months, but he's still perfectly fine."
Shang Xi whispered to Cheng Youning, "Youning, your grandfather coughs up blood all day long and is in a daze. This is not a good omen."
Cheng Youning retorted. He couldn't bear to hear any bad news about his grandfather. His mother said he would also retort, "Mother is wrong. My grandfather used to vomit blood and was in a daze all day, but he was fine. Here's what we'll do: find my grandfather's wheelchair, and I'll push him to the garden to sunbathe. Once he's in the sun, my grandfather will open his eyes."
Everyone knew that Master Wan's days were numbered, but only Cheng Youning still firmly believed that his grandfather would not die. He threw the little monkey on the ground and ordered, "Fourth Monkey, go and push Grandpa's wheelchair."
The obedient little monkey hopped and skipped away.
Shang Xi said earnestly, "You Ning, your father has already taken your grandfather out to bask in the sun today, so don't bother him anymore."
“How can this be called 'fussing'? I’ll sunbathe with him again. Mom always says that sunbathing helps with calcium absorption, so I’ll give Grandpa more calcium so he’ll be healthier.”
Everyone was still immersed in the grief of the imperial physician's words about preparing for the funeral. Although everyone was mentally prepared, they still couldn't accept it when the crucial moment came.