Chapter 267

Hearing this from Xiang Ge, Chen Guanlou finally opened his eyes.

He recalled the fate of the Meng brothers—tongues cut, genitals removed—only a pervert could devise such humiliation.

"Zhao LaoSi acts without restraint; didn't the Meng family have any way to fight back?"

"The Meng family can't even save themselves now. Zhao LaoSi's heart is black—he falsely accused the Meng brothers of colluding with heretics. Who could withstand that? Hey, wait a minute—the Meng brothers were arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard; how did they end up in Tianlaomiao?"

Chen Guanlou told him what he could say.

After listening, Chen Xiangang stared dumbfounded, his worldview utterly shattered: "They really cut out their tongues and genitals?"

Chen Guanlou nodded. "Would I lie about something like this? The man was near death, the prison conditions were terrible, so they moved him to Tianlaomiao to recover. But it seems they haven't humiliated him enough—they plan to keep going."

"Fuck, that woman's insane." As a man, Chen Xiangang felt a visceral dread at the thought of castration; he could not accept Zhao LaoSi's favoritism toward this cruel, deranged concubine.

"Zhao LaoSi is a madman, and his woman is just as mad. Two lunatics—perfect match. Everyone assumed the Meng brothers, once seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would suffer—but no one imagined this. This is a mortal feud! A feud to the death!"

Chen Xiangang slammed down a gulp of wine—it was too disgusting. Zhao LaoSi had gone too far, shattered every boundary. Don't think that clinging to Jiang Tu gives you free rein. If Hou Fu wanted to crush him, one finger would do it.

But now he was torn. "Lou Ge, should I tell Second Young Mistress about this? After all, they're her kin."

"If the Meng family was in trouble, why didn't they ask Hou Fu for help?"

"They did. But Second Master said: any case involving heretics, no one from Hou Fu may interfere. The Wang family always follows Hou Fu's orders—if Hou Fu says no, Wang won't act."

"Zhao LaoSi really knows how to exploit loopholes. He pulled off a grand deception, humiliating them to death." Chen Guanlou sneered. For the sake of inner-quarrel and venting old grudges, Zhao LaoSi had become nothing but a puppet in his concubine's hands—and committed such an outrage. He ruined his own reputation, and might even destroy his future.

Fuck, who wants to work with a man who goes mad with his concubine? A lunatic!

At first, he assumed the Meng brothers must have committed atrocities—raped women, destroyed families—to deserve such revenge.

He never imagined the truth was merely an inner-house feud, fueled by a decade's worth of bottled-up spite.

"Treat this as idle gossip—find a chance to tell Second Young Mistress," Chen Guanlou advised Xiang Ge.

Chen Xiangang thought it over and agreed. He couldn't go directly to complain—he had to let the story spread casually.

Zhao LaoSi did something inhuman; who'd keep his secret?

No matter how powerful Zhao LaoSi is, he dares not cause trouble at Hou Fu. As for the death-feud with the Meng family—if he thinks he can stay powerful forever, fine. But the moment he falls, don't blame others for revenge.

"How did Zhao LaoSi get close to Jiang Tu? He climbed the official ladder through Hou Fu's connections." Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

Xiang Ge told him: "It's all because of that concubine. Neither Wang family nor Hou Fu treats him well. But he's good at scheming—when one door closes, another opens. He's shameless—he went to cling to Jiang Tu's leg."

"Sounds like he gave up entirely. Since no one respects him, he doesn't care about boundaries anymore," Chen Guanlou said.

Xiang Ge nodded vigorously. "Exactly. Zhao family all dislike him—he's fought with his brothers and even his father. A total degenerate."

"Where is he posted now?"

"I heard he was in Wucheng Military Command—lucrative, he made a fortune. Later, he was transferred to Jianrui Camp, commanding many troops."

"He's close with the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Probably forged that connection while serving in Wucheng Military Command. Wucheng and the Embroidered Uniform Guard often interact—if money's paid, they're happy to silence a few people. The Meng family couldn't stir up trouble anyway, and they had the heretic charge."

After learning the full story, Chen Guanlou sighed—the Meng family had once been wealthy. How few generations later, and Zhao LaoSi had crippled them, leaving them powerless to resist.

Tsk!

This is a filthy mess.

But cutting tongues and genitals? That crossed a line.

Afterward, Xiang Ge told a few more tales of aristocratic grudges; the two drank until half-drunk, and the feast finally ended.

After seeing Xiang Ge home, Chen Guanlou walked in the wind, his mind clearer than ever—he felt no drunkenness at all. Plain yellow wine? Even three or five jin wouldn't touch him. Too low in strength—no challenge.

Suddenly, he felt inspired. He climbed onto the roof, picked his direction, and headed toward Zhao LaoSi's mansion.

He wanted to see for himself—what kind of beauty was this concubine? Zhao LaoSi had torn his family apart for her, refused to repent, and now humiliated the Meng brothers for her sake, forging a death-feud.

Zhao LaoSi's mansion was easy to find—a large plaque above the gate read "Zhao Fu." A blatant slap in the face to the Zhao family.

Zhao Master was still alive; his sons and grandchildren hadn't officially split the household—how could there be a second Zhao Fu?

Yet Zhao LaoSi hung the "Zhao Fu" plaque boldly—clearly a stubborn fool, determined to defy them.

The main house of Zhao Fu still glowed with candlelight.

The concubine was throwing a tantrum, and Zhao LaoSi was groveling to soothe her.

"Why haven't you divorced Meng Shi? If you don't divorce her, I'll be a concubine forever, and Duo Ge will always be a bastard. Do you still have feelings for Meng Shi? Say it! Say it!"

"I have no feelings for her—stop imagining things. Meng Shi is my lawful wife, formally wed. I can't just divorce her. My dear Hua Niang, understand me. Without parental consent, divorce is meaningless—no court will recognize it."

"I don't care. You must divorce her. If you won't, find a way to kill her. After all, her two brothers are nearly dead—why not let the three of them reunite below? We've already made enemies for life—do you still hope to reconcile with the Meng family? Are you trying to drive me to death? Fine—I'll kill myself right now. Since I followed you, I've never had a good day. I've been mocked for over a decade. Now I'm old and faded, and you're starting to despise me. This life is unbearable. Don't stop me—I'll die…"

So insane!

Chen Guanlou listened for a long while—only one thought: what a pair of madman and madwoman.

He peered through the roof at the concubine—a middle-aged beauty, clearly stunning in her youth, but with a cruel, sharp face.