TMBIABHL: Chapter 35

 Glossary

·Cao Deping (曹德平): Owner of Caoji Restaurant. Father of Cao Chengwen and Cao Chengwu.

·Cao Chengwen (曹成文): The Eldest Young Master of the Cao family. The primary antagonist.

·Madam Cao (曹夫人): Cao Deping's current wife. Mother of Cao Chengwu, stepmother to Cao Chengwen.

·Yang Zhen (杨真): The Magistrate of Jiangling county.

·Ye Chutang (叶初棠): Female protagonist. Heir to an ancient medical family. Runs the Ye Clinic.

·Shen Yanchuan (沈延川): The Marquis of Dingbei. Currently recuperating at the Ye Clinic.

·Xie Anbai (谢安白): Shen Yanchuan's friend from the capital.

---

Chapter 35: News About Her

At the same moment, Cao Deping, who had followed closely behind Cao Chengwen, stood frozen in place, his entire body turning cold.

It was over.

Things had reached this point. The evidence was irrefutable; there was no room for argument!

Many people in the surrounding crowd noticed his arrival,their expressions varied as they whispered among themselves.

"Isn't that Shopkeeper Cao?"

"The eldest son killed the second son. Ai, any family that encounters this is truly cursed!"

"Who can you blame? Cao Deping himself was biased, favoring one over the other, that's what brewed this disaster!"

"Exactly! Besides, who knows if he was involved himself? They say a father knows his son best. Cao Chengwen killed Cao Chengwu. Even if others didn't know what was happening, how could a father not sense something was wrong?"

Hearing this, many eyes turned toward Cao Deping with suspicion.

Cao Deping gave a violent shudder, and in that very instant, he made his decision.

"You unfilial beast!"

He roared suddenly, his face ashen with fury.

"Chengwu respected you as his elder brother more than anyone! You had no conscience at all to poison him like this!"

With those words, the entire execution ground fell silent.

Cao Chengwen looked back in disbelief. "...Father?"

What did he mean by this? He was telling him to confess outright!?

Cao Deping pointed a finger at him, his face a mask of rage and hatred. "You dared to kill your brother behind my back today! Tomorrow you would dare kill me! From this day forward, I sever all ties with you! I, Cao Deping, will act as if I never had this son!"

Ye Chutang stood behind the crowd, quietly appreciating this scene. She almost felt like applauding.

If nothing else, this Cao Deping was certainly a ruthless character.

Seeing that this son could not be saved, in order to cleanly extract himself, he didn't hesitate to personally push his son into the abyss.

Previously, seeing him go to such lengths to protect Cao Chengwen, one might have thought he cared deeply for this son. But in reality, at the critical moment, what he cared about most was only himself.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Better to strike first than be suspected and investigated!

Cao Chengwen thought he must be hearing things.

He looked at that familiar face below the execution platform, yet it felt more alien than ever.

He truly never imagined that when he fell into desperate straits, the first to abandon him would be his own flesh and blood.

Yang Zhen narrowed his eyes. "Cao Chengwen, now, do you have anything else to say?"

Witness and material evidence were both present. The outcome was decided!

Cao Chengwen's hands, hanging at his sides, slowly clenched into fists. His heart felt nothing but desolation and bitter amusement.

And he truly did laugh.

"Father."

His expression was strange, his eyes faintly reddening.

"After all these years, you still haven't changed. From beginning to end, the fool has only been me."

The smile at the corner of his mouth grew wider and wider until he finally laughed out loud.

"It was me who killed him! So what! He deserved to die! A useless fool who couldn't do anything right, what right did he have to compete with me!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar!

Although by this point, everyone could see Cao Chengwen was definitely the culprit, hearing him confess so bluntly with his own mouth was still shocking.

At that moment, a sharp, hate-filled shriek suddenly pierced the air.

"You damned murderer! Give me back my son's life!"

Everyone turned to see that the newcomer was none other than Madam Cao!

Since Cao Chengwu's death, she had fallen gravely ill and hadn't been seen for a long time.

Cao Deping's heart lurched. He immediately stepped forward. "Didn't I tell you to rest and recuperate at home? Why—"

Madam Cao shoved him away, her gaze venomous as she stared at him. "Stop putting on an act here! You knew about him killing Chengwu all along, didn't you!"

She looked haggard, dark circles under her eyes, clearly having undergone immense pain and torment.

"If it weren't for you shielding him at every turn, how would he have had the nerve to do such a thing! He should have died long ago! He should go and keep Chengwu company in his grave!"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Cao Deping's breath hitched. He immediately snapped back angrily, "You've gone mad! What nonsense are you spouting here!?"

Madam Cao gnashed her teeth and cursed, "You dare say it's not true!? Besides Chengwu, what about those three—"

Hearing this, Cao Deping's eyelid twitched violently. Without thinking, he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face!

Smack!

The sharp sound of the slap was exceptionally clear in the quiet execution ground.

Cao Deping was so furious his face had turned utterly grim. "Get back home this instant!"

He had used all his strength in that slap. Madam Cao's cheek immediately swelled and turned red.

This finally pushed Madam Cao over the edge. She shrieked, "You don't want me to say it? Well, I will say it! Cao Deping! Do you think everything you've done is seamless and perfect!? That day, I was in the next room and I clearly heard you promise Cao Chengwen banknotes to hire people from the gambling den! And then, not a few days later, those men ended up dead in Cao Chengwen's courtyard!"

Madam Cao spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, completely unconcerned with the uproar her words were causing around her.

A vein throbbed at Cao Deping's temple. He knew if he didn't stop her now, he too would be finished today!

Without another word, his face like thunder, he strode forward, grabbed Madam Cao by the wrist, and immediately tried to drag her away.

But the crowd was packed three layers deep. How could they possibly get out?

Madam Cao was dragged along, pain burning where he gripped her.

But she didn't care.

Her son was dead. Her only hope in life had been murdered. What was left for her to live for!?

Better for everyone to go to hell together!

She screamed shrilly, "How those three men really died, you and Cao Chengwen know best!"

...

Up in the teahouse, a light breeze stirred, causing the curtain to lift before fluttering down again.

Across from Shen Yanchuan, a figure had appeared silently and without a sound.

It was Xie Anbai.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

He seemed to have rushed over. No sooner had he sat down than he picked up a teacup and gulped the contents down.

Only after his thirst was quenched did he let out a long sigh, set the cup down, and look out the window. He couldn't help but chuckle and applaud.

"Now that was a truly spectacular show!"

Shen Yanchuan finally glanced at him sideways.

Xie Anbai had only arrived in Jiangling yesterday. In less than a day, he had already learned the ins and outs of these events. One could only say—

"You really enjoy a spectacle."

Shen Yanchuan offered this objective and calm assessment.

Back in the capital, Xie Anbai had loved gathering information, especially about the secrets of prominent families. He could talk about them in great detail.

It seemed that even after coming here, the old habit remained.

Xie Anbai, of course, could tell this wasn't meant as a compliment. "Hey, what's your problem? So I inquired about a few things. Is that such a big deal?"

Suddenly, he paused, a smug smile spreading across his face.

"Oh,right. I just happened to dig up a little news about that Physician Ye. Would you like to hear it?"

Shen Yanchuan's eyelashes flickered slightly. He finally gave Xie Anbai his full attention.

"What is it?"

Swish!

Xie Anbai leaned back, snapped open his folding fan, and lifted his chin with an air of arrogance.

"Want to know? Well then… what will you give me in exchange?"

(End of Chapter)

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