Golden Branch.

Chapter 53 Frightened
"Shiyilang, fell off the horse?"

Dugu's eyes widened in surprise. She asked with concern, "Are you injured? Is it serious?"

Falling off a horse is no small matter, especially when it is a galloping horse. Once an accident happens, the risk is either injury or death.

In the North, every year there are people who break their arms and necks from falling off horses.

"...I'm still unclear, but I saw Shiyilang being carried into the manor."

The little maid shook her head. She just took a look from a distance and couldn't see it clearly, so she naturally didn't know the specific situation.

She didn't even see the blood.

Seeing that the little maid was a little confused, Dugu's eyes flickered.

Judging from her appearance, Shiyilang's injuries didn't seem serious.

If the scene was truly tragic, with blood all over the ground and the servants around him crying and wailing, even if one "couldn't see the injuries clearly", one could still feel the sadness and despair.

and so--

Could it be Shiyilang's self-torture trick?
He knew that as soon as he returned home, he might suffer revenge from Dugu and Lou Yu.

There is also Lou Jin, who might be found an excuse to enforce family rules on him.

In order to avoid punishment, he simply took the initiative?
Since he injured himself, Lou Jin and the others couldn't do anything to him.

Or maybe Shiyilang was designing to frame Ayu.

Everyone knows that A Yu is wild and unruly, and will take revenge for any slight.

Shiyilang fell off his horse, but he slandered Ayu as taking revenge.

In this way, Shiyilang can not only avoid punishment, but also drag Lou Yu into the water.

We can’t blame the Dugu family for the conspiracy theory, it’s really because Lou Rang has a criminal record.

On the first day of the first lunar month, in front of everyone, he framed A Yu.

The Lou family all knew that A Yu had snakes, insects, rats and ants in his yard, so Lou Rang secretly had people bring in a lot of similar disgusting things, which disturbed everyone and frightened Dugu so much that she fainted.

Afterwards, Dugu woke up and was still a little suspicious of Lou Yu: Lou Yu might not have wanted to harm her, she was just implicated.

In order to prove his innocence, Lou Yu dragged his injured knee and insisted on running back to his own courtyard.

Dugu had no choice but to follow.

Arriving at the huge yard, Lou Yu went straight to the backyard.

There is a special house in the backyard where many small animals are kept.

In the cage, in the wooden box... there were rustling sounds, chirping sounds... Dugu felt her scalp tingling just watching it.

Lou Yu said, "My pets are all here."

"The types, numbers, sizes, etc. are all registered! And there are also slaves responsible for training and caring for them—"

"If you don't believe me, Mother, I can present the account books, call the servants over, and let you interrogate and verify!"

Lou Yu’s meaning was very clear, all his snakes, insects, rats and ants were here, not a single one was missing.

The little beasts wreaking havoc in the main hall were not his at all, but props that Lou Rang had secretly gotten to frame him!
Dugu: ...

In fact, seeing Lou Yu so calm and confident, she already believed it.

After seeing the witnesses and evidence, Dugu not only believed it, but also felt guilty: I actually didn't believe A Yu!
In addition to feeling guilty, Dugu hated Madam Cui and Lou Rang even more.

Madam Cui deliberately praised A Yu to death, ruining his reputation and making him a well-known bad boy.

Lou Rang took advantage of A Yu's bad reputation and deliberately framed her, leaving A Yu with no way to defend herself.

Good, what a black-hearted, vicious and cruel mother and son.

Dugu was not a cruel or vengeful person, but this time, it was really difficult for her to forgive Lou Rang.

Even after several months, Dugu was still angry and wanted to avenge A Yu.

This experience also made Dugu realize that Madam Cui and her son Lou Rang were the most insidious and cunning.

The end justifies the means.

Therefore, seeing that the little maid was not frightened by Lou Rang's "miserable condition", Dugu couldn't help but guess: This might be another trick.

Maybe it’s a series of schemes: self-torture + frame-up!

OK!

Good job!

Do you really think that Ayu and I are good at scheming?
After plotting once, you're going to do it a second or third time?

Dugu pursed her lips, held her stomach, and was about to stand up.

However, her belly was too big, and although she was not fat, she looked like a penguin with difficulty moving.

With thin limbs and a huge belly, the body will lose balance if you are not careful.

The way Dugu stood up was a little crooked, as if she would fall down in the next second.

Seeing this, Aunt Wei quickly reached out to support her.

With the help of Wei Ai, Dugu finally stood up steadily.

She supported her waist with one hand and her stomach with the other, and her breathing was a little heavy.

My stomach feels too heavy and has a tendency to fall.

Dugu let out a long breath, calmed down, and then said proudly: "Let's go! To the South Courtyard!"

The South Courtyard is Lou Rang's courtyard.

Although it belongs to the outer courtyard outside the second gate, it is closest to the main courtyard inside the second gate. It was specially chosen by Mrs. Cui for her son.

When Dugu traveled, she would naturally not be accompanied by only Wei Ai.

Four big maids, eight small maids, female guards, etc., a large group of people, surrounded Dugu and came to the South Courtyard with great fanfare.

As soon as I arrived at the gate of the courtyard and before I stepped onto the stairs, I vaguely heard a woman crying.

"Shiyilang! My son!"

The crying was so shrill and hysterical that the last word "er" was even a little broken.

Is this, Mrs. Cui?
A noble lady from an aristocratic family who has always been kind, dignified, and has never lost her composure?

How could she actually cry and rage like this?
Dugu's heart suddenly paused and sank slightly.

Could it be that this was not Lou Rang’s plan?
Or will it backfire and make the fake become real?
Dugu was quite aggressive just now, but now hesitant.

"Madam, let's go in and take a look first!"

Seeing Dugu's hesitation, Wei Ai supported her arm and reminded her in a low voice.

"Yes! Let's go in first!"

Take a look at the scene, confirm Lou Rang's injuries, and then make a decision.

Dugu was surrounded by people and walked into the gate of the South Courtyard.

In the yard, the maids were running around like headless flies, completely disorganized.

From the inner room on the east side of the main hall, the woman's desperate cries continued to be heard.

"...Who is it? Who killed my son?!"

"What a vicious person! He wants to take my son's life!"

The content of the crying began to point to something - Lou Rang's fall from the horse was not an accident, but man-made!

Dugu had already walked to the corridor and was about to enter the main hall.

Hearing this, I couldn't help but stop.

Is someone trying to harm Lou Rang?
Isn’t it his own fault?
Dugu was a little uncertain.

Mrs. Cui's cries were filled with despair and anger.

It seems that Lou Rang's injuries are very serious.

At this moment, Dugu suddenly realized: Yes, even if he wanted to set up a trap or use some torture, he would not really joke with his own life.

Fall off a horse?

How dangerous! If you lose control, you can easily get injured, or even—

If Lou Rang was a brave warrior like Lou Jin who had been riding on horseback for years, he might have been able to set up a trap by causing him to fall from his horse.

But Lou Rang was a playboy who was lazy and had no talent for either literature or martial arts.

His horsemanship is at best just good enough for playing polo, and he still needs someone to give way to him.

With his abilities, it was impossible for him to easily control the horse under his crotch.

"Isn't this Lou Rang's plan? Was he being plotted against?"

Very good, new question arises, who is it?

Who was so cruel as to tamper with Lou Rang's horse?

This can cost lives.

If it wasn't an irreconcilable hatred, they wouldn't do such a ruthless thing!

"...No! It's not Ayu! Ayu is still a child!"

Dugu's face turned pale, and she tried desperately to defend Lou Yu in her heart.

Little did she know that the very fact that she denied the incident on Lou Yu's behalf proved her suspicion towards him.

If she really believed it, she would never have associated it with Lou Yu without any evidence!

"Madam! Madam! Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I, I'm fine!"

Dugu breathed hard, trying to calm his disordered mind.

She couldn't be anxious or have wild thoughts. She was still pregnant and she couldn't let these unfounded things hurt the baby in her belly!
After trying desperately to comfort herself, Dugu finally managed to calm down.

She raised her head, and although her face still looked a little ugly, she was still able to breathe and walk normally.

"Ajia, how is Shiyilang?"

After entering the inner room on the east side, Dugu asked respectfully.

Mrs. Cui had cried until she had no strength left and was sitting dejectedly by the bed.

Hearing Dugu's voice, she suddenly raised her head, and her eyes flashed with cruel and vicious light.

She looked like a she-wolf whose cubs had died.

If she hadn't had a bit of rationality left in her, and if Aunt Li hadn't been holding her back, Madam Cui would have rushed over.

Dugu! Bitch!

It’s all this bitch’s fault. The bastard she gave birth to actually dared to murder her Eleventh Son!
Eleven Lang!
Her poor son, only seventeen years old, had a marriage in sight, but, he met with misfortune.

Fall off a horse!

Broken leg!

The ankle bones were crushed directly!
The court doctor said that Shiyilang's left leg is useless and he will never be able to stand up again!

Ahhhhh!
Her Shiyilang became a cripple and a disabled person!

With his current condition, his career and marriage are ruined.

There is no need to dream of marrying the daughter of the Li family. Shiyilang was already marrying up, and now that she has become disabled, it is even more impossible.

And all this was caused by that beast Lou Dalang!
While Mrs. Cui was crying for her son, her mind did not stop thinking.

She carefully interrogated the people around her son and found that the fall from a horse seemed accidental and there was no clue at all.

But, Mrs. Cui had a premonition—

Accident?

Haha, Madam Cui, who has been hanging around in the inner palace for many years and is adept at intrigue, doesn't believe in the word "accident" the most.

There are no real accidents in this world.

If it's not an accident, then it must be man-made.

Who is it?
Who hates Shiyilang so much that he wants him to die?
In Mrs. Cui's heart, her own son is the best young man.

Although he is a bit dissolute, he has no malicious intention to harm others.

The key point is that Shiyilang is a member of the Lou family and is protected by the Lou family's followers.

Even if some lowly people are jealous of Shiyilang, they cannot get close to him, let alone harm him!
In order to successfully frame someone, the identity of the "real murderer behind the scenes" must be similar to Shiyilang, or slightly higher than him.

Shiyilang is a smart man. He knows who he can offend and who he cannot offend.

Except for Lou Dalang!

"Yes! It must be Lou Dalang!"

"Only he would hate Shiyilang so much and wish he would die!"

"He is the only one who has the ability to frame..."

There was no evidence, but Mrs. Cui had a strong premonition.

"Dugu Mingyue, stop being so hypocritical. Shiyilang was harmed by you and your son!"

Mrs. Cui's only son became disabled, and her hopes for the rest of her life were largely shattered.

At this moment, she was quite desperate.

She no longer pretended and glared at Dugu fiercely: "You slut, you have such a cruel heart. You actually indulged your son and caused my Shiyilang to almost die tragically."

"My son is lucky, and his loyal servants fought hard to protect him, so he managed to survive. But, his leg is broken, and he can never stand up again!"

Mrs. Cui originally made a vicious accusation, but as she spoke, she mentioned her son's miserable condition and thought of his bleak future, and she couldn't help but feel sad.

Shishiro, it’s over!

If it's just a fracture, after the bones are set and the patient is healed, even if there are some sequelae, the patient will still be a healthy person.

The Lou family is a family of military honors, and they have the best trauma and bonesetter doctors in their mansion.

If you have a fracture or something like that, you don’t have to go see a doctor outside, the government doctor can handle it.

The Lou family also has ancestral secret recipes for healing injuries, prescriptions, medicinal diets, and subsequent rehabilitation treatments, so there is no need to worry.

Unfortunately, Shiyilang's bones were not just broken, but shattered and could not be put back together.

If the government doctor had not treated him promptly, he might have had to undergo amputation.

Although the appearance of the leg was preserved, it still became disabled.

Mrs. Cui's heart broke when she thought that her son would never be able to stand up for the rest of his life.

She hated Lou Yu and Dugu, who gave birth to Lou Yu, to the core.

A pair of eyes, as if filled with poison, stared at Dugu fiercely.

Dugu was so frightened that she retreated again and again.

She was not a strong-willed person to begin with, and now she was a pregnant woman about to give birth. She was first frightened by Madam Cui's eyes, and then horrified by her words: "Ajia, you, you said that Shiyilang, he, he--" became a cripple?
so serious?

The leg is really gone?

"Have you called the court doctor? Is there really nothing else you can do?"

Dugu was kind-hearted and soft-hearted by nature. Her attention was focused on Lou Rang's injuries, and she didn't pay any attention to what Madam Cui was scolding.

Madam Cui's chest heaved violently, her eyes gleaming with cruelty and resentment. "Of course I've called the court doctor! There's nothing else we can do! It's a blessing in disguise that the court doctor didn't cut off the injured leg!"

If his legs were cut off, Shiyilang would not only be a cripple, but also a monster.

Dead, the body is not complete.

“…Cut, cut it off?”

This word was too cruel. Dugu was sensitive and fragile. When she heard such words, she couldn't help but imagine the scene of blood and broken arms and limbs in her mind.

Her face instantly lost all color.

My vision started to go dark and my body was shaking slightly.

Wow!
A stream of liquid suddenly flowed down from between Dugu's thighs...

(End of this chapter)