CHAPTER 732: CHAPTER 732: RUINED AND DISGRACED

Gu Jinli watched those people wiping their tears and slobber with their wide sleeves and felt disgusted, "How filthy. What’s the point of wearing such clothes with big sleeves? To use them as rags for wiping one’s own slobber? And don’t go saying something about suffering for Xia Gu’s sake, he’s a eunuch, are you going to castrate yourselves too?"

Gu Jin’an had a headache, Xiao Yu can you not speak so fiercely? You’re still a lady, after all.

Qin San Lang just felt a bit embarrassed but did not berate her. It’s fine as long as Xiao Yu is happy, and it’s just the few of them here, the closest of people. It’s okay to speak their minds, and these words will not spread.

"Master Xia, please come out, don’t be afraid, we students will spare no effort, even if it means spreading our livers and brains on the ground, to seek justice for you!" The scholars outside continued to cry and shout, and Gu Jin’an frowned heavily upon hearing this. Offering to spread their livers and brains on the ground for Xia Gu, what do they think of him? The Emperor?

Fang Wu and the others, seeing so many people supporting Xia Gu, angrily asked, "How can you support that old beast Xia Gu? He committed so many evil deeds, each and every one of them shocking to hear. We should all rush into the Xia Residence together, drag Xia Gu out and give him a thrashing."

"Pah! Fang Wu, you call yourself a scholar, how can you utter such things? With Master Xia’s noble character and high esteem, one would know he couldn’t possibly do such things; he must have been wrongfully accused!"

Fang Wu, along with Young Master Chou and Third Young Master Liu at the front, were spit on the face by these people, and after wiping their faces with disgust, retorted sarcastically, "Pah, Xia Gu’s deeds are well known, and yet you still speak for him, it’s you who aren’t worthy of being scholars! Scholars should seek justice for the people, eradicate evil and promote goodness. Isn’t Xia Gu’s behavior evil? If it is evil, then we should get rid of him together!"

Those scholars supporting Xia Gu cursed, "Evil? Master Xia has been wrongfully accused, what evil is there? You’re just jealous of Master Xia’s great talent and want to ruin him!"

The two groups were merrily insulting each other, when the gates of Xia Residence creaked open.

Gu Jinli and the others snuck into the gatekeeper’s lodge to continue watching the drama. The ones who came out were Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San.

Over the past three years, Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San had visited twice, bringing New Year’s gifts and greetings for the Xia couple. People from Jinling Prefecture recognized the brothers, and upon seeing them, rushed over immediately to question, "Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San, is it you brothers who wished to usurp the inheritance and slandered Master Xia? Well done, you two beasts, Master Xia is your own father, how could you treat him like this?"

These people didn’t believe in the truth about Xia Gu’s inability to father children, assuming instead that Xia Gu was indeed Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San’s biological father.

"You two unfilial and disloyal wretches deserve to be spat on and cursed to death by the whole world. Today, we will teach you two unfilial sons a lesson on behalf of Master Xia!"

Listening to the crowd’s insults, Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San didn’t talk back but started to undo their belts.

Those scholars supporting Xia Gu saw this and mocked, "What’s the matter, you know you have no good end for harming Master Xia and so you decide to hang yourselves with your belts? Let me tell you, it’s too late! Today, one way or another, we will drag you to the government and accuse you of the heinous crime of plotting against your own father."

Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San ignored them and simply began taking off their clothes, one piece at a time.

Fang Wu’s eyes were sharp, and he immediately pointed at the wounds on Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San, exclaiming, "Look quickly, Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San have several holes in their bodies, just like the storyteller described. The flesh has been gouged out by that old beast Xia Gu!"

At these words, everyone was shocked, and they all rushed over to inspect the wounds on Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San. They saw that although the holes were not as exaggerated as the storyteller had said, they were indeed about half an inch deep and there were more than a dozen all over their bodies.

"Xia Gu, the old beast, actually did carve out the flesh of Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San. That old brute is truly monstrous!" Fang Wu was very agitated. If this turned out to be true, they could make a name for themselves by denouncing Xia Gu.

Third Young Master Liu was even more excited, and he began to shout at the top of his lungs, "Xia Gu is unkind and unmerciful, abusing his foster sons. Let’s hurry into the residence and seize that old scourge to serve justice in place of heaven!"

Fourth Young Master Feng from Jinning Prefecture, who admired Xia Gu the most, and whose Feng Family was a noble family of Jinning, had organized the scholars of Jinning to support Xia Gu, and he rebutted upon hearing this, "Don’t just rant because you have loud voices. They have merely taken off their clothes and haven’t said a word yet. How do you know these injuries were caused by Master Xia?"

"Right! You bunch of bastard brats without assholes, those destined to wear mourning clothes as soon as they go home, people with such grievous fate, Master Xia has had his ups and downs in life and is someone who dares to defy even Emperor Jingwu’s face in public. He is so candid and upright, how could he possibly abuse Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San? They must be plotting against Master Xia to divide his inheritance, causing these injuries on themselves." Fan Hu, who had been sitting on the ground crying earlier, stood up and roared at Third Young Master Liu, adamant that he would never believe Master Xia to be an evil man.

Fan Hu then strode forward several steps, rushed to Elder Xia Er, grabbed him, and demanded, "Tell us, are you deliberately framing Master Xia? Where is Master Xia? Hand him over. If you are unfilial, we who admire his scholarship will support him!"

Fan Hu was shouting until his voice was hoarse, but Elder Xia Er just looked at him indifferently and asked a question, "Do the holes on my brother’s and my body look like new wounds?"

Among those gathered in front of the Xia Residence were scholars, sons of noble families, and many onlookers, including two doctors, who rushed over upon hearing this and said, "We are doctors; we can examine wounds!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stepped aside for them, and after they examined the wounds, they said, "The timing of the wounds on these two gentlemen varies. The flesh in the lighter-colored holes is at least thirty years old, while the flesh in the redder wounds is from recent years."

Upon hearing this, Third Young Master Liu shouted excitedly as if injected with adrenaline, "Did you hear that? Did you hear that? The old wounds are thirty years old! How old was Elder Xia Er back then? Could a child gouge out the flesh from his own back? It must have been the work of that old beast Xia Gu!"

Fan Hu still did not believe it and cried out, "Master Xia has been wronged, it must be Elder Xia Er and the others who are lying."

At the Xia Residence gatehouse, Gu Jinli frowned upon hearing this, "This Fan Hu is beyond saving, still firmly believing in Xia Gu’s innocence... Xia Gu’s standing among the scholars is indeed high, with far-reaching influence."

It is precisely for this reason that they must tarnish Xia Gu’s reputation, to let the scholars of Jiangnan who admire these madmen realize that these so-called madmen are the least desirable. Isn’t it better to follow the learned and renowned scholars? Why follow these madmen on their frenzies?

Gu Jin’an also frowned as he watched the group outside, hoping that the matter with Xia Gu would wake these people up so they wouldn’t blindly follow the likes of Xia Gu and other trouble-making madmen.

Besides wanting to awaken these scholars, Gu Jinli and his sister also wanted to use this incident to deter the Lu Family. To let the members of the Lu Family know not to overreach; if they stretched out too far, the Gu Family would not only chop off their hands but also bury them along with the bodies.