Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1024: Do unto Others as They Would Do unto You (1)

Chapter 1024: Chapter 1024: Do unto Others as They Would Do unto You (1)

Xiao Xiong was outmaneuvered by Xiao Ruiyuan and, in the end, he couldn’t bear to see his beloved son become a cripple without limbs. Besides, even if he could bear it, a useless cripple would never be able to become the Princely Heir, let alone inherit the noble rank of the Hou Mansion in the future. With all this commotion, it was unclear who would end up benefiting in the end.

It was well known that Xiao Ruiyuan was not someone to be trifled with; Xiao Xiong did not believe for a second that talk of chopping off his youngest son’s limbs was mere bluster. Despite the immense frustration in his heart, Xiao Xiong didn’t dare to test Xiao Ruiyuan’s patience any further. After leaving behind a vicious threat, he took Lady Wei, who was sobbing as if her only son had already been dismembered, and skulked away.

The chilly courtyard regained its usual tranquility, but Xiao Ruiyuan’s mood was far from calm, even extremely unpleasant, as he radiated a heavy aura of animosity.

Xiao Eleven, who had followed him since childhood, wished he could dig a hole and escape immediately, but he had no choice but to stand rigidly in place, holding his breath and not daring to make the slightest sound, afraid that in the next moment he would become the outlet for his master’s anger—dragged to the Training Courtyard for a sparring session and then carried off like a corpse.

Xiao Ruiyuan had no idea about the chaotic thoughts in his subordinate’s mind. After a careful deliberation, he issued a series of commands to Xiao Eleven, "Have someone watch over Xiao Xiong and Lady Wei, and report immediately at any sign of trouble; send a message to Xiao Five, let him find some tasks for Xiao Ruiqing... Also, pay close attention to those rumors that work against Lady’s interests, and capture those who maliciously spread rumors and cause trouble."

Xiao Eleven kept nodding incessantly and couldn’t help but ask when he heard the last command, "Master, now that the incident with the Rui Beast scaring someone to death is revealed to be a misunderstanding, I presume The Emperor would have found out the truth and will soon issue an order to clarify the matter, why then do we still need to... "

Before Xiao Eleven could finish, Xiao Ruiyuan understood his meaning and asked coldly, "What do you think are Xiao Xiong and Lady Wei’s reasons for picking a fight with me today?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Eleven’s mind clicked, and he smacked a tree trunk in anger, "Rumors are to be feared, they can destroy one’s reputation! I didn’t expect they had also calculated this move; they are indeed very vicious."

The rumor that Lady brought a wild beast on an outing has been wildly misconstrued, morphing into a narrative portraying the Lady as arrogant and indifferent to human life. Even though the incident was false and could be easily clarified, there were people with dark hearts who would rather believe baseless rumors than accept the truth of the matter.

Moreover, even if the rumor was clarified tomorrow, the Lady’s reputation would have already been affected. If a reputation of impropriety was then leaked, especially from her future in-laws, what would the world think? With the two issues combined, those not in the know would subconsciously deem the Lady’s character flawed and unworthy of the esteemed position of County Lord, possibly even angering The Emperor and causing the Lady to fall out of his favor.

Such a predicament could also implicate the Master. Not only is the Master highly respected in the military, but he is also honored as the "War God" among the common people and adored by them. If the Master insisted on marrying Princess Hejia, deemed "unvirtuous," "arrogant," and "unbenevolent," it would surely tarnish the Master’s reputation as well.

If Xiao Xiong and Lady Wei had further schemes, not only would the Master and the Lady lose their reputations, but they could also be toppled from their high position together. And the ultimate beneficiaries wouldn’t just be Xiao Xiong, Lady Wei, and Xiao Ruiqing, but also The Emperor—who would certainly relish the opportunity to weaken the Master’s military and popular support without lifting a finger.

This plot was truly vicious, two birds with one stone!

A cold sweat broke on Xiao Eleven’s back, and he wished he could chop up Xiao Xiong and Lady Wei and feed them to wild dogs.

Seeing that his subordinate had come to understand, Xiao Ruiyuan said no more, his hatred for Xiao Xiong and Lady Wei reaching extreme levels. He didn’t bother to stoop to their level of conspiracy, but they should never have targeted someone he cared about. Since they dared to harbor such vicious intentions, they couldn’t blame him for showing no mercy; after all, he had endured enough for many years...