This only safe, healthy, obedient, and pure daughter was the only light left in the couple's remaining years, a treasure they would protect with everything they had.
If even Jinyun were to die from the scheming of her own flesh and blood, they would truly have nothing left to look forward to in this life.
Seeing that the matter was completely exposed, Zhou Wu could no longer maintain even a shred of his gentle guise, utterly tearing away his mask of hypocrisy built over many years.
His eyes turned blood-red, veins bulging on his forehead, as he roared at Ye Ruoqing.
“Why do you say it was bestowed upon me by you?”
“Half of everything my brother has should have been mine to begin with!”
“Zhou Jinhang is already a cripple, with no hope of ever becoming City Lord!”
“I knelt and begged my brother several times to pass the position to me, but he refused, stubbornly insisting on passing Tianfeng City to Zhou Jinyun.”
“She is just a girl who will marry out sooner or later. Why does she get to rule a whole city?”
“Why does she get to stand above me?”
“As long as Zhou Jinyun dies, the position of City Lord will be mine!”
“All of this should have been mine in the first place!”
Meanwhile, Lin Yue, who had collapsed on the ground, was already completely dead inside, lying on the cold floor without saying a single word.
She knew Zhou Wen's methods all too well; now that the matter was exposed, she had no hope of survival.
Listening to Zhou Wu's shameful display of twisting facts, her heart was filled only with desolation and irony, lacking even the strength to defend herself.
As Zhou Wen listened to his younger brother's mad words, the spiritual energy all over his body surged violently.
Decades of brotherly affection shattered completely at this very moment.
But catching a glimpse of Ye Ling standing calmly nearby out of the corner of his eye, he ultimately suppressed his urge to kill them on the spot.
Airing family scandals and killing his own brother in front of an outsider would damage his prestige as City Lord.
Forcing down his killing intent, he raised his hand to seal their meridians and barked coldly,
“Guards! Throw these two into the dungeon and lock them up securely!”
The guards entered at his command and quickly dragged the two away.
Once the commotion faded, the courtyard fell into an instant, dead silence.
Zhou Wen turned to look at Ye Ling, his face filled with guilt and embarrassment, and solemnly cupped his hands.
“Young Friend Ye, I have embarrassed myself before you with this family scandal.”
Ye Ling stepped forward slowly, her expression calm. “City Lord Zhou, it is not my place as a junior to meddle in your family affairs.”
“But since I know Jinyun and consider her a friend, I will venture to say a few words.”
“When I first entered Tianfeng City, I saw how peaceful the streets were and how prosperous the citizens were, so I knew you were a duty-bound, good City Lord.”
“Jinyun has a pure heart. This time I was here, but what if there is a next time?”
“In the future, you and your wife must protect her well.”
Zhou Jinyun poked her head out of her mother's embrace, glanced at Ye Ling with red eyes, and whispered,
“Thank you, Sister.”
Ye Ling looked down at her and reached out to gently pat the top of her head.
Having said her piece, Ye Ling turned and left.
Unwilling to stay any longer in this courtyard full of scheming, Zhou Jinyun quickly followed Ye Ling.
In the massive courtyard, only Zhou Wen and Ye Ruoqing were left standing opposite each other.
Ye Ruoqing looked at her husband and sighed softly, “Husband, even an outsider can see things so clearly.”
“For decades, because you pitied his loneliness, you softened your heart and indulged him time and again, and I never stopped you.”
“But this time, they dared to try and kill Jinyun, crossing my absolute red line.”
“This matter must not be condoned.”
Zhou Wen stood in silence for a long time. The hesitation, reluctance, and brotherly affection in his eyes faded away inch by inch, leaving behind only bone-chilling coldness and resolve.
That night, under the deep cover of darkness, in the depths of the dark and damp dungeon.
Zhou Wu and Lin Yue were chained tightly to the stone wall with black iron chains, collapsed on the cold stone floor.
The dungeon was pitch-black and dead silent, save for the flickering of a few scattered candles in the distance.
Zhou Wu still harbored a final shred of hope, murmuring under his breath,
“Yue'er... today I misspoke and ruined everything.”
“But do not worry. My brother has always been soft-hearted and values family ties the most.”
“He will definitely forgive me one more time... He definitely will...”
Lying on the cold stone floor, Lin Yue was completely deaf to his murmuring.
Zhou Wu's disgraceful behavior in the courtyard earlier, where he sold out his wife to save himself, had already chilled her heart to the core.
She knew better than anyone that now that the matter was exposed, she had no hope of survival.
Right then, the heavy black iron prison door slowly opened with a sharp clack.
A chilly night wind rushed in along with the darkness, and a lonely, upright figure stepped into the dungeon alone. It was Zhou Wen.
The dim candlelight reflected on his face, showing not a single trace of his past warmth, leaving only a frozen indifference.
Collapsed on the ground, Zhou Wu suddenly raised his head. The moment he saw the newcomer, an intense desire to survive erupted in his eyes.
He struggled desperately to twist his body, begging hoarsely for mercy with tears and mucus streaming down his face.
“Brother! I was wrong! I was truly wrong!”
“I won't dare to do it again! Spare me this once, just this last time!”
But before he could finish, there was not a single ripple of emotion in Zhou Wen's eyes.
He raised his hands and gathered dense spiritual energy, striking out violently with palms devoid of any warmth.
Two muffled thuds of tearing flesh exploded almost simultaneously in the dungeon. Before Zhou Wu and Lin Yue could even let out a final scream, their breath was instantly cut off.
The dust settled. Zhou Wen withdrew his hands, his expression indifferent. He did not utter a word, nor did he look down at the two on the ground.
He turned and walked out of the cold, damp dungeon, raising his hand to close the heavy door, completely sealing away this disgraceful sibling feud.
The City Lord's estate acted with swift and decisive efficiency, disposing of Zhou Wu and Lin Yue overnight.
Without arranging even the slightest funeral rites for the two, they directly ordered people to drag the two corpses out of the city and dump them in a desolate mass grave.
At the same time, the guard squad mobilized fully, sealing off the private residence where Zhou Wu and his wife had lived, as well as all their privately owned houses and shops in the city.
They thoroughly investigated, inventoried, and confiscated their properties and assets one by one.
After a thorough search, they eventually tallied up the couple's entire hidden fortune, which amounted to over ten thousand taels of gold.
This amount was not a massive sum, and was far inferior to the accumulated wealth of ordinary prominent families.
Yet it was precisely this moderate sum that made Zhou Wen's and Ye Ruoqing's hearts suddenly sink.
This precisely proved that Zhou Wu and his wife knew very well that the City Lord and his wife governed the city strictly and kept a tight grip on things, so they did not dare to use the City Lord's estate's name to amass wealth.
For years, they had been extremely cautious, keeping a low profile, hiding deeply, and remaining quietly dormant. They never flaunted their wealth or dared to leave any leverage.
From beginning to end, their eyes had been fixed solely on the position and power of the City Lord of Tianfeng City.
Zhou Wen had been diligent in administration and loved the people for decades, devoting his entire heart to Tianfeng City.
He had never imagined that the younger brother he had raised with his own hands and supported for half his life...
...had already been lurking in the shadows for years, his mind entirely filled with malicious schemes to seize power.
Seeing this, Ye Ruoqing gently patted his shoulder, comforting him softly.
“Husband, there is no need to take all the blame upon yourself.”
“I have managed the estate for many years, yet I didn't notice their hidden malice at all either. I was negligent in judging their character, so I am also responsible.”
The heavy gloom in Zhou Wen's heart eased slightly, knowing his wife was intentionally trying to comfort him.
He silently leaned his head against Ye Ruoqing's shoulder and murmured,
“Tomorrow, we must properly thank Young Friend Ye.”
Ye Ruoqing gently patted Zhou Wen's back, her eyes filled with solemnity.
“Indeed. She saved Jinyun's life. We must solemnly repay this kindness and must absolutely not treat her with any neglect.”
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