Jiang A Yao, bewildered, had no choice but to follow them out.
Upon arrival, she discovered that Lao Jin had ordered all the villagers to be gathered.
At this moment, the villagers exchanged uneasy glances, trembling as they stood under the watchful eyes of the armed men surrounding them.
Jiang A Yao immediately spotted Jiang A Yuan hiding among the crowd, desperately trying to conceal herself.
When Jiang A Yuan saw Jiang A Yao appear unharmed and standing beside Lao Jin, her face visibly paled with increased fear.
Just as Jiang A Yao steadied herself, Lu Da arrived and directly approached her side.
The two exchanged a glance but remained silent, quietly observing Lao Jin to see what would happen next.
“Everyone, there’s no need to fear. We are not bandits. We’ve gathered you here not to harm you, but to clarify a matter,” Lao Jin declared loudly, dragging Zhao Guizhi to the front as he addressed the crowd. “My master is an official of the court. While passing through this area, he was ambushed and injured by assailants. In the urgency of the situation that day, my actions may have been rash, and I ask for your understanding.”
“However, my master is severely wounded. Miss Jiang has been tirelessly treating his injuries these past few days, showing great kindness to my master. Yet, I’ve heard rumors being spread, slandering both my master and Miss Jiang…”
As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers who had heard Zhao Guizhi’s words the previous day immediately knelt to the ground. “Sir, please understand—those vile words were all spoken by Zhao Guizhi. We even defended Miss Jiang!”
“Yes, yes! It was all Zhao Guizhi spreading rumors. She bore a grudge after Miss Jiang confronted her for lying before.”
Zhao Guizhi shook her head frantically, muffled cries escaping her lips, but no one pleaded on her behalf. Even her husband dared not speak up for her, lowering his head as if he didn’t know her.
“Was it only her spreading these rumors?” Lao Jin scanned the crowd, his tone turning harsh and imposing.
Immediately, someone reported, “It wasn’t just Zhao Guizhi—the Jiang family was also spreading nonsense. They even said Miss Jiang had cut ties with them, so if she were… defiled, it would have nothing to do with them.”
“Where is the Jiang family?” Lao Jin roared.
The villagers quickly stepped aside, pushing the Jiang family members out from their hiding spots in the crowd.
In an instant, not only Lin Qinghua and Jiang A Yuan’s family but all other members of the Jiang family were shoved forward.
Jiang A Yao’s grandmother was so terrified her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, wailing, “I didn’t say anything! It was all that venomous woman Lin Qinghua! She can’t stand to see her daughter do well!”
Jiang A Yao’s two aunts also began making excuses, shifting all blame onto Lin Qinghua.
Lao Jin turned his gaze to Lin Qinghua. His appearance was even more fearsome than Lu Da’s, and when angered, he resembled the King of Hell from folklore.
Lin Qinghua was scared out of her wits, dropping to her knees with a pale face as she shook her head and hastily defended herself, “I… I never said that, I really didn’t…”
Lao Jin had no patience for her excuses. Coldly, he stated, “Whether you spoke those words or not, you know the truth. I’ve gathered you here to teach you a lesson. If any of you dare to wag your filthy tongues again in the future, this woman will be your example.”
With that, Lao Jin seized Zhao Guizhi, first dislocating her jaw, then drawing a dagger and cutting out her tongue.
The moment blood spurted out, the villagers screamed in horror.
Zhao Guizhi crumpled to the ground, blood continuously spilling from her mouth—a terrifying and shocking scene.
This scene made even Jiang Ayao furrow her brow slightly. Lu Da covered her eyes, preventing her from continuing to watch.
Then, he whispered in Jiang Ayao’s ear, “Ayao, this is merely a disciplinary measure. Remember, if Zhao Guizhi’s tongue weren’t cut out, they would eventually drive you to your death.”
Jiang Ayao took a deep breath and nodded heavily.
She knew how ruthless they could be, and she herself was no saint. Despite her having saved them, they still slandered her behind her back—they truly deserved this punishment.
Moreover, Zhao Guizhi’s tongue wasn’t severed specifically for her sake.
The person she had saved was a high-ranking official. If this matter weren’t resolved thoroughly, it could be exploited in the future to stir up trouble, using minor issues to leverage greater ones.
Old Jin kicked the bloody tongue in front of Lin Qinghua, who was so terrified her legs gave way, nearly suffocating from fear.
“See this clearly? If any of you dare mention Miss Jiang again in the future, the tongues of your entire family will end up the same way.”
Old Jin’s threatening tone and fierce glare sent the Jiang family trembling uncontrollably.
Lin Qinghua’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted outright.
“Coward!”
Old Jin snorted coldly, turned, and left, paying no heed to the Jiang family, who were paralyzed with fear and unable to speak.
He walked up to Jiang Ayao and added, “Miss Jiang, if you wish to vent your anger, these people are at your disposal.”
As he finished speaking, Jiang Ayuan instinctively looked at Jiang Ayao, her eyes filled with both fear and helplessness.
When Jiang Ayao was at home, she had treated Jiang Ayuan well, helping with all the chores she could. This younger sister had received much care from Jiang Ayao. Yet, when Jiang Ayao broke free from the family’s constraints, Jiang Ayuan was the first to oppose her, even deliberately pushing her toward danger in critical moments.
From then on, all affection between them had vanished.
There was no bond left between them.
“I have completely severed ties with the Jiang family. From now on, whether they live or die has nothing to do with me, and I don’t wish to lay eyes on her again.”
This last statement was directed at Jiang Ayuan.
“Very well. Since Miss Jiang has made this decision, I will ensure your household registration is properly handled, to repay the debt of saving my life.”
The injured man’s deep voice rang out, filling Jiang Ayao with hope, and she quickly expressed her gratitude.
Lu Da hadn’t expected this man to actually help Jiang Ayao with her household registration. While happy for her, he felt a twinge of concern—his and Mingzhu’s own registrations had some issues and couldn’t withstand close scrutiny.
His slight frown was noticed by Old Jin, who mistakenly thought he had finally realized he might lose his wife and cast him a sympathetic glance.
Sensing the gaze, Lu Da looked at Old Jin in confusion.
Old Jin smiled and glanced away without explanation.
That smile stirred a sense of foreboding in Lu Da’s heart.
This Old Jin had been saying cryptic things since yesterday. Were they planning to take Jiang Ayao away after resolving her household registration issue?
The thought made Lu Da instinctively tighten his grip on Jiang Ayao’s wrist.
Jiang Ayao glanced at him in puzzlement but, seeing the wariness in his eyes, did not pull away.
Their tightly clasped hands were observed by the injured man, who lowered his gaze slightly, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and instructed his subordinates to carry him back.
Without the supervision of Lao Jin and the others, the villagers gradually regained their senses. However, upon seeing Zhao Guizhi’s condition, the fear in their hearts only grew more intense.
Some were even so terrified by the sight of the tongue that they vomited on the spot.
Other villagers pointed directly at Lin Qinghua’s family and cursed, “You Jiangs are inhuman! Mistreating your daughter, spreading vicious gossip—you nearly got our entire village killed!”
“You worthless scum! Heaven will punish you sooner or later!”
As the villagers took turns hurling insults, the Jiang family listened with faces as pale as death, not daring to utter a word in response.