Upon hearing this, Tiedan's mind went completely blank.
He didn't want to die.
He still wanted to eat the meat from the Prince's kitchen, wanted to go to school with Doubao, and wanted Yun Shuyue to take him to the rooftop to watch the fireworks.
He struggled desperately, but Zhao Wuxu held him down by the shoulder with one hand, rendering him unable to move.
Tiedan closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, still cursing under his breath.
"You bad person... you big villain..."
Just then--
A woman's voice shrieked.
" Zhao Wuxu! What are you doing!"
Zhao Wuxu's hand trembled, and he turned around abruptly, seeing the temple door being pushed open a crack from the outside.
Lady Wang stood at the door, followed by Shen Ling'er, Yun Shuyue, and several guards from the Wang residence.
Zhao Wuxu's face turned deathly pale.
How did they get here?
Lady Wang arrived in such a hurry that the pearl hairpin at her temple was askew.
She rushed into the temple and immediately saw Zhao Wuxu squatting on the ground, holding a knife in his hand, the tip of which was pressed against the wrist of the child in the sack.
Her mind went blank.
She was sunbathing in the backyard of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Mansion when Shen Ling'er rushed over, saying that someone from Prince Yi's Residence had sent word that Zhao Wuxu and Pu Yunshan had taken Tiedan away and headed south of the city, likely intending to harm the child.
And Tiedan is her biological son who was lost six years ago.
She didn't believe it at the time. Although Zhao Wuxu was a bit cunning, he had been respectful and filial to her these past few days. How could he do such a thing?
But Shen Ling'er spoke hastily, adding that if it got too late, it might be too late.
She felt flustered and, without thinking, put on her fox fur coat and followed them out.
They had been listening outside the side hall for a while.
She heard Zhao Wuxu's voice.
I heard him say, "You're blocking my way."
I heard him say, "You must die."
He heard him say he was going to sever Tiedan's tendons and ligaments, and then frame Pu Yunshan for it.
At that moment, the fire in Lady Wang's chest burned so intensely that her vision went black.
For six whole years, whenever she heard a child crying at night, she would sit up in bed, run to the window, and ask again and again whose child was crying outside.
She had thought about her son going hungry, about her son freezing, about her son being beaten and scolded.
She never imagined that Zhao Wuxu, whom she had cherished like her own son for so long, would take a poisoned knife and try to destroy her real child.
Lady Wang raised her hand and Zhao Wuxu across the face.
Zhao Wuxu wanted to explain, but the first slap landed, turning half of his face to the side and making his ears ring.
A second slap followed immediately.
Lady Wang didn't stop, striking with both hands until her palms went numb. Zhao Wuxu was forced to stagger backward by her blows, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"When you called me 'Mom,' I thought you were pitiful!"
Lady Wang's voice trembled violently, and her eyes were red-rimmed.
"How have I treated you? You eat my food, wear my clothes, how have I ever wronged you? And yet you dare to try to kill my son!"
Zhao Wuxu covered his face, wanting to explain.
"Mother, I..."
"Shut up! You filthy scoundrel, you dare call me mother! Why don't you just die?!"
Lady Wang pushed him away and rushed to the sack, frantically trying to pull Tiedan up.
My fingertips were so cold they wouldn't obey me and kept trembling.
Tiedan, with his messy hair and crumbs of pastry on his face, first patted the dust off his clothes, then saw Lady Wang crying with tears streaming down her face for his sake.
Not understanding what she was sad about, hesitantly pulled the last crumb from his sleeve.
"Bad auntie, why are you crying? Want me to give you something sweet?"
Lady Wang was stunned.
She stared at Tiedan's dark little face, and at the pitiful crumbs in his hand, and her tears fell even harder.
The child had just escaped death, and his first reaction wasn't to cry or shout in pain, but to ask her if she wanted a pancake.
Her good son calls her a bad aunt!
Lady Wang reached out and gently patted Tiedan's head.
"I'm not eating it, you eat it yourself."
Her voice was terribly hoarse.
Looking at his dark, thin face, Lady Wang could no longer hold back her tears and reached out to hug him.
Tiedan was a little breathless from her hug. He wanted to break free but didn't dare, so he held up the crumbs in his hand and said, "Don't get my clothes wet, Sister Yun is tired from washing clothes."
Zhao Wuxu collapsed to the ground, his cheeks swollen and burning.
He watched as Lady Wang embraced Tiedan, the sight of mother and son reunited, and the last shred of hope in his heart was shattered.
Shen Ling'er stood to the side, carrying a medicine box. Seeing that Tiedan didn't even show any signs of dizziness, she whispered to Yun Shuyue beside her, "Take the child out first and check if he's injured."
Yun Shuyue walked over.
Tiedan shook his head, turned around and pointed at Zhao Wuxu: "Boss, he just tried to cut me with a knife and called me a bastard."
Zhao Wuxu's eyelids twitched, knowing that it was no use pretending any longer, and he braced himself with his palm on the ground.
"Okay... okay..."
He bent down abruptly and picked up the short blade from the ground; the blade gleamed coldly in the dim temple.
" Lady Wang, since you don't acknowledge me, then you can be my hostage!"
He grabbed the knife and lunged at Lady Wang.
Lady Wang was still protecting Tiedan when she turned around too late; the tip of the knife was already close to her shoulder.
At that very moment--
Pu Yunshan swept in through the window.
He had returned before Lady Wang arrived, and was just about to go inside when he noticed someone coming.
After thinking for a moment, he hid behind the house, and naturally heard and saw everything.
He originally planned to sneak away after Zhao Wuxu was taken away.
But when he saw Zhao Wuxu raise his knife and lunge at a woman holding a child, a wave of nausea suddenly washed over him.
This person...
They wanted to kill the children, kill the women, and then frame his so-called brother!
What a beast!
Pu Yunshan drew his long sword and pierced through Zhao Wuxu's chest.
Zhao Wuxu stopped in his tracks.
The short blade in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
He looked down and saw blood quickly seeping through his clothes. He slowly turned back and looked at Pu Yunshan in disbelief.
The hand concealing the poisoned dart exerted force.
"You..."
Pu Yunshan gripped the hilt of his sword, his face extremely grim.
"I Pu Yunshan, can lose, can be schemed against, and can even pick toilet paper in a public restroom."
He pulled the sword from Zhao Wuxu's chest and then stabbed him in the neck, splattering blood onto the dilapidated altar.
"But I won't stand by and watch beasts commit violence."
Zhao Wuxu opened his mouth, but before he could throw the poisoned dart, and before he could say anything more, his body lost its support and he collapsed onto the floor tiles, blood spreading from beneath him and mixing with the dust.
His eyes were still open; he died with his eyes wide open, unable to close them in peace.
Lady Wang, holding Tiedan, retreated to the wall, her fingers still trembling.
"I... I've raised a beast!"
Pu Yunshan sheathed his sword, his chest heaving heavily.
He didn't hesitate when he drew his sword, but as soon as he sheathed it, he regained his senses.
It's over!
Will I be punished for killing someone in public?
Why did this group arrive so timely?
Could he have fallen for a trap?