The Chief Minister's Ferocious Wife

115 You Don’t Deserve Forgiveness!

Xie Jun had already had his bath and changed into clean clothes. Xie Heng was wringing his hair dry with a towel.

Niu Ziming started kowtowing at the door the moment he saw them.

“I’m really sorry. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have pushed Junjun into the water accidentally. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Please forgive me. I’ve realized my mistake. I’ll kowtow and apologize.”

Xie Heng continued to dry Xie Jun’s hair as though he didn’t hear Niu Ziming at all.

Xie Jun raised his head and looked at Xie Heng to ask him what to do.

Xie Heng put his arm around Xie Jun’s shoulder to make Xie Jun sit up straight. He said, “Don’t move. It’ll hurt if I pull on your hair.”

Regardless of what Niu Ziming did, Xie Heng did not look at him.

“Deportment is very important for scholars. You should always walk straight and sit upright, alright?” A few moments later, Xie Heng lowered his head and lectured Xie Jun.

Xie Jun nodded and said, “Yes, brother, I will remember that in the future.”

“A villain may be able to get instant gratification from his actions, but he should consider whether he can pay the price for his actions. Junjun, I have taught you before—what kind of people should you not sympathize with?”

“People who try to kill me.”

“Yes, so will you accept apologies from those people?”

“No.”

“So what should you do?”

“It’s completely justified for murderers to pay the price for their crimes with their lives. Although I am still alive, it is undeniable that he tried to kill me. That’s against the laws of the royal court.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to report him!”

Xie Jun suddenly pointed at Niu Ziming, who was still kneeling on the ground and kowtowing.

Madam Qian started screaming upon hearing that. “My son has already apologized. What do you want from him?”

Xie Heng raised his head and looked at Madam Qian impassively. “Not all apologies are requited with forgiveness. Likewise, it’s your freedom whether you want to forgive someone else. You don’t have the right to ask for forgiveness!”

“Xie Heng, you are a scholar as well…”

“That’s why I am reasonable and logical. I know what to do and what not to do. I can choose to forgive him, but I can also choose to pursue it to the fullest extent. Today, I choose the latter.”

“You…”

“Xie Heng, don’t you have any sympathy? Ziming is the only child in our family. Do you want to wipe out our descendants?”

“Xie Heng, has all your studying gone to the trash can? Don’t you know that you should be magnanimous toward other people?”

“You shouldn’t be too ruthless toward people, lest you might need them one day. What if Ziming manages to ace the exam and become an official one day? You’ll regret your actions!”

Niu Ziming’s family was extremely worked up.

Xie Heng smiled lightly and said, “Is that so? If that’s the case, he can make me feel regretful when it happens. Right now, I can only think about seeking justice for my poor brother.”

The panic in Madam Qian’s heart grew as she realized that Xie Heng wasn’t just saying this to scare them.

Niu Ziming said desperately, “What should I do to get you guys to move on? I’ve already apologized and done what Zhao Chuchu told me to do. You’re going back on your word! You’ll be struck by lightning for this!”

“We’ll move on when you receive the punishment that you deserve! Compared to Junjun when he was no longer breathing, you’re still very much alive. So, tell me, do you think we can move on?”

“Zhao Chuchu had already sought revenge on me!”

“She was just helping her brother-in-law vent his anger for being harmed. That was her personal decision. What I’m doing now is fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a brother. I’m caring for him and protecting him!”

“You guys…”

Xie Heng signaled Zhao Chuchu to come to him. He passed the towel to her so she could help Xie Jun dry his hair.

He walked in front of Niu Ziming and looked down on him from above. His gaze looked as though he was looking at an insect. There was not a tinge of sympathy in his eyes. “You were the one who deliberately decided to do this, so you do not deserve forgiveness!”

Niu Ziming felt a chill rise up from the bottom of his feet.

“Tongsheng, Ziming is your nephew! How can you just watch as Xie Heng bullies him like that? Please just say something! The Xie clan is completely dominating the Niu clan now!” Madam Qian suddenly grabbed Niu Tongsheng.

Niu Tongsheng didn’t know what to say.

What could he say?

Niu Ziming deserved it!

Xie Jun was digging for shepherd’s purse plants at the river bank, and he didn’t even interact with Niu Ziming. So why did he push Xie Jun into the river?

If Zhao Chuchu weren’t such a great doctor or reached just a little later, Xie Jun would be a corpse by now!

“If you’re regretting it so much now, why did you do it back then?” Niu Tongsheng shoved Madam Qian’s hand away and said, “He attempted murder. There’s nothing I can do about such vicious acts, regardless of whether I am the village chief!”

“You’re his uncle. You can’t just watch him die!”

“As the village chief, you can’t even order Xie Heng?”

“If Ziming dies, I’ll hang myself at your door!”

“Who’s the shameless old hag who wants to hang herself at my door? Come out. I’ll strangle you to death right now so you don’t dirty my door!” Madam Kong arrived with great ferocity.

“All of you immoral, disgusting, rotten scums! You were the ones who tried to harm him, and now you’re acting innocent? If your ancestors knew that they had such disgraceful descendants, they would jump out of their coffins to wipe you out!”

Madam Kong placed one hand on her hips and pointed at Madam Qian with the other hand. She yelled and scolded the Niu family with tremendous force.

Zhao Chuchu behaved as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. She removed the water from Xie Jun’s hair with her powers to dry it.

While Madam Qian was quarreling with Madam Kong, Xie Heng found a rope and tied Niu Ziming up. Niu Ziming had no energy to struggle at all.

“Dad, Mom, save me…” Niu Ziming yelled.

Madam Qian pounced on Xie Heng.

...

Xie Heng turned his body a little and dodged her. Madam Qian fell heavily to the ground and could not pick herself up for a long while.

Xie Heng looked toward Niu Tongsheng and said, “Village chief, a member of the Niu clan has done something wrong. Would you like to send him to the county governing bureau yourself, or should I bring him there?”

Niu Tongsheng could tell that Xie Heng was threatening them.

He was angry at how vicious Niu Ziming was as well.

After doing something like this, it was nearly impossible for Niu Ziming to rise up again.

Niu Tongsheng didn’t want to offend Xie Heng with a scumbag like Niu Ziming, so he told Niu An and Niu Le to help Xie Heng take Niu Ziming away.

Madam Qian and her family started yelling nasty insults at Niu Tongsheng. They kept saying that Niu Tongsheng betrayed his people by helping an outsider persecute Niu Ziming.

Niu Tongsheng was so mad that he almost felt like laughing. Instead, he said, “Our ancestors are watching us from above. If they saw this, they would want to kill all of you deplorable fools by striking you with lightning! Don’t you know what Niu Ziming did? If you keep making noise, I’ll open up the ancestral hall and chase all of you out!”

Once he said that, Madam Qian and her family went silent.

They didn’t have the guts to leave the clan like Zhao Chuchu because they weren’t nearly as capable as her.

Without the protection of their clan, they would be bullied wherever they go.

...

They didn’t dare risk that.

Besides, Niu Ziming had uncles and aunties as well. None of them were willing to get chased out of the family for him!

Just like that, Niu Ziming was sent to the county governing bureau.

They didn’t even need to interrogate him. So many villagers had witnessed his crime. Niu Ziming was unable to deny his wrongdoing. He had no choice but to plead guilty.

Country Magistrate Qiao chose the most severe punishment and sentenced Niu Ziming to exile.

When Madam Qian heard the verdict, she began to make a big fuss in court.