With this incident, they couldn’t drink anymore, so the four of them quickly dispersed.

Wu Dechun returned to the Wu Residence with a dark expression.

When Wu Furen saw his complexion, she was startled and asked, “What happened? What’s with the terrible expression?”

Wu Dechun felt that he had lost face in front of his colleagues and was extremely angry. However, when he looked at his wife, he remembered that it wasn’t her decision to let Zheng Shi into the residence in the first place. So, he forcibly suppressed his anger and asked Wu Furen, “Is Zheng Shi from Wuchang County?”

Wu Furen, unaware of why her husband suddenly asked this, nodded and said, “Yes ah.”

“You immediately send someone to summon the maidservant who attends to her bathing. Ask her if Zheng Shi has a birthmark on her buttocks shaped like a beetle!” Wu Dechun ordered.

Wu Furenlooked at her husband dumbfounded.

Wu Dechun was already extremely embarrassed, and seeing this, he impatiently urged, “What are you staring at? Go quickly!”

Wu Furen came to her senses and realized that something serious had happened. She quickly sent someone to summon Qin’er, who attended to Zheng Man’er.

Wu Cheng happened to be with Zheng Man’er at that moment. Seeing Wu Furen suddenly sending someone to call Qin’er in the middle of the night, Zheng Man’er also became somewhat anxious, so he followed over.

“Father, Mother, what’s going on? Why summoned Qin’er at this hour?” Upon entering the room, Wu Cheng saw his father was present too. He stepped forward to greet them and asked.

Wu Dechun gave him a cold stare and said, “Stand aside and shut your mouth!”

Wu Cheng was startled by his father’s look and didn’t dare to disobey. He stood aside with a puzzled expression.

There was no one left in the room. Although it was difficult to bring up, Wu Furen had to ask herself, “Qin’er, let me ask you, does Zheng Shi have a birthmark on her buttocks shaped like a bettle?”

Wu Cheng looked at Wu Furen in surprise.

Qin’er looked nervously at Wu Laoyé, then at Wu Furen, realizing that she couldn’t hide it. She trembled and said, “Yes…”

Wu Laoyé covered his forehead with his hand, then suddenly picked up a teacup and threw it at Wu Cheng.

The tea splashed all over Wu Cheng’s clothes, and the teacup shattered on the floor tiles.

Wu Cheng was startled, looking at Wu Laoyé in astonishment. “Dad?”

After they sent someone to call the maidservant, Wu Laoyé had already told Wu Furen about the matter, and she couldn’t believe it. But now, Qin’er’s admission was like telling them that it was true! Otherwise, how could the man outside know so clearly about Zheng Man’er’s birthmark in her private area?

As she thought that her son had actually brought such a person back, Wu Furen’s chest surged with anger. She clenched her handkerchief tightly, pressed it against her chest, and looked up at the dishevelled Wu Cheng, asking, “How did you and Zheng Shi meet? Tell me again.”

“I…” Even if Wu Cheng was slow, he knew something was wrong. For a moment, he dared not speak easily.

“Speak!” Wu Laoyé wanted to pick up the teacup to throw at him again, but seeing that only the teacup lid was left on the table, he had to give up the idea in frustration.

Seeing this, Wu Cheng didn’t dare to delay any longer and hurriedly said, “That day, Zhao Xiong… Zhao Huanxu of Jing Guogong Residence, took me to see his friend. We went to the wrong door and ended up at the Zheng House, where we were offered tea. I saw Man’er, who was beautiful, and we exchanged glances. So, I…”

Wu Furen turned her face and asked Qin’er, “You, speak. How did Zheng Shi and Wu Cheng get to know each other?”

Qin’er trembled like chaff in a sieve, afraid to speak.

“If you don’t speak, I’ll drag you out and beat you to death! Someone come!” Wu Laoyé shouted angrily.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, Nubi will talk!” Qin’er was so scared that she couldn’t even kneel properly and almost collapsed.

Wu Furen waved her hand, indicating for the Pozi who had come to step back.

“Zhao Gongzi is our Guniang’s intimate friend (paramour).”

Qin’er’s first words made Wu Cheng widen his eyes.

Qin’er dared not look at him, only at the three feet of green bricks in front of her, and continued, “Our Guniang said she wanted to find a lifelong support. Zhao Gongzi said that his wife at home is formidable, and it wouldn’t be good for our Guniang*& to go there. However, he knew a Wu **Gongzi whose wife is gentle. Wu Gongzi can handle his wife. As long as Guniang can control Wu Gongzi, even if she becomes a concubine, she won’t have to endure the torment of the main wife.

“Our Guniang agreed, so Zhao Gongzi introduced Wu Gongzi to her. When Guniang saw that Wu Gongzi was talented and from an official family, she decided to marry him. She asked Zhao Gongzi what to do. Zhao Gongzi said that if our Guniang could conceive a child, she could use this as an excuse for Wu Gongzi to marry her.”

Wu Cheng grasped the key point in her words and asked angrily, “After Zheng Man’er and I got together, did they still have contact with each other?”

Qin’er nodded, trembling.

“Then whose child is in Zheng Man’er’s belly?” Wu Cheng’s eyes were red with anger.

Qin’er trembled as she spoke, “Guniang… Guniang couldn’t be sure either, she just said it’s either yours or Zhao Gongzi’s…”

“I’ll kill her!” Unable to bear the shock, Wu Cheng rushed out.

Wu Furen panicked and quickly ordered the Pozis guarding outside to stop him.

Wu Laoyé was trembling with anger and scolded Wu Cheng, “You know that Jing Guogong Residence’s First and Fifth Branch don’t get along with each other. You married a daughter from the First Branch, so why did you want to befriend people from the Fifth Branch? You treated him as a friend, but he treated you as a pawn!”

Wu Furen pulled Wu Cheng back, who looked extremely pale, and turned to Wu Laoyé, saying, “Say less, will you? Our child was also manipulated. Who would have thought that Zhao Huanxu, who seems so upright, would behave so despicably!”

Wu Laoyé glared at Wu Cheng with frustration and said, “How should we settle this matter? Let me tell you, the child in Zheng Shi’s belly will never be acknowledged by our Wu Family, even as a shu son! I can’t afford to lose face like that!”

“Father, mother, don’t need to worry. Since this disaster was caused by me, I will naturally be responsible for resolving it,” Wu Cheng said with an ashen face.

“What do you want to do? You must not do anything foolish!” Wu Furen said anxiously.

“Mother, rest assured, that b**ch is not worth me sacrificing my life for. But Zhao Huanxu, that bastard, I will make him pay for how he humiliated me. I’ll return the favor exactly as he did!” Wu Cheng clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.

✦

In the western side of Jiaxiang House, Yin Furen and her son and daughter-in-law had finished their meal and chatted for a while. Then, she instructed a servant to bring over the newly made candied winter melon slices, fragrant grapes, and intricately carved peach slices for them to enjoy.

This was made by a preserved fruit shop under Yin Furen’s name, something Zhao Huanxi had been eating since he was a child. When he saw Yin Furen heading to the outer hall, he secretly told Xu Nian’an that the candied winter melon slices and intricately carved peach slices were too sweet and suggested she try the fragrant grapes.

At this moment, they heard from the outside: “Taitai, Pang Guniang is here.”

Zhao Huanxi looked up towards the doorway of the adjacent room but didn’t move.

“Let her in,” Yin Furen’s voice sounded along with the sound of her sipping tea with the lid of the cup.

In a moment, a woman’s soft voice could be heard from outside, respectfully greeting Yin Furen.

“Do you know why I asked you to come here tonight?” Yin Furen asked the pitiful-looking woman in front of her.

Pang Daixue remembered Concunine Du, who was chased away, and the confinement of First and second branch. She trembled slightly, her voice tinged with tears, “Is Furen going to punish me?”

“Punish? It seems you know too; you’ve done something you shouldn’t have,” Yin Furen said calmly.

Pang Daixue knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face, and said to Yin Furen, “Furen, please believe me. I didn’t deliberately get close to San Yé and instigate him to oppose the family. My family was facing great difficulty, so I came to seek refuge with my Biao Gu. Whatever she said, I had to obey. I never thought of harming San Yé.”

“If that’s the case, do you admit that you were instructed by Qin Shi to deliberately get close to Huanxi, to please and flatter him?” Yin Furen asked deliberately.

Pang Daixue nodded repeatedly, “Biao Gu said that San Yé is easy to manipulate, as long as I follow him, I won’t have to worry about my future happiness. She told me about San Yé’s situation in the house and taught me how to speak to please him. She also said that if I couldn’t win San Yé over, she would betroth me to an old man in his seventies or eighties.” She cried as she leaned over to the ground.

Yin Furen was so angry that she wished she could immediately bring that bch Qin **Shi from Shenshou Courtyard and make her listen carefully!

“Enough, stop crying. Although you treated Huanxi with insincerity, he sincerely regarded you as a friend. He risked being scolded by me to ask me to help you find a good future,” Yin Furen said, looking at the woman leaning over on the ground with annoyance.

Pang Daixue’s trembling back shuddered slightly, and she looked up in surprise.

Yin Furen took another sip of tea to calm herself before saying to Pang Daixue, “I’ve arranged for two families to consider you for marriage. The first is a 39-year-old merchant from Qingzhou, who is widowed, has a legitimate daughter and shu son. He desires a legitimate son. If you can bear him a son, you’ll live a comfortable life. But if not, then no one can help you. The second is a 26-year-old from Qiantang, who runs a lantern shop. He hasn’t been married before due to taking care of his younger siblings. Which one do you choose?”

Pang Daixue only thought for a short time before saying, “I… I choose the second one.”

“Since you have no parents, and your Biao Gu can’t make decisions for you now, we’ll keep it simple. Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to formalize your engagement, and the day after tomorrow, you’ll get married. As a token of appreciation for Huanxi’s sake, I’ll give you five hundred taels of silver as your dowry. Don’t expect anything else. I’ve already explained your situation to the other party, and they are willing to accept you,” Yin Furen said.

“Thank you, Furen. Please also thank San Yé for me,” Pang Daixue said, crying as she kowtowed.

After sending her away, Yin Furen came to the adjacent room. She had intended to say a few words to Zhao Huanxi, but seeing him looking downcast and dejected, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She just said, “Now, you can rest assured, right?”

Zhao Huanxi nodded. “Thank you, Mother.”

“All right, it’s getting late. You should go back now. Be careful on the way,” Yin Furen said.

The young couple stood up to bid farewell.

After leaving Jiaxiang House, Xu Nian’an took the lantern with the ‘Zhao’ character from Xiaowei’s hand and said to the maids who had followed, “You all go back first. San Yé and I will walk slowly.”

Yin Furen could sense Zhao Huanxi’s low spirits, and Xu Nian’an naturally could too.

After the maids left, Zhao Huanxi took the lantern from Xu Nian’an and held it himself to light their way.

Xu Nian’an glanced at him and asked, “You’ve adjusted your mood so quickly? You’ve really made progress.”

Zhao Huanxi smiled self-deprecatingly and said, “In the past, I would have been unable to figure it out no matter how long it took. But after meeting you, I often think back to what you told me. Those words are things my mother never taught me. For example, when dealing with people, look at their vulnerabilities first. I suppose my Da Sao and others are also experts at this. They touched my vulnerabilities so accurately that I easily regarded them as friends, no matter who they sent.”

“Do you regret helping her?” Xu Nian’an asked.

Zhao Huanxi shook his head. “Even if her intentions were impure, her miserable life is real. When Da Sao is released from confinement and finds out she’s already married, her expressions will be very interesting.”

“Then, do you think Jie Ge’er knew about his mother and Pang Guniang’s plan?” Xu Nian’an asked as they walked. Zhao Huanxi paused for a moment, looking at Xu Nian’an.

Xu Nian’an also looked at him.

After a while, Zhao Huanxi turned his head back and continued walking with the lantern in hand.

He didn’t answer, and Xu Nian’an didn’t pursue the question.

“Dong Jiejie, actually, I also know where your vulnerability lies,” After a while, Zhao Huanxi suddenly said as they walked side by side.