Chapter 183: Hidden Feelings Revealed
Cao Hongyu said tearfully, “It was before the New Year, in the twelfth lunar month. One evening, I saw Granny Zhao from Cousin’s Wife’s chambers walking into an alley east of the city in a bit of a panic. I found it strange and couldn’t help but follow her.
She stopped in front of a back door, knocked a few times, and then the door opened. A woman, wrapped up tightly, walked out from inside.
Even so, I recognized her. It should have been Cousin’s Wife. They then left the alley and got into a carriage. However, to be cautious, I followed them.
The horse carriage went straight back to our house. Granny Zhao helped Cousin’s Wife alight and enter the manor.
I just felt it was strange. The next day, I went to that alley again and investigated the surroundings, discovering it was the back door of a silk shop.
From then on, I had people keep an eye on that place, wanting to know what Cousin’s Wife was actually doing.
It took about a month before I finally found out. It turned out that the owner of the silk shop, Sang Sanyang, was in his thirties and still a bachelor. Every time Cousin’s Wife went in through the back door, he would leave from the front of the shop and go to the back courtyard.
At most, it took two hours, and at least, one hour, before Cousin’s Wife would leave again, just like that time. And not long after, Sang Sanyang would also go to the front of the shop.”
“You mean…” Madam Zhou’s eyes widened as she listened to Cao Hongyu’s words, “this bitch is actually having an affair?!”
“Aunt, speak softly,” Cao Hongyu said, “I know you might not believe this when I say it, but it’s absolutely true. Furthermore, this Sang Sanyang is no other than the maternal uncle of Wen Mingqian’s personal maid, Sang Er.
Think about it, she went to great lengths to protect Cousin’s Wife and Cousin. And for Cousin’s Wife to live peacefully, she must give the Zhou family a son.
It’s only natural that they would conspire to do this, isn’t it?”
“This bitch! This bitch!” Madam Zhou was so enraged that she couldn’t find any other words to curse.
“Aunt, I would never lie. I am always on your side,” Cao Hongyu seized the opportunity to pledge her loyalty. “The reason I hesitated to speak was that I was afraid of upsetting you. But now I have to say it, as it concerns the Zhou family’s bloodline.”
“This bitch is like a crab without legs, she has no principles. She wouldn’t dare do such a wicked thing on her own,” Madam Zhou calmed down slightly. “It must be that Wen Mingqian who is giving her ideas from behind the scenes.”
“Aunt is right, the root of the problem lies with that one surnamed Wen,” Cao Hongyu quickly agreed. She had been instructed by someone to not only drive Liu Cuiyi out but also to implicate Wen Mingqian, killing two birds with one stone.
Although catching someone in the act requires proof, Madam Zhou felt that Cao Hongyu’s words were ninety percent true.
“To stay in the Zhou family, Liu Cuiyi must be desperate. And Wen Mingqian is her guarantor, so they are birds of a feather,” Madam Zhou said through gritted teeth. “It’s hateful that these two whores are plotting against us like this. Their hearts are truly rotten!”
There was one more thing she didn’t mention: Liu Cuiyi’s pregnancy being so stable was itself abnormal.
“Aunt, what do you plan to do now?” Cao Hongyu asked. “Cousin’s Wife is pregnant and will surely stay home to nurture the fetus, she won’t be meeting that man in secret anymore.”
“What to do? Of course, we can’t keep this root of evil,” Madam Zhou said. “So what if we can’t catch her in the act? She’s already done something shameless, I don’t believe she won’t feel guilty!”
“Aunt, why don’t you summon Granny Zhao first? She is Cousin’s Wife’s confidante. If we can interrogate her first, Cousin’s Wife will have no way to deny it,” Cao Hongyu advised Madam Zhou.
“Yes, that shameless old fool, I’ve disliked her for a long time,” Madam Zhou said hatefully. “I’ll summon her right away!”
Saying this, she ordered an old servant, “Go find Granny Zhao from First Madam’s chambers and tell her I need her for something and she should hurry.”
Granny Zhao was slightly surprised to hear that Madam had summoned her, but she didn’t think too much of it.
At this moment, Liu Cuiyi was dozing. After becoming pregnant, she could eat and sleep well, and felt sleepy even before noon.
Granny Zhao quietly instructed the maids, “I’m going to Madam’s. Don’t be lazy, and as soon as you hear First Madam stirring, go in and serve her.”
With that, she left and went straight to Madam Zhou’s room.
As soon as she entered, she felt something was wrong. Madam Zhou had a dark expression, and Cao Hongyu beside her looked smug.
“Greetings to Madam, greetings to Miss Cao,” Granny Zhao asked respectfully. “May I know what Madam requires of me?”
“Granny Zhao, you have quite the courage!” Madam Zhou stared fiercely at Granny Zhao. “Although you are Liu Shi’s companion, you have been in my Zhou family for nearly ten years, and I never knew you were so audacious.”
“What does Madam mean by that? This old servant doesn’t understand at all,” Granny Zhao asked, suppressing her unease.
“What do I mean? I know all about the sordid dealings you and your mistress have been up to,” Madam Zhou sneered. “Do you think because I don’t leave the house all day, I don’t know about the shameless things you’ve done?”
Granny Zhao couldn’t help but feel flustered, but she knew she couldn’t let them see it no matter what.
“Madam, even if this old servant is the worst, I know propriety and shame. I have done nothing sordid,” Granny Zhao said. “May I ask who has misled Madam?”
“You don’t need to be stubborn with me. I ask you, what is going on between Liu Cuiyi and that silk merchant surnamed Sang? Tell me clearly, there’s plenty of time! Otherwise, I’ll report it to the authorities and search his shop. I don’t believe we won’t find any clues!”
Granny Zhao was greatly alarmed. She hadn’t expected Madam to mention Sang Sanyang’s name and was puzzled as to how she found out.
It seemed Cao Hongyu was also involved. But how did she find out?
However, judging by Madam Zhou’s words, they didn’t have any solid evidence.
“Granny Zhao, look how angry Aunt is. Just tell the truth! As the saying goes, if you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it. And paper can’t wrap fire. You’re an old person, ask yourself if you can withstand the ordeal,” Cao Hongyu said with a cold tone.
“Miss Cao, you really like to meddle in other people’s business! I was wondering where this evil wind was coming from. So the root is you! You’ve always wanted to enter the Zhou family and replace our young lady, but you’ve never been able to.
Now that you see our young lady is pregnant and affectionate with her husband, you can’t sit still and have fabricated such vicious lies to slander our young lady. You truly have no conscience!
Madam, she has no real evidence, yet she’s slandering our young lady with baseless accusations of an affair. How can you believe her words? If I don’t clear our young lady’s name today, I’d rather smash my head against this pillar!”
