As long as the father is determined to separate the family, the old lady can't do anything about it.

Shen Wan walked towards Qinglan Garden in a pleasant mood.

Inside the Buddhist hall.

The second and third wives knelt on the prayer mats, their faces increasingly grim.

Despite some internal grievances between the sisters-in-law over the years, they maintained a harmonious facade, especially in front of the old lady, where their bond was particularly strong.

I never imagined they would end up fighting like this.

If the old lady hadn't given them a stern warning—that anyone who dared to lay a hand on her would be expelled from the Marquis's residence—and hadn't sent people to guard the gate, the two wouldn't be so quiet and ignoring each other; they would have started fighting long ago.

The second wife wouldn't allow anyone to harm the child in Hongkui's womb. Today she made such a big scene that the third wife probably won't dare to do it again. Just a slight disturbance to the fetus is enough for her to scratch the third wife's face. If the child is lost, she will really fight the third wife to the death.

The third wife felt sorry for the third branch of the family. In order for Shen Ying to secure her position as the Prince of Jin's principal wife, her daughter was sacrificed. She thought that the second branch would have no heir and that all the good things would be in the third branch's turn. But then a pregnant maid appeared, which almost made the third wife die of anger.

If the unmarried young master of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion gets his maid pregnant, this matter will spread, and it will be difficult for the other young masters in the mansion to find wives.

The second wife's two children were truly a jinx to the Marquis's household; they brought misfortune to people while alive, and even in death they dragged others down with them.

The third wife's face was very long.

After kneeling for a long time, her knees ached. The Third Madam moved around, supporting herself on the prayer mat. A maidservant walked in; it was the same maidservant who had been eavesdropping in the alley earlier.

The young maidservant stepped forward, leaned close to the Third Madam's ear, and relayed to her every word she had just heard.

The third wife was stunned at first, then a smile appeared on her lips. She instructed the maid, "Go and stand guard outside the door. Don't let anyone in."

After the maid left, the Third Madam stopped kneeling, stood up, and looked at the Second Madam, saying, "Second Sister-in-law, don't kneel either. Let's pretend that nothing happened today."

Pretend it never happened?

The second wife said coldly, "If Hongkui loses the child in her belly, I'll never forgive you."

The third wife laughed, "It seems that the second sister-in-law is still in the dark."

The second wife frowned deeply. "What do you mean by being kept in the dark?"

"The child in Hongkui's belly is not Li'er's."

The Third Madam's voice echoed in the Buddhist hall.

The second wife's face changed drastically. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

“Hongkui is a maid in Li'er's courtyard. If the child in her belly isn't Li'er's, whose is it?!”

She knew her own son perfectly well.

Hongkui has long been her son's woman, so how could the child in her belly not be her son's?!

Seeing the second wife's confident expression, the third wife was actually a little apprehensive. But there's a saying that there's no smoke without fire. Even if it was false, saying it would still annoy the second wife.

The third wife said, "I heard that Hongkui came out of the second master's study a month ago, disheveled..."

The second wife felt a tightness in her chest, as if she had been struck by a hammer. Anger surged from the bottom of her heart to the top of her head. "You've already ruined Hongkui's unborn child, and now you want to tarnish my master's reputation?!"

The second wife's voice was sharp, and the third wife was genuinely afraid of her, but she wasn't afraid of the second wife, but rather the old lady.

If the old lady knew that she had ruined the second master's reputation, she would never have let her off easily.

The third wife said, "If the father and son favor a maid, it won't just ruin the reputation of the second master, but also the reputation of the Marquis's mansion. I know I can't say this casually. Even if it's true, the old lady won't let me off easily if she finds out. I only told my second sister-in-law what the maid just told me because of our years as sisters-in-law and I couldn't bear to keep her in the dark. Whether she believes it or not is her business."

Whether the child in Hongkui's belly is the Second Master's or the Second Young Master's, it makes no difference to my Third Branch.

The same treatment was given to the third wife, but not to the second wife.

The second wife's face was full of anger, but then, for some unknown reason, her face turned deathly pale.

She hurriedly got up, but in her haste, she fell back onto the prayer mat. The third wife helped her up.

The second wife stood up and, ignoring the pain in her knees, hurriedly walked out.

The sight of her unsteady footsteps made the Third Madam raise an eyebrow.

Could the child in Hongkui's belly really be the Second Master's?

If this is true, then it's going to be incredibly elaborate.

Outside the Buddhist hall, the old lady's servant, who was sent to watch over the second and third wives, saw that the second wife had left the Buddhist hall without permission. She quickly came over to dissuade her, but the second wife was furious. She pushed the servant aside and walked away.

The second wife was so angry that she wanted to kill someone.

She knew that the Third Madam was gloating when she told her this. The one she was protecting was not her little grandson, but a son born out of wedlock. She didn't want to fall for the Third Madam's trick and do as she wished. However, she hadn't forgotten that a month ago, Hongkui had told her about something related to Li'er. Because it was a good thing, she wanted the master to praise Li'er, so when Hongkui left, she asked Hongkui to go to the study to inform the Second Master.

Hongkui went to see the Second Master about this matter a month ago. The timing matches up, and the Second Master drank quite a bit of alcohol with his colleagues that day...

The second wife grew increasingly uneasy; her heart was more chaotic and anxious than her footsteps.

When Shen Wan returned from Qinglan Garden, she passed by the garden and saw the Second Madam walking towards the South Courtyard in such a hurry that she must have heard what the Second Madam wanted her to hear.

Unfortunately, it was getting late, and she had to return to the Ling Prince's residence; she couldn't stay and watch the excitement.

Yinshuang also wanted to see the excitement firsthand, so she suggested, "Why don't we keep Dong'er here and let her go back later?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!