Having no clue what was going on, I had no choice but to suppress my doubts.

Upon entering the hall, Huang Wenbai saw Hu Mingmei sitting at the head of the table, with a strangely positioned person covered in blood kneeling below. Huang Wenbai's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't know what that feeling of unease was, but Huang Wenbai still decided to take the initiative and overwhelm Hu Mingmei with his momentum.

“We need to sleep too, even if you don’t sleep at night. You may be in charge of the household now, but we are still your elders. How can you make things so difficult for us?”

"Yes, Ming'er, what are you doing so late at night?" Qian Peilan said softly with a hint of reproach. "Your grandfather is not well and needs to rest so late. And you too, aren't you not well either? You should rest early!"

"No rush, the fourth watch has just been struck, there's still a long time before dawn. You have nothing to do, you can sleep during the day. Sit down, Grandpa, your second uncle and aunt haven't arrived yet!"

Hai Chuan and his wife are here too? What business is it of theirs?

Both of them were startled. Looking at Chen San below, they were full of doubts, but they knew this was not the place to talk, so they sat down and pretended to be calm and closed their eyes to rest.

Huang Haichuan was the second to arrive. As soon as he got there, he threw a tantrum, but Hu Mingmei calmly and firmly retorted.

"Haichuan, where's your wife?" Qian Peilan asked softly. "Why didn't you come with her?"

Huang Haichuan glanced at Hu Mingmei, who had her eyes closed, and seeing that she seemed to be sleeping, he replied softly, "She's still sleeping."

Hu Mingmei said everyone was coming, and when Huang Haichuan said that, Qian Peilan knew that Huang Haichuan wouldn't be resting in Zheng Pei's courtyard tonight, and was probably out gallivanting somewhere. She was furious and said in a low voice, trying to suppress her anger, "You child, you've gone too far!"

He has a proper wife but doesn't want to sleep in some vixen's house all day.

While the mother and son were talking, Madam Zheng had already arrived at the gate of Hu Mingmei's courtyard. She was led in by a guard. As soon as she entered, she felt very puzzled. The people in the courtyard still had a smell, which made her feel that something big had happened here tonight.

However, she was a cold person. Whether she knew something or not, whether she had doubts or not, she kept it to herself and maintained a blank expression on her face.

"Mother!" When she reached the middle of the courtyard, she suddenly heard a voice behind her. Madam Zheng turned around and saw Huang Ziyao walking towards her with a bewildered look on her face.

"Why are you here too?" Madam Zheng stopped and waited for Huang Ziyao to come over.

"I don't know, my second brother sent me!" Huang Ziyao asked in a low voice, "Mother, what's wrong with my second brother? Why is there such a commotion so late?"

"Don't ask anything!" Madam Zheng said calmly. "Let's go!"

Huang Ziyao was filled with doubt when she saw her mother take her hand, but her mother told her not to ask anything, so she had no choice but to shut up.

As soon as Madam Zheng entered, she saw her parents-in-law and husband were there. The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive and unusual. Huang Ziyao saw Huang Haichuan sitting on a stool and was immediately overjoyed, exclaiming, "Father, you're back? Do you know, Fourth Brother, he..."

Huang Ziyao wanted to tell Huang Haichuan about Huang Yikang's illness and ask him to stay home more and take better care of Huang Yikang, but before she could finish speaking, Madam Zheng called out, "Yao'er!"

Huang Ziyao was startled and shut her mouth.

Qian Peilan asked, "Yao'er, what's wrong with Yi Kang?"

Madam Zheng said calmly, "It's nothing. Yao'er just wanted to say that Yi Kang's studies have improved!"

Qian Peilan simply said "oh," and immediately stopped caring. What use was academic excellence for a family like theirs, who couldn't pass the imperial examinations? It was better to be good at business and make more money.

"Everyone's here, let's begin!" Hu Mingmei opened her eyes, sat up straight, and asked Huang Ziyao, "Ziyao, do you know this person down there?"

Huang Ziyao was willful and naive, and had a strange fondness for Hu Mingmei. When she heard Hu Mingmei ask her a question, she immediately followed Hu Minmin's gaze and saw Chen San lying strangely on the ground. She was startled and looked up, saying, "I've never seen him before, but he looks somewhat familiar."

Hu Mingmei nodded. "Alright, there's nothing more for you to do here. Go back to sleep!"

As Hu Mingmei finished speaking, Lu Ying came over and led Huang Ziyao out. Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was unusual and not getting an answer, Huang Ziyao naturally refused to leave. As Lu Ying led her away, she turned back and asked, "Second brother, who is this person?"

Hu Mingmei didn't answer, watching them until they disappeared through the door before asking, "What about you? Do you know this person?"

Huang Haichuan scoffed, "This man is just a servant; how would we know him?"

Huang Wenbo and Qian Peilan also said they did not know each other.

"Second Aunt, what about you?" Hu Mingmei's gaze fell on Madam Zheng, who had not spoken a word.

Madam Zheng's gaze fell on Chen San, and Chen San also looked up at Madam Zheng, but the two only looked at each other for a moment before looking away. Madam Zheng said, "I don't know him!"

"Second Aunt has always managed the household. Don't you recognize the servants anymore?" Hu Mingmei asked casually.

Madam Zheng said, "Although there are few masters in the house, there are several hundred servants of all ranks. It is normal that I do not know them all."

"But he said he's Granny Jiang's lover from your courtyard. Are you sure you don't know him, Second Aunt?"

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