Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Being cuckolded by Concubine Fang...
Seeing that he understood what his superiors meant, the eunuch nodded in satisfaction and left.
Li Heng paused for a long time, smiled bitterly, and put away the imperial edict. The servant came forward to remind him that it was time to go to the Qiao family for a banquet.
He and the groom Qiao Wenbai were both Jinshi in the same imperial examination and had a close friendship, so Qiao Wenbai also invited him to his wedding.
"I understand." Li Heng responded and went back to his room to change his clothes. The court had already assigned him an official position, so he moved out of the Li residence and lived in the official residence last night.
Thinking that he might meet the county lady at the wedding banquet today, he chose a newly made azure round-necked robe. Before leaving, he couldn't help but take a closer look at the box on the bedside, and recalled what Aunt Fang had said to him that day.
As long as he does so, can he and the county lady...
"Brother Li, let's go."
Yuan Silang, who shared the same official residence with him, patted him with a laugh and said, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Li Heng came back to his senses and curled his lips. "Nothing, let's go."
At dusk, the two followed the Qiao family's wedding procession to the Zhang family. At that time, Zhao Qingyi was still in Zhang Wanyan's boudoir, gently soothing her nervous heart.
For Zhang Wanyan, this was the most important event in her life. It was also her first marriage, so it was inevitable that she was nervous and anxious. Having Zhao Qingyi, an "experienced person", by her side eased her anxiety to some extent.
Mrs. Zhang came in quietly, stuffed a booklet into her daughter's arms, and told her to read it quickly.
Zhang Wanyan only turned one page, her face flushed with embarrassment and her heart began to beat fast, so she quickly threw it away.
Mrs. Zhang scolded her, "If you don't study hard, you will suffer on your wedding night." Knowing that her daughter was shy and would feel embarrassed in front of her mother, she simply let her ask the county lady if she didn't understand.
Zhao Qingyi, who was suddenly mentioned, was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head - Zhang Wanyan was shy just now and threw the booklet to her.
When I picked it up, I saw that it was a fire avoidance map.
Zhang Wanyan was afraid of polluting her eyes, so she snatched it away and said, "Oh, Sister Qingyi, you'd better not look at it." In her nervousness, she even forgot that Zhao Qingyi was married.
Zhao Qingyi laughed, "You should listen to your mother."
The fire avoidance map is a must-see for women before they get married. Before she got married, Aunt Hua Jin, who was by her mother's side, also came to teach her many things to do on her wedding night.
But for Zhao Qingyi, these trivial matters happened a lifetime ago, and her memory was vague. When she thought about the last time with Chu Yuanhe in the palace, she suffered a loss for no reason.
Thinking of this, her face became hot again.
Zhang Wanyan listened to her sincere words, but she finally opened the book reluctantly and watched and learned carefully.
But before he could watch for long, the matchmaker came running in hurriedly, "Here comes the groom! Here comes the groom!"
A large group of servants rushed in and hurriedly helped Zhang Wanyan to tidy up her clothes and prepare to send her to the bridal sedan.
Zhang Wanyan had just read two pages with great interest when she was interrupted by the sudden noise. In a panic, she stuffed the fire avoidance map to Zhao Qingyi, who was closest to her.
Everything happened too quickly, and Zhao Qingyi didn't think much about it. He subconsciously put the fire avoidance map into his sleeve pocket, and hurriedly helped Zhang Wanyan out of the house, followed the wedding procession, and sent her all the way to the Qiao Mansion.
Qiao Wenbai was born into a humble family and was originally going to marry into the Zhang family. However, when the wedding date was approaching, the Zhang family changed their minds. In the eyes of Prime Minister Zhang, Qiao Wenbai was a rising star with a bright future. As long as he treated his daughter well, it didn't matter whether he married into the Zhang family or not.
Qiao Wenbai also worked hard and promised not to take a concubine within ten years after marriage. He also used the savings he had accumulated over the years before marriage to buy a three-story house. The house was not luxurious, but the fact that he could afford it in Beijing by himself showed his ability and responsibility.
Besides, he promised not to take a concubine for ten years.
Ten years may not sound like a long time, but in the eyes of the Zhang family, a man who is willing to stay with his first wife for ten years and not take a concubine regardless of whether he has children or not is already far better than many young men from aristocratic families in Beijing.
Zhang Wanyan did not have too many expectations for this marriage. She thought, "Ten years is ten years, and we can talk about the future later." Then she happily got married.
The Qiao Mansion was decorated with lights and colorful decorations. Qiao Wenbai had only an honest and simple mother, who was happily welcoming her daughter-in-law outside the mansion. Many people came to watch the ceremony for the Zhang family's sake, including the eldest princess.
After sending Zhang Wanyan into the bridal chamber, Zhao Qingyi prepared to go to the front hall to chat with the eldest princess. It was during this stretch of the hall that she clearly noticed that passersby always cast strange glances at her.
When she arrived at the front hall and took her seat, her second aunt Feng and Zhao Wenyi, who came to the banquet with her, also acted strangely. Feng wanted to say something but stopped herself several times.
Zhao Qingyi ignored him and lowered his head to prepare for dinner.
Mrs. Tan came up to her with a smile and asked, "I wonder when I can attend the county lady's wedding banquet?"
Mrs. Tan spoke in a loud voice, and as soon as she opened her mouth, the noisy banquet became quiet for a moment.
Zhao Qingyi raised her eyes and glanced coldly at Mrs. Tan.
Mrs. Tan was not afraid at all. She feigned surprise and asked, "Isn't the county lady going to be engaged to Li Bangyan? I heard that when the county lady was still in the Li family, Li Bangyan had been in love with my sister-in-law. After the county lady got divorced, he eagerly came to propose marriage. Previously, the county lady rejected my Tan family's marriage proposal, and I thought she had already accepted Li Bangyan's proposal."
As soon as these words were spoken, the guests who had been discussing Zhao Qingyi in private looked at each other, as if Mrs. Tan had confirmed today's rumors.
Feng, who had been wanting to speak, could no longer hold back. "Mrs. Tan has misunderstood. Li Heng did propose marriage, but our county lady rejected him."
"Oh, really?"
Mrs. Tan clearly didn't believe it and smiled meaningfully. "That's really strange. Why are there rumors out there that the County Lady and Li Bangyan are in love? Could it be... someone is deliberately trying to tarnish the County Lady's reputation?"
Zhao Qingyi finally understood where those strange looks coming from after he arrived at the Qiao Mansion.
Before the Zhao family could explain, a scholar from the New Political Academy jumped out and joked, "I was wondering how a man like Brother Li, who is not interested in women, could have hidden a woman's personal belongings. It turns out it belongs to the county lady."
This immediately caused an uproar in the room. People no longer looked at Zhao Qingyi with the respect they had before, and some even looked at him with contempt. No one cared about eating and everyone was talking about this ridiculous thing.
Zhao Qingyi unconsciously exerted force on the silver chopsticks, and the thin white knuckles turned blue.
Yuan Silang's attack came too suddenly. He even nudged Li Heng with his elbow and said, "Brother Li, you are so lucky."
Li Heng's face changed immediately. He and Yuan Silang lived in the same official residence. He never expected that the other party was secretly spying on his secrets and even said it out loud on such an occasion today!
This is going to destroy both him and the county lord!
Li Heng hurriedly looked at Zhao Qingyi, and saw that the other party's eyes had turned completely cold. His heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition arose spontaneously.
He knew that this was a sign of Zhao Qingyi's anger, and he immediately stood up and scolded her, "What nonsense! I, Li Heng, have always been upright and have never had any personal relationship with the county lady!"
"Brother Li, stop pretending. If you are a true gentleman, you should be brave enough to take responsibility for your actions."
"you--"
Li Heng was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick. He didn't dare to look at Zhao Qingyi's expression.
Yuan Silang refused to give in and sneered, "Do you dare to swear? Swear that you have never hidden the county lady's personal belongings."
"I……"
Li Heng thought of the box that Aunt Fang had returned to him that day, and stiffened his neck and said, "I don't have it!"
"You don't have it, then what's hidden in the box beside your bed?" Yuan Silang completely broke off relations with him, and questioned him harshly with a noble demeanor.
Li Heng clenched his hands into fists hidden under his wide sleeves. Amidst everyone's inquiring and suspicious gazes, cold sweat quietly broke out on his forehead.
...things, he did hide them.
That day, Aunt Fang gave it to him and told him that the small piece of clothing was the county lady's personal belongings, and that as long as he wanted, he could use it to force the county lady to marry him. After listening to Aunt Fang's suggestion, he did not agree on the spot, but did not refuse it either. Instead, he left with the box.
Later, he didn't know what to do with the small piece of clothing, so he kept it locked in the box and rarely opened it. Li Heng didn't know where Yuan Silang got this secret from.
He remained silent and did not answer, which, in Yuan Silang's opinion, was undoubtedly a sign of guilt.
"Brother Li," Yuan Silang said, a look of triumph flashing across his eyes. "If you are honest, why not have someone search the official residence?"
Li Heng couldn't believe it. He knew Yuan Silang at the provincial school. They had been classmates for many years and had taken the imperial examinations together. He was also selected to work at the New Policy School. He never expected that Yuan Silang would stab him in the back on such an occasion today.
"No." Li Heng refused without a second thought. "This is completely false. Sending someone to search is just deliberately throwing mud at the county lady."
"Anyway...anyway, I will never do such a dirty thing!"
But his words seemed to be an attempt to cover up the truth to outsiders. If he really had nothing to hide, why not let people search openly?
As long as they can't find it, they are innocent.
But Li Heng tried every means to stop him...
Yuan Silang remembered what Aunt Fang had told him yesterday. If Li Heng's reputation was ruined today, he would be the one in charge of the New Policy School in the future, and he would naturally replace Li Heng's position and become a person valued by Lord Zhang and even His Majesty.
He must seize this opportunity.
"If you have it, you'll know if you search for it!"
Zhao Qingyi listened for a long time and understood what was going on. She smiled faintly and said, "A woman's personal belongings are all kept safe. I never give my things to outsiders. I wonder how this gentleman can be so sure that what Li Bangyan hid is my thing?"
Yuan Silang choked, then quickly replied, "I saw it with my own eyes! And, and Brother Li himself said at the time that it was left to him by his sweetheart!"
This is pure nonsense. The incident has already happened. As long as we send people to search and there is solid evidence, it doesn't matter whether what he said is true or false.
The scene was in chaos. The wedding banquet was ruined by Mrs. Tan and Yuan Silang.
The eldest princess still believed that since Zhao Qingyi already had her own royal brother, she would not fall in love with other men, but if she allowed the people with ulterior motives to continue making trouble, it would definitely disrupt the happy event of the Qiao and Zhang families.
Both sides have ministers who are valued by the emperor, so the eldest princess must stand up to uphold justice and calm the dispute.
After receiving the look from Zhao Qingyi, the princess knew what was going on and immediately sent her personal maid to lead the imperial guards to search the official residence.
The noisy banquet gradually calmed down, but no one was in the mood to attend the wedding banquet anymore. Instead, they wanted to take the opportunity to watch a good show.
Zhao Qingyi could almost foresee what would happen next. A faint smile remained on her red lips. She turned her head and whispered to Tan Yue, asking her to go to the master's house to apologize and give the other party some preparation to prevent the situation from getting out of control and affecting her mood.
The groom, Qiao Wenbai, knew about the friendship between Zhang Wanyan and Zhao Qingyi. Besides, Zhao Qingyi was the county lord, so he could understand it both emotionally and logically.
"The incident happened in my Qiao family, and I should apologize to the county lady." He blamed himself for not clarifying it in advance and inviting people who had a bad relationship with the county lady to the table.
Tan Yue reported Qiao Wenbo's reply in detail. Zhao Qingyi was relieved but still annoyed. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime happy event for her good sister, and these people ruined the atmosphere.
Li Heng on the opposite side was feeling uneasy. The more uneasy he was, the more certain Yuan Silang was that he was up to something and felt that he had made the right bet today.
Mrs. Tan was also secretly proud of herself. She drank a cup of tea leisurely, and glanced at Zhao Qingyi with a look full of provocation and disdain.
At the beginning, Zhao Qingyi was too arrogant and refused her marriage proposal from the Tan family. Today, she wants to see how Zhao Qingyi falls from the clouds and is despised by the world.
By then, even if Zhao Qingyi knelt down and begged her, she would never even look at her. Not to mention marrying her to his son as his wife, she would even despise her being a concubine.
The imperial guards moved quickly. In less than half an incense stick of time, they returned with a wooden box to report.
When he saw the box, Li Heng's pale face instantly turned gray.
The box is his.
The eldest princess stood up and stepped forward, taking a look at the box. "What is this?"
The imperial guards opened it immediately and said, "They are just some miscellaneous items, nothing unusual."
Yuan Silang's determined smile froze. He rushed over and rummaged through the box, "How is that possible? No, the county lady's clothes are in the box! You took them!"
Yuan Silang pointed at the Imperial Guard's nose and asked, "Did you take it away?"
"presumptuous!"
The eldest princess was known for her kindness, but that didn't mean she didn't have a temper. When faced with a troublemaker like Yuan Silang, she said bluntly, "Are you saying that my people are being partial and protecting someone?"
Yuan Silang's knees went weak and he fell to his knees, saying that he didn't dare.
The eldest princess was too lazy to pay attention to him and asked the imperial guards whether they had found the so-called underwear.
The imperial guard remained calm and said, "We found it." He presented the folded clothes.
Yuan Silang immediately laughed and shouted, "Yes, yes, yes! It's this little red dress! It's the one Li Heng kept privately!"
The next moment, the imperial guard said, "But this was not found from Lord Li, but under Lord Yuan's pillow."
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bolt from the blue. Yuan Silang's half-kneeling body swayed and he almost fell down.
What? What did he hear?
Searched under his pillow?
How is that possible!
"Slander! This must be slander!" Yuan Silang yelled, rushing over to attack the imperial guards who replied, "What benefit did Li Heng give you to make you turn around and slander me?"
The imperial guards were all a group of trained warriors and were not afraid of his strength at all. The imperial guards behind him rushed forward, drew their swords and pointed them at Yuan Silang. Only then did he stop and kneel down again.
"Princess, there must be something fishy going on here!"
Yuan Silang said with certainty, "It was Li Heng. Li Heng was the last one to leave the residence. He must have stuffed the small clothes under my pillow before leaving!"
Li Heng laughed angrily, "Slander you? What is there about you that is worth me bothering to slander you?"
At this point, he saw the person in front of him clearly and was no longer polite.
"Don't be so complacent!"
Yuan Silang refused to repent. "The county lady's clothes are with me. Now I am the one who has an ambiguous relationship with her. Even if my reputation is ruined today, I can still marry her. Li Heng, you have lost both your wife and your army! Hahahaha..."
Li Heng's expression changed again, and he looked at Zhao Qingyi anxiously.
He really didn't know that things would turn out like this. If he had known this, he should have destroyed the small clothes at Zhao's house that day to avoid implicating the county lady.
Zhao Qingyi still treated the wedding banquet leisurely and calmly, like an outsider, and every move she made was noble.
Only Tan Yue, who knew the truth, stepped forward and asked the princess if she could lend her small clothes to her.
Whether she is the county lady or not cannot be determined by what others say.
After the princess agreed, Tan Yue unfolded the small clothes.
There were many unmarried girls at the banquet, such as Zhao Wenyi, and some wives of officials who had been married for many years. When they saw the small clothes unfolded, they were too embarrassed to look at them.
Feng's heart was in her throat.
Originally, Mrs. Meng was also supposed to attend the banquet today, but Mrs. Meng was frail and liked quietness, and didn't like to join in the fun. She felt that it was enough for the eldest daughter to come forward, so today, only the elders of the second house accompanied Zhao Qingyi.
That old man Zhao Huailiang didn't like to get involved. Feng Shi wanted to speak up for her niece, but she didn't know how to get out of this situation. She could only worry and pray in her heart that it wasn't her niece's, otherwise her niece's reputation would be ruined, and her Wen Yi...
Although the marriage had been arranged, she still felt that the two houses were one. If Zhao Qingyi was not doing well, she and Wen Yi would not get any advantage.
It's really frustrating.
Feng pounded her fist into her palm and sighed.
Zhao Wenyi suddenly thought of something and pulled her mother's sleeve. She remembered her mother had mentioned to her that Aunt Fang had said early in the morning that her elder sister and Li Heng were not innocent. It was possible that Aunt Fang was behind the incident and fanned the flames.
Zhao Wenyi repeatedly signaled with her eyes, and Feng finally reacted, opening her mouth in horror.
Zhao Wenyi blocked the situation in time and signaled Feng to act according to circumstances. If the situation became unfavorable, she would let Feng step forward and push Aunt Fang out.
Regardless of whether what happened today was done by Aunt Fang, we should blame it on her first to divert everyone's attention.
Feng nodded secretly to show that she understood.
When the mother and daughter's eyes met, Tan Yue also found clues from Xiaoyi's clothes.
The princess saw Tan Yue's serious expression and her heart sank. "Well, is this your county lady's?"
Tan Yue subconsciously looked at her own county mistress, then knelt down in panic, "Replying to the Princess, this servant...this servant dare not say anything."
This piqued everyone's interest, and some people even urged loudly, "Whose little clothes are they? Tell us quickly!"
"That's right, don't hide it."
Tan Yue turned over the inside of the small dress, closed her eyes, and made up her mind, "Princess, please look, there is a name embroidered on it."
The palace maid took the small clothes and presented them to the eldest princess. The eldest princess only took a glance and almost laughed.
He remained calm and spoke clearly, enunciating each word, "Fang, Qiao, er?"
After pretending to be dead in the crowd for a while, the silent Zhao Huailiang spat out a mouthful of wine.
Feng and Zhao Wenyi, mother and daughter, widened their eyes and looked at each other.
The other guests were also completely bewildered, wondering who this Fang Qiao'er was. Was she a daughter of some wealthy family? Or was she the wife of some official?
I asked around privately, but no one seemed to know him.
Only Zhao Qingyi couldn't hold it in any longer and chuckled, "Fang Qiaoer, isn't that Second Uncle's aunt?"
The county lord's second uncle? Oh, Zhao Huailiang, Lord Zhao.
But how could the small clothes of Lord Zhao’s concubine be under Yuan Silang’s pillow?
The guests all looked very secretive.
The officials who worked in the same government office as Zhao Huailiang all cast strange and pitying glances at him.
Zhao Huailiang never expected that such a nice wedding banquet would lead to trouble and involve him. He just wanted to enjoy the banquet peacefully.
Seeing one sympathetic look after another, Zhao Huailiang could no longer sit still and rushed forward to snatch the clothes. He had to see it with his own eyes before he would give up.
But when he put the small clothes in his hands, his heart sank. He was very familiar with the pattern, style, and even the fabric.
Then she looked at the maiden name embroidered in silver thread on the inside of the dress. The name matched, and even the embroidery technique was the loop stitch that Aunt Fang was good at and loved.
Zhao Huailiang clutched the small garment tightly, his whole body trembling violently, his old face turning from pale to blue and red, and then to dark.
This is enough to prove the fact.
The princess smiled. "So, this whole thing has nothing to do with Princess Chenhua. It's all about this Concubine Fang committing adultery. I wonder where this Concubine Fang is? Does she have anything to say?"
Feng was startled suddenly.
The eldest princess' words reminded her that as a concubine, Aunt Fang was not qualified to attend such an occasion. Without Aunt Fang's presence, she had no way to make excuses for herself.
Isn't that a perfect opportunity for Feng Rulan to take advantage of someone's misfortune?
Feng immediately walked over and knelt down to reply, "Your Highness, Feng Rulan, pays respects to Her Royal Highness, the Princess. This Concubine Fang is a concubine in my house and was not invited to the banquet. However, since this matter involves a concubine in my house, I have something to say."
Zhao Huailiang was still in shock from the betrayal, especially since he was cuckolded by Aunt Fang in public. He was so furious that he didn't care about Feng at all.
Feng took the opportunity to tell her that Concubine Fang had come to her and asked her to cooperate in framing Zhao Qingyi and Li Heng for having an affair. She also exaggerated the matter and described Concubine Fang as an unforgivable bitch.
The highest level of lying is to mix truth with lies, and lies with truth. She is not making up stories out of thin air, at least the first half is true.
Feng could describe clearly what time it was, what the weather was like, where she was, and how many maids were around her. In this way, no matter what rumors she made up in the second half, they would come true.
Everyone present was in an uproar again and talked a lot.
After Feng finished her explanation, she patted her chest to express her loyalty. "I am a little crude and stupid, but I also know that the county lady is my niece. That's why I sternly rejected Aunt Fang that day and would never go along with her! But I didn't expect that when she failed to instigate me, she would team up with her adulterer to slander the county lady. How despicable! I beg Your Highness the Princess to make the decision and give the county lady justice!"
Zhao Wenyi immediately knelt down and agreed.
Li Heng also stepped forward and bowed to Zhao Qingyi to apologize. Then he told her that Aunt Fang had forced him to stay overnight at Zhao's house and threatened him with the box, asking him to confess everything about his involvement with the county lady.
"...This box was a relic of my biological mother's. It disappeared months ago and somehow ended up in the hands of Concubine Fang. That day, Concubine Fang privately asked me if I was willing to cooperate with her. If I agreed, she would find a way to force the county lady to marry."
The subsequent statements were basically consistent with Feng's. They all refused, but they did not expect that Aunt Fang would find Yuan Silang and even instigated Madam Tan.
Mentioning Madam Tan, Feng recalled the feud between the two families and quickly added a stab, "That's right, Madam Tan is also a piece of shit! A few days ago, she fell in love with the county lady and wanted to propose to her, but the county lady didn't like her son!"
After saying this, he pretended to understand something, "No wonder... No wonder she went to the County Master to cause trouble today. She must have been trying to get close to the County Master and is holding a grudge against her!"
Suddenly, everyone pushed the wall down.
The princess flew into a rage, "What a shameless pair of adulterers!"
With a cold shout, the royal majesty filled the entire hall.
Since Zhao Qingyi is her future sister-in-law, she must stand up for her, especially since the evidence is solid.
Yuan Silang and Mrs. Tan were terrified and cried out that they were wronged.
Yuan Silang felt that he was the most wronged one. Between having an affair with someone and accepting bribes to do things, he naturally chose the latter. He cried and confessed everything, saying that Aunt Fang gave him fifty taels of silver and asked him to cooperate with Madam Tan today to confirm that the Princess of Chenhua County had an affair with Li Heng.
Seeing that everyone didn't believe him, Yuan Silang cried, "Even if, even if I want to have an affair, I don't have the conditions to do so! With my status, I can't even enter the Zhao family."
He was just a small scholar from a humble family. He was lucky enough to participate in the founding of the New Policy School. He had no connection with those wealthy families. If he had not lived in the same official residence with Li Heng, Aunt Fang would not have been able to find him.
Zhao Qingyi raised an eyebrow. "You can already accept fifty taels from Concubine Fang, so what's the difficulty in having an affair with her?"
Yuan Silang was speechless and trembling.
Zhao Huailiang slowly raised his head, and his eyes fell on him like knives.
This was completely impossible to explain, and even Mr. Zhao began to suspect him.
Just as Zhao Huailiang was about to pounce on him and strangle him to death, the eldest princess ordered the imperial guards to step forward to separate the two, and also detained Yuan Silang and Mrs. Tan, who led the trouble.
"Today is the wedding day of Qiao and Zhang. These people should not bring bad luck here. Tie them up and take them to the Zhao family. Let them confront Fang Qiao'er."
Aunt Fang knew nothing about this. After pacing back and forth in Fangfei Courtyard, she finally couldn't hold back and sent someone to Qiao Mansion to inquire about the situation and see if things had gotten out of hand.
As a result, the maid screamed "Ouch" as soon as she walked out of the hospital gate.
Zhao Huailiang rushed forward, kicked the maid over, and came in with a gloomy face.
When Aunt Fang saw his unhappy expression, she was delighted, thinking that something had happened between Zhao Qingyi and Li Heng.
That’s right, if Zhao Qingyi loses face, it means the Zhao family loses face. As Zhao Huailiang’s second uncle, he must also feel ashamed, and it is inevitable that he will be angry.
Aunt Fang prepared some words of comfort in her heart and stepped forward, twisting her waist. "Master..."
As soon as the sweet words came out of her mouth, Zhao Huailiang suddenly slapped her fair little face.
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