Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Catching an adulterer
He leaned slightly and approached uncontrollably. Jing Yao clasped her hands tightly together. Seeing him approaching, her pupils suddenly shrank and she became nervous. Her charming look made people breathless.
Her snow-white skin gave off an alluring pink glow, and her dress floated in the water. Perhaps sensing the danger, Jing Yao couldn't help but bury herself in the water, her delicate face hidden vaguely.
He Anting suddenly understood. Although she was Ye Yunzheng's concubine, she could only be a concubine. Food, sex and nature were all part of human nature. He was a man and could not avoid the mundane affairs of the world.
It's not a big deal.
Since she has done this to him... it has already damaged her reputation, and Ye Yunzheng will definitely not tolerate her.
Besides, being Ye Yunzheng's concubine is no different from being his concubine. She doesn't need to socialize with the other women in the clan, take care of the household, or fight alongside him.
With her beautiful appearance, she was very suitable for wearing jade and gold jewelry. He remembered that Princess Pingyang had a set of pearl headwear that she wore when she was young, which was very suitable for Jing Yao.
Every ten days she would make some exquisite dresses, soft silk, Suzhou embroidery and brocade. Since she was young, the brighter the colors, the better.
As for talent, it doesn't matter if you can't read or are a little spoiled.
He Anting quickly arranged everything for her in his mind, and in these arrangements, he did not have the slightest intention of asking about Jing Yao. But unfortunately, the mistress had not been decided yet, so he could not have a concubine for the time being.
He Anting thought of the big trouble of his "marriage" and his eyebrows twitched.
Seeing that he was silent and had an unsure expression, Jing Yao thought she had said something wrong. She bit her lip nervously, then heard him say, "I'll owe you money for now."
She breathed a sigh of relief. Asking a big shot like He Anting for help would probably be very expensive. She had just told him all her private money. If she had known this, she would have said less to avoid having to pretend to be rich.
Jing Yao thought a little nauseously and couldn't help but feel pain in her flesh.
"Let's go."
He Anting restrained himself and withdrew his gaze. He was not a man as impatient as a beast. She was still his brother-in-law, and He Anting did not have a habit of committing immorality.
There was chaos outside. When Cui Ju went to report, Ye Yunzheng was in He Qingxuan's room preparing to rest. After hearing her report the whole story, his face turned cold.
Cui Ju spoke very cleverly. She did not directly say that Jing Yao was cheating on someone, but instead said that someone was cheating on someone in Tangquan Cave.
Although Ye Yunzheng looked unhappy, he didn't think much about it.
He Qingxuan pretended to be angry: "These lowly women are so crazy that they want to let everyone know. Madam Zheng, bring some servants and capture them. They chose today specifically to bring them here. Are they going to make a fool of themselves in the He Mansion?"
Sure enough, Ye Yunzheng's face became even uglier.
Mother Zheng responded and hurriedly took the prepared people to go to Tangquan Cave to catch the adulterer.
Torches were lit in the yard. This matter should not be made public, and He Qingyun did not disturb her mother.
When Mother Zheng caught the disheveled Liu He in the backyard, her eyes widened and she whispered, "Where is he?"
Liu He gritted his teeth and said, "Let her get away."
"How can you be so useless that you can't even control a weak woman? I tell you, if you ruin the young lady's plan, you'll be in trouble." Mother Zheng was furious.
Liu He turned around and said, "That little bastard ran over there. Mom will tell the prince and the young lady later. I have my own excuse. Even if it doesn't work, it will at least make the prince feel alienated."
While directing the servants to search over there, Mother Zheng asked someone to "escort" Liu He to the master.
Ye Yunzheng's face was hidden in the darkness as he lowered his head to look at the shirtless Liu He. He Qingyu glanced at him and then slammed the table: "You are so bold! Let me ask you, where is that □□?"
Liu He lowered his head and said stubbornly, "Young Madam, I'm joking. I don't mean anything."
"You still want to defend her, Liu He? The Bo's Mansion has treated you well, so why did you have to choose today and dare to do it in the hot spring of the other courtyard? Are you afraid that the Bo's Mansion will lose face and be laughed at?"
Liu He looked ashen and kept silent.
"Who is bathing in that hot spring tonight?" Ye Yunzheng suddenly asked.
Liu He's body trembled. Mother Zheng had returned at this moment, bringing a maid with her.
"Let me go, let me go." Ye Yunzheng's face changed slightly after seeing the face of the person who came.
Yun Qiao struggled to shake them off, saying calmly, "Young Madam, what do you mean? I don't think I've done anything wrong."
Mother Zheng sneered, "You haven't done anything wrong, so why are you sneaking around the cave entrance?"
Yun Qiao was puzzled. "What nonsense are you talking about, Mom? My aunt was soaking in the hot springs in that cave tonight and she wanted some plum wine, so I went to the kitchen to get it. What do you mean by sneaky?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Yunzheng's face changed drastically, his face was filled with coldness and was extremely terrifying.
With a bang, he suddenly snatched the torch from the servant next to him and threw it hard to the ground, which even scared He Qingyu.
Her expression was complicated, and she couldn't tell whether it was just concern or pure anger at being betrayed.
"You tell me, and I'll spare your life. If you don't, I'll make you wish you were dead." The cold words made Liu He shiver, and his heart felt weak.
But the lie had already ended here. For the sake of He's one hundred taels of silver, he gritted his teeth and said, "My Lord, it's... Aunt Jing."
Ye Yunzheng suddenly sneered: "You just make random accusations and think I will believe them? Come on, drag him away and beat him to death with sticks."
"I, I, I didn't lie. This is my aunt's hairpin. She gave it to me." The next moment, Liu He took out a plain silver hairpin with an exquisite butterfly on it.
It is indeed difficult for ordinary people to get access to private items such as hairpins.
Ye Yunzheng's hands tightly gripped the handles of the chair. He Qingyu added fuel to the fire: "Catch Jing and confront her, and we'll find out."
Mother Zheng sarcastically said, "He's afraid his crime will be exposed, so he's hiding."
"I never thought this vixen could do such a filthy thing that would bring disgrace upon our family. Zheng Lang, what do you think we should do with her?"
"What's going on?" A timid voice suddenly sounded, and everyone looked over in the direction of the voice.
Jing Yao's hair was in a bun, her clothes were intact, and she even wore a cloak. She knelt and saluted, "My Lord, Young Madam, I just saw Yun Qiao hadn't returned for a long time and thought she was being lazy, so I went out to look for her. I ended up getting lost and just found my way back. I wonder what happened?"
Ye Yunzheng first looked at her belt, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
He Qingxuan was stunned and glanced at Mother Zheng calmly. Liu He, who was kneeling on the ground, opened his mouth and said, "Ayao, you were clearly with me just now. Are you...are you abandoning me? Prince, we are in love with each other. I beg you to let Ayao go. I am willing to bear all the consequences."
"You are talking nonsense. I don't know you at all. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Jing Yao clenched her hands, her voice trembling slightly.
He Qingxuan seemed to have heard something funny: "You said you were lost? Did anyone else see you?"
"Yes." Jing Yao said so.
When these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.
Even Liu He stood up in shock: "Ayao, what nonsense are you talking about? We were just in that hot spring... Where did you get the witness?"
Mother Zheng also said sarcastically: "Yes, Auntie, you'd better admit your mistake. Maybe the young lady will spare your life because you serve the prince."
Jing Yao sank to her knees. "What I said is absolutely true. Qingwu, who is by Lord He's side, can testify for me. Qingwu was out on an errand for Lord He, and I got lost and ended up outside Lord He's courtyard. He happened to see me, and it was he who led me back to where I came from. If you don't believe me, Madam, you can summon Qingwu to testify."
He Qingxuan's expression changed drastically, catching even Mother Zheng off guard. Liu He lost his voice, "You, you're lying. You were clearly with me. You have witnesses, and I have witnesses too."
Cui Ju hurriedly said, "I swear on my life that I sent Concubine Jing over and secretly watched her go into the cave with him."
Jing Yao puffed out her chest and followed the instructions given to her by He Anting: "In that case, please ask the young lady to go and invite Qing Wu over."
She was not afraid at all, which made He Qingyu a little surprised and confused.
"Go and invite him." Ye Yunzheng said with an indistinct expression.
He Qingyun wanted to say something, but Ming Yi beside him had already passed away, so he had to give up and suppress his uneasiness.
Not long after, Ming Yi led Qing Wu over, but a tall and handsome figure appeared from the shadow behind Qing Wu.
He Qingxuan's heart tightened: "Brother, why are you here?"
If it was Princess Pingyang who came, she might not be nervous. He Qingyun glanced at Mother Zheng, and Mother Zheng understood what she meant. She immediately planned to go to Princess Pingyang's yard quietly.
Before she could leave, the guards came forward and stopped her.
Mother Zheng looked embarrassed.
"The guards around me are getting involved in a matter concerning the reputation of my sister and brother-in-law, so I came to see what's going on." He Anting said in a cold tone, and it was obvious that he was not very satisfied with He Qingyun's behavior.
Qing Wu bowed and explained the whole story without changing his expression. The more Liu He listened, the more incredulous he became: "You...you two are clearly in the same group. It must be you...who seduced me..."
Before he could finish, Ming Yi stepped forward and slapped him hard: "You thief, do you still want to bite others?"
Liu He shuddered and looked up in disbelief. How could the Jing family...
He Anting looked at him indifferently, his cold eyes filled with a deep and unfathomable depth. His face was pale, but he still placed his hope on He Qingyu: "Please, Madam, make the decision. This silver hairpin is a token of my aunt's love for me."
He Anting raised his chin, and Qing Wu took the silver hairpin. He didn't take it, but just glanced at him indifferently: "Liu He, a frequent visitor to Yongqingfang, owes a debt of 150 taels. You have been arrested for theft three times before. How can we know if you stole your master's property and wanted to sell it, or...if your threats failed, you are trying to drag him into trouble."
Liu He's face turned pale. How could he know?
He Qingxuan saw that something was wrong and became extremely anxious. Why did her brother side with that bitch?
"Brother, you are wrong. Even if Liu He might be lying, what about the maid? She is an old lady from the other courtyard and has nothing to do with Liu He. It is impossible that she deliberately colluded with him." He Qingyu said unwillingly.
Cui Ju also felt a little insecure when facing He Anting: "I swear on my life that this adulterer... is behind Concubine Jing..."
The expression of He Anting, who claimed to be the real adulterer, was intriguing. He glanced at the kneeling man with disdain. What a rag-tag piece of junk, a lowly gambler and a scumbag, how could he be worthy of this?
"Then, you mean they didn't actually go in together." He Anting asked calmly, "One after the other and together, there's a big difference."
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