"Are you only now feeling scared? Do you know how I found out about your affair? There were a bunch of onlookers gathered outside the abandoned Zen room. The news of a noble lady having an affair in an abandoned Zen room has long been spread. How could such a secret thing be known to everyone?"
Xie Xiulin's face was stiff, almost unable to believe it.
"Whether this rumor was spread intentionally or not is still unknown, but if your ugly behavior gets out today and everyone knows about it, not only you, but all the women in the Xie family will be disgraced. Then it won't just be the Third Madam who will punish you. I'm afraid the First Madam will punish you personally!"
Xie Xiulin was trembling with fear. She never expected that this matter would be so serious.
Zheng Yizi liked her and said that if she could get pregnant with his child first, the Zheng family would be more willing to accept her. Even if she could not become the legal wife, she could give birth to a concubine's eldest son and surpass the legal wife.
In a fit of rage, she reluctantly agreed, without considering the consequences.
Xie Xiulin hurriedly grabbed her hand and said, "Sister Wanruo, please, please don't tell anyone!"
"If I really wanted to tell others, why would I save you?"
"Then rush in and save our servants..."
"I'll take care of it myself."
Wanruo shook her head: "Xiulin, calm down. Zheng Yuzi has bad intentions. He will kill you sooner or later. I can help you this time, but I can't help you next time."
Xie Xiulin covered her face and cried, "I was wrong. I was really wrong."
Half an hour later, the Xie family finally opened their house.
There was a fire on the mountain, and the old lady asked a few questions. The second lady said that it was just an abandoned Zen room that had been under repair for a long time. It might have been accidentally burned. It was not a big deal, so she just turned the page.
When Wanruo arrived at Xie's house, she went to her own small courtyard and saw Cuizhu was already waiting there.
"Young Master Xi is here, and he wants the young lady to go with him."
Wanruo knew she would not be able to escape interrogation, so she had no choice but to follow.
Xie Xianyu had probably just arrived and hadn't even changed out of his court robes. The crimson official uniform on him made him look even more respectable, giving him the air of an upright and honest official.
Just by raising his eyes, those dark eyes were like invisible sharp blades that could see through people's hearts, and their depth was unfathomable.
"You pissed me off again?" he asked calmly.
Wanruo blinked. What again?
But she felt guilty, so she was relaxed and submissive: "The situation today was urgent, so I asked Qing'an to help me a little."
He glanced at her and she looked at him honestly.
He tapped his knuckles on the table twice. "I set fire to the mountain, went into the fire scene to arrest people, and beat up Zheng Yuzi. And you care about this little girl?"
Wan Ruo whispered, "I won't dare to do it next time."
"I think you're very brave."
Wan Ruo couldn't help but defend herself, "But this incident is ultimately a scandal for the Xie family. I'm doing this for the sake of the Xie family's reputation. Besides, the Duke of Zheng's Mansion was already implicated in the salt tax case. Zheng's actions are likely intended to tie him to the Xie family, forcing you to be partial and exonerate the Zheng family."
He raised his eyebrows slightly: "So, you have made a big move."
Wanruo looked at his expression. It seemed that what he said was not sincere, so she shut up silently.
"The Zheng family embezzled a full two hundred thousand taels of silver in the salt tax case. This has been investigated, and the Zheng family cannot escape punishment. You guessed correctly, Zheng's son is simply trying to spread the news of his affair with the Xie family's daughter. Zheng's son will then take advantage of the situation and propose marriage or a concubine. The Xie and Zheng families are now tied together, so naturally I should help the Zheng family conceal the corruption case."
A hint of sarcasm curved his lips. "The Zheng family is desperate. They even resorted to such tricks when facing death."
Wanruo couldn't help but ask, "If what happened today really got out, and everyone knew that Xie Xiulin and Zheng Yuzi were having an affair, would you help the Zheng family get rid of this?"
His expression was cold, and his voice was flat: "I will let her commit suicide."
Wanruo's face froze and a chill ran through her heart.
In fact, she also guessed that Xie Xiulin would end up like this. Xie Xianyu would never be coerced by anyone.
But when he really said this so calmly, she still felt a little scared. He was more cruel than anyone else.
"You're so kindhearted, yet you're involved in this mess. If you get involved carelessly, you'll get yourself into trouble for no reason."
Wanruo pursed her lips and said, "Xiulin is the first friend I met after coming to the Xie family. She has taken good care of me over the past year. This time, she lost her mind and made a big mistake. I can't just watch her die."
"Don't I take care of you more than she does? I've never seen you repay me so gratefully."
Wanruo frowned. Did she serve him for nothing this year?
She nodded honestly: "I won't dare to do it again next time."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling that she was not saying what she meant, and felt a little unhappy. He pinched her chin and forced her to look up at him.
"Let's settle this matter first. I'll pretend that what happened today never happened. How are you going to thank me?"
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