Chapter 295 mentions the third brother's child.
Du Wanchun also sensed something was amiss and asked her, "You say you are the third brother's concubine, do you have any proof?"
The woman lowered her head and began to cry. “What evidence do I have? After General Zhou took me as his concubine, he abandoned me and the princess, leaving me alone in the military camp. I can only come here with my child to find my mother.”
As he spoke, he looked at Aunt Zhou as if he had seen a savior.
This woman is very clever; in just a short while, she figured out who these people were.
In fact, she was not Zhou Zhao's concubine; she was just a woman Zhou Zhao had casually rescued while he was in the military camp.
Her name is Mengru.
Princess Nanfeng took pity on the woman and kept her by her side as a maid.
However, this maid was not honest. She wanted to become the general's concubine, so she would try to seduce Zhou Zhao from time to time.
Zhou Zhao was single-minded; he only had his wife in his heart and wouldn't even glance at anyone else.
Mengru tried several times to no avail, so she eventually drugged Zhou Zhao, intending to force the issue.
Unfortunately, Zhou Zhao was physically strong and also had good luck. Not only did she fail to succeed, but Princess Nanfeng also learned her true colors.
Princess Nanfeng then drove her out.
She later found herself homeless and had nowhere to go. She heard that the Zhou family owned many shops and had a lot of money, so she thought of extorting some money from them.
"Child? What child?" Aunt Wang asked, puzzled.
Mengru lowered her head and said with a wronged expression, "I'm already pregnant with his child."
"Really? Is it Zhao'er's child?" Aunt Wang asked excitedly.
Mengru nodded. "Who else could it be but him?"
Aunt Wang was taken aback and quickly looked at Aunt Zhou, "Sister Zhou, if this really is Zhao'er's child, then it is your Zhou family's child."
If it were an ordinary woman, upon hearing that she had a grandson, she would be excited to welcome him inside.
However, Aunt Zhou pointed at her and said coldly, "You keep saying you're my Zhao'er's concubine! And that you have my Zhao'er's child! Then show me the proof. If you can't, I'll take you for a beggar."
She immediately saw through the woman's trickery and wished she could kick her out with a stick.
Upon hearing this, Mengru was stunned for a moment, then sat on the ground, crying and shouting, "Your Zhou family is bullying me, ruining my reputation, and you won't even let me in!"
Her voice was loud, which startled the nearby villagers, and many people came to see what was going on.
Some people say that the woman must have seen that the Zhou family had money, so she wanted to extort money from them.
Some people said that the Zhou family bullied this weak woman because they were rich and powerful.
Aunt Zhou overheard all of this.
She wanted to say a few more words, but Du Wanchun stopped her.
Du Wanchun slowly stepped forward, helped the woman up, and said, "Miss, the journey has been long, you must be tired."
After saying that, he hurriedly called out to Doctor Xu in the crowd, "Doctor Xu, you've come at the right time. Please take a look at this young lady and see if she has had any miscarriage."
When Mengru heard that a doctor was to take her pulse, she immediately became anxious. "That won't do. Men and women shouldn't touch each other. How can I let him take my pulse?"
Doctor Xu was a smart man. Hearing the girl say that, he knew there must be a problem. So he smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady, I'll take your pulse through the gauze. I won't touch you."
Mengru remained unwilling, "How can I accurately take a pulse through gauze?"
Aunt Zhou said sternly, "If you're so unwilling to have the doctor take your pulse, then the child in your belly might be fake!"
Not daring to be outdone, she imitated Mengru's earlier manner and loudly addressed the villagers, "Everyone, look! This girl keeps saying she's pregnant with Zhao'er's child, but she won't let us call a doctor to check her pulse. Maybe she doesn't have a child at all."
The villagers nodded in agreement.
Mengru's face turned pale. In desperation, she held her head and pretended to faint.
"Oh dear, this person has fainted!" Aunt Wang exclaimed in surprise.
When Aunt Zhou saw the person lying on the ground, she said coldly, "If she's unconscious, she's unconscious. Just let her lie on the ground. Anyway, there are a lot of snakes in the village now."
After saying that, he ignored the people around him, pulled Du Wanchun and Aunt Wang into the house and closed the door.
"This woman dares to try and extort us. Luckily, Zhao'er will be back tomorrow. We'll see what she has to say then," Aunt Zhou said angrily.
Standing at the doorway, watching everything unfold, Madam Wu said earnestly, "Will this woman stay at the door and refuse to leave?"
Aunt Zhou snorted and said, "If she wants to stay, let her stay. I don't believe she's not afraid of the mosquitoes here."
Madam Wu nodded.
Du Wanchun looked up and glanced at the doorway.
Then he followed Aunt Zhou into the house.
Not long after, a sudden downpour began from the previously clear sky.
The rain pattered against the eaves and the branches of the trees.
Before long, Mengru on the ground was soaked.
Mengru never expected it to start raining so suddenly. She huddled on the ground, shivering from the cold.
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