Yuan Zhao glanced at the clothes on the ground and nodded:
“Of course it’s familiar, isn’t this my mother’s clothes?”
Upon hearing her admit it, Zhou's mother quickly said:
“My lord, look, she has admitted it. She is the one who framed me.”
Yuan Zhao looked surprised upon hearing this:
"Mother, what are you saying? What slander?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou's father glanced at her and said:
Did your mother give you this dress yesterday?
Yuan Zhao then feigned surprise: "How could this be? This is Mother's favorite dress, why would she give it to me?"
"You're lying! I gave you these clothes yesterday!"
"This is what Zhou's mother said anxiously from the side."
Yuan Zhao looked both amused and exasperated.
"Mother, these clothes are yours. We are different in height and size. Why are you giving them to me?"
"I……"
Zhou's mother was taken aback, but then she understood what Yuan Zhao meant. She wanted her to admit that she had used these clothes to offset her dowry.
If this gets out, she'll lose all face.
However, she no longer had time to think about it, since the charge of adultery was far more serious.
She had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell them about returning the dowry.
As soon as she finished speaking, one of the elders couldn't help but say:
"brazen!"
“You take bolts of fine silk from others, but return old clothes that they can no longer wear. You have truly lost all face.”
Both Zhou's father and Zhou Shiyuan looked equally grim, especially Zhou Shiyuan.
Yesterday, news broke that his younger sister had stolen Yuan Zhao's jewelry, and today, news broke that his mother had done something similar. He felt that he had lost all face and dignity.
He didn't even dare to look Yuan Zhao in the eye.
Because of his mother and sister's actions, he felt that he would be inferior to Yuan Zhao from now on.
Why do they all do this?
Don't they care about his feelings at all?
At this moment, Zhou Shiyuan hated his mother to the core, feeling that all his embarrassment was because of her.
Zhou's father's expression was equally unpleasant; he suppressed his anger as he looked at Yuan Zhao:
"It's true that your mother did something unkind, but you can't do that. How could you just give away the things she gave you?"
Yuan Zhao looked completely bewildered upon hearing this:
"My lord, you have wronged my daughter-in-law in this matter!"
“My mother didn’t even give me these clothes, how can I give them away?”
"Is my daughter-in-law such an inconsiderate person?"
"You're lying. I personally delivered the clothes to you yesterday."
When Zhou's mother heard that Yuan Zhao denied it, she immediately started shouting.
Hearing her fuss, Yuan Zhao hesitated for a moment and said:
"Yes, Mother, it was given to me yesterday!"
She lowered her head, biting her lip, looking like she was enduring something, making it seem like she was forced to admit it.
Upon seeing this, the clan elders immediately said:
"Find out exactly what happened immediately."
Zhou's father glanced at Yuan Zhao and then at Zhou's mother, and immediately summoned all the servants in the mansion to inquire.
However, in the end, no one could prove that Zhou's mother gave the clothes to Yuan Zhao.
Upon seeing this, Zhou's mother's face turned deathly pale.
She has her pride, so yesterday she deliberately dismissed everyone and secretly gave the clothes to Chu Qing, just to make her suffer in silence. But who would have thought that she would be unable to explain herself now?
Several elders, already dissatisfied with her, spoke up upon seeing this:
"She has a few clothes scattered outside, and a set of underwear. Have someone check if they are hers."
Upon hearing this, Zhou's father coldly ordered someone to take care of it and, while he was at it, to investigate the identities of those people.
Everyone was waiting for news; the room was eerily quiet.
Zhou's mother still held a sliver of hope. These clothes were indeed hers, but her undergarments would never have been worn outside. Yuan Zhao shouldn't try to pin the blame on her.
Yuan Zhao glanced at Zhou's mother, gently lowered his eyelids, and slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.
Zhou Shiyuan, who was standing to the side, felt a slight unease.
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