Chapter 40
Catching someone in the act of adultery~
Shen Yao's heart pounded even faster. "How...how did you know they'd be together tonight?"
"I have been observing for a long time and I know that Liu Ru always uses her aunt as an excuse, but in reality she comes to mingle with the young master. Moreover, I am certain that Liu Ru will stay overnight at the Duke's mansion tonight."
When Madam Guo mentioned this, she gritted her teeth in hatred. She was born into a scholarly family; her father was a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, and she had been strictly disciplined in etiquette since childhood. However, she was not a shrew and forbade her husband from taking a concubine. But who knew that her husband would be so morally corrupt, having an affair with another man's concubine? It was truly an eye-opener for her.
A wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a stolen lover.
But stealing is never honorable, and the truth will eventually come out. That's why she sought out Shen Yao, hoping the two of them could solve this problem together.
However, Shen Yao seems to be even less experienced and less determined than her!
Guo Niangzi's heart was pounding, and her fingers tapped the table absently, as if urging her to hurry.
Shen Yao felt a chill run down her spine.
After much deliberation, Shen Yao finally made up her mind and agreed to catch them in the act that night.
The inner city has a curfew at night. Since they need to catch someone in adultery, Shen Yao won't be able to go home at night. Therefore, Madam Guo has people prepare guest rooms for people to stay in.
Shen Yao agreed, and then asked about Miss Zhao, "When will brother be able to see her?"
Madam Guo smiled and said, "My mother told me about this a long time ago, so don't worry."
After discussing the matter, Shen Yao returned to the banquet and ate with her mother. Meanwhile, Madam Guo, accompanied by Miss Zhao and her trusted maid, found a secluded spot to meet and chat with Shen Fan.
Time passed quickly, the midday banquet ended, and the gentlemen and ladies, having finished their social interactions, took their leave one after another. Shen Yao found an excuse to stay, and her mother, without restraining her daughter, took her husband and son straight home.
As darkness fell, Shen Yao grew increasingly anxious, pacing back and forth in her room, praying incessantly that what Guo Niangzi had said was all false.
Xu Xuan is arrogant and has a very strong sense of self-respect. If Liu Ru's affair is exposed, given Xu Xuan's temper, he would probably just take a knife and kill Zhao Lian.
Even if he doesn't kill Zhao Lian, Xu Xuan will definitely retaliate against Liu Ru, and he himself, his lawfully wedded wife, will be the one to suffer. He can't divorce her, and if Xu Xuan wants to make things difficult for Liu Ru by proposing consummation, how can he refuse?
The more Shen Yao thought about it, the more her head throbbed.
How could I be so unlucky as to run into such a terrible thing?
*
"Knock knock knock~"
A knock sounded at the door, and Shen Yao opened it to find Guo Niangzi with her maid, carrying a bamboo lunchbox.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. Go eat some hot food and warm yourself up."
"Um."
Shen Yao took the lunchbox and quickly devoured the food. After the maid cleared away the dishes and left, Shen Yao lowered her voice and asked anxiously, "How is it? Are they together?"
Madam Guo shook her head. "The young master is still drinking in the front hall. I've already sent people to keep an eye on him. Just you wait and see. Besides, Liu Ru didn't come home tonight."
Shen Yao was surprised; she was right after all, Liu Ru hadn't gone back.
Inside an ordinary side room, jewelry and brocade filled the room, and silks and satins overflowed the cabinets—all gifts the young master had prepared for Liu Ru. When Liu Ru wasn't coming, the room was locked; only when she arrived would Zhao Lian have a servant open the door so she could rest. The two often spent their time there, stealing kisses and enjoying themselves immensely.
Inside the room, Liu Ru had already bathed and burned incense, her face smeared with rouge. After dressing up, she waited quietly for Zhao Lian to arrive. However, Zhao Lian was out socializing with friends and hadn't returned for a long time. She grew impatient and opened the door to ask the servant, "Is the young master coming?"
The servant hurriedly said, "Come, please wait a little longer, and go inside quickly so that no one can see you."
Liu Ru looked displeased and slammed the door shut.
Not far from the door, behind a huge rock, Shen Yao and Guo Niangzi, dressed in black cloaks, took in the scene that had just unfolded under the cover of night.
"You see that? That's Liu Ru."
Shen Yao nodded; it was indeed Liu Ru, she could see it clearly.
Her heart was racing.
Catching someone in the act of adultery is incredibly thrilling. She simultaneously hopes Zhao Lian will arrive quickly, yet also hopes he never will. A sword hangs overhead, poised to fall, a terrifying prospect.
Perhaps it was Liu Ru urging him, because the servant guarding the door left for a while, and returned a quarter of an hour later.
He wasn't alone; he was supporting Zhao Lian, who was drunk and unsteady on his feet.
Shen Yao's heart was about to jump out of her chest.
The door opened again, and the servant handed Zhao Lian to Liu Ru. The two immediately embraced and kissed.
Shen Yao: "..."
At least close the door!
The sword hanging overhead finally fell, severing the last glimmer of hope.
Madam Guo's face was ashen, her eyes blazing with fury, as if she wanted to burn that despicable couple to death. She was enraged and grabbed Shen Yao, trying to pull her outside. Shen Yao quickly stopped her, exclaiming, "What are you doing?"
"Catching someone in the act of adultery."
Guo Niangzi's voice trembled with anger.
“No, no, we can’t go over there.” Shen Yao refused repeatedly. “It’s too awkward. We have to save them some face.”
Shen Yao tried her best to comfort Guo Niangzi.
Madam Guo's eyes widened, and she said coldly, "They've already lost all shame, and you're still giving them face? You're so kind~"
She directly mocked Shen Yao.
"Your husband's concubine seduced my man. You may not mind, but I do."
It seems that Madam Guo is determined to catch this scoundrel.
As the two were locked in a stalemate, two people, a man and a woman, suddenly walked in through the door. The servant was shocked and was about to shout when he was knocked unconscious.
The man moved the servant aside, and the woman kicked open the door.
Madam Guo said, "It's Aunt Liu."
The two looked at each other, both inwardly shocked.
Madam Guo didn't want to observe from afar, so she pulled Shen Yao along and quietly went around to the back window of the side room.
When Zhao Lian was choosing a room, he specifically chose this one because the back window was right next to the artificial hill, making it convenient for hiding and escaping. Since Madam Guo wanted to catch them in the act of adultery, she had already scouted the room, and now the two of them were hiding under the back window.
The candlelight cast a warm glow, illuminating the figures of two people in the room. Liu Ru was no longer there; only Aunt Liu and Zhao Lian remained.
Aunt Liu's tone was icy as she questioned Zhao Lian, "How could you do such a thing?"
silence.
When did you two start having an affair?
Still, silence.
Suddenly, the sound of a porcelain vase shattering, tables and chairs toppling over, and an angry roar echoed from inside the room: "Speak!"
"What gives you the right to lecture me?"
Zhao Lian's voice was a little hoarse.
"As your elder, you should call me Auntie."
Zhao Lian's voice trembled slightly as he said, word by word, "No, you're not me, I don't acknowledge it, I don't acknowledge it."
"How did you become like this? You're neither human nor ghost. You're the heir apparent, the future duke. Have you ever fulfilled your filial duties or shouldered your responsibilities?"
"Ha, if I didn't fulfill my filial duties, you would have been mine long ago..."
"Shut up."
With a "smack," Aunt Liu slapped him across the face and cursed, "You shameless wretch, you beast!"
“Even if it’s an animal, you raised it. Aunt, no, stepmother, I want to call you stepmother, you taught me to read, write, play the piano and paint. The way you looked at me was always so deep, it wasn’t like a mother looking at her son, but like a woman looking at her man.”
Zhao Lian pressed closer, but his voice was soft, "Wan Niang, you're jealous. You love me too, don't you?"
"No, I will never love anyone again."
Aunt Liu ruthlessly shattered all of Zhao Lian's illusions.
"Since you want to know, I might as well tell you. When I was young, I did love a man. He was handsome, elegant, and well-read. We got together quickly, and I became pregnant with his child."
"But after he passed the imperial examination with flying colors, he abandoned me and married another woman. Once a person is completely wicked, even Heaven can't stand it. He actually drowned. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Aunt Liu gently stroked Zhao Lian's face, so tenderly, yet so cruelly. "So, I raised you to be like him, yet unlike him. That way, when I see you, it's like seeing a clean version of him."
No, you're lying.
Zhao Lian was emotional, and a sob welled up in his throat. "Even people who raise dogs develop feelings for them. I don't believe that after all these years, you have no feelings for me at all?"
He kissed her.
On the window paper, two figures quickly overlapped and then separated.
"I am with her only because she looks like you."
The door creaked open and then closed again.
After Zhao Lian left, the room fell silent.
It was cold and gloomy outside the window, and Shen Yao's heart was also cold and gloomy. As for Madam Guo, her face and mood were the same, both cold and gloomy.
A moment later, a soft sobbing sound came from inside the room, making the already cold night even more damp and chilly.
*
Originally, the wife was catching her husband cheating, but instead she stumbled upon her son's infatuation with his father's concubine. This family scandal made Madam Guo's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot, leaving Shen Yao feeling quite embarrassed and sympathetic.
"Don't worry, I'll keep this a secret. I didn't hear anything."
He wanted to comfort her, but Shen Yao was tongue-tied and couldn't think of anything to say to ease her pain. In the end, he could only keep the secret to save face for her.
She must value her reputation extremely much, Shen Yao thought.
Madam Guo truly values the family's reputation. Even if Shen Yao doesn't say it, she will specifically remind them that the two families are about to become in-laws and should share both honor and disgrace.
“Madam Shen is very understanding and righteous; I am deeply grateful.”
Guo Niangzi didn't even glance at Shen Yao, but sat in the chair with her head down, like a puppet, devoid of any soul.
When a person is in despair, their mind goes blank, and even the pain disappears.
In the first half of her life, she strictly followed the rules for women, and every word and action of hers was that of a model lady from a prestigious family. She thought that marrying into the Duke's mansion would be an honor, but she never expected that the heir she raised under the green tiles and red eaves would be a maggot.
Dirty, disgusting.
The thought of sharing a bed and spending the rest of her life with a maggot filled Guo Niangzi with resentment, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Her sobs gradually rose and grew louder.
Shen Yao got up, squatted down in front of her, took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, but Guo Niangzi just cried and did not take it, her eyes filled with tears as she said, "Why is my life so bitter?"
Shen Yao didn't know what to say, so she could only hug her and gently pat her back to comfort her, "Everything will pass."
After venting her pain, Madam Guo wiped away her tears, looked at Shen Yao with red and swollen eyes, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What do you plan to do about Liu Ru's matter?"
Mentioning Liu Ru instantly gave Shen Yao a headache. Looking at Madam Guo for help, she asked instead of answering, "Do you have any good ideas?"
Madam Guo said, "I suggest you talk to her first and tell her to stop getting entangled with the prince. According to the law, if this kind of thing is exposed, both of them will not only lose face, but they will also be punished with a beating."
"Um."
Guo Niangzi's opinion coincided with Shen Yao's thoughts. Zhao Lian had become morally depraved and was beyond redemption. The only option was to start with Liu Ru and persuade her to turn back to the right path as soon as possible.
As night deepened, Madam Guo did not linger and took her leave.
Shen Yao lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. Tomorrow she would have to confront Liu Ru, and the scene of the two arguing and fighting kept flashing through her mind.
She racked her brains for solutions and words, as if two little people were constantly arguing in her mind...
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