Chapter 28 Chaos in the Zhao Family
It's funny to say that even though Li Mingyue has always been obsessed with Zhao Chengye, she actually knows nothing about the Ningguo Mansion.
Officials in the capital each have their own circles. The Ningguo Mansion belongs to the noble Li family, which is a scholarly family, and they usually have little interaction with each other.
Therefore, the Duke's wife did not know Li Mingyue, and Li Mingyue had never expected that a noble lady of the first rank would have such a vicious face.
Fortunately, she still remembered her mother's instructions, that if she was not in good shape, she should cry more and talk less, and if she really couldn't do it, she should try to commit suicide by pretending to faint.
The Duke's wife knew that this girl was no ordinary maid and did not dare to force her any further. She just ordered people to call all the maids who came with the Jiang family's dowry.
Jiang Xinyu's wet nurse was kicked out of the house by Liu when she was young. The servants and several maids who came with her this time were not allowed to be used, and they were not able to serve her closely last night.
The Duke's wife quickly turned her attention to Chunhong.
"Tell me, what's going on? Where is your master?"
Chunhong shivered and stammered with a pale face,
“I…I don’t know either.
It was you who helped my daughter into the room yesterday. I don’t know why my daughter became Miss Li.”
The Duke's wife's eyes suddenly dimmed, "Do you know this bitch... who is this girl?"
Chunhong nodded quickly, "This is Miss Mingyue from the house of Li Shilang next door, she is the best friend of my second daughter.
She was supposed to marry Xiao Duzhu of Dongchang yesterday, and I heard that it was Wansui Ye who acted as the matchmaker.
Because our two families had the same departure date, when the sedan chair arrived at Ping'an Street, we were walking in opposite directions.
This servant... this servant really doesn't know why Miss Mingyue was sent to my aunt's place."
At this point Chunhong burst into tears, muttering to herself, "I sent the gift to the wrong girl, what should I do?"
After hearing this, the Duke's wife's face turned pale and her eyes were lifeless. After a long silence, she suddenly shouted,
"Doctor Han, give Chengye acupuncture first to wake him up."
Then he looked at Li Mingyue sinisterly and said,
"Don't play the crying, making a fuss, and then hanging yourself in front of me. You know what you have done.
Don't treat others as fools.
Events leave traces and people leave voices. Whether it is a mistake or a deliberate plot, you will know it by checking.
My family has always been very careful and respectful. It is impossible for us to have physical contact with you when we know that the bride is wrong.
The remaining aphrodisiac in his body was one piece of evidence.
If you confess honestly, we can still discuss this matter considering that you are the daughter of an official.
Otherwise, we will meet in court."
After saying this, the Duke's wife looked coldly at Chunhong.
"It's true that the barking dog bites.
I thought you were more sensible and well-behaved than Chun Xing, but I didn't expect you to be a naive person with a treacherous heart.
You have been supporting the bride since she got off the sedan chair. I don't believe that there is a personal maid who can't recognize her own girl.
Tell me, what benefits did the Li family give you to make you do such an immoral thing?
The Duke's wife's urgent and stern questioning frightened Li Mingyue and Chunhong so much that they were trembling with fear.
But the two of them still gritted their teeth, cried and protested their injustice, and refused to utter a single word.
Now that a whole night has passed and the matter is done, it cannot be changed. Li Mingyue does not believe that the Ningguo Mansion will really send her back to her parents' home.
As long as she insists that it was all fate and she was wrong, no one can do anything to her as a victim.
Four people were harmed in a marriage exchange, and everyone should bear the responsibility together. There is no reason to punish her alone.
As for the fact that the wife of the Duke and Brother Chengye had opinions about her, it didn't matter. She believed that sincerity could move mountains and break stones.
As long as she respects the old lady and serves her husband wholeheartedly, the Zhao family will accept her sooner or later.
As for reporting the matter to the police for a thorough investigation, it was probably just to scare her. Noble families care about their reputation the most, and when there is something going on at home, they would rather have the clan handle it than report it to the police.
Her father did not hold a high official position, but he had a good family background. The Li family was large and many of them served as officials in the court.
Her mother said that even for the sake of the unmarried sisters in the clan, the head of the Li family would not allow her to ruin their reputation.
When she was first promised to the eunuch, the clan leader was furious. If he hadn't been afraid that wiping out their clan or causing Li Mingyue's sudden death would bring trouble to the emperor, the Li family would have taken action long ago.
No matter what means are used this time, as long as she does not marry the eunuch and preserves the reputation of her sisters in the family, the clan leader will definitely use the power of the family to protect her identity as the prince's wife.
In other words, from the moment she entered the bridal chamber, she felt secure as the Crown Prince's wife, and the Zhao family didn't dare to do anything to her even if they were angry.
Li Mingyue had the confidence to take on the challenge because of her family, but Chunhong had no other options.
Whether she confesses or not, her fate is already determined.
If she said nothing, at least Mrs. Li could let her family go.
If she tells it, not only will she die, but her family will also be retaliated against.
Her brother had not yet married, her younger siblings were still young, and she still had her parents and grandmother who loved her. Even if her legs were broken, she had to grit her teeth and persevere.
Seeing that the two were so stubborn, the Duke's wife slammed the table. Li Mingyue couldn't be touched, so could a maid also not be touched?
"Madam Yu, teach this greedy slave a lesson."
Nanny Yu agreed and took the cane handed to her by the maid. Immediately, two strong women pressed Chunhong to the ground.
With a few crisp slapping sounds, blood visibly seeped out of Chunhong's back.
Li Mingyue screamed in fear, her eyes filled with panic, and then she simply covered her head with the quilt and dared not look anymore.
However, the wife of the Duke did not want to let her go. She gave a signal and immediately the maids and servants controlled Li Mingyue, and even turned her face to make her watch Chunhong being tortured.
The wife of the Duke did not dare to torture a daughter of an official family, but killing a chicken to scare the monkeys was still an option.
As a girl in her teens, she wanted to see how cunning the other party was.
Things were in chaos here. Zhao Chengye groaned twice and slowly woke up. He looked at the chaos around him with a bewildered look on his face.
The Duke's wife quickly helped him up and asked someone to give him some water. Then she helped him calm down while explaining what had happened to him.
Zhao Chengye almost rolled his eyes and passed out again. Now there was only one sentence in his mind.
It's over, everything is over, he slept with Xiao Yuan's wife.
As a disciple of Zhang Zhongyi, Zhao Chengye naturally knew something about his teacher's mortal enemy.
That person is just an evil spirit in human skin, insidious, cunning, cruel and ruthless, and will do anything he can to achieve his goals.
The eunuchs under his command were all perverts. Many officials who were caught by him would rather commit suicide than go to the Dongchang Prison.
How could he be so unlucky? He just married a wife, but ended up causing such a big mess.
Zhao Chengye is worthy of being the male protagonist of the original novel. Although he has a bad character, his IQ is quite high.
After a moment of panic, he quickly calmed down. On the one hand, he sent someone to the Governor's Mansion to inquire about the news, and on the other hand, he quickly wrote a letter to ask someone to wait at the palace gate.
As long as his mentor, Lord Zuo Xiang, delivers the letter immediately, it would be even better if the teacher can be invited, but if not, a reply letter must be received.
After finishing his explanation, Zhao Chengye turned his gaze to Li Mingyue, who looked guilty.
Even if he was stupid, he would not believe that there was such a coincidence in the world. This replacement was definitely a conspiracy by the Li family.
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