But Madam Lin disliked her timid daughter intensely. She glared at Zheng Yutang and said, "Since ancient times, 'No man is without ruthlessness!' What good will your womanly compassion do? If you don't get rid of her now, she will trample us underfoot sooner or later!"
Seeing Zheng Yutang's pale face, Lin was worried that she had frightened her, so she softened her tone slightly, "Alright, alright, don't worry about this, and I won't either. I'll let Sanlang handle it. You just need to focus on dealing with Gu Minghe, understand?"
Zheng Yutang's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Looking into the unfamiliar, vicious light in her mother's eyes, she suddenly found her mother incredibly terrifying. Was this still the mother who used to care for her so tenderly?
She was willing to use any means necessary for money and power.
[The Lin family has gone completely mad! They've even hired someone to commit murder; is this a recipe for their entire family going to the crematorium?]
[Zheng Yutang must be terrified! This mom is terrifying!]
[The vicious female supporting character must run! Danger is approaching!]
Just then, a servant's voice came from outside the door: "Second Madam, the eldest young master has returned to the manor and is in the front yard." Madam Lin's expression changed slightly, and she quickly stuffed the powdered medicine into Zheng Yutang's hand, whispering, "Hide it well! Don't tell anyone about this!"
After saying that, she straightened her clothes and hurriedly walked out. Zheng Yutang held the packet of medicine powder, feeling an icy chill in her palm.
She walked to the window, gazing at the cold moon obscured by dark clouds in the courtyard, her mind in turmoil. The thoughts of killing Zheng Heyi and drugging Gu Minghe surged within her, gnawing at her conscience like black poison.
But her jealousy of Zheng Heyi and her fear of the future prevented her from turning back.
The calm before the storm: Will Zheng Yu notice something amiss upon his return?
Meanwhile, Madam Lin arrived at the front yard, but did not see Zheng Yu. Upon asking, she learned that he had only returned to retrieve an official document and then hurriedly went to his study. Madam Lin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes darting around, and decided to take advantage of Zheng Yu's absence to sound out Minister Zheng's thoughts in the inner quarters.
You know, ever since Minister Zheng suffered a stroke and became biased, many people have been allowed to go to his room, but she, his bedmate, is not allowed to enter by Zheng Yu. What's going on here?
With her heart set on it, the opportunity finally arrived. Lin's journey went smoothly, and she soon arrived at Minister Zheng's bedroom. Inside, Minister Zheng had just woken up from a violent coughing fit, and his face was extremely pale, as if it were a sheet of paper.
Despite the presence of numerous medicinal herbs and the treatment from physicians, Minister Zheng's breath remained weak. He had just regained consciousness, listlessly looking up at the tent ceiling, his eyes cloudy, his demeanor relaxed yet weary.
He Yi came to see him just now, and the father and daughter had some intimate words, which warmed his heart, but also made him more aware that his days were numbered.
"Master, you're awake?"
Madam Lin pushed open the door and entered, her face displaying just the right amount of worry and grief—her acting was truly superb. "How are you feeling? Should we summon the imperial physician to take another look?" Madam Lin carefully walked to the bedside, pretending to help Minister Zheng.
Minister Zheng slowly waved his hand, his voice hoarse: "No need, why did you come?" The master looked at Madam Lin with a cold and calculating gaze. He was not unaware of the undercurrents in the mansion these days, especially Madam Lin's recent mysterious movements, which the servants had vaguely heard rumors about.
Zheng Yu had already warned the servants not to let Lin Shi enter the room alone, but the nannies on duty today had taken Lin Shi's toll money, which allowed her to enter smoothly.
Seeing that Minister Zheng's expression was cold and that he might be in grave danger at any moment, Madam Lin's heart raced. She squeezed out a few tears and sobbed, "My lord, you've finally woken up! Why did I come? I am your wife, and the second young lady's daughter, Qingniang. Of course, I had to come and see you."
At this point, she cried even harder than before.
"Sir, if anything were to happen to you, how would we, a widow and her children, survive!"
While wailing, Madam Lin secretly observed Zheng Shangshu's expression and saw how he would react. "My lord, as you know, Yutang is not young anymore. As for her dowry... you must think about it for her, right?"
So that's what it was all about! Minister Zheng sneered inwardly, his tone turning cold: "I'll handle the dowry arrangements myself. But you seem to be quite busy lately? Who is Sun Sanlang of the gambling den in the west of the city to you?"
Upon hearing the name "Sun Sanlang," Lin's face turned deathly pale, and her fingers clenched tightly around the hem of her clothes.
She never expected that Minister Zheng would find out!
[!! The master actually knew about Sun Sanlang? Was this a prediction he made?]
[The Lin family is about to panic! Let's see how they try to deny it!]
[It's here! The couple has a major falling out!]
Now that things had come to this, Madam Lin knew that her whereabouts must have been leaked. Seeing Minister Zheng staring at her fiercely, his eyes filled with hatred and hostility, Madam Lin knew that even if she tried to explain, it would be of no use.
So she steeled herself and decided to throw caution to the wind. She dropped the pretense, stood up with a cold laugh, and said, "Since you know, Master, I won't hide it from you anymore. What's wrong with Sun Sanlang? He's much better than you, with your biased attitude! At least he knows how to care for people!"
Minister Zheng was trembling with rage, "You!"
Minister Zheng's finger trembled as he pointed forcefully at Madam Lin, but his lips moved without uttering a word. He had overheard servants whispering that Madam Lin was having an affair.
Although I had heard rumors, I never expected that Lin would be so shameless as to admit it in public! Now it seems that this Sun Sanlang really is a real person.
Lin decided to go all out, raising her voice considerably, "What's wrong with me? All these years I've toiled like a slave in this Minister's mansion, and what have I gotten in return? All you care about is your precious daughter, Zheng Heyi!"
"Is she really Sui'er? She's an outsider, a nameless girl with nothing, and she claims to be your and the First Madam's child? What right does she have to occupy the position of a young princess? Why do you treat her so well, sir?"
“My lord, both my sons and daughters are my flesh and blood. Now that you are about to die, I will not hide anything from you. I,” Madam Lin deliberately struck a seductive pose in front of Minister Zheng, “have also fallen in love with Sun Sanlang. What can you do to me now?”
Upon hearing this, Minister Zheng nearly collapsed. At that moment, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. "You...you're simply unreasonable!"
Minister Zheng tried to get up, but he couldn't sit up no matter what he did. His vision blurred. "When did I ever say that I would give all my assets to He Yi? You're just spouting nonsense."
"Whether it's utter nonsense or not, you know best yourself!"
Seeing that Minister Zheng was becoming increasingly agitated, Madam Lin only intensified her actions.
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