In front of the coffin, Ye Zhen sat on a prayer mat and threw paper money into a basin one by one.
She whispered, "Although it is said that the dead should be respected, I do not want to kneel before you, and you should know why."
Everyone says I married into a wealthy family, but although I lack parental love in the village, no one bullies me, and I don't go hungry or cold.
Marquis Zhongyong frowned as he reached the door, feeling that Ye Zhen's words were an exaggeration.
His family was large and prosperous, and even if his wife was not considerate, she would not let her daughter-in-law go hungry or cold.
Perhaps Ye Zhen noticed his arrival and deliberately said it to him, trying to sow discord between his wife and him.
The next moment, Ye Zhen said, "I feel quite relieved to learn that you are dead."
I used to not understand why you, having married me, kept avoiding consummating the marriage, and why Chi Heng always provoked me.
Looking back now, our marriage was nothing but a deception to cover up your shameful deeds; you two had already been having an affair all along.
But I am utterly innocent, my life ruined by you all. Now that you've gotten your comeuppance, I should be happy.
Marquis Zhongyong stopped in his tracks.
What did Ye Zhen mean by that?
"Miss, be careful, the walls may be listening."
Wanxing looked around worriedly and saw the guards outside the door, some distance away.
Only then did he dare to whisper, "Although the lady is confined to the manor, she has managed the household for decades, and the entire household is filled with her trusted confidants."
If these words reach her ears, she won't let you off easily. This servant thinks the Marquis is also a fool.
When her son died, Lady Hou rushed over but didn't even glance at him; she was only concerned with scheming to make you take the blame.
Even I, a maid, could tell that something was amiss, yet the Marquis still protected his wife at every turn.
You must not say those things again. If you are really feeling unwell, then... then..."
She thought for a while with difficulty, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got it! I'll treat you to a chicken leg. Eating something delicious will make you feel better."
Ye Zhen forced a smile, "Then I'll treat you to Eight Treasure Duck."
"Thank you, Miss. But I would also like to eat braised pork knuckle, is that alright?"
Ye Zhen's voice was indulgent, "Alright, whatever you say, open your mouth... Ah... Is it delicious?"
"It's delicious, rich but not greasy, and melts in your mouth. Miss, you should try it too."
"Hmm, it's really good. It would be even better if you had some fruit wine made by Wanxing."
"Hehe, I'm Miss's sweet little darling, so of course I had to prepare this for you. Let me fill your cup..."
The faint, fragmented bass sounds reached his ears, and the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor's face turned ashen.
Even if Xie Yunzhou was incompetent, he is now dead.
Two audacious men dared to eat meat and drink wine in front of his son's coffin.
He leaped onto the roof with a light touch of his toes, eager to see just how big a feast these two scoundrels had brought and what outrageous things they would say.
Are those guards at the gate all dead? They just let them run wild like this.
But when the tile was lifted, there was no wine or meat underneath.
Only two girls were gesturing at the air.
Marquis Zhongyong was momentarily bewildered.
Then Wanxing, who was pretending to pour wine, suddenly lowered her hand, hugged Ye Zhen tightly, and sobbed.
"It's all my fault for being useless; all I can do is try to make Miss happy."
It's also the fault of Lady Hou, who is too wicked. She herself lives in fine silks and satins, and eats delicacies at every meal, yet she demands that you eat vegetarian food and wear mourning clothes for the second young master.
They would punish you by making you copy scriptures and starve you, or make you kneel on the icy ground in winter or serve boiling tea in summer.
"You've been married into the Marquis's household for three years, and you're still wearing clothes we made ourselves on the estate. It breaks my heart to see that."
She glared at the coffin fiercely, "The worst thing is this. No matter how I think about it, I feel that the reason you fell into a coma that night was because he drugged you."
He must be afraid that if he returns to the Marquis's residence, you will discover his secret and try to kill him.
Fortunately, Miss, you were lucky. You vomited up the medicine due to an upset stomach, which allowed you to wake up early and unknowingly escape into the mountains, thus avoiding disaster.
But now that he's dead, the Lady Hou's schemes against you have failed, and she's certainly not satisfied. Who knows what she'll do to you next..."
"Alright, who was it that reminded me not to talk nonsense?"
Ye Zhen pinched her lips into a cute shape and comforted her, "From now on, with the Marquis in the manor, our situation will improve..."
Marquis Zhongyong left, seemingly lost in thought.
Ye Zhenchong secretly gave Wanxing a thumbs up.
She possessed considerable inner strength, and she sensed it the moment the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery appeared.
Wanxing whispered, "Will the Marquis help us?"
Ye Zhen smiled and said, "In the end, people have to rely on themselves."
What Gang and Wanxing said was indeed done by Lady Hou.
But her and Wanxing's lives weren't so miserable. They were skilled, so it wasn't difficult for them to carry the Lady of the Marquis out of the mansion.
As for the corporal punishment, she considered it as a way to cultivate her mind and practice her skills.
The purpose of staging this scene was not to gain the mercy of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.
What she wanted was to gradually peel away the mask of the Lady Hou, to make the Marquis of Zhongyong suspicious of her, and to dig deeper into her secrets.
Ye Zhen knows some secrets.
As long as Marquis Zhongyong continues digging, the couple will surely turn against each other.
Once Lady Hou has completely lost the support of Marquis Zhongyong, that will be the time for Ye Zhen to kill her.
After the Marquis of Zhongyong left, he had two servants from the Marquis's residence questioned.
After a show of authority, and when asked about Ye Zhen's daily life, the two dared not hide anything.
The Marquis of Loyalty and Valor's face was so dark it seemed almost dripping with water.
What Ye Zhen and his servant said in the mourning hall turned out to be true.
His wife, citing Ye Zhen's widowhood, forbade her from eating meat or wearing new clothes for three years.
But he remembered clearly that three years ago, after Xie Yunzhou's seventh day memorial service, he ordered that the household no longer needed to observe a vegetarian diet.
Because he was a military general, he knew that a long-term vegetarian diet was not good for one's health.
His wife did indeed comply with the order to lift the dietary restrictions in the household, but she made an exception for Ye Zhen.
Her harsh treatment of her daughter-in-law contradicts her previous praise of Ye Zhen...
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
