"Since she wants to see me, then let her see me. We can't let her ruin the general's reputation." Jiang Qinyu said and walked out.
That woman is really ruthless. She actually dared to shout such things at the gate of the General's Mansion. She's completely trying to break ties with the General's Mansion!
Oh no, maybe they're thinking of risking their reputation. Who knows, Lu Yanzheng and she might take her into their household out of consideration for their reputation and pity for the fallen soldiers?
And sure enough, Jiang Qinyu guessed right.
Meanwhile, at the main gate of the General's Mansion, Lu Tianhu's wife was crying and complaining to the onlookers.
"Everyone, please be the judge. I really didn't come here to extort the General. It's just that... that day at the victory celebration, the General had been drinking and was taken home by my husband, Lao Lu. When I went to bring the General water... everything happened so unexpectedly. I... I had no choice!"
She sobbed as she briefly mentioned her night with Lu Yanzheng, but it was these ambiguous words that made people's imaginations run wild.
"Really? The general doesn't seem like that kind of person!"
"That's hard to say. Men, sometimes when they're drunk, they might mistake someone for someone else."
"Hey, you know what, this woman's figure is a bit like the general's wife I saw before..."
This remark by someone in the crowd sparked a new round of discussion.
"Oh dear, so the general has mistaken someone for someone else? In that case, this woman's words aren't entirely untrustworthy!"
"That's right. No one can do anything about mistaking someone for someone else. Besides, this woman said that she originally wanted to cover it up, but now that she's pregnant and her husband is dead in battle, who else can she turn to if not the general's mansion?"
"Sigh, although I sympathize with the general's wife, in this situation, the general has no choice but to take her in, otherwise it would be difficult to explain to the other soldiers!"
"..."
When Jiang Qinyu came out, she heard these discussions. Her lips twitched, but she no longer doubted Lu Yanzheng.
Based on the timeline given by the woman, she was referring to the time after the first time the border troops drove away the combined forces of the Western Qiang and Dayuan. At that time, in order to boost morale, the border troops did indeed hold a small victory celebration banquet.
However, she was in the border town at the time. Lu Yanzheng had returned to the manor very early that night and stayed in the room with her to help Shufan and Pan'er learn to read. They went to sleep together at 9:00 PM.
Although Lu Yanzheng slept on a chaise lounge while she slept on a bed, she could still provide an alibi for Lu Yanzheng.
"The lady is out!"
Just then, someone shouted, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to Jiang Qinyu.
Jiang Qinyu nodded slightly to everyone, and then looked at the woman who was looking up at her.
Tianhu's wife looked to be around twenty years old, very young, and clearly hadn't suffered much hardship. So, her tearful appearance was quite pitiful.
"Madam..." As soon as Tianhu's wife saw Jiang Qinyu, she immediately rushed to her feet. "Madam, you must stand up for me!"
A hint of mockery flashed in Jiang Qinyu's eyes as she spoke calmly, "Oh? How do you want me to make decisions for you?"
Tianhu's wife wiggled her belly, placed one hand on it, and said pitifully, "I had no choice but to come to you, Madam. My unborn child is so innocent; I can't let him be without a father..."
"Really?" Jiang Qinyu looked at her with a half-smile. "Are you sure this child is my general's?"
Tianhu's wife looked at her in disbelief, then suddenly burst into tears, "Madam, you don't believe me! Why would I, a martyr's widow, lie like this to slander the general? Madam, you're trying to force my son and me to our deaths!"
With that, she charged towards the stone lions at the entrance of the general's mansion, shouting, "I don't want to live anymore!"
Her strength was truly remarkable, causing everyone to gasp in shock.
"Stop her!"
As Jiang Qinyu shouted, a figure blocked Tianhu's wife's path, "How dare you extort money from the general? Who gave you the guts?"
"Aping?" Jiang Qinyu looked at Aping in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Aping looked up at Jiang Qinyu and forced a smile, saying, "I rushed here after receiving the news. Is Madam alright?"
Jiang Qinyu was in trouble because of him. He was so worried that he could hardly eat or sleep and almost wanted to atone for his sins with his life. Fortunately, he learned about Jiang Qinyu's situation from Lu Tianbao and rushed over as fast as he could.
I never expected to encounter something like this so soon after arriving.
Seeing that he had Tianhu's wife firmly under his control, Jiang Qinyu felt relieved and said with a smile, "I'm fine. You can release her first, just make sure she doesn't try to kill herself, and don't let her blackmail you again."
A-Ping obediently released Tianhu's wife immediately, and the woman quickly stepped back a few paces, keeping a distance from A-Ping.
"You...you're bullying me!" Seeing that things had gotten out of hand, Tianhu's wife resorted to tantrums and rolling on the ground. "Heavens above, open your eyes! The General bullied me, and now his wife won't admit it. I don't want to live anymore..."
Jiang Qinyu's lips twitched. She couldn't stand it any longer and quickly asked, "You came here just to ask me to stand up for you, but you have to explain this clearly, right? You even need my general to confront you. Your nonsense won't solve anything!"
Her words resonated with the onlookers.
"The general's wife is right. These kinds of things definitely need to be discussed and clarified by both sides. Otherwise, why would any family accept a woman of unknown origin and her unborn child?"
"But didn't this woman just say that?"
"You believe her just because she says so? What if the General and she have absolutely nothing going on?"
"That makes sense. I also think the General should be allowed to resolve this matter..."
Seeing that public opinion had shifted, Jiang Qinyu immediately said, "We have already sent someone to invite the General. Before my General returns, I have a few questions I would like to ask this Sister-in-law Lu."
"What do you want to ask?" Tianhu's wife looked at Jiang Qinyu warily. "The General did indeed sleep with me that night!"
Jiang Qinyu lowered her eyelids, then quickly looked up at her again, "Tell me the exact time and place of that day, and who saw you deliver water to the General? Also, how come your deceased husband had no reaction to this? According to you, he must have been there at the time."
“I already said it was their victory celebration at my house! And I was home the whole time, how would I know anyone saw the General come? My husband was fast asleep as soon as he got home, he didn’t know anything, how could he stop it?”
Tianhu's wife spoke with such conviction that if Jiang Qinyu hadn't been with Lu Yanzheng that night, she might have believed it.
Jiang Qinyu smiled slightly, "Really? Are you sure that's true?"
"I'm...I'm sure!" Tianhu's wife stammered for a moment after being stared at, but still straightened her neck and shouted loudly.
Jiang Qinyu suddenly sighed, "Although I really want to believe you, my general was with me that night!"
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