A wealthy family like the Zhen family would naturally not want their daughter-in-law to remarry, even if Liu's relationship with the third young master Zhen was nominal.
I don't know what Madam Zhen was thinking. She was afraid that Liu would not stay with her son, so she actually erected a chastity arch for her.
Liu's own wishes were secondary, and no one was willing to listen to her opinions.
The Zhen family was powerful, and Liu was a woman who had been indirectly sold by her maternal family. Naturally, her maternal family could not be relied upon. She was just a weak woman and could only listen.
And so the chastity memorial arch was erected.
And so began Liu's life as a widow.
But how could she possibly keep it at such a young age? Even this Liu is only eighteen years old this year, the prime of her youth.
Sure enough, her belly started to grow big a while ago.
When Liang Jiugong went to investigate, he also discovered something else. Originally, this matter was a scandal for the Zhen family, and the Zhen family naturally did not want to publicize it. They planned to find an opportunity to kill Liu Shi and her unborn child.
But it's impossible for everyone in the family to be of one mind. Liu's pregnancy was obvious to everyone at a glance, and the news spread like wildfire, becoming the talk of the town throughout Kaifeng.
Most people were watching the Zhen family make a fool of themselves, but their comments were almost all about Liu Shi, saying that she was not a virtuous woman and had brought shame to women.
With things escalating to this point, the Zhen family was furious, and how to deal with Liu Shi became a problem.
Liu refused to say whose child it was, and rumors were rampant outside, with all sorts of speculations. She lived in a large mansion and had many connections!
Youqing also had some opinions on this matter.
It's hard to say what the Zhen family's situation is, but she particularly dislikes their practice of marrying for good luck. Not only that, but they also erect a memorial arch for their daughter-in-law after their son's death.
Youqing really couldn't stand it.
There's not much I can do if I can't bear to watch her suffer.
That same night, after we learned the news, another major event occurred.
Liu's baby is gone, and there's no explanation for why. However, after Liu lost her baby, people started saying that the baby in her womb originally belonged to Master Zhen.
She spoke in front of the masters and servants of the mansion. After she finished speaking, she slammed herself against the wall and then fainted. It was hard to say whether she was alive or dead.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhen didn't care about Liu's life, but what she said had a significant impact. In order to find out who Liu's lover was, Mr. and Mrs. Zhen had no choice but to ask the doctor to do his best to save Liu's life.
The Zhen family became even more lively because of what Liu said before she hit her head against the wall. It is estimated that someone was also fanning the flames. Not only was the Zhen family in a state of excitement, but rumors were also circulating outside.
Regardless of whether Liu had a marital relationship with the third young master of the Zhen family, she still held the title of the third young mistress of the Zhen family! She was the daughter-in-law and father-in-law of the Zhen family. She said these words before she died, and many people believed them.
This is even more explosive than the previous news of Liu's pregnancy.
The Zhen family was in complete chaos. Master Zhen was so angry he wanted to curse. When he saw Madam Zhen coming over, he couldn't help but say, "You should have acted decisively and killed her when you found out Liu was pregnant. Now look what's happened, our Zhen family has become the laughing stock of everyone's gossip."
Madam Zhen also felt wronged. Did she not want to get rid of Liu Shi as soon as possible? But although she was Madam Zhen, she was not the only mistress of this mansion.
Furthermore, based on what Liu said, Madam Zhen also began to suspect Master Zhen. After all, Master Zhen was known for his fondness for beautiful women and had many concubines in his harem. It was possible that he had developed feelings for Liu and had done something foolish.
Madam Zhen: "How could I have known that Madam Liu would talk nonsense?"
"Once Liu wakes up, send someone to interrogate her and find out who the child's father really is."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhen glanced at Master Zhen and couldn't help but say, "Master, please tell me the truth, Liu's pregnancy has nothing to do with you, does it?"
Upon hearing this, Master Zhen was furious: "I'm not that unreasonable. Alright, go and investigate."
Master Zhen never expected that Madam Zhen would actually believe that the child in Liu's belly was his; he found it all absurd.
Although Madam Zhen had received Master Zhen's words, she was still unsure whether what Liu said was true. However, whether it was true or not was no longer important; what mattered was that it had to be false.
To clarify the matter, we must find the biological father of the child in Liu's womb, so Liu must wake up.
Liu was lucky to be rescued, but after waking up, she refused to eat, drink, or speak.
When Madam Zhen heard about this, she came to Liu's room and immediately ordered the old woman to force-feed her rice porridge. She hadn't even asked her any questions yet, as she couldn't really let her die.
"If you tell me, you might have a chance to live; if you don't, don't be ruthless."
Liu lay on the bed, her eyes vacant, and gave a soft "heh": "Madam Zhen, I told you, the child in your belly is Master Zhen's, but none of you believe me. What can I do? I'm just a widow. If Master Zhen hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have been having an affair with that old geezer. I even despise him. No matter how many questions you ask, I'll still say the same thing: the child is Master Zhen's. What, Madam Zhen, are you not satisfied with this result?"
Madam Zhen was naturally dissatisfied. Looking at Liu's face, she was filled with regret. If she had known that Liu was a scourge, she would have made her be buried with her son long ago.
Seeing Madam Zhen's furious yet helpless expression, Madam Liu was delighted.
Madam Zhen was furious, and then she summoned a rough old woman to "torture" Liu. Although it was called torture, it wasn't very painful. Liu had hit her head and it hadn't healed yet. Madam Zhen was afraid that she might accidentally kill her if she tortured her. The torture methods used were all humiliating.
Liu felt truly humiliated and was determined to take revenge on the Zhen family, as her miserable life was all caused by them.
Now, Liu no longer cares about survival; she only wants to ruin the Zhen family's reputation. She wishes the Zhen family would be destroyed and its inhabitants would die in such a place.
To be honest, these past few years of being a widow haven't been easy. She entered the family under the guise of bringing good luck, but in reality, her family was poor and humble. Otherwise, I wouldn't have "sold" her.
The third young master of Zhen died, and the marriage to bring good luck did not work. Madam Zhen asked her to remain chaste for her son. Presumably, thinking about how her son died young and suffered, she was not very kind to her daughter-in-law, Liu.
She was forbidden from eating meat or wearing any brightly colored clothes. Seeing that Madam Zhen disliked her third daughter-in-law, the servants naturally followed suit, making Liu's life in the Zhen family unbearable.
With so many people in the Zhen family, she had no one to talk to. After a while, anyone would find it unbearable, which led to her having an affair and getting pregnant.
At first, she just wanted to find some comfort in that man, but the pregnancy was too sudden and caused a big fuss. Later, she lost the child, and she thought that even if she died, she would make the Zhen family suffer.
Knowing that the Zhen family valued their reputation, she deliberately revealed that the child in her womb was Master Zhen's.
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