"Father!" Shen Jia screamed in alarm, lunging forward to pry Shen Lin's fingers from Zhao Liu's neck. "Mother, I beg you, spare my father! I have been by my father's side these past few days, and he has not lied to you!"
Seeing Shen Lin's grip tighten, Shen Jia, terrified and incoherent, focused solely on rescuing Zhao Liu. She blurted out, "I am a month pregnant! I have indeed been by my father's side these past few days!"
Upon hearing Shen Jia's words, Shen Lin seemed to snap back to his senses, but his rage intensified. He released Zhao Liu's neck and slapped Shen Jia across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground again.
Shen Jia's left cheek rapidly swelled, matching the right cheek that had been hit earlier.
"Shameless!" Shen Lin glared at Shen Jia, who was now on the ground, his eyes filled with disgust.
"Keep an eye on him. Don't let him leave this room!" Shen Lin grabbed Zhao Liu and left the room. At the doorway, he instructed the servants.
"Was it you who caused trouble back then?" As soon as they entered the room, Shen Lin tightly gripped Zhao Liu's wrist, as if intending to crush it.
"No, it wasn't," Zhao Liu stammered in panic. He knew that if Shen Lin investigated this matter thoroughly, he would be in dire straits. It was Shen Lin who had gone to great lengths to suppress the news that Madam Shen had been involved with a servant.
Shen Lin cared most about his reputation. If she were to discover that he was the one who had tarnished her name, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"I will find out whether it was you or not. If I discover you were behind it, Zhao Liu, your life is over."
"Go buy some abortion medicine and force it down him. You know what to do." The mere thought of this filled Shen Lin with burning rage, wishing he could strangle Shen Jia.
Fortunately, this matter could still be controlled, and outsiders would not know. As long as Shen Jia's child was secretly aborted, everything would be fine.
"Bang!"
As the door slammed shut, Zhao Liu collapsed onto the ground, still shaken and ashen-faced.
Zhao Liu dared not disobey Shen Lin's orders. Moreover, at this critical juncture, it was uncertain whether Chen Yao would be implicated. Shen Jia's child could not be kept.
Zhao Liu did not dare to entrust this matter to anyone else. He changed his clothes, disguised himself, and personally went to a secluded clinic in town to buy abortion medicine.
Shen Jia, still reeling in her room from the recent events, felt lingering fear. It took her several attempts to finally stand up from the ground.
She was pregnant. Pregnant with Chen Yao's child. But she had taken contraceptive pills every time.
However, this might not be a bad thing. It would give her a chance to marry into the Chen family.
Chen Yao was plump and ungainly, not possessing the beautiful features of Zheng Yu or Lu Yu. While initially being forced to submit to her was out of necessity, after spending some time together, Chen Yao had treated her well.
When she was with Chen Yao, she had never been mistreated, was willing to spend money on her, did not lay hands on her father like her mother did, and even defended her in front of Chen Qi.
Although Chen Yao was promiscuous and lustful, her mother was also like that. Perhaps all women were like this, so these things didn't matter. Now that she was carrying Chen Yao's child, there was a possibility that Chen Yao would marry her, and she would truly marry into a prominent family.
Shen Jia's mind was filled with the anticipation of marrying into the Chen family.
"Jia'er." Zhao Liu pushed open the door, holding a bowl of medicinal soup.
"Father, are you alright?" Shen Jia quickly got out of bed and went to Zhao Liu's side, carefully checking if he had been injured by Shen Lin.
"I'm fine, Father is fine." Zhao Liu stroked Shen Jia's hair and led her to the bed, his eyes full of affection. "Jia'er, drink this."
"What is this?" Shen Jia looked at the bowl of medicine in Zhao Liu's hand, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
"This is... abortion medicine. Your mother asked me to give it to you. Be good, drink it."
"No! I won't drink it!" Upon hearing this, Shen Jia instantly pushed away the hand holding the medicine bowl and tightly gripped Zhao Liu's arm. "Father, go tell Mother that if I carry this child, I might be able to marry into the Chen family. This is our bargaining chip!"
"And... and isn't Mother always wanting me to marry well? Marrying the Deputy Town Magistrate's daughter would be even better!"
"Jia'er, don't get agitated. Listen to your father." Zhao Liu quickly placed the medicine bowl on a nearby table, trying to calm Shen Jia.
"Now that Zhao Ran has revealed all these matters, they will definitely start investigating from the beginning. If the truth is revealed then, Chen Qi's position as Deputy Town Magistrate will be lost. If you marry into their family, you will surely be implicated."
"We cannot take that risk now, and your mother values her reputation above all else; she would never allow you to marry like this." Zhao Liu patted Shen Jia's hand, his voice filled with tenderness. "Jia'er, you should still drink this medicine."
After listening to Zhao Liu, Shen Jia carefully considered his words. What Zhao Liu said made sense.
If Chen Qi's actions were thoroughly investigated, then there would indeed be no need for her to marry Chen Yao. Although Chen Yao treated her well, she was unwilling to suffer with her. It was just a pity for the child in her womb.
Having come to a decision, Shen Jia no longer hesitated. She took the medicine bowl that Zhao Liu offered again and drank it in one gulp.
"My Lord, this is a letter from the county magistrate for you." Wuji, with his swift footwork, returned to the prefectural office in half a day and found Zheng Yu, who was discussing matters with Lu Yu.
Zheng Yu nodded and opened the letter. He had already guessed the contents of the letter, and it was indeed as he suspected. The county magistrate had ordered Zheng Yu to personally oversee the poisoning incident and entrusted him with full responsibility.
If Zhao Ran had escaped unscathed that day, then Chen Qi was certainly doomed. Chen Qi, an official appointed by the court, had poisoned another court official. A further investigation into her past records was necessary.
Zheng Yu sneered. Chen Qi, you cannot escape this time.
At this moment, Chen Qi's side was in chaos. Her subordinates informed her of the situation Zhao Ran had confessed during his interrogation. Before she could make any arrangements, she was already apprehended by Zheng Yu's subordinates, leaving her no room to maneuver.
"That Zhao Ran! How dare he!" Chen Yao was furious, her eyes spitting fire, wishing she could strangle Zhao Ran to death. She couldn't control herself and shouted.
Chen Qi, filled with suppressed rage, was extremely annoyed by Chen Yao's incessant chatter. She casually threw a bamboo slip from the table at Chen Yao, hitting her squarely on the head. Chen Yao immediately fell silent, shrinking to the side, still muttering curses.
Fortunately, all those involved in this matter had already been dealt with, including Ah Er, who had been sold off. The poisoning should not be traceable. As long as this matter was not discovered, there would be no problem.