"Brother, we've met several times, and I still don't know your honorable surname and given name, nor where you reside?"
"I am Wu Cai, my home is the world, and I have no fixed abode. I am fond of righting wrongs, and I enjoy inquiring about matters. I couldn't bear to see you kept in the dark, so I approached you proactively." Wu Caiwei quickly fabricated an identity, whether the other party believed it or not, she would first deflect the question.
Lin Zhanyang was not very intelligent and his mind was not nimble, but he knew that the other party was not telling the truth. Since they didn't want to answer the question, he didn't press, as long as the other party could provide him with useful information.
"Did you bring me any important news this time?" Lin Zhanyang quickly leaned closer, asking curiously.
Wu Caiwei paused in her tea-drinking, set down the cup, beckoned him closer with a flick of her finger, "Haven't you discovered any suspicious points about that Madam Liu?"
"What suspicious points?" Lin Zhanyang looked at her, completely bewildered.
Wu Caiwei was speechless, rolled her eyes, and looked at him as if he were an idiot, "You don't look like a young master from a wealthy family, too naive. Haven't you sent people to your father's hometown to investigate her? As far as I know, she, driven by vanity, found another prospect and kicked your father to the curb. Later, when your father rose in rank, she inexplicably became a widow and came to the capital alone to find your father. Has she not had children in all those years of marriage?"
Seeing that the other person's mouth opened wider with each sentence she spoke, astonishingly so, Wu Caiwei was utterly speechless.
"You're not going to say... that her husband's death is related to her?" Lin Zhanyang's voice unconsciously rose, shattering his worldview, something he couldn't accept.
Wu Caiwei nodded appreciatively. This person wasn't completely beyond saving. She hadn't expected that the cunning Prime Minister and his wife could raise such an innocent child, which was something she hadn't anticipated before interacting with him.
This still foolish child wanted to get to the bottom of it and was curious how she had found out. She made up an excuse and quickly disengaged. Every time she spoke to him, she felt like a wolf luring a lamb, with a deep sense of guilt.
Having received his news, Lin Zhanyang immediately sent people to his father's hometown to quietly investigate.
Because he felt he wasn't smart enough, he also told his mother and his two other brothers about this.
Prime Minister's wife felt regretful. In the past, she didn't want to face the Prime Minister's betrayal, nor did she want to hear about their childhood romance, so she deliberately ignored Madam Liu's past. Now, knowing that there might be something wrong with her, she was filled with regret.
At the same time, she felt that this person named Wu Cai was very suspicious. She didn't believe that anyone in this world would come to tell you some news for no reason. She quietly sent people to keep an eye on her young master, and if they discovered Wu Cai's whereabouts, they were to follow the lead and find out her identity.
Wu Caiwei felt that she had shown herself too much, fearing that she might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives and be exposed. She had been keeping a low profile recently.
Of course, although Prime Minister's wife was very busy, she also made frequent small moves. For example, she tried to bribe some of the shop assistants or shopkeepers in her store. However, because she offered much higher wages than elsewhere, the shopkeepers didn't care about the small bribes offered by others. Not only did the bribery fail, but they also reported the matter to her.
For another example, some shop assistants were bribed and wanted to put something into the goods she sold. However, the store had very strict checks, and they were caught red-handed. Or someone tried to steal her formula, but after stealing it, they found that no matter how they made it, it was wrong.
Various incidents occurred one after another, but without exception, Wu Caiwei temporarily suffered no significant harm.
The Prime Minister's hometown was not far from the capital, and the people sent out returned in ten days.
The mother and three sons looked at the servants who had returned from their investigation with expectant eyes.
This was the first time the servants had been looked at with such eager eyes by their masters, and they felt somewhat flattered.
They started speaking with some hesitation, but after thinking about what their master's outer chamber had done, they spoke with increasing enthusiasm, forgetting their nervousness and fear. The main reason was that the news was too explosive.
Prime Minister's wife felt that she herself was quite ruthless, but compared to that Madam Liu, she was nothing. She was determined to ensure that the woman would never be able to rise again, otherwise, with this woman's wickedness, who knew how she would deal with them, the mother and her four children.
It was also at this time that she learned that this Madam Liu was indeed, as she had said, childhood sweethearts with the master, and they had been betrothed early on.
However, the Liu family was snobbish. They agreed to the betrothal mainly because they saw that the master was studious and had become a Xiucai at a young age.
Not long after the betrothal, the Liu family unexpectedly made a small fortune and moved to the city. They considered themselves city dwellers and looked down on the Lin family. Although the young master of the Lin family was a Xiucai, how many scholars in history remained at the Xiucai level their entire lives without advancing further?
Later, by chance, they got involved with the son of a Juren. The latter's parents disagreed, thinking they were not well-matched. However, their son was willing and insisted on marrying her, so the Juren couple had no choice but to accept.
Because the prefectural city was too far from the countryside, no one knew their background, and even less knew that Madam Liu had been betrothed before. Just as the engagement ceremony was taking place here, a matchmaker appeared at the Lin family's door, speaking very rudely, belittling the Lin family to the dust. The Lin family, unable to bear it, returned the betrothal tokens. Afterwards, the Lin father fell seriously ill and instructed his son to study hard and achieve success.
Madam Liu's marriage was not smooth sailing. Her mother-in-law looked down on her background and made things difficult for her in every way. Her husband always told her to endure.
Even more unfortunate, she gave birth to two daughters in succession, making her life even more difficult. Once, feeling dejected on her way back to her maiden home, she happened to encounter Master Lin, who had returned in his prime. She quickly inquired from passersby about his identity and regretted it immensely.
Especially after returning home and looking at her corpulent husband, and then thinking of the gentle and considerate Master Lin in the past, she couldn't bear to watch a life of wealth slip through her fingers.
She decided to go all out. In the middle of the night, she did something to the horse's feed. The next day, her husband was pulled out of the river and carried home. Sudan Novels.
It turned out that shortly after the carriage he was riding in left the city, for some unknown reason, it suddenly went mad, and the person and the carriage fell into the river. The coachman, who was sitting outside, could swim and was fortunate to escape. By the time he brought people to rescue the young master, he was already dead.
The Juren couple, white-haired sending off their black-haired son, were overcome with grief. They thought their son's death was an accident and couldn't perceive anything amiss for a while.
By the time they became suspicious, Madam Liu had already been involved with Master Liu. They harbored resentment in their hearts but did not dare to confront him due to his power.
When Prime Minister's wife's people approached them this time, they felt it was the best opportunity for revenge and told them everything they knew.