With the unspoken understanding forged over many years of marriage, Wu Caiwei knew exactly what he was about to do. She silently mourned for Master Zhu, hoping he could withstand his son's retribution.
That night, Lord Zhu interrogated the maid in a neglected courtyard. He had a doctor examine the tea in the bowl. He couldn't simply believe Zhu Chenxing's words based on a maid's testimony. He sent people to investigate the source of the medicine. After much searching, the clues abruptly ended, making it seem as if this young maid was the mastermind.
By this time, the maid had been beaten unconscious. He decided to spare her for now; if he continued, she would lose her life before revealing her accomplices.
The next morning, as he prepared to get out of bed and continue questioning the maid, he suddenly found himself unable to move, no matter how hard he tried. He struggled once and ended up completely exhausted.
In that instant, he remembered what his eldest son had said yesterday. Could there truly be someone in the manor plotting against them? He decided to deal with the poison first. Doctors came one after another, saying his and Madam Zhu's symptoms were the same, and they had yet to find a solution.
As time passed, Lord Zhu's heart grew heavier. His wife was a cautionary tale; her condition had not improved at all after so long, and he knew he would soon suffer the same fate.
In reality, it was different. His wife was a woman with no official duties. He, on the other hand, was a fourth-rank official. Though his duties weren't particularly important, it wasn't easy for someone without a powerful backer to reach his current position. Taking a day or two off due to illness was acceptable, but prolonged absence could lead to his position being usurped.
In fact, the Grand Tutor had been plagued by headaches recently. Madam Zhu had offended many families, especially the Huang family, who were constantly probing his attitude. They repeatedly reminded him how little his daughter was valued in the Zhu family and how miserable her life was. He knew they were sowing discord. If he showed even the slightest waver, Lord Zhu's official post would be lost.
To be honest, although he had always defended Lord Zhu, he couldn't help but harbor some resentment in his heart. He hadn't wanted to arrange this marriage initially, but Lord Zhu had invoked past favors, and fearing he would be called ungrateful, he had no choice but to marry his daughter into their family. He hadn't expected her to be treated with such disregard after marrying. He knew such feelings were wrong. If he truly punished the Zhu family as they wished, wouldn't that play right into someone else's hands and their scheme of sowing discord? He tried to ignore the unpleasant feelings and focus on Lord Zhu's good qualities. Sudancn.com
Without Lord Zhu and Madam Zhu's constraints, the manor's residents felt much freer in their actions. Meanwhile, Zhu Chenxing spread the word that he intended to immerse himself in his studies, aiming to achieve success in the imperial examinations three years later.
Initially, Liu Zhiyi dismissed it as a joke, believing he couldn't possibly stay away from that vixen. To her surprise, five days passed, and he genuinely didn't step out of his study.
Liu Zhiyi felt something was amiss and quickly sent people to investigate. The result was that Li Wenwen had suddenly contracted a contagious disease a few days prior. Zhu Chenxing had sent people to move her to a remote, sparsely populated rural village to recuperate. When asked about the location of the estate, not a single person knew.
Liu Zhiyi had a strong intuition that something was wrong. If Li Wenwen were truly ill, given his personality, he wouldn't be able to sit still. Suddenly, a bold guess formed in her mind.
She was a person who acted on her impulses. Since she had a suspicion, she couldn't wait to verify it, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sleep.
Liu Pengyuan, who doted on his sister, did not break off this engagement because he knew his sister's temperament. Most prominent families couldn't tolerate her, and only by finding a family with a much lower standing than the Grand Tutor's mansion could she truly have her way.
Although Zhu Chenxing had someone else in his heart, Liu Zhiyi, as her brother had anticipated, truly ruled the roost in the Zhu family. The servants guarding the entrance to Zhu Chenxing's study couldn't help but inwardly lament when they saw her approaching in a hurry with her entourage.
"You intend to stop me? Believe me, even if your master were here, he would speak courteously. What are you, a mere servant?" As Liu Zhiyi reached the study door, a servant with a distressed face stepped forward to block her, and she couldn't help but taunt him.
"But... but the young master specifically instructed that if we let you in, we would be sold off. Please have pity on us, Second Young Madam, and don't make things difficult for us." The servants' voices were somewhat choked as they spoke. Everyone knew that the most troublesome person in the Zhu family was the Second Young Madam. If they offended her today, even if they weren't sold off by the Second Young Master, they wouldn't fare well.
"If you offend your young master, you'll be sold off afterward. If you offend me, not only will you be sold off, but you'll also be beaten half to death by my people. Are you sure you want to offend me?" Liu Zhiyi took a step forward, smiling at him.
The servant's back tingled. No matter how he looked at it, the Second Young Madam's smile seemed sinister, and he didn't doubt the truth of her words at all, given her family's power. The servant could only slowly move aside, close his eyes, and resign himself to fate.
Initially, Liu Zhiyi was somewhat uncertain. The obstruction by so many servants at the door only strengthened her guess. Leading her servants, she quietly approached the main house door and, with all her might, kicked it open.
Zhu Chenxing, who was painting in the room, was startled and his hand trembled, causing a large ink spot to drip onto the painting. Without taking the time to lament, he stepped forward to shield Li Wenwen, but it was too late. Liu Zhiyi had already seen everything.
Liu Zhiyi circled them a few times, then laughed in exasperation, "You're a fine one, Zhu Chenxing. I was wondering why you suddenly changed your ways. So you were keeping a mistress!"
"I... I'll send her away right now. Don't be angry." Seeing her act so out of character, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease and didn't want to confront her. Zhu Chenxing quickly pulled Li Wenwen towards the exit.
"Stop them."
Liu Zhiyi gave an order, and immediately a servant blocked Li Wenwen's path. Li Wenwen quickly turned her head, looking at Zhu Chenxing with some trepidation.
"What does this mean?"
"What does it mean? Zhu Chenxing, do you think challenging my bottom line once or twice and then apologizing will make everything okay? Let me tell you, I, Liu Zhiyi, also have a temper. I've tolerated it repeatedly only because I like you. Now, I don't want to tolerate it anymore." As she spoke, tears began to fall, as if releasing all the grievances she had endured over the past few days.
Seeing her like this, Zhu Chenxing sensed danger approaching and once again stood in front of Li Wenwen.
His action completely enraged Liu Zhiyi. "Come on, beat them soundly! Let this scumbag and this bitch know the consequences of offending me, Liu Zhiyi."
This time, the people she brought were all from her dowry. They had long been indignant about Zhu Chenxing's attitude towards their mistress. Since she had given the order, they immediately rolled up their sleeves and charged at him.
Seeing that she was serious, Zhu Chenxing immediately cowered. "I know I was wrong. I won't do it again. Give me another chance."
Unfortunately, the fists that landed on him did not stop. This time, Liu Zhiyi was determined to teach him a lesson.