Favoring a concubine and destroying the wife? I'll abandon my husband and children and wipe out

Cheng Nanzhi was so disgusted by his sanctimonious appearance that she almost vomited!

"I know my husband's feelings for me."

Zhao Ye was overjoyed and wanted to take the opportunity to ask Cheng Nanzhi to win over the Prince of Anyang's mansion.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Nanzhi changed her tone: "My husband loves me so much, of course I should think of you too! My husband, rest assured, I will continue to have no dealings with the Prince of Anyang's mansion! I will never allow any outsider to tarnish your reputation!"

Zhao Ye panicked upon hearing this: "I don't care..."

"But I do care."

Cheng Nanzhi looked like she was thinking of him.

“When I married my husband, I was determined to be a good wife to him. Now that you are being considered for a promotion, you need to be careful in everything you do. I know how much you value this opportunity, and I must not hold you back.”

These words left Zhao Ye speechless.

Cheng Nanzhi then said sadly, "Besides, the estrangement over the years has made the Prince's Mansion have no feelings for me anymore. I'm afraid that even if I take the initiative to make amends, the Prince's Mansion will not accept it and will even ridicule my actions back then."

She forced a smile at Zhao Ye, "But it's okay. As long as my husband treats me well, I won't regret it and I'll do anything for him. So my husband mustn't say anything doubtful or probing to upset me."

Zhao Ye could no longer say anything about the Prince of Anyang's residence.

Well, there's no need to rush. We can find a way to get Cheng Nanzhi to agree to return to the Prince of Anyang's residence later.

If all else fails, we'll use Cheng Nanzhi's name to make contact!

The moment Zhao Ye lowered his head in thought, Cheng Nanzhi's eyes flashed with coldness. He'd better see if Zhao Ye agreed before he even considered using her as a stepping stone!

"Husband, don't think about anything else. There's a very important matter right now," she said, trying to distract Zhao Ye.

Zhao Ye immediately looked up, "What?"

"The poetry gathering at Xiangchun Tower is the day after tomorrow. Ze'er will take the opportunity to see Mr. Zhou." Cheng Nanzhi deliberately put on a stern face. "What, my husband hasn't forgotten about Ze'er, has he?"

"How could I forget?" He had been eagerly awaiting it day and night!

"These past few days, whenever I have free time, I've been urging Zege'er to finish his studies. Some time ago, he said he was ready and was just waiting to make a name for himself at the poetry competition!"

Cheng Nanzhi scoffed inwardly. She knew Zhao Shize's true abilities perfectly well. How could he possibly achieve such remarkable success?

Could it be that Zhao Ye wrote the poem himself and then passed it off as Zhao Shize's?

No, Zhao Ye's literary talent wasn't particularly outstanding. After serving as an official for many years, he only focused on forming cliques and currying favor with the powerful, and he had long since forgotten what he had learned from the classics.

Could it be that he secretly paid someone with profound knowledge to write poems for Zhao Shize?

Cheng Nanzhi probed, "My husband is so confident, you must have heard Ze'er compose the poem with your own ears?"

"Not bad!"

They did indeed look for someone!

If he had heard it with his own ears, Zhao Ye would never have said it with such certainty.

Unless Zhao Shize suddenly possesses the literary talent she dreamed of in his later years!

I'll have someone come and test the waters later.

"Then I am relieved. But did my husband make a reservation at Xiangchun Pavilion in advance?"

Zhao Ye replied without hesitation: "Didn't you already decide?"

Cheng Nanzhi exclaimed in surprise, "I don't have any."

"What?!" Zhao Ye was stunned. "Madam, this is no joke! Xiangchun Pavilion is already packed because of the poetry gathering, and now there may not even be any seats available outside! If we don't book a good spot in advance, it will be difficult for Ze-ge'er to even get inside and be seen by Mr. Zhou!"

"How could I possibly joke about such a thing?"

During the annual poetry gathering, seats at Xiangchunlou are exceptionally expensive, with good private rooms costing up to a thousand taels of silver!

Cheng Nanzhi knew the Zhao family hadn't intended to pay this amount, so they naturally assumed she would arrange it. But from the moment she decided to divorce, the Zhao family wouldn't allow her to spend a single penny more!

Zhao Ye jumped up: "You really didn't arrange things properly? You're Ze Ge'er's mother, how could you be so negligent?!"

"What are you saying, my husband? Didn't you tell your mother-in-law the other day that she would manage the household and I wouldn't need to worry about it?"

"How can these two things be confused!"

"Is it wrong for me to be obedient and rest diligently? Or are you just saying that while actually hoping I'll stay busy? Why don't you just say so? Do you think I'd make excuses?!"

"you……"

Zhao Ye had no rebuttal, and his face turned ugly.

Cheng Nanzhi was also annoyed. "Fine, I'll take care of it. I'll take care of it now! Even if it costs tens of thousands of taels, I'll find a good spot for Ze Ge'er at Xiangchun Tower!"

Zhao Ye's pride prevented him from swallowing his pride: "No need, this matter doesn't require your help, Madam!"

Zhao Ye was in a hurry to book a table, so he didn't stay any longer and left in a hurry. He didn't even say goodbye with a friendly face before leaving. Anyone could see that he was angry, but he was just trying to hold it in.

"Miss, I'm afraid the Zhao family doesn't have enough cash to secure a good location right now," Qingdai couldn't help but say, then hesitated.

Cheng Nanzhi knew what she meant and said slowly, "So what? As long as Zhao Ye has any shame, he won't come looking for me. Even if he does, don't worry, your young lady won't be a sucker."

Cheng Nanzhi deliberately delayed making reservations and not reminding anyone.

If the Zhao family wants to reserve a good spot, they'll have to pay at least three times the price!

Qingdai breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since she learned that the two children were Ye Ruyue and Zhao Ye's, she no longer felt the same affection and joy she once had for them. She would be heartbroken if her mistress spent so much money on them for nothing!

That's a huge sum of money, enough for the young lady to take supplements for a long time!

“Qingdai,” Cheng Nanzhi suddenly spoke up, “if the Zhao family can’t raise this money, and they can’t get it from me either, they will definitely think of other ways. Go and do something for me.”

Qingdai, upon hearing this, knew something was up and excitedly moved closer.

Cheng Nanzhi whispered in his ear.

Qingdai's eyes lit up as she listened, and she repeatedly assured him that she would do a good job before rushing out.

Cheng Nanzhi then called Lianruo and asked her to invite Zhao Shize and Zhao Huaiyu to dinner that evening.

Inside Shou'an Hall, Zhao Ye hurriedly asked Old Madam Zhao if she had booked a table at Xiangchun Tower.

Upon learning that there was no such thing, Zhao Ye felt a wave of dizziness.

He was a scholar by birth and knew that ordering now would definitely cost a lot of money!

"Mother, you're in charge of the household, how could you neglect such an important matter!"

"Shouldn't this be Cheng Nanzhi's responsibility?" Old Madam Zhao was puzzled. When Zhao Ye said that Cheng Nanzhi hadn't done it, her expression changed slightly. "What kind of mother is she! This is a big deal for Ze'er, and she doesn't even do it herself?!"

"It's because we said before that she didn't need to manage the household, and she really didn't care at all, she doesn't even bother with this!"

Zhao Ye suppressed his anger, "Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's reserve a table first."

He hurried out, but Xiangchun Restaurant was fully booked. He asked around to see if there was any available for sale, only to find out that it would cost nearly ten thousand taels of silver to find someone willing to buy it!

Upon hearing this, even Madam Zhao felt dizzy.

"Where in our manor do we find that much cash right now!"

"Oh right, find Cheng Nanzhi and ask her to pay! Her dowry is still quite generous!"