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

Thinking of this, a hint of interest flashed in Cheng Nanzhi's eyes.

She spoke up in support, saying, "What my cousin said makes sense. Yu-jie is still young, so there's no need to be too strict. It's not too late to start following the rules after she finds a teacher."

Cheng Nanzhi looked at Zhao Huaiyu.

"Watch it if you want."

"But don't show your face too much. Otherwise, your grandmother will scold you if she finds out."

Zhao Huaiyu asked nervously, "But if Grandmother knew that I had done this, wouldn't she scold me?"

Cheng Nanzhi chuckled: "As long as we don't tell your grandmother, and don't let the news get back to her, how could she scold you if she didn't know? It's rare for you to go out today, so just enjoy the view."

"Thank you, Mother!" Zhao Huaiyu's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned around and lifted the curtain to look outside, marveling at the various strange sights of merchants in Lin.

Seeing that Cheng Nanzhi had already spoken, Yingqiu had no choice but to swallow her words of advice.

As a result, Zhao Huaiyu became more intimate and familiar with Cheng Nanzhi, which made Ye Ruyue feel envious.

She spoke up in defense of her earlier, so why doesn't Sister Yu remember it so well?

This is her daughter, how can she be so biased towards Cheng Nanzhi?!

Ye Ruyue's desire to take her place as soon as possible grew even stronger.

Because of the poetry gathering, Xiangchunlou was packed with people, and Cheng Nanzhi and her party almost couldn't get in. It was only because the waiters of Xiangchunlou recognized their sign as indicating a superior private room that they came to welcome them in personally.

"My lady, look, it's fortunate that I managed to get such a good position, otherwise we would have to squeeze in with all those people outside."

Xiangchun Tower has three floors arranged in a circle around a central open-air hall. Inside the hall is a high platform where poetry gatherings are held. A designated person writes the themes for the poems and hangs them on the platform for everyone to see.

Their private room was located on the right side of the high platform outside. Although it was a bit off-center, they could clearly see the view from the platform without needing any further explanation from the waiters.

Zhao Ye was very pleased with himself.

Even without Cheng Nanzhi, he could still succeed, and do it even better! If it were Cheng Nanzhi, she might not even be able to find a better position than him!

Cheng Nanzhi gave a forced smile, too lazy to reply, and picked up her teacup to take a sip.

Zhao Ye was somewhat displeased that he did not get the reaction he wanted.

Ye Ruyue said with a charming smile, "Cousin is really capable and good at handling things. No wonder my sister-in-law fell in love with him at first sight and insisted on marrying him."

Zhao Ye's expression immediately softened considerably.

Cheng Nanzhi put down her teacup. "Cousin, all you ever talk about is getting married. Are you really that envious of your cousin and me?"

“Of course, my cousin is truly devoted to my sister-in-law and never takes any concubines or maids. Who wouldn’t envy that?” Ye Ruyue said with a hint of jealousy in her eyes.

“That’s easy. I’ll tell my mother-in-law when I get back and find a good marriage for my cousin,” Cheng Nanzhi said.

"no!"

Their expressions changed slightly, and they spoke in unison.

Cheng Nanzhi looked at them in surprise.

Zhao Ye hurriedly said, "Madam, this is a matter of fate. Fate cannot be forced, so let's not worry about it. Besides, Mother loves my cousin and must have already made plans."

Ye Ruyue then said, "Thank you for your kindness, sister-in-law, but I have no interest in marriage. I only want to spend two more years with the old lady and pray for the deceased family members!"

Cheng Nanzhi pretended to understand and said with a smile, "Cousin, since you call me sister-in-law, don't blame me for speaking frankly. Now that you are getting older, if you delay any longer, people may gossip and it will be even more difficult for you to get married, so it's better to make plans as soon as possible."

She then looked at Zhao Ye and said reproachfully, "Husband, you really are something. Yue'er is your cousin, how can you not care about her? Not to mention finding her a high-ranking husband, isn't it easy to find someone who truly loves her? If you're afraid of trouble and just make excuses to your mother-in-law, then don't call Yue'er your cousin anymore."

Both of their faces froze.

Ye Ruyue was furious. Was this an insult, implying that no one wanted her and that she wasn't good enough for a good man?

Zhao Ye gritted his teeth.

Yue'er is his person, how could he possibly push Yue'er to someone else with his own hands!

Finding a husband for Yue'er? Don't even think about it!

However, Cheng Nanzhi acted as if she was doing Ye Ruyue a favor, leaving them no room to argue. Otherwise, wouldn't Cheng Nanzhi find it strange?

“What you say is true, madam. I’ve remembered it,” Zhao Ye said reluctantly. “Let’s not talk about that now. Ze’er’s matter is the most important right now. I don’t think I saw Mr. Zhou when I came in. I don’t know if he’s here or not.”

Cheng Nanzhi then said, "Mr. Zhou is a distinguished guest of the poetry gathering. Husband, you don't need to worry, he will definitely come."

Ye Ruyue couldn't sit there any longer, so she stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, cousin, I've had too much tea. I'd like to go change my clothes and I'll be back in a bit."

Ye Ruyue brought Sanmei with her to Xiangchun Tower. She had instructed Sanmei in advance to find an opportunity to slip away and place bets on her behalf at the casino across the street.

She was going to check if Sanmei had finished her business and returned.

Hmph, let Cheng Nanzhi mock her, she'll definitely make a killing! Anyway, it's money she extorted from Wang Kesheng, so she won't care even if she loses it!

Cheng Nanzhi smiled and added, "Then cousin, remember to bring a curtain, so that too many men don't see your face. Although you can be more casual at the poetry gathering, it's best not to damage your reputation, otherwise it will be even more difficult to find a spouse in the future."

Ye Ruyue was about to lose her composure, and gritted her teeth as she thanked Cheng Nanzhi for reminding her to leave.

Zhao Ye couldn't help but feel uneasy, anxiously watching Ye Ruyue's departing figure, genuinely worried that some outsider might fall in love with Ye Ruyue at first sight and inquire about her, even proposing marriage.

For a moment, only Cheng Nanzhi and Zhao Ye remained in the private room.

When Zhao Shize came in, he saw some familiar faces and couldn't stay still, so he went to play with them. He didn't come back until the poetry gathering started.

Zhao Huaiyu had made close friends in the capital over the years. After asking Cheng Nanzhi and Zhao Ye, he happily went to find them.

Cheng Nanzhi's mind stirred slightly, and she suddenly turned to Zhao Ye: "Husband, I haven't asked you yet, are you quite confident that Ze Ge'er will win the prize?"

"Of course!" Zhao Ye's expression softened considerably when this was mentioned.

"Did you test Zege'er's studies before you had this confidence, my husband?" Cheng Nanzhi probed subtly, hoping to glean some useful information from Zhao Ye's thoughts.

Zhao Ye hadn't asked Zhao Shize about his studies, and thought to himself:

Is that even a question?

With the materials I and... prepared for Ze-ge'er, even if his academic knowledge is terrible, he'll definitely win!

Thankfully,... is here. Today, the other young masters are destined to be nothing more than foils to Ze-ge'er!

Thinking about what Ye Ruyue had given him, Zhao Ye became even more certain and smug.

But he certainly couldn't tell Cheng Nanzhi any of this. He feigned a smile and said, "Don't worry, Madam. Ze'er has been quite diligent these past few years. Even if his literary talent isn't outstanding, he's certainly unmatched among his peers. I believe that if Mr. Zhou saw that Ze'er has such talent at such a young age, he would definitely be tempted to acquire him!"

Cheng Nanzhi indeed heard from his inner thoughts that he was talking to someone about preparing cheating for Zhao Shize!

Strangely enough, she couldn't hear who the person was!

When Zhao Ye thought of that person, his thoughts would suddenly become indistinct, making it impossible for Cheng Nanzhi to hear them!

No matter how hard Ren Chengnan tried to concentrate, it didn't work.

Everything else is crystal clear.