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

These words caused an uproar throughout the courtyard.

Sanmei glanced at Ye Ruyue secretly, then lowered her head, pretending not to know anything.

Cheng Nanzhi exclaimed in astonishment, "Cousin, it's actually you? Why?"

Ye Ruyue tried to calm herself down: "Ever since I entered the manor, everyone has compared me to you, saying that I am not as good as you. You have also embarrassed me time and time again, and your maids have also mocked my humble origins!"

"So I want to trip you up, and show others that you're not as amazing as they say by making you fail at the apprenticeship banquet. Is that not allowed?"

Cheng Nanzhi said, "But you misunderstood. Your sister-in-law didn't mean to look down on you. The people around me made a mistake unintentionally. I even reprimanded you on the spot."

"That doesn't change the fact that's what they think!" Ye Ruyue's anger flared as she spoke. She was fed up with being looked down upon and having to please others.

Cheng Nanzhi seemed to have been hit hard, and slumped down, saying with great distress, "Just because of this, you're going to ruin Ze'er's apprenticeship banquet? Cousin, if you really have a grudge, just tell me directly. Why take it out on my Ze'er?"

She looked at Zhao Ye and Old Madam Zhao with tears in her eyes.

"Husband, mother-in-law, what do you think we should do? My cousin is a guest, and it's really difficult for me to handle. I'll do whatever you say."

Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao were both stunned. Reason made them believe what Ye Ruyue had done. She did have a reason to target Cheng Nanzhi, but it was still hard to accept that she had done something that was detrimental to Zhao Shize!

Upon seeing her beloved grandson's interests, Old Madam Zhao flew into a rage, saying, "I truly misjudged you! Guards, lock her up and punish her..."

Zhao Ye was reluctant to see Ye Ruyue punished: "Mother, my cousin knows she was wrong. Since she has already gotten the money back, there's no need to be too upset. It would hurt her feelings. She finally came to you for help."

He winked at Ye Ruyue.

Ye Ruyue is flexible and adaptable; her tears come easily.

"Aunt, Yue'er knows she was wrong! Yue'er was just momentarily blinded by greed and did such a terrible thing. She will never do it again! You know what kind of person Yue'er is, so please give Yue'er another chance. Yue'er truly loves Ze'er!"

Madam Zhao, however, refused to let it go. She was genuinely angry that her son cared more about Ye Ruyue than about her.

However, Zhao Ye reached out and grabbed Old Madam Zhao, insisting that there was no need for punishment.

Old Madam Zhao glared at him and had no choice but to say, "Go back to your residence and reflect on your mistakes for a month!"

"That's it? Madam, our lady has been busy for a long time preparing for the young master's apprenticeship banquet. She almost lost all her efforts and was misunderstood and slandered by Miss Biao. Is the only punishment Miss Biao is to be confined to her room to reflect on her mistakes?" Lianruo spoke up for Cheng Nanzhi.

Cheng Nanzhi leaned back and remained silent.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Madam Zhao gritted her teeth and said, "Hasn't the money been recovered? You keep those several thousand taels, Nanzhi. As for that set of jewelry, you can do whatever you want with it. I'll take another thousand taels from my private treasury to make up the difference. Now it won't interfere with the preparations for the apprenticeship banquet."

Ye Ruyue suddenly looked up.

Give all her things to Cheng Nanzhi? In the end, she won't get a single penny? How can that be!

Ye Ruyue was unwilling, but in the tense atmosphere, she dared not say anything more, lest she cause an accident.

She shut her mouth, her face pale, feeling as if she had swallowed a fly.

"Nanzhi, Yue'er is your cousin after all. This was caused by a misunderstanding, so let's just let it go," Zhao Ye said impatiently, afraid that Cheng Nanzhi wouldn't let go.

Cheng Nanzhi glanced at them and sighed softly, "Alright then."

Several people breathed a sigh of relief.

“However—” Cheng Nanzhi suddenly spoke again.

Their hearts jumped again.

Cheng Nanzhi slightly raised her chin, pointing to the boxes of things. "Those originally belonged to my daughter-in-law. She didn't know before that her mother-in-law had given them to my cousin on her behalf. Of course, I wouldn't mind giving them to my cousin. But now, mother-in-law, what do you think we should do?"

Would it be appropriate to give those things to Ye Ruyue and have them moved back to her side courtyard?

Cheng Nanzhi looked at Zhao Ye and the others with a calm and unhurried demeanor.

Ye Ruyue stared intently at the boxes of things.

That was clearly given to her by Zhao Ye, how did it become Cheng Nanzhi's?!

Is it not enough for her to lose so much money? Does she have to lose everything else too?!

Ye Ruyue looked at Zhao Ye with resentment.

Zhao Ye had never said that those things belonged to Cheng Nanzhi before, but now that Ye Ruyue was looking at him, he felt embarrassed, turned his head away and did not say anything.

Old Madam Zhao was also very angry when she saw those things. Seeing that Zhao Ye remained silent, she suppressed her heartache and said, "Yue'er is sorry for you. Of course, there's no need to give them to him or her anymore. Nanzhi, you can keep them for yourself."

It's all my son's fault for being bewitched by Ye Ruyue!

If the son hadn't given them to Ye Ruyue, then those things wouldn't have needed to be returned to Cheng Nanzhi, and they could continue using them!

"I will respectfully obey my mother-in-law's words," Cheng Nanzhi said with a slight smile.

Ye Ruyue collapsed to the ground, her eyes still fixed on the boxes of things, unable to look away, and growing more and more annoyed with Cheng Nanzhi.

Zhao Ye felt that the matter should end there. He stood up with a stern face, "Madam, I have official business to attend to, so I will return now..."

“Husband, what’s the rush? There’s still a very important matter to resolve,” Cheng Nanzhi said.

"What else?" Zhao Ye asked impatiently.

Cheng Nanzhi's voice was slightly cold as she spoke, enunciating each word clearly: "What's the deal with those bolts of shimmering brocade? Why did these shimmering brocades, which should have been tribute items, end up with my cousin?"

Ye Ruyue immediately looked at her: "You want to take them with you too? No way!"

She already has so little left, she can't lose the Radiant Brocade too! With the Radiant Brocade as her clothes, at least she won't look too shabby at the apprenticeship banquet!

"That's not yours, that's..."

Zhao Ye had a bad feeling.

Cheng Nanzhi mustn't know that it was a gift from him!

"It was given to my cousin by Mother! It was something from Mother's storeroom!"

he blurted out.

"what?"

Cheng Nanzhi and Madam Zhao spoke in unison.

However, Cheng Nanzhi was surprised, while Old Madam Zhao was dumbfounded and caught off guard.

Ye Ruyue was stunned. Then, thinking of a certain possibility, her face instantly turned extremely ugly.

If the shimmering brocade belonged to Zhao Ye, why did he say it was something from Old Madam Zhao's storeroom? He could have simply said it was his own, but Old Madam Zhao felt sorry for her and asked him for it to make clothes for her.

He didn't say that Fu Guangjin was very likely Cheng Nanzhi's!

Suddenly, some things belonged to Cheng Nanzhi, and Ye Ruyue found it hard to accept this huge difference.

“But my mother-in-law said she didn’t know,” Cheng Nanzhi said slowly.

Zhao Ye forced himself to remain calm and said, "She originally had some 'Floating Light Brocade' in her storeroom. When she saw my cousin coming here all alone, she felt sorry for her and gave her the 'Floating Light Brocade' as a reward. This happened several days ago. My mother is old and busy managing the household, so she forgot about it."

Madam Zhao's hands trembled with anger. She took a deep breath and said, "Yes, that's right. Mother thought about it carefully, and there really is something going on."

"Then where did the shimmering brocade that my mother-in-law wore come from? Was it a gift from the imperial family?" Cheng Nanzhi asked again, pointing out the question they most wanted to avoid.

Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao's expressions stiffened.

I wanted to say yes, but there was only so much of the shimmering brocade among the tribute items, and it would be easy to find out. It wouldn't be good if Cheng Nanzhi investigated further and confirmed it.

Moreover, Cheng Nanzhi has now returned to the capital, and the imperial family will find out sooner or later. If one day Cheng Nanzhi is asked about it by the imperial family, she will inevitably have to enter the palace...

They simply couldn't bear to think about the consequences.

Madam Zhao was truly at a loss for what to do. She looked at Zhao Ye and winked, asking him to come up with a solution.

Zhao Ye squeezed his eyes shut and said, "Madam, you've misunderstood. It was actually a gift from the imperial family to you not long ago. But you weren't home at the time, and it wasn't convenient to give it to you directly, so Mother put it in the storeroom first. As time went by, Mother couldn't quite remember it, and when my cousin came over, she just gave it to her."

He looked at Cheng Nanzhi: "You, as her sister-in-law, wouldn't be so petty as to fuss over something like this, would you?"

Cheng Nanzhi thought to herself that she had really underestimated Zhao Ye's shamelessness.

They pushed everything onto Old Madam Zhao, and ironically, their excuses left no room for criticism.

But how could she possibly go along with it?

Cheng Nanzhi generously said, "So that's how it is. It's good that it's not of dubious origin. However, the imperial family bestowed this upon me, but gave it to my cousin... I don't mean to look down on my cousin, but it's hard to say that the imperial family might be dissatisfied. I'll keep these bolts of shimmering brocade with me. I'll take some time to make some clothes to express my gratitude."

"Husband, don't you think so?"