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

At this moment, in Shou'an Hall, Lianruo was indeed causing trouble for Zhao Ye and Old Madam Zhao.

After returning to Shou'an Hall, Old Madam Zhao instructed Zhang Mama to take Ye Ruyue back to the side courtyard and lock her up. Under Lian Ruo's watchful eye, she had no choice but to have people start taking stock of the items that had been bestowed last time.

The items from that time were divided equally between Old Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye, and Zhao Ye also had to send someone back to fetch the items from the storeroom.

But only a small portion of them remained.

Pian Lianruo kept urging them on, seemingly oblivious to their expressions, and sincerely offered to help them count the booklet of rewards.

The booklet still exists, but it's impossible to take it out.

If they actually bring it out, wouldn't that expose just how much they've misused? Even if revealing such a large quantity doesn't necessarily mean anything, where will they put their faces?

Madam Zhao was reluctant to return everything, so she wanted Lianruo to leave first, and that she would have someone clean it up and send it to Guantang Courtyard.

Madam Zhao made up her mind; she wanted to keep the most valuable items.

Zhao Ye is the same.

No matter what Lianruo said, she wouldn't leave, insisting that she was under orders and couldn't slack off, and righteously told them she wanted to give her a beating!

Finally, when all else failed, Zhao Ye said that the booklet had been lost for too long, but someone might remember the items that had been bestowed and could describe them verbally.

When Zhang Mama returned, she quickly went forward and called out each person's name.

When you meet Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao's blood-stained gazes, avoid giving away items they don't want to give away.

In the end, there were only a dozen or so items, and they were all ordinary and unremarkable.

"Is that all? Why is it a different quantity than the Floating Light Brocade?" Lian Ruo asked in confusion.

Madam Zhao mumbled, "It was precisely because these things weren't outstanding that the imperial family added the shimmering brocade to show their imperial favor."

Lianruo seemed to believe it.

Just as Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they heard her say, "My lord and Madam, I think those few items are quite nice; Madam will surely like them. Today, my Madam suffered so much resentment because of Miss Zhao; it was truly unjust. Don't you think so?"

The item she was referring to was, coincidentally, the precious item that Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao had kept from the rewards and refused to give away.

The two almost choked on their breath, but they couldn't very well object to Lian Ruo's words. Their faces turned pale, and finally they reluctantly nodded.

"I knew that you and the old lady were the best to my lady." Lianruo bowed and called out to the servants to move the things away quietly.

As soon as they left, Madam Zhao angrily threw down the teacups and snacks on the table, smashing them to the ground and leaving a mess.

"It's all that woman Ye Ruyue's fault!"

"Why is she being so restless and deliberately targeting Cheng Nanzhi, trying to trip her up? And she's even meddling in her own son's important affairs!"

"If you're going to trip her up, why steal money, and so much of it at that?! After stealing the money, you swagger off to Jinxiu Pavilion to buy jewelry. Are you complaining that we're not good enough to her? Do you look down on the jewelry I gave her? Are you really that petty and narrow-minded?!"

"Zhang Mama, bring her here!"

Old Madam Zhao slammed her hand on the table, and Granny Zhang immediately left.

Zhao Ye also felt very uncomfortable.

If Ye Ruyue hadn't caused that mess, they wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses!

But seeing that Old Madam Zhao was furious and wanted to pursue the matter, Zhao Ye couldn't bear to do it and spoke up for Ye Ruyue, saying, "Mother, Yue'er was indeed wronged. It's normal for her to make a mistake in a moment of carelessness."

"Shut up! I haven't even said anything to you yet! You wouldn't give this to me, your mother, but you'd give it to her?!" Old Madam Zhao berated him, grabbing whatever was left and throwing it at Zhao Ye.

Zhao Ye fell silent.

Ye Ruyue arrived quickly and knelt down immediately, saying, "Madam, please understand, Yue'er didn't mean it. It's just that Cheng Nanzhi is always in front of me, and her maidservants openly and secretly mock me and look down on me, so I was bewitched and did something wrong."

She cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"Besides, Zege'er is my own son. I love him no less than you do, Madam. You know that. How could I do anything to harm him? Actually, I regretted it after I did it and wanted to put the money back as soon as possible, but before I could, Cheng Nanzhi found out."

"As for the headdress..."

Ye Ruyue gritted her teeth and said, "Actually, I wanted to buy it as a gift for you!"

The old lady Zhao's anger was somewhat extinguished by this series of words, and she was stunned when she heard the last one.

"Give me?"

Zhao Ye also looked on in surprise.

Ye Ruyue choked up and said, "Yes, if you don't believe me, you can ask my maid Sanmei. She knows. On the way back, I was thinking that you would be happy to see me. Just seeing your smile makes it all worthwhile! You've seen how filial I've been to you all these years!"

Hmph, Sanmei is her person, so she will definitely speak on her side. This argument is convincing, and she is not afraid of Old Madam Zhao investigating further.

Madam Zhao was immediately moved when she recalled how well-behaved and obedient Ye Ruyue had been over the past few years.

Ye Ruyue looked up at Old Madam Zhao with teary eyes and said, "Besides, you've seen how luxurious that set of jewelry is. Do you think Yue'er is worthy of it? Of course, only you, Old Madam, can bring out its elegance and make it look valuable when worn by you."

These few words of praise softened Madam Zhao's expression considerably.

Ye Ruyue added fuel to the fire, saying, "Actually, Yue'er didn't want to spend that money. She wanted Cheng Nanzhi to hurry up and then put the money back. But Yue'er heard that Cheng Nanzhi didn't even buy you a set of jewelry, completely disregarding you as her mother-in-law!"

"Isn't her meaning obvious? She just wants you to ask first before giving it to you like a handout. Yue'er couldn't bear to see you lose your dignity with her as your daughter-in-law, so she thought that she could buy it for you without her, and that's why she got that set."

If the previous words only softened Madam Zhao's heart, these words really struck a chord with her!

Madam Zhao was already unhappy that Cheng Nanzhi had forgotten about her this time!

Her face immediately darkened. "Cheng Nanzhi has gone too far this time. Her trip to the estate has only made things worse."

Looking at Ye Ruyue, he said, "Good child, I misunderstood you. Get up."

Ye Ruyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, swallowed hard, and pushed herself up.

Seeing her pale face, Zhao Ye felt extremely distressed and quickly went to help her up.

He believed Ye Ruyue's words and scolded her, "Why didn't you say so earlier that you were so filial to your mother? I thought you wanted to buy the Cheng Nanzhi herself, which is why you asked me for so much money. I was angry with you because of that. It was my fault."

These words reminded Madam Zhao of what she cared about most—that her own son actually cared more about Ye Ruyue than about her!

Madam Zhao's eyes turned cold.

Ye Ruyue realized it instantly and broke out in a cold sweat in panic.

But she reacted quickly, saying aggrievedly, "I really wanted to put Cheng Nanzhi in a better position. How could I be content to see myself as inferior to her? She has already taken so many things from me, and I don't want to be inferior to her in this aspect as well. That's why I threw a tantrum at you for the first time, Ye Lang, wanting some money."

"But I care more about the old lady and just want to pick out a decent and nice set of jewelry for her first. But that set of jewelry is too expensive. If I buy some, I won't have any money left. I can't use the money I gave up for the banquet for Ze Ge'er, so I gave up and came back without buying anything for myself."

As Ye Ruyue spoke, she went to Old Madam Zhao's side and gently massaged her shoulders with just the right amount of force, saying ingratiatingly, "But it doesn't matter. As long as you are well, Old Madam, I'm willing to do anything. I also think that the few pieces you gave me are excellent. Even the jewelry in Jinxiu Pavilion can't compare to them, because they are your care for me."

Madam Zhao was delighted by these words and stopped caring about it.

So be it. She is the woman who will carry on the Zhao family line. Let Ye'er love her as much as he wants. Does he really think he can surpass her?

Moreover, Ye Ruyue's filial piety towards her is evident.

Madam Zhao's tone softened, "I understand your good intentions. Well then, I'm sorry to have troubled you today, but I'll have Zhang Mama pick out a few of your best pieces and send them to you later. You're so young, you should wear something nice and valuable."

Ye Ruyue was overjoyed.

At least there's something of value, so it's not a huge loss!

Madam Zhao waved her hand, "Alright, that's enough for now. Go back and rest. Don't leave the courtyard again, so Cheng Nanzhi won't object."

Ye Ruyue should comply.

This result is much better than I initially expected.

Taking the opportunity, Zhao Ye offered to take Ye Ruyue back.

Madam Zhao didn't want to agree, but Ye Ruyue coaxed her so much that she turned a blind eye.

Back in her room, Ye Ruyue immediately complained to Zhao Ye, blaming Cheng Nanzhi.

Zhao Ye was also dissatisfied with Cheng Nanzhi, and echoed her words for a few moments before asking what he was still bothered by: "Yue'er, tell me the truth, was that money really stolen? I keep thinking about it and it's still strange. There are quite a few loopholes in this matter."

"For example, Cheng Nanzhi's storeroom must have been watched by many people. Your maid bribed only an ordinary maid. How could she have gotten in and stolen anything?"

Zhao Ye couldn't accept it; how could his gentle and kind Yue'er do such a thing?

Ye Ruyue's heart skipped a beat.

At this point, it doesn't matter whether there were any oversights or not. What matters is that she can't let Zhao Ye find out where her money actually came from, so she has no choice but to accept the accusation of theft.

"I did it. I just couldn't bear to see you and Cheng Nanzhi being so loving. Am I supposed to keep giving you to her?" Ye Ruyue said sadly, her eyes brimming with tears.

Zhao Yeguo's attention was diverted, and he repeatedly assured her that he had not touched Cheng Nanzhi at all, and that he believed Ye Ruyue had done that because she cared about him. This deeply moved him; his Yue'er truly loved him too much.

Seeing that she had gotten away with it, Ye Ruyue finally felt completely relieved.