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

Zhao Shize and Zhao Huaiyu were unaware that Ye Ruyue had stolen money.

After Zhao Shize was formally accepted as Zhou Xiangru's disciple, Zhao Ye kept him under strict supervision to study. Zhao Ye was still worried that Zhou Xiangru might turn against Zhao Shize if he discovered that Zhao Shize wasn't the person he thought he was, which would be a huge disgrace to the Zhao family.

Having been warned of the risks involved, Zhao Shize, no matter how unwilling he was to study, obeyed.

When Zhao Huaiyu heard that Zhao Shize was studying hard in his own courtyard and was unwilling to fall behind, he also stayed in his room to study instead of going out.

However, Zhao Shize was not one to stay still, and soon he was playing around with the servants in the courtyard.

Suddenly, a servant stepped forward and boldly said he knew how to gamble, asking Zhao Shize if he wanted to play a few rounds.

Zhao Shize had never played it before, but he agreed with great enthusiasm.

The old woman Zhao, who was taking care of him, felt it was inappropriate and tried to persuade Zhao Shize. Zhao Shize was not the type to listen to others, and immediately glared fiercely at the old woman Zhao.

Knowing that neither Zhao Ye nor Madam Zhao would allow him to play, Zhao Shize even asked Zhao Mama not to tell anyone.

The servants deliberately let Zhao Shize win, so he got a taste of victory and was overjoyed.

Just then, a young maidservant rushed in and whispered to Granny Zhao.

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao gasped in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Shize was in a good mood and spoke in a gentle and kind tone.

Granny Zhao then told Zhao Shize about what she had heard about Ye Ruyue stealing money.

Zhao Shize's first reaction was disbelief: "How could this be? Aunt Ye has been so good to me, how could she do something so detrimental to me?"

Granny Zhao was unaware that Zhao Shize and Ye Ruyue were actually quite close. Normally, to be on the safe side, even when Zhao Ye and Ye Ruyue brought their child to enjoy family time, they wouldn't have any servants accompany them. They had kept it a secret until now.

“Why not?” Granny Zhao, thinking of Zhao Shize’s best interests, explained to him in detail: “Miss Zhao and Madam do seem to have some conflicts. A woman’s jealousy is terrifying; she’s capable of anything. You’re not her biological child. How could an orphan girl who just arrived here care about you?”

"Young Master, that Miss Cousin dared to do such a thing, so she's clearly not a good person. You must not get close to her, lest you be led astray by her. If you get close to her, Madam probably won't be happy either. If Madam doesn't plan things for you, your future will be affected."

Zhao Shize replied, "Aunt Ye couldn't possibly be that kind of person!"

Zhao Shize was furious that Ye Ruyue had interfered with his important affairs, and he couldn't stand it any longer. He wanted to go to Ye Ruyue to question her.

Granny Zhao tried to stop him, but he was too stubborn.

When they arrived at a remote location, the guards, because Ye Ruyue was to be punished by being confined to her room to reflect on her mistakes, did not allow anyone to enter. However, since Zhao Shize was the pampered young master of the mansion, they turned a blind eye and let Zhao Shize in without allowing anyone else to follow.

"Aunt Ye, did you really steal money? Didn't you think about how it would affect me if Mother had less money and couldn't hold the apprenticeship banquet properly?!"

Zhao Shize likes Ye Ruyue, but he can't put on a nice face when it comes to things related to himself.

Ye Ruyue had just finished a long day and was about to rest when she unexpectedly saw him. Before she could even feel surprised and happy, she heard Zhao Shize's words.

"How could that be? Don't you know how Aunt Ye treats you, Ze-ge? Aunt Ye wishes you were the best."

Ye Ruyue had a sudden inspiration. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to sow discord between Zhao Shize and Cheng Nanzhi, mother and son?

She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and said sadly, "Aunt Ye, if you treat me like one of your own, I won't lie to you. Aunt Ye never stole Cheng Nanzhi's money. I have no grudge against her, so why would I do that? Actually, she lost the money due to her own carelessness and made me take the blame for her. She just bullies me, an orphan with no background or support in the mansion."

"Really?" Zhao Shize hesitated. "Then I'll go ask my mother..."

"No! If you go to her, she'll think I'm deliberately instigating you and will resent me even more. Ze-ge'er, just for Aunt Ye's sake, don't go."

Ye Ruyue changed the subject: "If you don't believe me, go and find out if there's a lack of witnesses and evidence, and whether I was forced to take the blame because my maid accidentally confessed in public. Cheng Nanzhi used torture to intimidate people like that; even if she didn't do it, she's done it!"

Zhao Shize didn't believe Cheng Nanzhi was that kind of person either, but what Ye Ruyue said made sense. If she was lying, he could easily find out by investigating, so why lie?

So what Aunt Ye said is true?

Zhao Shize found it unbelievable.

Ye Ruyue also left it at that, beckoning Zhao Shize over and softly asking him what he had been doing lately, giving him some time to calm down.

Ye Ruyue used to often take Zhao Shize out to play, and Zhao Shize replied without hesitation, "Gambling with servants is quite fun."

"What?! You actually gamble?!" Ye Ruyue's expression immediately changed. "That's a bad habit! How could you learn that? You're not allowed to gamble anymore!"

"Why should I?" Zhao Shize didn't expect Ye Ruyue to object.

"You're about to start studying with Zhou Xiangru, so you should focus on your studies and work hard to prepare for the imperial examinations. Gambling is such a waste of time and will only ruin you! Who is the servant who taught you to gamble? He dares to corrupt you and must be beaten to death!" Ye Ruyue said angrily.

Zhao Shize's rebellious spirit flared up, and he pushed Ye Ruyue away, saying, "I only gambled a few times, is it really necessary? I don't have much fun to begin with, and to cut that off is too much!"

"None of you care whether I'm working hard or happy; you just keep telling me to study. Since you like nagging so much, why don't you go and study yourselves? What are you doing watching me?"

"My mother is the best; she would never treat me like this!"

When Ye Ruyue heard Zhao Shize think that she was inferior to Cheng Nanzhi, her suppressed anger suddenly flared up.

"You actually think I'm not as good to you as Cheng Nanzhi! Did all the things I did for you in the past go to waste?"

“That’s because you wanted to please my father, so you tried to get close to him through me,” Zhao Shize blurted out.

Ye Ruyue's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Zhao Shize regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, but he was too embarrassed to admit his mistake, so he muttered something like "It was true" and turned to run away.

Ye Ruyue stood there for a long time, almost furious, and with red eyes, she slammed the things on the table to the ground.

Spring Rain rushed in from outside to ask what was wrong.

Ye Ruyue took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down and said that everything was fine, and told her to leave.

Recalling Zhao Shize's words, Ye Ruyue gritted her teeth, her hatred growing stronger.

It must have been Cheng Nanzhi who taught her son those things.

Cheng Nanzhi's delusion that she could actually take her son and make him disown his biological mother and only recognize her is a pipe dream!

Once this period is over, she will definitely take her revenge!