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

the other side.

"What did you say? Mr. Wen really left the inn?" In the Guantang Courtyard of the Zhao Mansion, Cheng Nanzhi asked in surprise after hearing the news from Chen Wang.

Cheng Nanzhi was always worried about Wen Chengnan, fearing that he would eventually end up taking Zhao Shize as his disciple, just like in her dream.

So she asked Chen Wang to have someone keep an eye on the inn where Zhou Xiangru and Wen Chengnan were staying, with a focus on Wen Chengnan's movements.

If there is even the slightest possibility that Wen Chengnan might reconnect with Zhao Shize and become his apprentice, she must nip it in the bud.

She never expected to hear that Wen Chengnan had left. She had thought he would stay for the banquet.

“I saw it clearly. Mr. Wen did indeed leave in a carriage, and Mr. Zhou personally saw him off. I heard that Mr. Zhou went to see Mr. Wen last night and, seeing that Mr. Wen had important business to attend to, advised him to return to Lanshan Academy as soon as possible, and Mr. Wen agreed,” Chen Wang explained.

Cheng Nanzhi understood instantly.

Zhou Xiangru was probably afraid that Wen Chengnan would try to take his disciple away, which is why he was in a hurry to let Wen Chengnan leave.

That's good, it relieved her worries.

"You did a good job, you may leave." Cheng Nanzhi glanced at Qingdai.

Qingdai stepped forward and gave Chen Wang some reward money.

Chen Wangxing kowtowed in gratitude for the reward and left.

"Qingdai, take my token and leave the mansion later," Cheng Nanzhi said.

Qingdai nodded knowingly.

Cheng Nanzhi also had to check the details of the banquet, which kept her busy until the afternoon. She only had time to eat a few bites of lunch before she had no time to eat any more.

After confirming that everything was in order, Cheng Nanzhi specially brought many maids and account books to Shou'an Hall, where she explained her arrangements to Old Madam Zhao in front of everyone.

Madam Zhao listened with great satisfaction.

"You've done a good job organizing this banquet; it's befitting Zege'er's status. Tomorrow, it's up to you. With so many distinguished guests coming, the manor will be incredibly busy. Nanzhi, you must arrange the staff in advance to ensure everything runs smoothly and without any mishaps that would make you a laughingstock."

Having lived in Beijing for so many years, Madam Zhao now speaks fluent and sophisticated manners.

Cheng Nanzhi smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Mother-in-law, I understand."

She was more eager than anyone else for this apprenticeship banquet to be grand and impressive.

After all, the more attention-grabbing the beginning, the more exciting the subsequent scenes will be.

So how could she allow the banquet to go wrong?

I had just returned from Shou'an Hall when Zhao Ye came to Guantang Courtyard, also asking about the banquet.

Cheng Nanzhi patiently repeated the story to him, subtly emphasizing how important this banquet was, noting that the wives of several high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks had confirmed their attendance, as well as families from marquis and earl families.

Zhao Ye's eyes lit up as he listened; this was an excellent opportunity for him to build connections.

If he can use this banquet to build good relationships with some people, he won't have to worry about his future career.

"By the way, my husband, will the Third Prince come?" Cheng Nanzhi asked casually. "Ze-ge'er's banquet is certainly not worthy of the Emperor's attention, but you are the Third Prince's right-hand man. He will send someone to show how much he values ​​you, right?"

Zhao Ye said absentmindedly, "The Third Prince is of noble status. It is already rare enough that he can send a servant to deliver a gift to express his congratulations. How could he possibly send someone to appear at the banquet in person?"

"Besides, not many people know about my relationship with the Third Prince. So the Third Prince can't possibly send someone to bestow honors upon me."

Zhao Ye is right. Very few people in the court know that Zhao Ye has sided with the Third Prince. In the eyes of those officials, Zhao Ye, like the Cheng family, is loyal only to the Emperor and never forms cliques or engages in personal gain.

Zhao Ye usually pays great attention to his image and rarely gets close to anyone, keeping it a secret from almost all the officials.

In fact, Cheng Nanzhi was unaware of this either.

But three years ago, during the autumn hunt, Cheng Nanzhi woke up from her injuries and learned something—Zhao Ye had never allowed anyone to visit her while she was unconscious, not even those sent by the imperial family to show concern, whom he had cleverly stopped under various pretexts.

The imperial family was unaware of the extent of her injuries.

However, when Zhao Ye reported the injury, he deliberately exaggerated the severity of her injury, tearfully saying that she was on the verge of death and so weak that she only had one breath left.

This enraged the imperial family.

She was the youngest daughter of the Cheng family, and the only Cheng family member held hostage in the capital. The Tian family worried that if something happened to her, it would not only break her parents' hearts, but also potentially lead them to harbor inappropriate thoughts that could threaten the Tian family's position.

The mastermind behind the assassination attempt was discovered at that time—the Fifth Prince, who was confident of victory and was the Emperor's most beloved son. Even though the Fifth Prince attempted to assassinate the Emperor, the Emperor softened his heart and let it go, wanting him to repent and start over.

However, because she was harmed, the Emperor, in order to protect the overall situation, ultimately imposed a very severe punishment, stripping the Fifth Prince of his title and royal status for treason, removing him from the imperial register, and imprisoning him in the Imperial Clan Court.

This completely eliminated the possibility of the Fifth Prince becoming the Crown Prince.

After that, the emperor was heartbroken for a period of time. During this time, the third prince gradually emerged and appeared in everyone's sight. Because of his outstanding abilities, he was valued and given important responsibilities by the emperor, and gradually gained power.

Zhao Ye also achieved outstanding political achievements during that time, becoming a prominent figure in the court, and even the Third Prince praised him highly.

Cheng Nanzhi became suspicious, so she deliberately tricked Zhao Ye, saying that the imperial family had misunderstood her situation and that she needed to explain. Zhao Ye then confessed to her that he had long since pledged allegiance to the Third Prince, and that the fall of the Fifth Prince during the autumn hunt was his pledge of allegiance to the Third Prince, successfully gaining the Third Prince's attention.

Later, Zhao Ye earnestly begged her to pretend she didn't know, saying that he was forced to be involved in the power struggle in the court and did not intend to harm the Fifth Prince. Moreover, the Fifth Prince's assassination attempt was a fact, and he was merely using him to gain his own benefits.

At the time, Cheng Nanzhi was moved by Zhao Ye's pleading and agreed.

Then the doctor advised her to go to the estate to recuperate.

Thinking of this, Cheng Nanzhi's eyes flickered slightly.

She wouldn't let someone as ruthless as the Third Prince rise to power; the Third Prince was also the murderer who harmed her Cheng family.

Northern Qi needs a more lenient new emperor. So, if she helps the Fifth Prince rise again, will he remember this favor and refrain from harming the Cheng family?

"Madam? Madam!" Zhao Ye waved his hand in front of Cheng Nanzhi. "What are you thinking about?"

Cheng Nanzhi composed herself. "I'm just thinking about the banquet arrangements for tomorrow. There can't be any mistakes tomorrow. Husband, is there anything else you want to say?"

“Yes.” Zhao Ye hesitated for a moment, then said, “Madam, tomorrow is such an important occasion, so let’s temporarily lift my cousin’s confinement and let her attend. She’s going to stay in the Zhao family for a long time, and you’ll be spending a lot of time together in the future, so why make things too tense? Why not take this opportunity to reconcile? It will also save Mother from being in a difficult position.”

Most importantly, Ye Ruyue is the original author of Ze Ge'er's poems!

In case someone unexpectedly tests Zege'er's ability to compose a poem at the banquet, with Ye Ruyue present, he won't be caught off guard and embarrassed by not being able to answer.

Cheng Nanzhi was caught off guard when she heard him think of Zhao Shize's poems at the poetry gathering, and she immediately perked up her ears to listen carefully.

Just like before, Zhao Ye's thoughts suddenly became unclear.

She only heard something about the original work and that it wouldn't be embarrassing; she couldn't hear anything else.

Cheng Nanzhi's heart sank.

“Okay, I’ll do whatever my husband says,” Cheng Nanzhi said.

Tomorrow she'll have someone keep a close eye on Zhao Ye to see if he comes into contact with any strangers. She wants to see just who this highly talented person really is!

I hope that person can also attend the apprenticeship banquet.

Zhao Ye was delighted and said, "I knew Madam was the most understanding person."

He gazed at Cheng Nanzhi with deep affection, about to reach out and embrace her, a burning emotion welling up in his eyes. He said softly, "My wife, you've been wronged these past few days. It's been quite a while since we've been intimate. Today, I'll make it up to you..."

Cheng Nanzhi almost vomited, but she forced herself to back away from him and said, "Husband, I still have some things to arrange for the apprenticeship banquet. I'm afraid I'll be busy until very late. Why don't you go to the study to rest?"

Zhao Ye said, "You've already arranged everything, the rest are minor matters, we can do them tomorrow morning."

"But it concerns Ze-ge'er, so I must handle it myself before I can feel at ease," Cheng Nanzhi said sincerely.

Zhao Ye's face darkened: "Are those things less important than your husband, me?"

"My husband, I really need to deal with this first..."

"You can spend the night dealing with those trivial matters. I won't bother you." Zhao Ye said with displeasure, then turned and left.

Cheng Nanzhi immediately ordered her maid to prepare hot water, and after washing herself several times to make sure that she no longer had Zhao Ye's scent on her body, she went to rest.

But then he felt the room was dirty, so he frowned and ordered the maid to clean, change the furnishings, and burn incense. He didn't go to sleep until late at night.