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

“The third thing…” A cold glint appeared in Cheng Nanzhi’s eyes, “When Ye Ruyue goes to the Purple Bamboo Pavilion and returns disappointed because she didn’t see the person she wanted to see, tell Sanmei to find out from Ye Ruyue who the person she wanted to see really is.”

Earlier in the front hall, Zhao Ye subconsciously glanced at Ye Ruyue several times, which indicated that Ye Ruyue was related to those poems and articles.

But without evidence, she couldn't be sure if Ye Ruyue really knew this talented person who had written so many amazing poems and articles.

But the fact that Ye Ruyue went to the Purple Bamboo Pavilion means that she definitely knows that person.

Zhao Ye was not at home at the time. He was likely at the Ministry of Rites to discuss promotions and transfers, and if anything unexpected happened, Zhao Ye would have no time to pay attention to the rumors circulating outside.

Knowing his temperament, he would definitely return home in a rage, demanding that someone find out the traitor within a short time and give him an explanation to secure his promotion.

He had no way of knowing about the Purple Bamboo Forest, and since she had someone deliberately keeping it from him, Zhao Ye would never find out in the short term.

By then, Ye Ruyue should have already returned to the manor.

Ye Ruyue's attitude at that time will be crucial.

If Ye Ruyue sought out Zhao Ye immediately, it meant she had shared the authorship of the poem with him, and that they both knew who it was. Since they found nothing in the Purple Bamboo Grove, they would definitely go to confirm with this person, just in case.

Her opportunity had arrived; she could have someone keep an eye on them and find the person.

If Ye Ruyue didn't contact Zhao Ye immediately, or even if she didn't contact him at all, as if she didn't dare let Zhao Ye know, it would mean that Ye Ruyue was keeping the whereabouts of the author of this poem to herself, perhaps hoping to gain a more important position in Zhao Ye's eyes through this.

Then she only needs to keep an eye on Ye Ruyue. Finding her will be easier.

Cheng Nanzhi made up her mind. This capable person who later helped Zhao Shize shine in her dream—she had to win him over to her side. Even if she couldn't win him over, she couldn't let this person continue to help Zhao Ye and the others!

"Remember, only let Ye Ruyue know about the Purple Bamboo Pavilion incident. Don't let it spread to the Old Madam or the other courtyards," Cheng Nanzhi instructed Jianlan.

Seeing Lan nod emphatically, he immediately left.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Zhao was anxiously waiting in Shou'an Hall for the results of the investigation into the thieves.

The thought of her beloved grandson's reputation being tarnished in the future made her extremely distressed.

Ye Ruyue waited with her, also wanting to know the result as soon as possible.

Ye Ruyue secretly hoped that a servant in the mansion would steal or discover the manuscript, remember it, and spread it out. That would mean there was no other transmigrator in the world, and she was still unique.

So her advantage didn't disappear.

She will have an even better future!

Just then, Granny Zhang brought Jianlan in and said that Cheng Nanzhi had handed over all the arrangements for the banquet, saying that she couldn't manage it herself and that she would have to rely on Old Madam Zhao.

Madam Zhao laughed in anger, and with a sour face, she said that Cheng Nanzhi was not needed to interfere and that Jianlan should go back.

As soon as they left, he immediately said to Ye Ruyue, "Listen to what Cheng Nanzhi said. What do you mean by relying on me? She clearly remembers what she said about her dereliction of duty and is deliberately targeting me!"

Ye Ruyue didn't miss any opportunity to sow discord between Cheng Nanzhi and joined in with Old Madam Zhao's scolding of Cheng Nanzhi for quite a while.

But as she waited and waited, the search results still hadn't arrived, and Ye Ruyue grew increasingly anxious and couldn't sit still any longer.

"Madam, Yue'er is not feeling well and wants to go back first."

She couldn't just sit and wait to die; she had to find a way to determine as soon as possible whether there was a second time traveler!

When Madam Zhao saw that her face was indeed pale, and considering that she had helped her grandson solve a problem, she agreed in a very gentle manner and even asked someone to bring her some tonics.

Ye Ruyue forced a smile and thanked her.

As soon as I stepped outside, Chunyu immediately came to greet me.

"Miss, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"

Ye Ruyue didn't say much, told her to accept the old lady Ade's reward, and hurriedly went to the side courtyard.

Back in the room, Chunyu offered to prepare some calming tonic soup for Ye Ruyue.

Ye Ruyue waved her hand and told her to go, then paced back and forth in the room. Finally, unable to rest easy, she went to find Sanmei, who was still recovering from her injuries.

Over time, Ye Ruyue subconsciously trusted Sanmei the most, and sometimes the first thing she thought of was to ask her to do things.

However, as Ye Ruyue approached the servants' quarters, just as she was about to go in, she heard two maids whispering to each other not far away.

"Really? Did you hear me right?"

"How could that be wrong? Before the mansion gates were closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave, I went out with them to purchase supplies for the banquet. I heard it with my own ears as I passed through the market, and quite a few people were talking about it!"

"Huh? Doesn't that mean that young master's poems were plagiarized from others?!"

"Yes, the authors of those poems and articles have also appeared. They are at the Purple Bamboo Pavilion, ten miles north of the capital. Whether it's true or false, others will know soon enough. How could they possibly lie?"

"My God, I never imagined our young master was this kind of person! Wait, isn't that Miss Cousin who spoke up for the young master also..."

Ye Ruyue couldn't hear what was said after that.

Just from what she could hear, Ye Ruyue's ears were ringing incessantly.

There really is a second time traveler, and they're very close by. They don't like using things from the past. Should we expose them?!

No, she wouldn't allow that to happen!

She couldn't let that time traveler become famous by stepping on her son!

Ye Ruyue strode forward: "You all need to clarify what you just said. Where is that person?!"

The two maids were startled and instinctively tried to run away, but Ye Ruyue stopped them and interrogated them.

One of them, trembling, had no choice but to speak up.

Ye Ruyue asked sternly, "How many people in the manor know about this?"

The little maid seemed so frightened she was about to cry.

“Replying to Miss, this servant does not know, but I imagine not many people know yet, because only this servant and a curious servant overheard it. He was terrified when he returned home and was questioned, so he couldn't remember to tell anyone. This servant only spoke up because I was really holding it in, I didn't mean to gossip…”

Ye Ruyue had no patience to listen any longer. When she heard what she wanted to hear, she interrupted, "You are not allowed to tell anyone else about this. Do you understand?!"

She couldn't let Zhao Ye and the others know that anyone other than her knew about those poems and articles, otherwise not only would her son be finished, but her own situation would also be dire.

The maidservant nodded quickly.

Feeling uneasy, Ye Ruyue gave them some loose silver.

The maidservant then left.

Ye Ruyue was also preparing to go out to the Purple Bamboo Pavilion.

She needs to go and see for herself! Ideally, before too many people go, so the other party won't tell too many people the truth. There's still a chance to salvage the situation.

If she met someone, she might be able to play the victim and get them to help her out of consideration for their shared hometown. At worst, she could just spend more money to bribe them.

After all, they were from the same hometown, so she didn't want to go too far.

After taking only two steps, Ye Ruyue stopped again.

It's inconvenient for her to go out alone, and if something happens, she can't easily show her face. If Zhao Ye finds out in the future, it will be difficult for her to explain and cover it up.

Furthermore, she should be cautious when dealing with fellow villagers and avoid revealing her true identity. This way, if they turn against her in the future, she will have a chance to turn the tables and will not be implicated.

We still need to bring someone to pretend to be her.

The first person Ye Ruyue thought of was Sanmei.

Sanmei was loyal to her and even testified on her behalf that there was a manuscript, so she could be trusted.

If she were to be more careful and not let Sanmei know about the second time traveler, there would be no future trouble.

Even if Sanmei knew that those poems and articles were written by someone else, it didn't matter. It wasn't a big deal to her, and Sanmei wouldn't say a word about it.

Most importantly, besides Sanmei, there was no one else in the mansion who could be used.

Having made up her mind, Ye Ruyue turned and went to Sanmei's room. When she entered, she saw Sanmei leaning against the bed, embroidering with a handkerchief in her hand.

Upon seeing Ye Ruyue, Sanmei put it away and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Miss. I had nothing else to do while I was recovering from my injuries, so I embroidered some patterns to pass the time."

Ye Ruyue went over to take a look at the handkerchief and praised it gently, "I didn't expect your embroidery skills to be so good. You can even sell this for money."

Sanmei felt even more embarrassed: "I'm so sorry to have made Miss Biao laugh at me."

Ye Ruyue said, "How could that be? Your embroidery is excellent. Sanmei, I should thank you. You've never seen me write anything, yet you helped me today without my notifying you. I knew you were loyal."

"Right now, I only trust you. There's something I need you to do for me."