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

Cheng Nanzhi pretended not to notice Old Madam Zhao's cold face and calmly went over to sit down.

Zhao Ye had no choice but to put on a stern face and swallow his anger as he sat down.

"I wonder why your mother-in-law summoned you here at this time? And why is your husband here as well?" Cheng Nanzhi asked knowingly.

Madam Zhao was extremely anxious about Zhao Ye's promotion. After explaining the situation briefly, she urged Cheng Nanzhi to find a solution.

When it came to himself, Zhao Ye finally looked up and unconsciously stared longingly at Cheng Nanzhi.

Cheng Nanzhi said, "This matter is simple."

"What do you mean?" The two were delighted.

Cheng Nanzhi said slowly, "As long as we can quickly prove and clarify what happened to Ze Ge'er at the banquet, that will be fine."

Madam Zhao choked slightly, "If it were that simple, why would I have summoned you at this hour? We've investigated so far, but there are still no results. How can this matter be resolved?"

"Besides, the promotion list will be finalized by noon tomorrow. In such a short time, how can we possibly minimize the impact by relying solely on Ze Ge'er's matter?"

Even if we can give the Ministry of Rites an explanation by tomorrow morning, how can we guarantee that everyone will believe it? It's still too risky. Perhaps...

Zhao Ye stared at Cheng Nanzhi, hoping that Cheng Nanzhi could, as before, use the Cheng family's name to write a letter to several high-ranking officials or deliver a message.

For the sake of the Cheng family, even if Zhao Shize's matter remains unresolved for the time being, his name will most likely appear on the list tomorrow. This is the most convenient method.

As always, Zhao Ye didn't bring it up, waiting for Cheng Nanzhi to bring it up herself, but Cheng Nanzhi only felt a cold smile in her heart.

Do you really think she's still the same gullible fool she used to be?

“The simplest way is to let Ze Ge’er prove it himself. Since you believe that Ze Ge’er has real talent and learning, why not take the initiative to hold another poetry gathering at Xiangchun Tower tomorrow morning, so that Ze Ge’er can show off his talent and learning? This is more convincing than anything else, and it can also make the rumors disappear on their own,” Cheng Nanzhi said.

"No, how is this any different from a celebrity in the entertainment industry? My Zhao family is a family of integrity, how can we be so attention-seeking? Besides, Ze'er is still young, and he's already frightened by today's events. If he makes a mistake tomorrow due to nervousness and panic, the Zhao family's reputation will be ruined." Zhao Ye retorted with a displeased expression when he saw that Cheng Nanzhi didn't understand his meaning.

Madam Zhao opened her mouth, but for some reason, she didn't say anything and tacitly agreed with Zhao Ye's words.

"The household can't find anything, and they won't let Zege'er testify himself. What else do you want to do, my husband? Do you expect me to swallow my pride and personally go to their door to beg them to believe in our Zhao family, even if it's just a little bit?" Cheng Nanzhi said without any politeness.

The two men's faces immediately turned extremely ugly.

They wanted Cheng Nanzhi to stand up for them, but the words coming from her mouth somehow turned into humiliation. How could they possibly make any further demands now?

Cheng Nanzhi looked at them quietly, and seeing that it was about time, she said, "In my opinion, there are only three things that must be done right now. First, the mansion must continue its investigation and give an explanation to the outside world by tomorrow morning to quell the controversy."

Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye were well aware of this.

But we really have no clue what to do right now. If we can't find a solution, then we can only...

The two exchanged a subtle glance, a hint of danger flashing in their eyes.

Cheng Nanzhi pretended not to know and continued, "The second thing is to invite Mr. Zhou back and let him continue to teach Ze Ge'er. No one will doubt Mr. Zhou's reputation. If he continues to teach Ze Ge'er, then Ze Ge'er must be fine. Outsiders will definitely think so. It will also have a better impact on my husband's career."

"You make it sound so easy. Mr. Zhou stormed out at the banquet. Getting him to change his mind is easier said than done," said Madam Zhao, her face full of worry.

Cheng Nanzhi smiled and said, "My daughter-in-law really knows how to win over Mr. Zhou."

The two people opposite them immediately brightened up: "What's the plan?"

“My daughter-in-law asked around and found out that Mr. Zhou likes painting, especially admiring the painting ‘A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River’ by the master Zhang Hesu of the previous dynasty,” Cheng Nanzhi said slowly.

Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye's expressions suddenly stiffened slightly.

Cheng Nanzhi smiled and continued, "After Master Zhang passed away, the emperor of the previous dynasty was deeply moved by his integrity and especially admired his posthumous works. At that time, local officials took the initiative to search for and present them as tribute. The emperor of the previous dynasty was overjoyed and placed his posthumous work, 'A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River,' in the inner court for careful preservation."

"After the establishment of this dynasty, the imperial family heard of Master Zhang's name and also sent someone to find this painting for collection and appreciation. People admired him even more because of this, and Mr. Zhou was one of them. Everyone wanted to see his style, but unfortunately the painting was hidden in the deep palace and it was difficult to see its beauty."

"But as fate would have it, my father and brother had won five consecutive victories in the southern Shu region and guarded the border for five years without any disturbance. The imperial family was very pleased, but since my father and brother were far away on the frontier, they could not reward them in time, so they all went to me. Seeing that I was very fond of poetry and books at the time, the imperial family took pity on me and gave me that painting last time, which later became part of my dowry."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye turned pale and could no longer sit still.

Cheng Nanzhi seemed not to notice, and said, "But I didn't find it when I was taking inventory of the storeroom a while ago."

"Mother-in-law, husband, is this painting with you?" Cheng Nanzhi asked with a smile. "I understand. I'm not home, and the servants left in Guantang Courtyard aren't very careful, so they might not be able to keep the painting safe. Mother-in-law, you're doing this for my own good, so why don't you just take it and keep it safe to prevent it from getting damaged?"

Zhao Ye's throat tightened: "Madam, what...what does that painting look like?"

"It is the Changding River, the border line between Northern Qi and Southern Shu, stretching for a hundred miles, leading north to Yumen Pass. The two armies faced each other, and thousands of cranes flew together. It was in this scene that two famous generals signed a truce agreement." Cheng Nanzhi seemed afraid that she was not explaining clearly, so she emphasized the details again.

Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye were both deathly pale.

They remembered that there was indeed a painting in Cheng Nanzhi's storeroom, stored in a locked sandalwood box lined with silk and wrapped in silk brocade.

They could tell at a glance that it must be valuable.

Zhao Ye was short of money at the time, so he asked Old Madam Zhao for some. However, Old Madam Zhao was unwilling to pay such a large sum. So the two of them decided to set their sights on the storeroom. After finding the painting, they secretly took it and pawned it.

The shopkeeper immediately recognized it as "A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River".

But as everyone knows, this painting is in the national treasury!

So at the time, they all assumed it was a high-quality forgery, and besides, there were already forgeries of that painting in the market. Seeing how lifelike and vivid the painting was, the shopkeeper praised it highly and bought it at a high price.

That money helped Zhao Ye through the crisis, and he even said he had picked out good items.

But who could have imagined that the imperial family would bestow the real painting upon Cheng Nanzhi? And it really was real?!

“Husband, mother-in-law, you don’t need to keep it safe now. Take it out and send it to Mr. Zhou. He won’t be able to resist the temptation of this painting, and he will definitely agree to continue teaching Ze’er,” Cheng Nanzhi said unhurriedly.

This is why she was so certain that Zhou Xiangru would teach Zhao Shize.

The famous painting "A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River" is something no scholar could resist. Let alone a scholar like Zhou Xiangru who loved fame and enjoyed being admired.

Old Madam Zhao subconsciously looked at Zhao Ye.

Zhao Ye trembled slightly, barely managing to sit up straight, and said, "I understand. I'll have someone look for it later. This painting was probably carefully placed deep in the storeroom by the servants when they put it away, so it probably won't be found until tomorrow morning. I'll let you know when it's found."

Cheng Nanzhi didn't expose his flawed lie. She smiled and said, "I'll listen to my husband. Once you find it, please deliver it to Mr. Zhou yourself. Mr. Zhou will surely appreciate your sincerity and won't refuse."

Zhao Ye couldn't even manage a smile, so he changed the subject and asked, "What's the third thing?"

"Of course, we should find the original owners of those so-called poems and articles."

Cheng Nanzhi's long-awaited opportunity had arrived. She perked up and said, "During the banquet, I noticed some guests saying that this person actually lives in the capital, and even in the suburbs. If this person could come forward and prove that he was just making up rumors, wouldn't that completely dispel them?"

She looked at Zhao Ye and said, "Husband, there's no time to lose. Send someone to find out the exact location right now and send someone there immediately. If we delay any longer, you might really lose your promotion."

"Yes, yes, Ye'er, hurry up and send someone over!" Old Madam Zhao finally came to her senses and said hastily.

Zhao Ye was slightly taken aback, and frowned, saying, "That's impossible. How could there be a so-called original author?" Weren't most of those works written by Yue'er? Could it be that someone is deliberately impersonating her to gain fame at this time?

"Whether it is or not, my husband will find out by asking around," Cheng Nanzhi said.