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

At the same time, Zhao Ye took the "A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River" painting to the inn where Zhou Xiangru was staying.

Zhou Xiangru had not yet returned to Lanshan College at this time.

I heard Zhao Ye said he would simply disappear.

But when he heard the pageboy say that Zhao Ye had brought the painting "A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River" as a gift, he immediately stood up and had someone invite Zhao Ye in.

"Lord Zhao, do you really have the 'A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River' painting?" Zhou Xiangru asked skeptically, his tone not very polite.

If the Zhao family deceives him again, he will definitely make them pay!

Zhao Ye had never felt so confident in front of Zhou Xiangru as he had ever been before.

He unfolded the painting directly on the table, and told the page to carefully hold the other end, revealing the entire painting to Zhou Xiangru.

Zhou Xiangru was indeed quite talented in painting. He could immediately see the overwhelming sense of loneliness and violence in the painting, as well as its grand and majestic atmosphere. His painting style and brushwork were far superior to those folk imitations!

“As you know, my wife is highly regarded by the imperial family. Seven years ago, when she married me, the imperial family bestowed this upon her as part of her dowry,” Zhao Ye said.

Zhou Xiangru had no doubt about this; it wasn't something that could be easily faked. At that moment, his eyes gleamed, and he stared at the painting with a barely concealed greed.

"Lord Zhao just said that this is a gift for Zhou?"

"To be precise, it's a gift for my son's teacher to formally become his student," Zhao Ye said unhurriedly.

Zhou Xiangru's face darkened, and he turned away with a flick of his sleeve, saying in a rather sarcastic tone, "Your son is very talented, but I, Zhou, am not qualified to teach him!"

Zhao Ye lowered his stance and said sincerely, "Mr. Zhou, there was a misunderstanding at the banquet. A thief in the manor stole my son's manuscript and sold it. In fact, the manuscript was not entirely written by my son; only part of it was."

"It's just that the Zhao family was caught off guard at the banquet, and my son was experiencing such a scene for the first time, so he was inevitably flustered, which allowed someone to take advantage of the situation."

"If Mr. Zhou does not believe me, you may come to my residence now for a discussion. I, Zhao, will bring the instigator before you and give him an explanation."

If Zhou Xiangru were seen visiting the residence, outsiders would naturally assume that he continued teaching.

Zhou Xiangru replied indifferently, "Is that so?"

Zhao Ye's mind stirred slightly. "Of course it's not just that. Since Mr. Zhou is about to become my son's tutor, I won't hide anything from you and will speak frankly from the bottom of my heart. My Zhao family is powerful and valued by the imperial family, and I am about to be promoted. That's why some people are jealous and want to trip up my Zhao family."

Zhou Xiangru paused slightly, then finally turned to look at Zhao Ye.

Zhao Ye pushed the painting on the table forward and said with a smile, "After all, not everyone is fortunate enough to be rewarded with 'A Thousand Cranes on a Lonely River'."

A hint of unease appeared in Zhou Xiangru's eyes. After looking at him for a moment, he slowly said, "Then I, Zhou, will await Lord Zhao's instructions."

Zhao Ye's smile became more genuine as he stepped aside to make way for him, gesturing an invitation.

Zhou Xiangru ordered his page to put away the "Lonely River and a Thousand Cranes" painting, then arrogantly raised his chin and left with Zhao Ye.

At this moment, in the Guantang Courtyard of the Zhao residence, Cheng Nanzhi was about to wake up.

"The master sent someone an hour ago, saying that the painting has been found. Although the people at the Purple Bamboo Pavilion haven't been found, the thief inside the manor has been found. After a beating, the thief confessed that he was bribed by the master's enemy to frame him," Lianruo reported while she was helping Cheng Nanzhi with her hair and makeup.

Qingdai and Jianlan exchanged a glance, smiled knowingly, and said nothing.

Cheng Nanzhi slowly selected the hairpin she would wear today, raising an eyebrow as she asked, "Has the news spread out of the manor?"

"Yes, the old lady sent people out early on to clear the young master's name. Originally, she wanted to expose who the mastermind was, but the magistrate was kind and left room for maneuver, saying that it was unnecessary. Since they were officials in the same court, it was better to leave room for maneuver. She only hoped that the mastermind would not do such a despicable thing again," Lianruo replied.

Cheng Nanzhi stroked the surface of the silver hairpin and scoffed cryptically, "He was clever for once."

The common people may not believe it, but there will be new ones among the officials.

After all, the officialdom is treacherous, and how many people haven't experienced those sordid things?

Zhao Ye was just about to be promoted, so it was perfectly normal for him to be targeted by those who were jealous of him. If Zhao Ye hadn't been on the promotion list, it would have confirmed the possibility that he was targeted by his political enemies.

Everyone speculated about which political enemy it was, thus downplaying the impression of Zhao Shize's involvement.

Cheng Nanzhi glanced at Qingdai.

Qingdai understood and went out.

Zhao Ye wanted to get rid of this filth, but she wouldn't allow it.

Cheng Nanzhi put down the silver hairpin, picked out something else, and casually said, "But why did my mother-in-law and the others give their results so quickly?"

“It’s Mr. Zhou who has come to the residence,” said Lan.

Lian Ruo said, "When Mr. Zhou heard that someone had deliberately framed the young master, he was furious and immediately said he would believe the young master. The young master even went to the back hall and wrote an article to show Mr. Zhou. Mr. Zhou praised it highly and left in a very good mood. It is said that he continued to praise the young master even after arriving at the mansion, making the surrounding people regret misunderstanding the young master."

Cheng Nanzhi paused, "Who else was there at the time? Was Miss Biao there?"

“Yes, Miss Biao went to greet Mr. Zhou together, but when the young master started making a fuss, Miss Biao was no longer in the front hall to entertain Mr. Zhou.” Jianlan handed over the lip rouge and replied.

Cheng Nanzhi said meaningfully, "I see..."

Lianruo felt indignant: "Madam, don't you think the Old Madam and the Master have gone a bit too far? For such an important matter as entertaining Mr. Zhou, they didn't even send anyone to you, but instead sent Miss Biao. What kind of person would Miss Biao be? Is she more suitable than you?"

After finishing her makeup, Cheng Nanzhi asked, "Then why do you think they did that?"

Lan looked at Lianruo.

Lianruo hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Madam, please don't be angry with me. I think Miss Biao is being a bit too close to the lord and the others. She is, after all, an unmarried orphan, and at such a young age, she is still not betrothed. It's hard to say if there isn't something wrong with her. Her closeness to the lord now is probably... not a good thing. You should be careful."

Cheng Nanzhi smiled and said, "You're doing this for my own good, why would I be angry? Don't worry, I know your wife well, she won't let anyone bully me."

"Alright, go to the small kitchen and serve the meal. I'd like something light today."

Lianruo must have gone.

Seeing Lan step forward to help Cheng Nanzhi up and assist her in changing, she asked nervously, "Miss, are you reassured about Lianruo?"

Cheng Nanzhi looked at her and said, "I remember you and Lianruo came to serve me together. When you first came, I had just married into the Zhao family and was short of servants, so I asked someone to find a maid to buy a few servants to keep by my side. You and Lianruo were among them."

“Yes, it was you who bestowed upon me and Lianruo our names,” Jianlan said with a smile.

Cheng Nanzhi said, "You've spent almost seven years together, day and night. What kind of person do you think Lianruo is?"

Lan replied without hesitation, "Don't let Lianruo's occasional recklessness fool you; she's clever, kind-hearted, and meticulous in her work, making her someone you can trust."

Cheng Nanzhi nodded: "Find an opportunity to gradually reveal Zhao Ye and Ye Ruyue's affair to her. But be careful to make sure she keeps quiet and doesn't let anyone find out that it will affect my plans."

"Yes!" Lan replied happily.

On the other side, the front hall.

After Zhou Xiangru left, Zhao Ye's smile immediately faded, and he ordered Qian Yidong to bring over the captured servant boy.

Ye Ruyue was too nervous to leave. She only found out about the capture after Zhou Xiangru arrived, and she wasn't sure if it was true.

The person was brought up shortly afterward, and Ye Ruyue almost cried out when she saw him.

The servant was covered in blood and barely breathing!

"Send him to the authorities. Although family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, we should still let outsiders see the Zhao family's attitude," said Old Madam Zhao with a stern face.

Zhao Ye agreed, and deliberately mentioned that the servant's family was still under the control of the Zhao family, and that they were working on the Zhao family's estate.

After he finished speaking, the servant collapsed to the ground.

Zhao Ye then waved his hand, letting Qian Yidong see him off.

"Let's leave things at that for now, but we still need to keep looking for that person at Zizhu Pavilion." Zhao Ye stood up. "Mother, I'm going to the Ministry of Rites to see how the list is going."

Old Madam Zhao urged him to go.

Ye Ruyue gazed at Zhao Ye's retreating figure, her mind heavy with worry.

However, Zhao Ye did not stay long before returning to the mansion in a rage.

"I have received confirmation that my spot in this promotion has been taken by someone else!"

"Why?!" Old Madam Zhao couldn't accept it. They had clearly put so much effort into this!