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

Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao both thought Ye Ruyue's suggestion was excellent. They had already spent so much on the "Lonely River and Thousand Cranes" painting; where would they get the money to renovate the clan school? They suggested that Cheng Nanzhi should pay for it. After all, she wasn't short of money.

"Granny Zhang, go find Cheng Nanzhi and make up some excuse to get her to give us some money. Just say that we understand how hard she's worked on Yu'er's matter, so we don't want her to worry about it. We just want her to give us some money to do our part for Ze'er," said Old Madam Zhao.

Granny Zhang accepted the order and went to carry it out.

Ye Ruyue's complexion improved considerably after that.

She lost so much money because of Cheng Nanzhi, so Cheng Nanzhi had to make her pay back handsomely. Otherwise, she would never be able to swallow this loss!

At the same time, Cheng Nanzhi led the people around her to Guantang Courtyard.

Qingdai couldn't hold back any longer. She told the other servants to move away and stepped forward to whisper, "Miss, are you really going to the trouble of seeking the nun's guidance for Miss?"

Qingdai had been with Cheng Nanzhi since childhood, and her knowledge and experience were beyond what ordinary people could compare to.

She had long heard of Master Fang and knew her importance, and she was well aware of how difficult it would be to get her to agree to raise Zhao Huaiyu!

But Zhao Huaiyu is neither the young lady's biological daughter nor the offspring of that despicable couple. Moreover, she is not particularly filial or affectionate towards her young lady. The young lady really doesn't need to go to such lengths for her!

Qingdai felt it wasn't worth it; it would only benefit the son-in-law and that woman!

Cheng Nanzhi chuckled lightly: "You also think that Master Fang is the best candidate for a teacher?"

Qingdai nodded emphatically. Being favored by the current emperor and possessing exceptional talent, isn't that good enough?

“Silly Qingdai, if Zhao Huaiyu really becomes a disciple of Abbess Fang, even if she only has the slightest connection to her reputation, she can forget about marrying into an official family for the rest of her life. Even a lowly ninth-rank official is absolutely impossible for her.” Cheng Nanzhi suddenly made a shocking statement.

Qingdai opened her eyes wide, shocked and confused: "Why is this?"

"because……"

Just as Cheng Nanzhi was about to speak, she suddenly encountered Jianlan hurrying towards her from the front.

"Miss, we've finally found you! Something has happened at Guantang Courtyard."

"What did you say?" Cheng Nanzhi frowned.

Qingdai also looked over.

Seeing Lan Wei panting, she said, "Not long after you went to Shou'an Hall, Granny Jiang from the kitchen suddenly brought over a young maid, saying that she had discovered that the tonic that the old lady ate every day had been poisoned, and after some investigation, she confirmed that it was that young maid who did it."

"When Granny Jiang pressed her for answers, the little maid actually said that she had taken the poison from your courtyard on your orders, and even pointed out that it was given to her by the third-class maid, Xiao Tao."

Seeing Lan frown, she said, "I didn't expect Xiao Tao to actually confess. She said that she really did give it to me on your orders, and we even found a packet of poison at the bottom of her room. Lianruo and I felt something was wrong, so we detained Xiao Tao and Granny Jiang in Guantang Courtyard and didn't allow them to move around. We came to report to you right away."

"Nonsense! How could Miss possibly instruct her to poison the old lady! Miss would never stoop to such a vile and poisonous act!"

Qingdai was furious: "I remember this Xiao Tao. She's usually quick and obedient, and she does her job well. I thought she was an honest person, and when we bought new servants, we promoted her to second-class maid. But she actually has such a restless mind to slander you!"

Cheng Nanzhi said in a deep voice, "I have not instructed anyone to do such a thing. It seems that some people in the manor are already unable to restrain themselves."

"Fine, if they resort to such underhanded tactics, I'll play along," Cheng Nanzhi said calmly. "Jianlan, go and report to the Old Madam and the Master. Qingdai, we'll go back and interrogate them..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Mama's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Madam, please wait! This old servant has something else to tell you!"

"..." Cheng Nanzhi scoffed lightly, "Jian Lan, you don't need to make a trip, she's delivered herself to your door."

She turned around.

Qingdai and Jianlan wore expressionless faces, both filled with righteous indignation.

Granny Zhang was a shrewd person. She sensed that something was wrong as soon as she got close, and paused before she could say anything.

Cheng Nanzhi spoke first: "Granny Zhang, you've come at the right time. Something has happened in my Guantang Courtyard, and I was just about to report to my mother-in-law and husband."

Granny Zhang was taken aback: "What is it that needs to be reported to the old lady and the others?"

Cheng Nanzhi glanced at it.

Lan stepped forward and told him what the maid in the courtyard had said about Cheng Nanzhi instructing Old Madam Zhao to poison her tonic.

"What?! Madam, how could you do this?!" Granny Zhang exclaimed reflexively.

Qingdai's face turned cold: "What nonsense are you spouting, nanny! What reason does my young lady have to do such a thing? Everyone knows that the young lady and the old lady have a very good relationship. If you continue to talk nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite."

Cheng Nanzhi said calmly, "I'll go back to Guantang Courtyard first to see what's going on. Granny, please go and tell my mother-in-law and the others quickly."

After saying this, Cheng Nanzhi ignored Zhang Mama and left with her entourage.

Zhang Mama barely realized what was happening and was furious at Qingdai's rudeness, but then she thought of something, her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately went back to report.

"What? I just praised her, and she actually tried to harm me!" Old Madam Zhao said angrily.

Zhao Ye and Ye Ruyue haven't left yet.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ye slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Outrageous! How dare she plot to harm my mother-in-law? Isn't she afraid I'll divorce her?!"

Ye Ruyue's eyes lit up.

According to the laws of this dynasty, a divorced woman leaves with nothing, and her dowry belongs to the man. At that time, wouldn't everything Cheng Nanzhi own be hers?

Ye Ruyue was about to add fuel to the fire, but Zhang Mama said dryly, "Old Madam, have you forgotten about setting rules for Madam earlier?"

Since Zhao Ye and Ye Ruyue were both considered family, Zhang Mama didn't try to avoid them.

The two of them were stunned.

Madam Zhao was also taken aback. "This was arranged back then...didn't it all go smoothly? Why is it being revealed now?"

Zhang Mama said awkwardly, "The incident at the apprenticeship banquet happened suddenly, and one thing after another happened. Qian Yidong, who is by the master's side, is still investigating the traitor in the mansion, so those two didn't have a chance to do it. This old servant also forgot about them because I was too busy, and I haven't told them to give up yet. I didn't expect them to do it suddenly now."

Zhao Ye and Ye Ruyue understood that this was something Old Madam Zhao had deliberately arranged, and they only realized it now.

"Madam, sir, what are we going to do now? Miss's affairs depend on you, and we also need you to pay for the young master's clan school. Won't we offend you now? What if you refuse to do Miss's things?" Zhang Mama said worriedly.

Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye's expressions changed slightly.

Yes, the situation is special now, we can't afford to have a falling out with Cheng Nanzhi!

"Quickly, go over there now and shut this up, let it become a misunderstanding..." Old Madam Zhao jumped up.

Ye Ruyue was unwilling to give up and said, "Wait, isn't it good that something happened now?"

“What’s so good about it? It’s not a good time to cause trouble.” Zhao Ye agreed with Madam Zhao and was about to go with her.

Ye Ruyue was even more unwilling and immediately stopped them, saying, "If it is confirmed that Cheng Nanzhi plotted to harm the old lady, then we will have something on her. If the old lady is magnanimous and says she doesn't care, Cheng Nanzhi will definitely feel guilty. Then, if she takes care of Yu Jie'er's affairs and pays for the renovation of the clan school, it goes without saying that she did it willingly and voluntarily!"

Zhao Ye and Madam Zhao stopped, somewhat moved by her words.

“You’re right, we can’t just go around begging her. Now that Ze’er is her son, why shouldn’t she do her best without us having to ask her?” Old Madam Zhao said unhappily.

Zhao Ye nodded as well.

He'd truly had enough of Cheng Nanzhi's capricious temper and cold demeanor lately, enough of constantly having to appease her. What if they had some leverage over her…

"Do it this way. Make sure it's confirmed that she plotted to kill us, then let her off lightly. That way, she'll agree to be manipulated later."

Madam Zhao and Zhao Ye exchanged a glance and reached an agreement.

Ye Ruyue couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile, and suggested going to Guantang Courtyard with them, wanting to witness Cheng Nanzhi's downfall and the joke of her being down on her luck.

When they arrived, Cheng Nanzhi was also at Guantang Courtyard, sitting in the courtyard. Qingdai and the others stood behind her. In the open space in front of them were two maids who were tied up tightly. One of them, the taller one, was Xiao Tao, and the one next to her was a stranger.

The woman on the other side was also tied up, but her mouth was not gagged. She kept crying out her grievances and complaining. That was Granny Jiang.

Granny Jiang also brought a few people, but they all stood stiffly at the back, not daring to utter a sound.

"Madam, what do you mean by this? Why are you detaining us and preventing us from reporting to the Old Madam and the Lord for a thorough investigation? Could it be that you really poisoned us and are trying to silence us?! I never thought you were this kind of person!"