The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

After thinking for a long time, Zhou said to Lü, "The Marquis's Mansion has treated you well, but you are jumping around for a little bit of profit. Since you look down on the Marquis's Mansion's assistance, the Marquis's Mansion will naturally not go out of its way to do such thankless things anymore. From now on, you three courtyards will have to be self-sufficient."

"What?" Madam Lü shrieked, "Auntie, you can't be so heartless! The old master clearly stated that he would take care of us, mother and son. Now, only a few years have passed, and you're abandoning us?"

“Sister-in-law, it’s been more than ten years, not just a few years.” Song Wenjun interrupted her, “Besides, you own shops and land, and Third Master is a scholar. As long as you take good care of him, raising an eight-year-old child is not a difficult task at all.”

Zhou was startled again and again, but it was Song Wenjun who reminded her.

Lu's son is eight years old this year, and in a few years he will be of marriageable age.

At that time, the Marquis's mansion will also have to arrange a marriage for him, which will be another considerable expense.

Madam Lü cried and made a scene: "I don't care, you can't disobey the old master, otherwise, otherwise I'll take this to the authorities."

Madam Zhou's chest heaved with anger: "You, the Marquis's mansion has indeed raised a wolf in sheep's clothing! We've raised you for over a decade, and now you want to sue us, cough cough cough..."

When she got angry, Zhou started coughing violently.

Madam Min hurriedly stepped forward to comfort Madam Zhou, saying, "Mother, you must take good care of yourself."

She turned around and looked at Madam Lü with displeasure: "Look what you've done, shut up now."

Lady Lü was only interested in gaining benefits from this, and had no sense of reason: "I don't care. If you don't give me an explanation, I will make a scene and make everyone know about it, so that your Marquis's mansion will lose all face."

She had long been accustomed to a life of luxury under the protection of the Marquis's mansion.

Without the Marquis's family's support, her life would have plummeted, and Lady Lü could not bear the poverty.

Therefore, she wanted to make a scene to fight for her own interests.

Zhou was so angry that her face turned white. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "Come here, come here, throw this wretch out!"

Several maids and servants came in from outside and pulled and dragged her away.

"Mother, calm down, calm down." Madam Min tried to appease Madam Zhou by serving her tea, but Madam Zhou slapped the teacup over.

When she came to her senses, the first thing she dealt with was Madam Min.

"You traitor, you're actually helping outsiders to deal with me."

"Mother, your daughter-in-law wouldn't dare!" Madam Min knelt down in fear, filled with deep regret.

She didn't know if she had been drugged or what, but she somehow believed what Madam Lü said and came to demand justice.

Enraged, Zhou slapped Min across the face and pointed outside, saying, "You, kneel down outside and wake up!"

Min was slapped, but dared not refute it.

She covered her face and obediently knelt down in the courtyard.

Song Wenjun didn't show it on her face, but she felt incredibly happy inside.

In their previous life, the three of them conspired to degrade themselves, eating her flesh and drinking her blood.

In the end, they still had to call her despicable.

This time, the three of them have completely broken ties, which is truly gratifying.

"Wenjun, you are so filial and obedient, unlike them who make me angry." Zhou Shi said, supporting her forehead with her hand, looking half-dead.

In the past, Song Wenjun would have gotten up and started massaging her long ago.

Now...

It's going to hurt, you deserve to die from the pain.

"Mother's headache has flared up again. Your daughter-in-law will go and make you some ginseng soup right away."

Upon hearing this, Zhou's face lit up with relief: "I knew you were the most filial."

Song Wenjun chuckled softly and said, "I'll go see my sister-in-law in a little while, so Mother doesn't need to worry."

Zhou nodded, then suddenly remembered something and opened her eyes.

She's been so busy since yesterday that she's overlooked the reason Jiang Miaoyin fell into the lake.

Moreover, she fell in with Gu Huaizhou.

The more Zhou thought about it, the more alarmed she became, sensing that something was amiss.

Could it be that Gu Huaizhou and Jiang Miaoyin are having an affair?

Watch as Song Wenjun left the courtyard.

Zhou hurriedly straightened up and called out to the outside, "Someone, someone, come in and help me up."

Hong'er walked in from outside, and Zhou Shi quickly took her hand and said, "Quickly, go to Yunlan Courtyard."

She needed to see it with her own eyes to be at ease.

Zhou walked all the way to Yunlan Courtyard. She did not let anyone announce her arrival, and even Hong'er was left outside.

She tiptoed to the door.

She took a few deep breaths, then closed her eyes and flung open the door, rushing inside.

Inside the room, Jiang Miaoyin was sitting in a chair drinking her medicine when she saw Zhou Shi walk in with a flushed face, and she was stunned.

"Mother, what are you looking for?"

"I... I lost an earring a few days ago. I'm checking if I left it here."

Zhou carefully examined everything, from the cabinets and under the bed to the teacups and utensils in the room.

No trace of a man was found.

Zhou looked puzzled, wondering if she was overthinking things.

Just as she was lost in thought, Jiang Miaoyin came up to her: "Mother, please sit down, your daughter-in-law will help you find it."

Jiang Miaoyin helped Zhou Shi sit down and then got up to help her find the earring.

Seeing that her face was pale, Zhou quickly grabbed her: "Alright, stop. It's just an earring, just let it go. How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Jiang Miaoyin had always left a good impression on her, and given that she had remained chaste for her eldest son, Zhou Shi still had some genuine feelings for her.

"Thank you for your concern, Mother. I'm much better now," Jiang Miaoyin replied.

After considering for a moment, Zhou asked, "I haven't asked you about what happened that day. What exactly happened? How did you end up in the water with Xingzhou?"

"Mother." Jiang Miaoyin knelt down abruptly, her eyes reddening as she looked up. "I... I missed my husband so much that I couldn't think straight and..."

"You, how could you be so foolish?" Madam Zhou quickly helped her up. "If my son knew how much you missed him, he would be very happy."

Jiang Miaoyin nodded slightly, feigning pain on her face, but her heart was pounding wildly.

That was close; the Zhou family almost discovered something was amiss.

Zhou comforted her again before leaving.

As soon as she left, Jiang Miaoyin hurriedly tapped a wooden board on the ground.

The wooden plank was lifted up, and Gu Huaizhou poked his head out from inside.

She breathed a sigh of relief, pulled Gu Huaizhou out from inside, and said, "It's a good thing you had the foresight to build this secret passage, otherwise we would be in trouble today."

Gu Huaizhou patted the dirt off his clothes, his eyes filled with a sinister look: "Miaoyin, don't you feel that something is wrong?"

"Something's not right?" Jiang Miaoyin asked, puzzled.

"Why did Song Wenjun and my mother appear right after we fell into the lake? Don't you think the timing of her appearance is a bit too coincidental?" Gu Huaizhou paused for a moment before slowly saying the second half of the sentence: "It's as if she deliberately waited for us to fall into the water."