Chen's terrified cries echoed through the night in A Jing's residence. Fortunately, the Jiao mansion was vast, and the nearest neighbor was quite distant. Otherwise, the wails and screams in the dead of night would have suggested a major crime had occurred at the Jiao mansion.
Perhaps fearing the elders, Prefect Jiao and Madam Jiao, Chen knelt down with a thud, clutching Jiao Lianping's legs and pleading tearfully, "Husband, it was all for you, I did this all for you!"
"For me?" As if hearing the greatest joke, Jiao Lianping looked coldly at Chen, who was pale and looked like a madwoman. "When Yuanzhou came to visit the mansion years ago, you disdained his humble background. You outwardly had servants prepare guest rooms and food, but in private, you had people spread rumors, mocking Yuanzhou for coming to the Jiao mansion to freeload, humiliating him as a pedantic scholar, and even falsely accusing him of stealing the furnishings in the guest room."
By the time Jiao Lianping learned the truth, he had already lost his friend. Upon returning home, he had also reprimanded Chen and ordered her to apologize and make amends.
However, Chen had cried until she nearly fainted, repeatedly arguing that it was the household servants who disliked Yuanzhou for being poor and unrefined, and that she knew nothing of it. Furthermore, she had subsequently sold off several maids and servants to distant places.
"Husband, that time it was my mismanagement of the household, but I also sent people with gifts," Chen said, wiping away tears, presenting a delicate and wronged appearance.
Unfortunately, Jiao Lianping had grown accustomed to her tears over the years. He sneered, "Yes, you sent gifts. You ostentatiously had the household servants deliver a tray of silver, ten five-tael ingots, along with food and clothing. To everyone you met, you said the mansion's hospitality that day was insufficient, that Yuanzhou had been wronged and left without saying goodbye, and therefore, you were coming to apologize."
This act of sending silver was not an apology, but a humiliation to a noble scholar, an act of creating enmity!
Before Chen could speak, Jiao Lianping continued, "Two years ago, we held a literary gathering at the foot of Xishan. We merely happened to rescue the third young lady of the Zhao family, but what did you do?"
Jiao Lianping later became a dissolute noble. It could be said that he himself was half the reason, but the other half was definitely due to Prefect Jiao and Chen.
"But she changed her clothes in our carriage!" Chen's voice suddenly sharpened, her originally delicate face instantly turning ferocious and venomous.
"In broad daylight, in front of everyone, I explained to you that Miss Zhao's carriage had overturned into a stream, and she had fallen into the water. Therefore, she could only borrow our carriage to change her clothes, and she was already engaged at the time!"
Jiao Lianping closed his eyes, concealing the pain within them. After a long pause, he regained his composure and spoke each word like a knife, torturing Chen. "First, you visited the Zhao family under the pretense of visiting Miss Zhao and severely humiliated her, calling her shameless and accusing her of seducing a married man! You even threw ten taels of silver on the spot as a betrothal gift, inviting Miss Zhao to the Jiao mansion to become a concubine."
"What?" Madam Jiao, who was seated in the main seat, suddenly frowned. When Ping'er was about to get married, Madam Jiao had considered the Zhao family. Although their social standing was not prominent, the Zhao family was considered scholarly and upright.
What Madam Jiao valued most was the Zhao family's upbringing of their children. Daughters, like sons, began their education at the age of four. Daughters were expected to study until marriage, while sons were required to pass imperial examinations to enter officialdom. If they lacked talent, they could abandon their studies after coming of age and pursue other professions.
Madam Jiao glanced at Chen, who was kneeling on the ground. She suspected Chen also knew of this, and harboring resentment, she had used it as an excuse to act.
"Mother, if it were only that," Jiao Lianping said with a bitter smile. "It's not a big deal for a woman to be jealous. But Chen, you shouldn't have sent people to the fiancé of Miss Zhao, even bribing the servants around Miss Zhao, causing the other party to misunderstand and break off the engagement."
Miss Zhao had a strong personality. Although the matter was eventually suppressed, she was disheartened and ultimately went to the Zhao family's hometown to become a nun, dedicating her life to Buddhist scriptures.
Hearing this, Zhan Feiyu couldn't help but look at Jiao Lianping with sympathy. She truly couldn't imagine Chen acting so maliciously, forcing a good family's daughter to become a nun. It was likely she had relied on the Jiao mansion's influence.
Miss Zhao probably knew this too, so she was willing to sacrifice herself and stay far away. Otherwise, with Chen's wickedness, she might have continued to retaliate.
Chen didn't even need to act herself. As Jiao Lianping's wife, she represented the Prefect's mansion. As long as Chen spoke, there would naturally be people eager to curry favor with her who would deal with the Zhao family.
If Prefect Jiao had felt a shred of pity at the beginning, his expression eventually turned cold as Jiao Lianping recounted each incident.
After all, if Chen could resort to hiring assassins, it was not surprising that she had engaged in such bullying behavior before.
"No, I am a member of the Jiao family in life, and a ghost of the Jiao family in death!" Chen shouted frantically, shaking her head. But when she met Jiao Lianping's cold, emotionless eyes, Chen felt her mind buzz and couldn't help but mock him.
"Husband, you're saying all this just because you want to kick me aside and find a wife who can support you. You're simply displeased that my Chen family has declined and can no longer assist your official career!"
Before Jiao Lianping could speak, Chen suddenly turned to Madam Jiao and said with a cold laugh, "Mother, you've disliked me as your daughter-in-law since the day I married into the family. You treat the household servants better than you treat me! Husband is not ambitious, and Mother, you not only failed to advise him but also scolded me, telling me not to interfere with my husband's affairs. You yourself are incompetent, being completely suppressed by a concubine. I will not let my husband, my son, be suppressed by a concubine and a庶子!"
Madam Jiao narrowed her eyes, completely ignoring Chen's ravings. After tonight, Chen would only die of illness in the Jiao mansion, and Madam Jiao would explain everything to the Chen family.
Wiping the tears from her face, Chen once again looked at the stern-faced Prefect Jiao. "Father, you are a scholar, an official of the imperial court, yet you indulge concubines and neglect your wife, ridiculously cultivating a lowly庶子! You have forgotten the rules of noble families, but I will not forget that our eldest branch is the legitimate line, and my husband is the legitimate eldest son. In the future, this Jiao mansion will only belong to my husband, to my son!"
"So you instructed someone to kill Lianyu." Prefect Jiao glanced at Zhao Yuan on the ground, who was breathing more than he was not.
Prefect Jiao rarely interacted with his daughter-in-law, and coupled with Jiao Lianping's incompetence, even when he heard negative things about Chen, Prefect Jiao tended to believe them and blame Jiao Lianping. Who would have thought he was so terribly mistaken?
Seeing Zhao Yuan, covered in blood and resembling a corpse, Chen shivered. Reason finally returned to her, and her face instantly turned deathly pale, her lips trembling. After all, she was afraid of death.
"Father, for Hong'er's sake, why not send Eldest Sister-in-law to the estate?" Suddenly, a weak voice sounded from outside the door.
The closed door was pushed open from the outside, revealing Jiao Lianyu being supported by guards. Due to excessive blood loss, he looked as though he could faint at any moment.
"Lianyu, why are you up?" Madam Huang, who had witnessed the entire dramatic scene, quickly got up to support Jiao Lianyu. Thinking of how he had just narrowly escaped death, Madam Huang couldn't help but look at Chen with hatred. If she had known this bitch was so ruthless, she should have acted first.
Jiao Lianping leaned back in his chair, raising his chin slightly with an arrogant and haughty demeanor. "Second Brother has a good plan! Keeping this poisonous woman on the estate not only disgusts me but also ruins me, and even destroys my son's official career. When it comes to ruthlessness, Chen, this poisonous woman, is truly a dwarf compared to Second Brother."
If Chen died of illness or met with an accidental death, and tonight's events were not leaked, Jiao Lianping could remarry and find a virtuous wife, perhaps even a noble lady of suitable status, and use his father-in-law's influence to soar to success.
But as long as Chen lived, she would occupy the position of Jiao Lianping's wife. Moreover, Chen had hired assassins, and the target was her own brother-in-law. This was a handle for the eldest branch. In the future, whether it was Jiao Lianping or his son Jiao Jinghong, as long as Jiao Lianyu revealed Chen's crimes, the official careers of father and son would be ruined.
With a bitter smile, Jiao Lianyu seemed to understand his elder brother's hatred and targeting. He didn't explain but turned to Prefect Jiao, who was seated in the main seat. "Father, regardless, Eldest Sister-in-law is after all Hong'er's biological mother. If she has an accident, and Hong'er learns the truth later, he will likely resent us."
"Furthermore, I have experienced this without danger. As for the other matters my elder brother mentioned earlier, they are ultimately domestic affairs of the inner chambers. If we allow Eldest Sister-in-law to die of illness because of this, it is no different from disregarding human life."
Jiao Lianyu spoke sincerely, prioritizing his nephew and then the reputation of the Jiao mansion. If Chen's death by illness were to spread, it could even affect Prefect Jiao. In essence, since Jiao Lianyu was not dead, Chen did not deserve to die.
At this point, not only Prefect Jiao hesitated, but Madam Jiao also had concerns. She knew clearly that this庶子, Jiao Lianyu, was keeping Chen to disgust the eldest branch and even to control them.
However, Madam Jiao also knew that Jiao Lianyu's words were not unfounded. If Chen died of illness, and Jiao Lianyu later informed Hong'er of the matter, how could the revenge for his mother's death be easily forgotten? Even if Hong'er could understand, he would likely become estranged from them.
"Father, Mother, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again," Chen seemed to see a glimmer of hope for survival, kowtowing repeatedly and crying, "Even for Hong'er's sake, Father, Mother, I will honestly stay on the estate to recuperate. I just want to see Hong'er get married and have children."
Given Jiao Lianping's temperament, he would rather give up his official career than spare Chen. However, thinking of his cute and obedient son, Jiao Lianping opened his mouth but ultimately couldn't utter harsh words.
Jiao Lianyu and Madam Huang did not speak again. The mother and son sat quietly in their chairs. This time, they were in a dilemma. Whichever choice they made was wrong. They could only calmly await the outcome.
"Lord Jiao," as Prefect Jiao hesitated, Zhan Feiyu suddenly spoke. Meeting Chen's terrified and resentful gaze, she slowly said, "Although this is a domestic matter of your mansion, Chen just attempted to frame me for hiring assassins. Although I only have the title of Xiucai, I also possess a token of the Forbidden Dragon Guard, representing the Forbidden Dragon Guard. Both Chen and Zhao Yuan must be taken away. If outsiders inquire, you can simply blame the Forbidden Dragon Guard."
Uh...
Everyone was stunned for a moment. With the involvement of the Forbidden Dragon Guard, who dared to question anything? In this way, Chen's matter would be resolved.
If Jiao Lianping's son inquired about it in the future, even if he hated the Forbidden Dragon Guard, he likely wouldn't dare seek revenge. Even if he did, Zhan Feiyu was not afraid. After all, Chen had hired assassins first and then falsely accused others. The Forbidden Dragon Guard would apprehend the person according to the law, and even the Censorate could not object.