Chapter 318 The Faithless Lover (39)

Madam Zhou was stunned. In her heart, she did not want to hand Xu Yijie over to him; ten days of torment were not enough to appease her anger. However, she was afraid of offending the county magistrate if she didn't. After all, she had to continue living in the city. From her recent correspondence with her father, it was clear he was very disappointed in her, always instructing her to be well-behaved and avoid trouble.

Meanwhile, the Grand Imperial Son-in-law, upon receiving Bai Huixian's letter informing him of his son's death, felt a complex mix of sorrow and relief. He had only met his son a few times over a decade ago, and for years, his knowledge of the boy came only from Bai Huixian's brief letters. There was no emotional connection. If his son were still alive, he felt a sense of obligation to help Bai Huixian. But now that he was dead, the ties between himself and Bai Huixian would lessen. Only one daughter remained, not enough to affect his relationship with the First Princess.

After much hesitation, he wrote a letter to the local county magistrate, urging him to thoroughly investigate the murderer and to keep him informed of any developments. He wanted no further involvement with Bai Huixian and naturally, did not even reply to her letter.

Without anyone needing to remind her, Madam Zhou knew her situation was precarious. After some hesitation, she handed Xu Yijie over to the county magistrate. The magistrate was already prepared and did not even flinch at the sight of Xu Yijie's wretched state.

The moment Xu Yijie saw the county magistrate, he felt a sense of salvation. Although he knew his fate would not be good, it was still better than being in Madam Zhou's hands. Even if he were sentenced to immediate execution, he would not suffer such torment.

As soon as he was brought to the courtroom, Xu Yijie confessed everything that had happened to him, even without the county magistrate interrogating him. Fortunately, the magistrate knew some matters were not to be disclosed to outsiders, so the trial was not open to the public. All the yamen runners were trusted individuals. It was then that Madam Zhou learned that her son's recent drowning incident was also orchestrated by him. She was filled with hatred.

She also felt immense self-recrimination. Why hadn't she sent more people to investigate thoroughly? If she had discovered his involvement then, she would have been more vigilant. What made it even more unbearable was that Xu Yijie had used her affairs to threaten her son. She felt like dying.

Unsurprisingly, Xu Yijie was sentenced to immediate execution. Madam Zhou attended the execution personally. Even as she watched his head roll, her resentment could not be dispelled.

When the Xu family parents heard that someone in the city shared the same name as their son and had been sentenced to immediate execution for murder, they were momentarily taken aback. Father Xu casually remarked, "My son passed away years ago. Our current son is Da Zhu. The world is full of strange coincidences; it's just a coincidence."

After returning home, Mother Xu secretly mourned for a long time. Later, she went to the city to inquire about the crimes her son had committed. Upon hearing about his series of schemes, she treated Xu Da Zhu even better, finally accepting him as her own son. Su Dan Novel Network.

As she had not received a reply after such a long time, Madam Zhou assumed there had been a mishap on the road and sent several more letters to the Grand Imperial Son-in-law.

When he received the letters, the Grand Imperial Son-in-law was extremely annoyed. After some thought, he finally replied, stating in essence that they each had their own families and should no longer contact each other, as focusing on their own lives was fundamental.

Upon receiving the letter, Madam Zhou's entire body trembled. She realized he had received her previous letters, but they made no mention of her son, revealing his insignificance in his heart.

She felt injustice for her son, who had yearned for fatherly love so much during his lifetime, a fact she had witnessed and remembered. Yet, even in death, he could not earn a glance from his father. But who could she blame? Herself? With this thought, she locked herself in her room and cried bitterly.

Since Wu Caiwei decided to focus on developing her career and moved out of the Zhang Manor, she felt comfortable everywhere she looked, her mood even improved. After all, it was her own home.

While her mood was lightened, Master Zhou was swamped with worries. Looking at his declining business, he wished to change things but didn't know how. He also blamed his wife for provoking the wrong person, of all people, Leng Shui Xiang, such a formidable character. He couldn't fathom how that woman's mind worked; her shops kept opening, and each one did better than the last, making Master Zhou envious.

Since the incident last time, benefits from the capital had ceased, and now his business was being targeted everywhere. Master Zhou felt fortunate not to be fuming at his wife.

The death of her son had dealt Madam Zhou a severe blow. Her years of coexistence with Master Zhou had taught her that he was, in fact, a decent man. After much soul-searching, she decided to let go of the past, rebuild her relationship with Master Zhou, and live a good life.

However, things don't always go as one wishes. Master Zhou had noticed her change, but for him, the age of youthful infatuation was long past. He now had several concubines and children, and his emotional needs were not great; he was more practical. In the past, if Madam Zhou could bring him benefits, he would treat her with a different regard.

Now, not only had she been abandoned by the Bai family, but she had also caused him a lot of trouble. Just seeing her annoyed him. Furthermore, her entanglement with different men over the past decade made Master Zhou deeply uncomfortable, making it impossible for them to live harmoniously. He kept his distance.

At first and second instances, Madam Zhou didn't understand. With time, how could she not realize that Master Zhou disdained her? Her heart ached immensely. In her entire life, this was the first time she had tried so hard to please someone, only to have her efforts unappreciated.

She didn't deny that she had made many mistakes in her youth, but she was trying to reform. If she couldn't even earn forgiveness, what else could she do?

Suddenly, Madam Zhou had a wild thought: since her life was already ruined, why not drag everyone down with her?

So, she wrote a letter to her father, stating that she hadn't visited home in years and missed them dearly, and decided to return to the capital.

The day after the letter was sent, she informed Master Zhou of her decision. Without a second thought, Master Zhou agreed. As long as she didn't cause him trouble, she could do as she pleased. In the capital, with Master Bai overseeing her, perhaps things would be better.

As soon as Madam Zhou left, Wu Caiwei handed over the management of her shops to her trusted subordinates and also set off for the capital with Xu Shuqin.

Ouyang Chen had several guards accompanying Wu Caiwei. He was immediately informed and quietly arranged for them to have courtyards.

Although Ouyang Chen desperately wished to see her, he knew that wherever he went, there were Ouyang family members monitoring his every move. He didn't want to bring her trouble.