"Where are his two daughters?" Lin Zhanyang asked curiously.
"Her two daughters are already married. Although the two girls were not favored by their elders, they are still their family's bloodline. When they reached marriageable age, they married into families that were about right," the servant replied quickly. This was something they actually knew.
"Did she not see them or contact them?" the Prime Minister's wife asked thoughtfully. Su Dan novel network
"This is what we investigated. We heard that her two daughters also held grievances against her."
Having learned what they wanted to know, the Prime Minister's wife told them to rest well and rewarded each of them fifty taels of silver.
The group was overjoyed and, after sincerely expressing their gratitude, rushed to the accounting office to collect their money.
"If she can be so heartless to her own daughters and husband, she'll be even more so to us. I think we should get rid of this trouble quickly, otherwise, who knows what crazy things she might do," said the eldest son of the Lin family. Seeing everyone looking at him, he paused slightly, then realized they were waiting for his decision and quickly voiced his opinion.
The others nodded unconsciously in agreement. While their father was away, the second son of the Lin family summoned his father's personal attendant and, through various threats and inducements, extracted the truth. It turned out that the reason Madam Liu was able to be with his father was that she had drugged him when they met, leading to their union.
As luck would have it, her luck turned out to be very good this time. She soon became pregnant, and it was a son. With her honeyed words, although she failed to win the Prime Minister's heart, she still bore him three children.
Wu Caiwei, estimating that the people sent by the Prime Minister's mansion to investigate Madam Liu would return soon, wrote down this matter on a slip of paper and had a beggar deliver it to her eldest son.
After Madam Liu heard about this from her son, she felt uneasy, even though she didn't know if it was true. She knew that her secret could not withstand investigation.
The previous incident had made her realize that the Prime Minister's wife was not easy to deal with, and their relationship was deeper than she had imagined.
To avoid being in a too passive position, she decided to strike first.
As soon as the Prime Minister left the court, he was intercepted by Madam Liu's servants who had been waiting for him there for a long time.
He hadn't visited her in a long time, and he had been beaten so severely by his wife last time. Although he didn't have much affection for Madam Liu, after so many years of companionship and with three children, he felt some responsibility towards her, so it wouldn't hurt to see her.
Madam Liu had prepared a table of his favorite dishes early. As soon as they met, she happily went to greet him, asking about his well-being with meticulous care.
In a moment, the children came forward, and the atmosphere became lively. The Prime Minister enthusiastically checked his two sons' studies and was surprised to find that they not only had talent but were also very diligent. He couldn't help but stroke his beard with joy and nod repeatedly.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, while he was in a good mood, Madam Liu spoke with some difficulty, "I haven't been back to my hometown for over ten years. It's where we grew up together. It's false to say I have no feelings for it, but the thought of the people there and the things that happened there inevitably makes one feel sad. My former in-laws resented me for not staying with their son, and my two daughters were corrupted by my mother-in-law and hated me, refusing to see me."
She sighed and continued, "They don't even think about it. Back then, I was so young and had a bright future. They spread all sorts of bad things about me outside, and even my daughters believed their fabricated lies and were not close to me. What was the point of me staying there? It's better here. No matter what, I have three filial children, which is better than anything."
The Prime Minister, not knowing why she was reminiscing about the past, nodded in agreement.
When he returned to the mansion that afternoon, he learned why Madam Liu had spoken that way. As soon as his wife saw him, she clearly explained that she had sent people to his hometown to investigate Madam Liu's affairs.
To be honest, he had once poured his heart into Madam Liu and longed to return home triumphantly after passing the imperial examinations to marry her. So, after she became a widow, he had agreed to meet and talk without a second thought, and that was when she had taken advantage of him.
Based on his understanding of her, she had the cunning of a woman and the bad habit of vanity, but she was definitely incapable of murder and arson. After all, she grew up in the countryside, was simple, and what her former in-laws said was even less believable.
The Prime Minister's wife, seeing his perfunctory attitude, knew he wasn't taking it seriously. How could this be? She was counting on this opportunity to bring Madam Liu down.
She spoke many more inappropriate words about Madam Liu and called in the servants who had gone to investigate, asking them to recount everything they had found. However, the master still didn't believe her. She felt a sense of powerlessness.
A few days later, the Prime Minister unexpectedly received a letter from Lin Sichen, Madam Liu's eldest son, asking to meet at a teahouse for a good talk.
Although he felt there was no need to talk to his son, this son who was good at studying was very much to his liking. As he had nothing important to do that day, he went to the meeting alone.
Initially, during their tea, everything was fine. They talked about their ideals, studies, and experiences. However, their conversation took a sharp turn when they encountered some of his classmates.
They were sitting by the window on the second floor. As soon as his classmates came upstairs, they saw them. One of them immediately said with ill intent, "Oh, isn't this our Young Master Lin? Why are you slumming it at a teahouse like this? Aren't you usually focused on your studies?"
"Don't you people know? His mother is an outer chamber concubine, meaning he is a child of an outer chamber concubine, someone looked down upon."
"No matter how hard this person tries or how good his grades are, without a good background, he will ultimately have no future."
...
The few people stood not far from them, chattering. Lin Sichen was already used to this and remained indifferent, continuing with what he was doing.
However, the Prime Minister could not accept this. The child he had placed so much hope in was not esteemed by others. It all came down to status.
At this moment, he made a decision. He stood up and calmly walked over to them, "Whose children are you?"
The few people were surprised that he didn't act as expected. Not only did he not distance himself from this child of an outer chamber concubine, but he also intended to investigate their identities. One of them said haughtily, "Judging by your attire, you are also a wealthy gentleman. We advise you not to associate too much with this boy, lest it tarnish your reputation."
"You should be more careful yourselves. Even if you don't state your names, I can find out by checking the academy. Go back and tell your classmates that Lin Sichen is my son, the Prime Minister's son. I plan to have him officially recognized, and from then on, he will be someone you cannot aspire to." The Prime Minister said each word deliberately and seriously.