tallest building

Chapter 183 Revealing the Hidden Truth

Cao Hongyu, sobbing, said, "It was before the New Year, in the winter month, one evening I saw my cousin's mother, Zhao, walking somewhat flustered into an alley in the east of the city. I found it strange and followed her."

She stopped in front of a back door, knocked a few times, and then the door opened, and a woman wrapped up tightly walked out.

Even so, I recognized her; she must be my cousin's wife. They then left the alley and got into the car. But just to be on the safe side, I followed them.

The carriage went straight back to our house, and Zhao's mother helped her cousin-in-law out of the carriage and into the mansion.

I found it strange, so I went to that alley again the next day and looked around. I found that it was the back door of a silk shop.

After that, I had someone keep an eye on that place, wanting to know what my cousin-in-law was doing.

It took more than a month to find out the truth. It turned out that the owner of the silk shop, Sang Sanyang, was a bachelor in his thirties. Every time his cousin-in-law went in through the back door, he would leave the shop in the front and go to the back yard.

It would take anywhere from one to two hours for my cousin-in-law to leave again, just like before. And not long after, Sang Sanyang also went to the front shop.

"You mean..." Madam Zhou's eyes widened upon hearing Cao Hongyu's words, "This shameless woman actually cheated on me?!"

“Auntie whispered,” Cao Hongyu said, “I know you might not believe this, but it’s absolutely true. And what’s more, this Sang Sanyang is none other than Wen Mingqian’s personal maid Sang Er’s maternal uncle.”

Think about it, she went to great lengths to save her cousin-in-law's life. And for her cousin-in-law to live a peaceful life, she had to give birth to a son for the Zhou family.

Isn't it perfectly reasonable that they conspired to do this?

"That bitch! That bitch!" Madam Zhou was so angry that she couldn't find any other words to curse.

“Aunt, I would never lie. I’ll always be on your side.” Cao Hongyu seized the opportunity to show her loyalty. “The reason I hesitated to say it was because I was afraid of upsetting you. But I have to say it now, since it concerns the Zhou family’s bloodline.”

“That bitch is a spineless crab, completely unpredictable. She would never dare to do such a heinous thing on her own.” At this moment, Madam Zhou calmed down a little. “It must be that Wen Mingqian who gave her the idea behind the scenes.”

“Aunt is right, the root of the problem lies with that Wen guy.” Cao Hongyu quickly agreed. She was instructed by someone to both kick Liu Cuiyi out and get involved with Wen Mingqian, killing two birds with one stone.

Although the saying goes that you have to catch someone in the act of adultery, Madam Zhou felt that what Cao Hongyu said was 90% true.

"Liu Cuiyi is desperate to stay in the Zhou family, so she's bound to resort to any means necessary. And Wen Mingqian is her guarantor, so they're practically in the same boat," Madam Zhou said through gritted teeth. "What's hateful is that these two harlots actually schemed against us like this; they're utterly heartless!"

There was one more thing she didn't mention: the fact that Liu Cuiyi's pregnancy was so stable was itself unusual.

"Aunt, what do you plan to do now?" Cao Hongyu asked. "My cousin-in-law is pregnant, so she will definitely stay at home to rest and take care of her pregnancy. She won't be having secret meetings with that man anymore."

"What can we do? Of course, we can't let this wicked child live," said Madam Zhou. "What if we can't catch her in the act? She's already done something shameless; I don't believe she won't feel guilty!"

"Aunt, why don't you call Zhao Mama over first? She's my cousin's confidante. If we can get her to confess first, my cousin won't be able to deny it anymore," Cao Hongyu suggested to Madam Zhou. "Yes, that shameless old hag, I've disliked her for a long time," Madam Zhou said bitterly. "I'll call her over right now!"

He then instructed the old maid, "Go and fetch Zhao Mama from the eldest mistress's room. Tell her I need her to come quickly."

When Zhao's mother heard that the madam was calling her, she was slightly surprised, but she didn't think anything of it.

At this moment, Liu Cuiyi was dozing off. Since becoming pregnant, she could eat and sleep well, and she was already sleepy before noon.

Zhao Mama quietly instructed the maids: "I'm going to Madam's side. Don't play around. If you hear any noise from the eldest mistress, hurry in and serve her."

He then came out and went straight to Madam Zhou's room.

As soon as they entered, they sensed something was wrong. Madam Zhou had a livid face, while Cao Hongyu next to her looked smug.

"Greetings to Madam, greetings to Miss Cao," Zhao Mama greeted politely. "May I ask what Madam wishes to do for me?"

"Zhao Ma, how dare you!" Madam Zhou glared at Zhao Ma and said, "Although you are Liu's maid, you have been in my Zhou family for nearly ten years, and I never knew you were so audacious."

"What do you mean by that, Madam? This old servant doesn't understand at all," Zhao Mama asked, suppressing her anxiety.

"What do you mean? I know all about the despicable things you and your servants have done." Madam Zhou sneered. "Just because I rarely leave my house, do you think I don't know what shameless things you've committed?"

Zhao's mother was inevitably flustered, but she knew that she couldn't let the other party find out no matter what.

“Madam, even if I were the most despicable of servants, I still know propriety and shame, and I have never done anything sordid,” said Zhao Mama. “I wonder who has bewitched you, Madam?”

"Don't try to argue with me. I'm asking you, what's going on between Liu Cuiyi and that silk merchant surnamed Sang? Explain yourself clearly now, or there'll be plenty of clues! Otherwise, I'll report it to the authorities and have them search his shop. I bet they'll find some clues!"

Zhao's mother was greatly alarmed. She was surprised when Zhao mentioned Sang Sanyang's name and wondered how she knew it.

It seems that Cao Hongyu has also gotten involved, but how did she know?

However, judging from Madam Zhou's words, they did not have any solid evidence.

“Aunt Zhao, look how angry Auntie is! Hurry up and tell the truth! As the saying goes, if you don’t want people to know, don’t do it in the first place. And as the saying goes, you can’t hide fire with paper. You’re an old woman, ask yourself if you can still take any more trouble?” Cao Hongyu said coldly from the side.

"Miss Cao, you really do like to meddle in other people's business! I was wondering where this evil wind came from. It turns out the root of it is you! You've always wanted to enter the Zhou family and replace our young lady, but you just can't get your wish."

Now that you see our daughter is pregnant and loving towards her husband, you can't sit still and have fabricated such vicious lies to slander her. You are utterly devoid of conscience!
"Madam, she has no real evidence whatsoever, yet she's falsely accusing our young lady of adultery. How can you believe her? If I don't prove her innocence today, I'd rather die right here!"