Young widow in her boudoir

The fact that Xie Rutang sold off her dowry had already infuriated the old lady, and now this happened, she was almost driven to the brink of madness.

Shen Yuan had only been gone for less than two months when Xie Rutang, unable to bear the loneliness of being confined to her boudoir, had an affair.

Is he still caught cheating in the mansion?

The amount of information was overwhelming, so the old lady looked at Rong Mama and said, "Bring me my medicine."

Granny Rong was also taken aback and went back into the house to get the medicine.

The old lady drank half a bowl of it and sat in her armchair for a long time before she could catch her breath.

She glanced at Ye Wanyu, "Are you telling the truth?"

She knew perfectly well that Ye Wanyu disliked Xie Rutang and had been cutting back on Xie Rutang's expenses during the past six months of managing the household, but the old lady turned a blind eye.

Ye Wanyu's eyes and brows held a victor's mockery. "Shen Shuming said that these clothes weren't his. My daughter-in-law said before that Xie Shi's face looked like a femme fatale, a seductive vixen! She even secretly passed a handkerchief to a guard before..."

"If she hadn't deliberately seduced him, how could my elder brother, a gentleman of such refined and gentle character, have married this Xie woman?"

"Judging from the expensive fabric of this wild man's outer robe, it seems that Xie Shi is desperate and will try anything because her brother on her mother's side has run into trouble. Who knows, she might have seen some old official outside and tried to seduce him. How utterly despicable!"

Ye Wanyu's eyes showed disdain, but she became more and more excited as she thought about it. Maybe that old man even had a granddaughter. Xie Rutang was really degrading herself.

"To put it bluntly, daughter-in-law, Xie is so alluring and flamboyant; who knows, she might have been having affairs with some of the guards in the mansion... My elder brother might have been deceived by Xie before he died!"

The old lady's forehead veins bulged as she looked at the woman on the ground.

"You filthy woman, speak! Who is the lover you're having an affair with?!"

Xie Rutang never expected Ye Wanyu to be so vicious, publicly smearing her with such a stigma and humiliating her like a slut. She bit her lip in shame and indignation, tasting a slightly metallic sweetness on her tongue.

She never imagined that simply being born beautiful would become a crime, bringing her such framing and slander.

Xie Rutang's heart pounded like a drum. She opened her lips, but said nothing. She only sobbed softly, without mentioning that the outer robe belonged to the Second Master.

Pei Zhiheng was merely enjoying the ambiguous atmosphere between them, occasionally liking her body, but he hesitated to take any further action.

Moreover, he is currently discussing marriage with the daughter of the Su family.

To him, she was nothing more than a married woman, gentle and virtuous, with a reputation for being a refined lady. She was a new type of woman he had never tried before. Pei Zhiheng's feelings for her were nothing more than a desire to conquer her.

He didn't like her; he only needed her body.

What is Pei Zhiheng's identity?

The most precious and noble person in the Shen and Pei families, and the Pei family is a respectable and upright family. How could she, a widow who once served her husband, defile him?

Once the truth gets out, neither family's elders will allow her to live any longer, and the consequences for her will only be worse.

Therefore, Xie Rutang bit her red lips tightly, not uttering the Second Master's name. It was something she couldn't even mention; it was taboo.

Seeing that Xie Rutang remained silent, Ye Wanyu assumed that she had admitted it. "Well, so even now, sister-in-law is still protecting that adulterer."

She quickly added insult to injury, saying, "Mother, my sister-in-law is committing adultery in the mansion, which is immoral and shameful. She has truly disgraced my brother-in-law's spirit in heaven! In my opinion, it would be better to drag Xie out and drown her in the pond, or beat her to death with sticks, before this matter is exposed. Only in this way can we save face for the Shen family!"

Last year, Xie Rutang married into the Shen family in a grand wedding procession. From then on, Shen Yuan doted on Xie Rutang exclusively, refusing to take concubines and desiring only to be with her for life. Despite his noble status, Shen Yuan was willing to adorn Xie Rutang with flowers and draw her eyebrows, showering her with tender care, which was the envy of everyone.

In contrast, Ye Wanyu's husband, Shen Wen, not only had four concubines, but also only stayed in her room twice a month.

How could Ye Wanyu not hold a grudge?

What she resented even more was that Shen Yuan had spoiled Xie Rutang so much that she was oblivious to the ways of the world, her face was so delicate and tender that it seemed as if she had never been married.

Perhaps this family scandal was too shocking, for the old lady closed her eyes, her hands constantly turning the Buddhist prayer beads, lost in thought, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

After all, Xie Rutang was Yuan Cheng's most beloved woman. In his suicide note, Yuan Cheng entrusted her, his elderly mother, to take good care of his widow...

Seeing that she was indecisive, Ye Wanyu said, "Mother-in-law, please don't be so kind. Once Xie's adultery scandal gets out, the whole city will laugh at our Shen family for being so shameful. By then, it will be too late to make amends! Keeping Xie around is like keeping a disaster in the world."

The old lady's stern gaze swept over Xie Rutang, her murderous intent already settling in. "I thought you were virtuous and capable of managing the household, but it turns out you harbor a wicked heart. If this shameful affair were to spread, the entire Shen family would be the laughingstock behind everyone's backs!"

"Someone, remove her hairpin."

At his command, all the servants in the room fell silent in fear.

Soon, a maidservant stepped forward, her movements rough and domineering, and pulled out Xie Rutang's jade hairpin in front of everyone. The woman's dark hair, as black as clouds, suddenly became disheveled and fell over her shoulders, losing her usual dignified and proper appearance.

For women from aristocratic families, having their hair disheveled or having their hairpins removed in public was a great humiliation that diminished their dignity.

Xie Rutang's shoulders trembled slightly.

Ye Wanyu was already impatient to see her drowned, but she still maintained the dignity of a noblewoman. "Daughter-in-law will go and invite the clan elders here."

After saying that, he rushed out of the main house.

Xie Rutang felt humiliated and ashamed. Her delicate eyebrows were like crescent moons, and tears streamed down her face. The woman, disregarding her dignity, knelt and begged, trying to grasp at the last glimmer of hope, "Mother, please know that your daughter-in-law is innocent and has never done anything to wrong Yuanlang..."

"Mother, please, I beg you, let your daughter-in-law continue to guard Yuanlang. I'm pleading with you..."

The old lady remained unmoved. Her head ached from listening, and she rubbed her temples. "Someone, take this vile woman to the ancestral hall."

She didn't even want to look at her eldest daughter-in-law again, feeling it was bad luck and a misfortune for the family.

Just as Xie Rutang was about to be dragged out.

Just then, from afar, a tall, straight figure, like a green bamboo, could be seen walking into the main hall, its robes flowing like clouds.

A cold, distant gaze had just fallen upon us, chillingly so.

Xie Rutang, kneeling on the ground, trembled again, feeling as if she were being pricked by thorns. These past few days, Pei Zhiheng had become much colder towards her, and the two had almost no contact anymore.

The crowd was still in shock.

Pei Zhiheng, still in his official robes, stepped into the main hall. His imposing presence was as heavy as a mountain, and his demeanor was dignified and composed.

Granny Rong whispered to the old lady, "The second master is here."

The old lady hadn't expected Pei Zhiheng to come at this time. She quickly stood up, supporting herself on the armrest, and smiled kindly at him, "Yuanzhi, why are you here? Shouldn't you be on duty at the Dali Temple at this time?"

Pei Zhiheng: "I just returned to the manor and heard about the commotion at Shou'an Hall."

His dark official robe accentuated his cold and sharp features. "The adulterer the old lady spoke of is me."

The old lady's smile froze.

"W-what?"

Is it because her eyesight is failing and her hearing is not good anymore?

Pei Zhiheng frowned, thinking she hadn't heard him clearly, and repeated, "The clothes found in Cuiwu Courtyard are mine."

Xie Rutang was also startled and suddenly looked up at him.

Little did she expect that Pei Zhiheng would publicly claim his outer robe!

He actually said these words so frankly, in front of all the servants and the old lady in the room.

Isn't this pushing this widow into the eye of the storm?

She lived her life upholding her deceased husband's chastity, and her entire life, until her burial, was bound to the word "chastity." People praised her for her chastity and called her a virtuous woman, but this word "chastity" was like a man-eating demon, capable of crushing and driving her to her death.

He said it all. How was she supposed to live now? How was she supposed to face the Shen family? How could she possibly have any face left to stand on? Even a thousand mouths couldn't explain it away.

Xie Rutang was both ashamed and flustered, her eyes instantly turning red. She was so angry that her fingertips trembled, and she bit down on that bright red tongue with her pearly teeth, wishing she could just smash her head against a pillar and kill herself!