HLnovel Chapter 165 World 337
Chapter 165 World 337
"The second and third wives are fighting?" Upon hearing this news, Yu Miaoqi didn't even flinch, showing no intention of trying to intervene. "What happened?"
"They're keeping it a secret over there. All we know is that something happened to Miss Shu, and it's related to Miss Hui. The Second Master and Second Madam were furious and led people to the Third House."
Yu Miaoqi gestured for Hongfu to leave, then turned to Zhan Zheng and asked, "Zheng'er, is what you were about to say related to this matter?"
Yinyin thought for a moment and said, "Big brother, could it be that something went wrong at the literary gathering?"
Zhan Zheng nodded, his face full of disgust and mockery: "They are now getting what they deserve. If they hadn't plotted against Yin Yin back then, they might not have brought this trouble upon themselves. It seems that fate has its own way of dealing with things."
Yu Miaoqi's expression turned serious: "Zheng'er, tell me the whole story from beginning to end."
Zhan Zheng then recounted the information he had received.
"The Fourth Princess has come up with another wicked idea. To avoid being chosen as the unlucky one, Zhan Shuer and Zhan Huier want to push Yin Yin out, which is why they tried to get Yin Yin to attend the literary gathering earlier."
"But their plan failed, and coincidentally, this time the Fourth Princess chose Zhan Hui'er."
Upon hearing this, Yin Yin guessed, "Could it be that after Zhan Hui'er was chosen, she pushed Zhan Shu'er out to take the blame for herself?"
“That’s right,” Zhan Zheng confirmed her guess. “So now, everyone who attended the literary gathering knows that Zhan Shu’er lost her footing and accidentally fell into the pool, where she was rescued by Young Master Huang.”
"In this kind of weather, falling into the pool?" Yin Yin felt cold just thinking about it.
She turned her head and caught a glimpse of the coldness on Yu Miaoqi's face, and suddenly realized: "So, they originally wanted me to be the one who fell into the water in the dead of winter."
Zhan Zheng didn't speak, but his expression said it all.
"Well, what wonderful girls from the second and third wives," Yu Miaoqi laughed angrily. "They've spent so many of the Zhan family's resources, yet they've raised two such vicious girls who only target their own family members. It's utterly ridiculous!"
“Let’s go, let’s go now,” Yu Miaoqi got up and walked to Yinyin’s side. Her hands were still trembling as she pulled her up. “Don’t pack anything, let’s just leave the manor.”
"With the second and third wives making such a fuss, it's bound to alarm the old master and old lady. If we don't hurry, it won't be easy to leave."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Zheng quickly stood up: "Why don't we just go through the back gate of Dongchang Courtyard? It'll be faster."
“You can’t go out the back door,” Yu Miaoqi refused outright. “At a time like this, you have to go out the front door. Otherwise, how will anyone know you’ve left?”
Zhan Zheng realized: "Mother is planning to make a big scene and break things up with the second and third wives?"
Yu Miaoqi didn't stop, leading her two children quickly outside, saying, "It's not something you can just tear apart as you please, you both have the surname Zhan. We're just making our stance clear to the outside world first, so that Yinyin won't be influenced by those two vicious girls. What happens later depends on our abilities and the old master's attitude."
The three of them only instructed their personal servants to pack a few things and follow slowly, while they themselves quickly arrived at the carriages.
The people at the carriage office were cleaning out the carriage that Yin Yin and Zhan Zheng had used earlier. When they saw the three of them coming, they went to greet them.
“There’s no need to prepare another carriage, this one will do,” Yu Miaoqi said, ordering someone to set up a horse saddlebag. She then led Yinyin into the carriage and instructed the carriage attendants, “Hurry up, we have urgent business to attend to.”
The people at the carriage office had no suspicions, quickly harnessed the horses, and led the three of them out of the mansion.
When news of the second and third wives' affairs reached the main household, alarming the old master and madam, they then remembered the first wife's family and sent someone to Dongchang Courtyard to invite them back. However, Hongfu and Dongxin had already left the mansion. The only one left was a servant who managed Zhanzheng's study and was not someone who could easily leave.
The steward, his face full of bitterness, returned to the main room and cautiously said, "The servants below reported that the First Madam has learned the reason for the quarrel between the Second and Third Households and has already taken Young Master Zheng and Miss Yinyin out of the mansion to Young Master Zheng's former residence."
Oops.
Not only Old Master Zhan, but even the Third Master, who had just returned to the mansion and was putting his family in a weaker position by acting and performing in front of the Old Master, thought the same way.
"They just left the manor like that, why didn't anyone come to inform them? And," Old Master Zhan coldly swept his gaze over the people from the second and third branches of the family present, "who leaked the news beforehand?"
"We haven't found out yet," the steward said. "All we know is that after Young Master Zheng returned to the manor, his servant approached him and said a few words to him. Not long after, the eldest son left the manor."
As for reporting it, the steward thought to himself, the First Madam herself manages the affairs of the mansion, so even if it were reported, it would go to her first. The First Madam was there at the time, so where else could it be reported to?
But he could only think this in his heart; he couldn't say it out loud, otherwise, if the old master got angry, it wouldn't just be the people in the carriage and horse department who would suffer.
"When she left earlier, the First Madam said she had something urgent to attend to and didn't even take a maid with her. The people in the carriage office were afraid of causing delays, so they didn't report it first. About half an hour ago, the First Madam and Miss Yinyin's head maid also left through the back gate of Dongchang Courtyard with a small bundle."
Old Master Zhan, with his eyes closed, staggered back a step, startling the old lady beside him who quickly steadied him.
The old lady said irritably, "Seeing the house in chaos, the eldest daughter-in-law, the head of the household, just took the children and ran away. What kind of head of the household is she?"
"I think we should just take back the ledgers and the tally cards..."
"Who will take responsibility if we take it back?" Old Master Zhan looked calmly at his wife, pointing below with an almost emotionless tone, "Is it this stupid and vicious second wife, or this cunning third wife?"
"Old Master!"
Upon hearing this, the Second Madam and the Third Madam, who had previously been hostile to each other, changed their expressions and knelt down almost simultaneously.
The old lady was frightened by his behavior and dared not say another word.
The second master knelt down beside his wife and said, "Father, she, as your daughter-in-law, cannot bear the weight of what you are saying, but it is quite fitting for my third sister-in-law."
The Third Master immediately sat down and retorted, "What do you mean by that, Second Brother?"
"Enough!" Old Master Zhan's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have endless intimidation power, silencing the two people who had started arguing again.
Old Master Zhan scoffed, "If they're so bad, the daughters they raised are all more vicious than the last. Then how good are you husbands and fathers?"
After saying that, the old man looked at his wife.
"You seem to know everything that happened today. You only thought about your eldest daughter-in-law taking the children out of the manor, but why didn't you think about how your two good granddaughters had planned to take someone else's daughter with them to the literary gathering?"