HLnovel Chapter 10 Falling out
Chapter 10 Falling out
Zhou Yu was the first to react. Xu Zhuling had hidden herself perfectly well, so how was he supposed to explain Xie Bohuai's actions to Ye Wanning?
His face darkened, and he became furious. "Commander Xie, what are you doing drawing your sword in my room?"
"Does the Zhenfu Division need to explain itself to you?" Xie Bohuai glanced at him coldly.
Arrogant.
Defiant.
Xie Bohuai's rhetorical question silenced everyone.
All that remained was Xu Zhuling's suppressed sobs.
Qingshan's eyes widened like saucers. How much did his master dislike Zhou Hanlin? He beat Zhou Hanlin up last night, and now he's directly attacked him, showing him absolutely no respect. If Zhou Hanlin were to submit a memorial impeaching his master because of this, his master would be scolded again.
Zhou Yu was so angry she couldn't speak. Xie Bohuai was a favorite of the Emperor, enjoying his utmost trust. She caught a glimpse of Ye Wanning out of the corner of her eye; her head throbbed with pain, and her thoughts raced.
Ye Wanning wouldn't let the opportunity slip by, and asked in astonishment, "Zhou... Zhou Lang, didn't you say you sent Xu Zhuling away? How come she's in your room?"
A man and a woman alone in a room is already an ambiguous situation, and their deliberate attempt to hide makes it even harder to believe they are innocent.
"Wan Ning, let me explain." Zhou Yu knew he had to coax Ye Wan Ning, but if he lowered his stance too much in front of Xie Bo Huai, wouldn't Xie Bo Huai laugh at him?
Despite the pain in his body, Zhou Yu sat up. "Lord Xie, as you can see, there are no unfamiliar faces here. Could you please leave first?"
"Zhou Yu, what are you trying to hide that made Lord Xie leave?" Ye Wanning feigned sadness.
With Xie Bohuai around, Zhou Yu's words had a way of getting out.
Zhou Yu became anxious. "I have a clear conscience and nothing to hide. The carriage that took my cousin had an accident, so I let her stay at home for two days. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would overthink it. We have been friends for so many years, and I have always been open and honest in front of you. Now you don't trust me, do you?"
Ye Wanning had long been familiar with Zhou Yu's silver tongue. "It's not that I don't trust you, the facts are right in front of me. If the carriage broke down, you could have simply settled the people in an inn. Knowing that Xu Zhuling was harming the Ye family, you still defended her like this. I have nothing more to say to you!"
That was enough. Ye Wanning turned to leave, and Xu Zhuling came out kneeling.
"Sister, don't be angry with your cousin. It's all my fault. He only took me in because he was soft-hearted. If you want to hit or scold me, do it to me. Don't let this ruin your relationship." Xu Zhuling calmed down and knew that she had to take responsibility for what happened today. Her cousin's future was also her hope. Even if she disliked Ye Wanning, she couldn't let this ruin Ye Wanning and her cousin's marriage.
After a pause, Xu Zhuling wiped away her tears. "My sister and cousin are getting married soon. If any rumors spread, it won't be good for the reputation of your Ye family's daughters."
Ye Wanning had already reached the door. She didn't turn around. "It wasn't me who was caught cheating, so stop smearing the Ye family's reputation. Xu Zhuling, since you like Zhou Yu so much, I'll give him to you."
After speaking, Ye Wanning left with Yunzhi.
As they approached the entrance to the Zhou residence, Qingshan called out to her.
"Miss Ye, please wait a moment." Qingshan was panting heavily. He had run too fast and forgotten his master's instructions. He spoke his own thoughts first, "What you said just now was very good. What good girl would repay kindness with enmity? Xu Zhuling is not a good one, and neither is Zhou Hanlin... Oh dear, I've gone off on a tangent. My master sent me to tell you that the town government's capture of spies has nothing to do with you. You don't need to take today's matter to heart."
If his master hadn't instructed him not to speak out, he would have wanted to tell Miss Ye about Xu Zhuling and Zhou Yu having a child.
"Okay, please thank your master for me." Ye Wanning had just fallen out with Zhou Yu and had other things to do, so she hurriedly said goodbye and got into the carriage with Yunzhi.
“Miss, can we tell the old lady now that you want to annul the engagement?” Yunzhi asked excitedly. She had been waiting for this day for far too long since she learned that Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling were having an affair.
Ye Wanning said it wasn't the right time yet. "People are harsh on women. Even if I catch Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling in bed together, people will only say that Zhou Yu is promiscuous and call Xu Zhuling a vixen, but they won't advise me to break off the engagement. In most people's eyes, Zhou Yu is still a good match. He has fame and fortune, a promising future, and is handsome. If we want to break off the engagement, we need to add fuel to the fire."
The main problem is that her grandmother's health is not good, so Ye Wanning needs to settle things before slowly telling her grandmother.
"Is the young lady trying to bring up Feng-ge'er?"
"I sent someone to tell Zhou's mother about Xu Zhuling. Although I haven't seen Zhou's mother for a long time, she is extremely protective of her own. Judging by her journey, she should arrive in the capital today." Ye Wanning's carriage stopped by the roadside, opposite which was the residence where Xu Zhuling and her son lived.
Not long after, someone in charge knocked on the door and drove the people inside out.
The wet nurse, holding Feng-ge'er, looked completely bewildered. "Your family paid the rent to my master, and the contract had your thumbprint on it. How come you're going back on your word?"
"This is our house. Whether we rent it or not is up to us. Nobody expected that the renter would be a mistress. Not only has she ruined our feng shui, but my wife also thinks it's dirty." The steward, along with a group of servants, threw Xu Zhuling's things all over the ground. "Get out of here right now, or don't blame us for being impolite."
Concubine?
Someone overheard this and asked curiously what was going on.
The manager answered directly, "My wife said she'd rather the house be empty and unrented than rent it to a mistress."
"Madam has great backbone," a passerby praised.
The wet nurse, accompanied by a maid, was no match for a group of men. Seeing the mess on the ground, she decided to go find her master first.
When Ye Wanning saw Feng Ge'er again, she felt no sympathy whatsoever. She arranged for someone to deliver a message to the master, saying that Xu Zhuling was someone else's mistress. The master hated mistresses the most, which was why they came to drive her away.
She understood Zhou Yu; for her own sake, no one else mattered. Even if it was his own son, when it really came down to it, Zhou Yu wouldn't acknowledge Feng Ge'er in order to protect himself.
But Zhou's mother was different. She was able to marry Zhou's father because her family had paid for his studies for the imperial examinations. She herself was not very knowledgeable and acted like an ordinary village woman. However, she valued Feng Ge'er and Xu Zhuling very much.
If it weren't for the arranged marriage between Zhou Yu and his father, Zhou Yu's mother would have wanted her niece, Xu Zhuling, to be her daughter-in-law. Therefore, when the wet nurse brought Feng Ge'er to the Zhou family, Zhou Yu's mother would definitely have kept Feng Ge'er.
"Have Fusheng go to the Wang family and tell them that the wet nurse has taken the child to the Zhou family," Ye Wanning said.
The Wang family rented the house to Xu Zhuling. Old Master Wang was acquainted with the eldest brother of the Ye family, and the two families often interacted. Therefore, Ye Wanning had heard about Old Master Wang keeping a mistress when he was young.
Having suffered the misery of being a mistress, Madam Wang hates mistresses the most. If she knew that Xu Zhuling was Zhou Yu's person, she would definitely spread the word.
Ye Wanning wanted to use Madam Wang's words to not only confirm the relationship between Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling, but also to let everyone in the capital know that they already had a child.