Chеng Yi snееrеd uроn hеaring this.
Thе third brаnсh hаd аlways beеn fеnce-sittеrs. First, they infоrmеd thеm thаt Сhеng Xu would mаrry the eldest legitimatе dаughter оf the Мin fаmilу, thеn hinted thаt Сhеng Хu аctuаlly favorеd Zhоu Shaоjin, and even lеd peоple tо thе саvе... Тhеy had tаkеn the risk оf drugging Сhеng Xu’s winе, hoрing hе would takе libеrties with Zhоu Shaojin while disоriented, so thеу сould сatch them in thе асt and fоrсе thе еldеst branсh tо relinquish thе pоsition of сlan hеir. Еvеn if theу соuldn’t sеcure the hеir position, they wоuld at least hаve levеragе оver Сheng Xu for future schemes. Who would have thought that as soon as the situation turned unfavorable, the third branch would wash their hands of it entirely, now righteously playing both sides? Had their long involvement in commerce made them value profit over family ties?
Utter hypocrisy!
But who exactly had beaten Cheng Xu so severely?
Cheng Yi suspected it was the maid named Jiying, who served by Cheng Chi’s side.
Hadn’t she previously injured Cheng Yi of the fourth branch?
But why would Cheng Chi do such a thing?
It made no sense.
If anything happened to Cheng Xu, the eldest branch would be the most humiliated.
Moreover, even if Cheng Xu lost the position of clan heir, Cheng Chi was the youngest of the “Shui” generation—there was no way it would fall to him. Acting this way brought him no benefit whatsoever, and he was an exceptionally intelligent man...
Cheng Yi couldn’t figure it out.
But what he disliked even more was the blatant betrayal by his former allies.
He opened his mouth to retort.
Someone tugged hard on his sleeve.
Following the gesture, he saw his son Cheng Shi frantically signaling him with his eyes, urging him to say nothing.
How could he stay silent?
Opportunities like this didn’t come twice!
No matter what, they had to make Zhou Shaojin accuse Cheng Xu of misconduct toward her.
Cheng Shi hadn’t expected his father to lose his composure this time, exposing the second branch’s intentions in front of everyone.
No wonder their great-grandfather had advised him to share certain matters with his father only when appropriate and keep others to himself.
His father, having long resided in Jinling City and grown accustomed to flattery, had become somewhat arrogant when dealing with situations.
But aside from Cheng Wen’s father and that collateral relative Cheng Ju, who in this room was easy to handle?
If they pushed Zhou Shaojin too far, once Zhou Zhen intervened, they would have no choice but to shamelessly apologize to him.
What a colossal loss of face!
Seeing that his father Cheng Yi showed no awareness of the gravity of the situation and was still intent on arguing with Cheng Lu, Cheng Shi had no choice but to step forward and say, “Father, Jiashan’s health is what matters now. Whatever needs to be said can wait until the physician arrives.” As he spoke, he tugged hard on his father’s sleeve again.
For a moment, Cheng Yi still didn’t realize that his earlier words had been too extreme, but his great-grandfather had repeatedly urged him to consult his son on important matters. After some thought, he finally swallowed what he had been about to say.
Cheng Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
If the second and eldest branches truly clashed, it would be the fourth and fifth branches that suffered—taking either side would be problematic.
He quickly scolded Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi, who had been standing silently beside him: “What are you two standing there dumbly for? Go check if the physician has arrived. Then discreetly arrange for a sedan chair to carry your cousin to Cold Green Mountain House.”
Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi were both seething with anger!
Clearly, Cheng Xu had tried to take liberties with Shaojin and ended up beaten by her, so how had it become Shaojin’s fault in Madam Yuan’s words?Fortunately, Uncle Chi and Old Madam Guo said nothing; otherwise, even with elders present, they would have risked being labeled "unfilial" to speak their minds.
Having heard their father's instructions, the two reluctantly went their separate ways—one to hurry the physician, the other to direct the servants to bring a sedan chair.
Cheng Wen chuckled a few times, feeling it was time for him to step in and say something. He said, "Cousin Chi, don't be upset. What kind of person is Jiashan? We all know him well. If anyone says he did something immoral, I’d never believe it even if beaten to death. As for our niece Shaojin, we’ve watched her grow up—she’s a sensible and well-mannered girl. There must be some misunderstanding here! Yes, a misunderstanding, definitely a misunderstanding! Once Jiashan wakes up and explains everything, it’ll all be cleared up."
Another one trying to smooth things over!
Cheng Yi was so angry his eyes turned red.
Cheng Chi glanced at him, then at Cheng Lu, his expression growing even colder. He said, "Since everyone thinks it’s a misunderstanding, I won’t dig deeper into how Jiashan ended up drunk and unconscious, sitting alone in the cave, or how our niece Shaojin just happened to stumble upon him... Let’s all disperse! Crowding in this cave isn’t good for Jiashan’s condition."
What did he mean by that?
Cheng Lu frowned.
Cheng Yi, Cheng Shi, and Cheng Zheng, however, felt a pang of unease!
Was Cheng Chi threatening them?
Did he already know what had happened?
Cheng Shi and Cheng Zheng carefully recalled Cheng Chi’s every move from the moment Wu Baozhang screamed to when they led the crowd to the cave.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... or perhaps they were being overly sensitive!
Both chose to remain silent.
Cheng Wen, thinking of the thousand taels he had promised his mistress and still counting on Cheng Chi to show him a way forward, immediately fawned, "Yes, yes! Cousin Chi is right. Since Cousin Yi says no outsiders could have entered, it must be someone from the household. In this household, everyone has their place—who could possibly run away? Once Jiashan wakes up, we’ll know exactly what happened! Let’s all disperse, disperse!" As he spoke, he pushed his son Cheng Nuo and said, "Take your wife back home. What’s a woman doing running around the courtyard instead of staying properly indoors?"
Wu Baozhang’s heart skipped a beat.
Was it all over just like that?
After all that effort and scheming, Zhou Shaojin hadn’t even lost a single strand of hair—and it was over just like that!
She bit her lip, quickly glanced at Cheng Lu, and felt utterly unwilling.
Cheng Lu lowered his head, his eyes and brows filled with coldness.
Cheng Xu was truly lucky to have escaped the schemes of the second and third branches. Still, after such an incident, Zhou Shaojin definitely wouldn’t be able to stay in Nine Prosperities Lane. The second and third branches would surely be furious, but for him, the goal had been achieved. As for Cheng Xu, it’s easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. If he continued to be this foolish, he might escape this time, but not necessarily the next.
We’ll see about that!
He clenched his fist.
Cheng Nuo was already pushing Wu Baozhang to leave.
Though not particularly sharp, his parents’ constant quarrels had given him an instinctive sense of caution.
This time, he felt something major was about to happen.
Staying here was far too unsafe!Moreover, he intended to go back and question his wife thoroughly—why had she come to such a remote place when everyone else was properly waiting in their own rooms for Cheng Gao and the bride to pay their respects?
Cheng Ju had originally wanted to watch the commotion. Seeing Zhou Shaojin leave, with no beauty left to admire and the elders looking far too serious, he sensed something amiss and quietly followed Cheng Nuo as he slipped away.
Cheng Wen also wanted to leave, but Cheng Yi arrived with servants carrying a sedan chair.
As an uncle, shouldn’t he at least show concern for his nephew, whose condition was unclear?
Especially with Cheng Chi standing right there!
Holding his nose, he went to Cold Green Mountain House.
Since Cheng Yi and the others couldn’t enter Old Madam Guo’s inner chamber, they all followed Cheng Chi and sat in the passage hall.
Before long, Cheng Gao and a steward accompanied Physician Zhou, who came panting in at a jog.
Cheng Yi and the others all stood up.
But Cheng Chi remained seated as steady as a mountain.
Cheng Yi and the others awkwardly sat back down.
Physician Zhou hastily bowed to everyone, then followed Biyu into Old Madam Guo’s inner chamber.
After about the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, Biyu came out to relay the message: “Physician Zhou says it was mistakenly ingesting something similar to Five Minerals Powder. Once the effects wear off, he’ll be fine. He’s prescribed two doses of a calming medicine and will return tomorrow for a follow-up.”
Cheng Lu exclaimed in surprise, “Does such a thing still exist nowadays? I’ve only ever read about it in books.”
Only then did Cheng Zheng glance at Cheng Shi.
But he saw Cheng Yi looking toward his own son.
Cheng Zheng’s feelings suddenly grew complicated.
When Cheng Shi did something, at least he had a father to back him up. But him? If his own father didn’t drag him down, he’d be reciting Amitabha’s name in gratitude!
Thinking of this, he shuddered inwardly.
Cheng Shi actually managed to get his hands on such a thing.
He had thought Cheng Shi merely got Cheng Xu drunk.
Physician Zhou’s ability to diagnose this was quite impressive.
At this moment, Uncle Yi and Cousin Shi must be feeling very uneasy, right? Uncle Chi’s earlier questioning of everyone was clearly pointed! Thankfully, he hadn’t tried to steal the spotlight. If the main branch took notice of him, where would he find a way out?
Cheng Wen knew about this substance.
Brothels occasionally used it to enhance excitement.
Though the names varied, the substance was the same.
No wonder Cheng Xu had been so disoriented earlier.
He said dismissively, “I don’t think there’s any need for further questioning! It must be that Jiashan mistakenly ingested that stuff, so he was muddled and unaware of what he was doing. Once he wakes up and explains clearly, it’ll be fine. Matters among the younger generation—let’s not interfere!” He acted as if the matter should be dropped and everyone should quickly disperse. After all, he still had a packet of that stuff hidden in his room. If it turned out the drug had been stolen from his place and was traced back to him, he’d never be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Cheng Yi’s temples throbbed with anger.
That fool Cheng Wen—not a single thing he did ever hit the mark.
If they didn’t get to the bottom of this now, once they left, Cheng Xu would be completely blameless!
He wanted to scold Cheng Wen, but considering the possibility that his son Cheng Shi had administered the drug, and thinking of Cheng Jing, who held a high position among the Nine Ministers far away in the capital, he immediately lost his nerve... Forcing a smile, he said, “As long as Jiashan is fine! That’s all that matters! We should head back now.”
But Cheng Mian couldn’t let the matter be brushed aside like this.
He had heard Cheng Xu’s cry of “Shaojin” loud and clear.If they were merely ordinary cousins, even if Cheng Xu liked Zhou Shaojin, he should have addressed her as "cousin," not by her personal name Shaojin.
Seeing that everyone seemed inclined to let the matter rest, he abruptly stood up, cupped his hands toward Cheng Chi, and said, "Cousin Chi, how could Jiashan have taken such a thing? And why would he be alone in the cave? I implore you to investigate this thoroughly. Mr. Zhou entrusted his child to our care, and we must give him a proper explanation."
He was absolutely certain that Zhou Shaojin could not possibly have beaten Cheng Xu to such a state, which made him speak with particular conviction.
※
Dear readers, here is today's update!
O(∩_∩)O~
The next update will be at the same time tomorrow.
PS: I’ve been extremely busy lately and have missed many updates. Today is the final day of the double pink votes event, so I’m shamelessly coming to ask for your pink votes. Please continue to support me—thank you!
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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