Chapter 125: Wang Qingrui Stumbles Upon a Scandal

Shen Zhifeng struck Lady Jiang across the face with a sharp slap, her cheek instantly swelling to a visible, angry red.

"You shameless wretch! Do you truly think I would still believe your lies?"

Lady Jiang’s face was smeared with tears. Clutching her burning cheek, she knelt on the bed, unable to utter a single word. The events of the past two days had left her completely emotionally exhausted. Seeing the murderous glint in Shen Zhifeng’s eyes, she trembled, her other hand instinctively shielding her stomach. A sense of humiliation and terror, unlike anything she had ever known, made her wish she were dead.

Yet, she dared not die. She regretted it deeply; she should never have harbored the delusion of bearing this child. But at this moment, the child had become her only lifeline. If Shen Zhifeng were to discover the child was not his, he would likely kill her in a fit of rage.

With no other choice, she lied, "My Lord, it was I who summoned him. I was worried about the situation with Lin'er and Sisi, but it was inconvenient for them to come here, so I... My Lord, please believe me. He lives right here in the Marquis's residence; Miaodan and Lin'er both know him. You can verify it yourself."

"Humph, and so what? The state I found you in just now—it is clear you are hiding something!"

"I was asleep, my Lord. You do not understand—a woman is truly prone to drowsiness during pregnancy. Perhaps... perhaps I was sleeping too soundly, and he was only trying to wake me, which is why my clothes were in disarray. Who could have known you would walk in at that very moment! Think about it: I knew you were coming. If there were truly something between us, why would I have summoned him directly, only for you to catch us?"

The instinct for survival drove Lady Jiang to plead desperately. Her explanation managed to convince Shen Zhifeng by at least seventy percent.

Seeing this, Lady Jiang forced a smile and crawled across the bed to embrace him. "My Lord, you are the only one in my heart. I am carrying our child. That Shi Shaohua is the same age as Lin'er; how could there possibly be anything between us?"

This time, Shen Zhifeng did not push her away. Instead, he said in a heavy voice, "Then I shall trust you one last time. When the child is born, I will conduct a blood test. If I find it is not of my own flesh and blood, hmph—you shall see what happens!"

"Yes, yes." With her life hanging in the balance, she readily agreed.

Shen Zhifeng cast a cold glance at her. "Do not think of playing any tricks. If the child is lost, do not expect to return to the Marquis's residence."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.

Lady Jiang looked out at the small, enclosed courtyard, tears streaming down her face. She was caught in a dilemma; she dared not return to the Marquis's residence, and she had nowhere else to go. She could only pray that Shi Shaohua would come to save her.

But Shi Shaohua did not return. Instead, Shen Zhifeng sent an elderly servant woman to attend to her daily needs, though in reality, her role was to serve as a guard. After what had happened, he intended to keep Lady Jiang confined here to prevent her from running off with some other man.

As for Shi Shaohua, after sneaking back into the Marquis's residence, he had intended to flee, fearing Shen Zhifeng would come looking for trouble. To his surprise, he found Jiang Miaodan in the garden, weeping.

Seeing that he had finally returned, Jiang Miaodan wiped her tears and recounted everything that had happened that day. As a pampered young lady, with her mother missing and having encountered such a disgusting situation, she had no one else to turn to and could only come to Shi Shaohua to weep and seek comfort.

A woman who threw herself at him—how could he refuse? In his heart, he actually despised these high-born ladies and matrons. They were no different from him, and they were quite happy when they lay in his bed. Why, then, was he born into a lower station?

Thinking that staying in the Marquis's residence might actually be the safest option—as Shen Zhifeng would not dare to barge into the Marquis's estate—Shi Shaohua changed his mind and stayed to comfort Jiang Miaodan. Even if he were to leave eventually, he could at least swindle some travel money from her before he went.

Under Shi Shaohua’s comfort, Jiang Miaodan gradually calmed down.

Just as he had expected, Shen Zhifeng did not come to the Marquis's residence to find him, but instead visited the small courtyard from time to time.

Lady Jiang had also learned her lesson; every time Shen Zhifeng arrived, she was docile and compliant, catering to his every whim. Seeing this, Shen Zhifeng's expression softened considerably.

Watching his mood improve day by day, Shen Qingyun let out a soft sigh. "He is still too idle."

And so, one day while Wang Qingrui was strolling through the Duke's garden, she heard two young maids whispering behind the artificial hill.

"Have you heard? The master has another woman outside."

"How do you know?"

"Oh, never mind how I know. Look at how the master keeps running out every few days; he’s heading straight for that mistress."

"Heavens, is that true? Does that mean there will soon be a new concubine in the residence?"

"That, I cannot say."

Wang Qingrui turned pale as she listened. Beside her, Xiao Qiu looked on with worry. "Mistress, it cannot be! Let me go and tear the mouths off those two little sluts—how dare they spread such rumors about the master!"

But Wang Qingrui merely shook her head and led Xiao Qiu away.

She already believed it to be at least fifty or sixty percent true. No wonder the master had been so infrequent in sharing her bed lately; it turned out he was already satisfied elsewhere!

Thus, the next time Shen Zhifeng went out, Wang Qingrui secretly sent someone to follow him, and they truly tracked him to that very courtyard.

Xiao Qiu returned with a worried expression. "Mistress, I heard a woman’s voice coming from that courtyard, along with an old servant woman."

When Wang Qingrui heard this, she was furious. She had only just arrived at the Duke's residence and should have been in her period of greatest favor, yet she had been undermined by some unknown woman!

However, she was only a concubine. What could she do?

After weighing her options, she waited for a day when Shen Zhifeng was distracted and snuck out of the Marquis's residence to see the situation for herself.

The moment she left, Pearl reported the situation to Shen Qingyun with a grin. "Miss, she has been allowed to slip out."

Shen Qingyun nodded.

Perhaps because she often frequented the General's residence, Pearl turned to Hanyu, who was outside the window, and commanded loftily, "Keep tracking and report back!"

Hanyu, with a dark expression, looked up at Shen Qingyun. Only after seeing her nod did he leap away.

Unexpectedly, just as Wang Qingrui had left the residence, Shen Zhifeng headed toward the small courtyard as well.

He took a circuitous route, but upon arriving, he spotted Wang Qingrui and Xiao Qiu. The mistress and servant were skulking about outside the courtyard, clearly having not yet entered.

"Rui'er!" Shen Zhifeng strode over, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her back. "What are you doing here!"

Wang Qingrui had not expected to be caught so quickly. Seeing him act so protectively toward the woman inside, her eyes reddened. "Master, you are hurting me! You are allowed to keep a golden mistress in a hidden house, but I am not even allowed to see her?"

"Stop making a scene and come back to the residence with me!" Ignoring her protests, Shen Zhifeng dragged her toward the carriage.

Wang Qingrui wept, her face tear-streaked, and tried to jump out of the carriage to rush into the courtyard, crying as she asked, "Master, who is in there?"

Shen Zhifeng finally lost his patience. He suddenly clamped his hand around Wang Qingrui’s throat, his dark gaze fixed on her like a serpent. "You are but a concubine; how dare you question my affairs."

Wang Qingrui struggled to breathe, the fear of death turning her face deathly pale. Seeing she was sufficiently terrified, Shen Zhifeng abruptly released his grip.

Wang Qingrui clutched her throat, coughing and trembling, too afraid to say another word, though a deep resentment and sense of injustice rose within her.

Upon returning to the residence, Shen Zhifeng locked her in her room, forbidding her from stepping out.

Xiao Qiu was frantic with worry. "Mistress, what shall we do now?"

Wang Qingrui gritted her teeth. "Xiao Qiu, go quietly to Jianjia Courtyard and find the eldest Miss Shen!"