northernbook Chapter 216 Heartbreaking
Chapter 216 Heartbreaking
The second wife lit an oil lamp and took it down into the secret passage.
After she married into the Duke's mansion, she lived in Mingde Hall.
This storeroom is her private treasury.
She accidentally discovered a secret passage. The space below was large, not only suitable for storing private items, but also containing a secret passage leading to the abandoned West Garden.
During the previous dynasty, Xiyuan was a separate residence, not part of the Duke's Mansion.
After the previous dynasty was destroyed, Emperor Taizu bestowed the former residence of the Duke of the previous dynasty upon the Zhao family. He then discovered that the West Garden was the private property of the former Duke of the previous dynasty, so he incorporated the West Garden into the Duke's mansion to show the imperial family's favor to the Zhao family.
However, since the West Garden was far from the main residence, no one was willing to live there, so it was abandoned.
She pondered to herself, thinking that it was dug up by the former Duke of the previous dynasty so that he could escape in a critical moment.
The back gate of Xiyuan is a secluded narrow alley. This area is occupied by official residences, and no one usually comes to this alley.
Before Zhao Jue's wedding, she secretly smuggled counterfeit items into the storeroom through a secret passage, replacing Shen Qingtan's dowry without anyone noticing.
The second wife covered her nose with a handkerchief and placed the oil lamp on the wooden shelf, illuminating the dark basement.
The basement was piled with dozens of boxes, all of which were his personal savings accumulated over the past ten years.
Half of the bribes came from using the Duke's name to get things done for others.
Half of it came from selling counterfeit goods and gambling dens.
This large sum of private money came from an illegitimate source, and she dared not tell the Second Master and Zhao Jue at all, so she secretly hid it here.
She opened several chests nearby. The first chest contained silver ingots, while the others contained precious treasures such as gold, silver, jade, glass, and agate.
The second wife took the account books from the wooden shelf, checked them one by one, straightened them, and breathed a sigh of relief.
After their second wife was evicted, these belongings had to be moved out in batches through the secret passage.
The second wife composed herself, took the account book, left the secret passage, and returned to the main courtyard.
She didn't see the second master inside the house and asked, "Where is the master?"
The maid replied, "Second Madam, the Master and the Old Madam have returned to the manor and sent someone to invite the Second Master over."
The second wife's face turned pale, and she gripped the account book tightly in her hand.
The maid then said, "The master requests that you also come over."
The second wife hid the account book and went to Shian Hall with a heart full of fear.
Zhao Jue and Shen Mingzhu arrived at Shian Hall at almost the same time as her.
The group of people entered the house with different thoughts in their minds.
The Duke took a sip of tea: "Your whole family is here. Please sit down."
The second wife was covered in a cold sweat and sat anxiously beside the second master.
Unaware of what was going on, Zhao Jue and Shen Mingzhu sat down separately.
“I have four sons, and apart from the second one, they are all self-aware and would not covet what does not belong to them.” The Duke bluntly exposed the second branch of the family’s thoughts: “In order to fight for the title, you have not hesitated to break your promises and arrange marriages, and have harmed your own brothers. Every single one of these actions violates the clan rules.”
The second master's heart skipped a beat: "Father, although I may lack morality, I have never harmed my brothers. Please don't accuse me of this."
"Zhao Luoshi lit realgar in the temple to murder Yi'er and frame Yi'er's wife." The Duke said sternly, "I have not severely punished you for your usual actions, which has emboldened you to dare to kill people."
The Second Master and Zhao Jue's faces darkened. The Second Madam's attempt to kill Zhao Yi had actually reached the Duke's ears.
"From this day forward, your branch of the family will be removed from the family genealogy," the Duke said coldly. "Pack your clothes and move to the house on Xingning Street."
The second master couldn't accept this fact: "Father, I am your own son. I didn't harm Yi'er. It was all Luo Lingzhi's doing. Why am I being expelled from the clan as well?"
"You two should share both honor and disgrace," the Duke said in a deep voice. "I have repeatedly warned you not to touch Yi'er, and even more so, not to compete with him. You have all seen how the Emperor treats Yi'er."
The second master felt a chill run down his spine. He stared intently at the Duke, and seeing the Duke's expression of concern for them, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Father, you have always favored the eldest branch of the family. If you want to avenge Yi'er and kick our entire branch out, you can just say so. Why bring up the Emperor?"
The second master seemed to have come to terms with reality, nodding repeatedly: "Exterminate the clan, fine, isn't it just exterminating the clan?"
After speaking, the Second Master walked towards the door, his heart filled with hatred for the Duke and the Old Madam.
He couldn't understand why there was such a big difference between people who came from the same mother's womb.
They only had eyes for the first wife and could no longer accommodate the second wife.
No matter what the second wife does, it's all wrong.
The second mistress hurriedly followed the second master back to Mingde Hall, saying anxiously, "Master..."
The second master turned around and slapped her across the face.
With a "smack," the second wife's face turned to the side, burning with pain.
“You vile woman, how many times have I told you, the Prince of Zhenbei has returned to the capital and recognized his daughter. What our branch of the family did to Shen Qingtan is enough to give us a hard time. For now, we’d better keep a low profile.”
The second master pointed at the second mistress and said angrily, "And you, you actually killed Zhao Yi and framed Shen Qingtan!"
The second wife covered her face and explained, "Master, I came up with this plan because I was afraid of being punished by the Prince, but who knew..."
"Shut up!" the second master said with disgust. "Go back to your parents' home."
The second wife's expression changed drastically; the second master was going to divorce her.
"Master, you've divorced me, what will happen to Jue'er?" The second wife anxiously grabbed the second master's arm. "The master only allowed us to take a change of clothes, he won't give us a single copper coin. You and Jue'er have been dismissed from your posts and have no income now. With me here, my brother will give us money."
Upon hearing this, the second master's face darkened. Indeed, they needed the Luo family's help to make ends meet.
The house on Xingning Street was dilapidated and small; if their family moved in, they didn't know how they would be ridiculed.
Zhao Jue and Shen Mingzhu stood at the door, listening to the argument between the second master and the second mistress, and at the same time felt a sense of uncertainty about the future.
After being expelled from the Duke's mansion, what will become of them now that they have lost the Duke's protection?
-
Hualing Temple.
After explaining the situation to the abbot and checking the guest monks, the madam went to her room.
Upon hearing the news, the master rushed to the temple, where he met the first wife on the way.
He called out, "Wife, is Yi'er alright?"
Upon hearing the sound, the First Madam turned her head and saw the First Master, who had rushed over covered in dust, and nodded.
The master looked at the calm and composed first wife, took two steps closer to her, and held her hand: "Yi'er is not a person of bad luck. Don't be afraid, he will pull through."
These words shattered the First Madam's hard armor. She lowered her head and covered her eyes with a handkerchief: "I only hope that the Bodhisattva will favor me this time and protect Yi'er so that he won't be taken away from me."
"Yi'er has persevered time and time again, and she will do it this time too." The master was also heartbroken. When he first heard the news, he experienced the pain of heartbreak once again.
The First Madam did not speak, but took a deep breath and came to the door of the dormitory. She saw Tingxue Liuyue and Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu standing at the door.
"How is your second master doing?"
Tingxue pointed to the crack in the door, indicating that the First Madam should see for herself.