Gu Huairou froze, looking up at him blankly as tears quickly welled up in her eyes. “My lord… I’ve been by your side for over a year and have never committed any major offense. Why won’t you believe me?”
Shen Zaiye calmly looked at her. “Do all you women become so unreasonable when agitated? You first did something to make me suspicious, refuse to prove your innocence, and now demand that I trust you unconditionally?”
“In your heart, my lord, am I someone who would fake a pregnancy to deceive you?”
“I don’t know,” Shen Zaiye shook his head. “That’s why I’m asking the doctor to examine you. There are corresponding symptoms after losing a child. It’s a simple matter. If you’re not guilty, why are you crying?”
Gu Huairou lowered her head, clearly feeling guilty.
Madam Gu watched in stunned silence. After a while, she finally understood her daughter’s predicament and immediately stepped in front of her, facing Shen Zaiye. “If Rou’er is unwilling, why must you force her, Lord Prime Minister?”
“Did Madam ask if the people were willing when you came to search Zhengchun Pavilion?” Shen Zaiye turned to her, his eyes cold. “You seem to have no standing to speak now.”
Trembling slightly, Madam Gu was startled by his gaze. She pressed her lips together and asked, “Then what does the Prime Minister intend to do with Rou’er?”
“It’s simple,” Shen Zaiye glanced at the doctor standing nearby. “If Huairou is willing to be examined, we’ll proceed based on the diagnosis. If she indeed miscarried, we’ll punish those who spread rumors. If it was truly a fake pregnancy to deceive, I’d write a letter of divorce and send her back to her family. But if she doesn’t even dare to be examined, we can only treat it as a fake pregnancy.”
Gu Huairou was shocked. She looked at the many doctors standing nearby and immediately knelt before Shen Zaiye. “My lord! I have something to say!”
“Speak, then.”
“My… my pregnancy indeed had issues, but there are hidden circumstances!” Gu Huairou gritted her teeth as if throwing caution to the wind. She looked up at Shen Zaiye and said, “I don’t know who was scheming behind my back. It wasn’t a real pregnancy, but an outside doctor came in and deceived me, saying I was with a child. I was trapped and had no choice but to…”
“What did you say?” Qin Jieyu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, interrupting her. “That pregnancy was truly fake? Didn’t you have morning sickness?”
Gu Huairou turned to look at her and sneered, “Why is Madam Qin so surprised? Didn’t you know all along? You even used this to threaten me, wanting me to deceive Madam Jiang!”
Qin Jieyu gasped, moving closer to Shen Zaiye. With a shocked expression, she said, “My lord, Madam Gu has gone mad, biting at everyone she sees! If I had known her pregnancy was fake, given my personality, I would have exposed her long ago to make her suffer. Why would I keep it secret until now? And dragging Madam Jiang into this… It seems Madam Gu knows you currently favor Madam Jiang and wants to bring her down as well.”
Shen Zaiye glanced at her, then continued to look at Gu Huairou. “Your pregnancy was fake. Is this true?”
“It’s true… it’s true,” Gu Huairou frowned. “But this isn’t my fault. I didn’t intentionally try to deceive you, my lord!”
“Hmm.” Anger flashed in Shen Zaiye’s eyes, but his lips curled into a smile. “So you just wanted to use the child to gain favor, and deceiving me was merely a side effect, is that right?”
Madam Gu, standing nearby, was terrified. She almost lost her balance, staring at Gu Huairou in shock. “How could you do something so foolish?”
“It wasn’t me it wasn’t!” Gu Huairou shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “Someone tricked me. I’m a victim too!”
“How laughable,” Qin Jieyu snorted softly. “When you were pregnant, the lord sent many things to your courtyard, showing care and concern. In the end, you lied to him about losing the child, not only causing him grief but also resulting in Madam Meng being sent home and Madam Jiang being confined to Jingye Hall for two days. You’ve harmed everyone favored in the household! Now that you’ve been exposed, you claim someone tricked you?”
Gu Huairou sobbed, “I didn’t know at first…”
“But later, when you faked a miscarriage, it shows you knew your pregnancy was false and deliberately acted, right?” Qin Jieyu shook her head. “Couldn’t you have told the truth to the lord? Poor Madam Meng and Madam Jiang. You’re truly heartless, selfish, and vicious!”
“I…”
“Enough.” Shen Zaiye closed his eyes, rubbing his brow in fatigue. He spoke in a deep voice, “The truth is out. Huairou’s pregnancy was fake, causing me to wrongly accuse others in the household, and I experienced needless joy and sorrow. This enormous lie warrants a divorce letter, which is not excessive.”
“My lord!” Gu Huairou threw herself at his feet, crying, “How can you be so cruel? I’ve served you for so long, if not meritorious, at least I’ve endured hardships. Though our relationship may not be deeply passionate, we’ve shared a bed for over a year! In this matter, I’m also a victim, yet you want to divorce me without a second thought?”
Shen Zaiye opened his eyes slightly, looking down at her. He asked softly, “Why should I keep someone like you in my household? Not only did you harm others, but you also attempted murder. With a heart as venomous as a snake or scorpion, hated by gods and men, keeping you would only taint my Prime Minister’s residence.”
“Murder?” Gu Huairou was stunned. Tears still hung on her face as she looked at him with utterly innocent eyes. “When did I try to murder anyone?”
“Just the day before yesterday, in the grove outside the city, you hired someone to kill Madam Jiang.” Shen Zaiye stood up, walked to the side, and took out a stack of bank notes. He then had Zhanlu bring in a carriage driver.
“With both witness and evidence, I simply haven’t had time to interrogate you yet. Do you have anything else to say?”
If it had only been the matter of the fake pregnancy, she might have cried and begged for forgiveness, still having a chance to stay. But if she had murderous intentions… not only would she be unable to remain in the Prime Minister’s residence, but she would also be unmarriageable.
Madam Gu became somewhat flustered and quickly took the items from Shen Zaiye’s hand to examine them.
It was a stack of counterfeit banknotes. The paper and printing could be traced to their source, as there were only two places in the capital capable of forging such notes. This was also what Huairou had wanted someone to find earlier, but it was hidden too well. Before they could locate it, Shen Zaiye had returned.
Madam Gu clenched her fist and said softly, “What can these bank notes prove?”
“Madam doesn’t know?” Shen Zaiye smiled. “Then let me tell you. The Ronghui and Guantong banks in the capital were recently shut down by officials for counterfeiting. The authorities are now tracking down the whereabouts of the fake notes. Unfortunately, it seems that Minister Gu’s household has received quite a few of these counterfeit notes.”
“…That’s just my husband’s bad luck.” Madam Gu pressed her lips together. “With so many fake notes circulating, how can you say these belong to the Gu family?”
“It’s simple,” Shen Zaiye said. “The notes have serial numbers, and these thirty notes in my possession have consecutive numbers. The bank has records of where the notes were sent. One look would reveal everything.”
Only then did Madam Gu truly panic. She reached out and tore up the bank notes!
“You can tear them however you like, just don’t dirty my floor,” Shen Zaiye said calmly. “I have no interest in knowing what Minister Gu is doing behind the scenes, and even if the fake notes came to me, I wouldn’t be interested in investigating him. However, your daughter’s attempt to hire assassins cannot be taken lightly.”
“It wasn’t me!” Gu Huairou quickly pointed at Qin Jieyu. “It was her! She used the secret of my pregnancy to blackmail me, making me trick Madam Jiang into leaving the residence!”
Qin Jieyu rolled her eyes and smiled at her. “Do you know what you look like right now? Like a drowning ghost trying to drag everyone down with you! Madam Jiang and I have no grievances. Do you think the lord will believe you just because you say this?”
Shen Zaiye remained silent.
To be honest, he would have believed it, but today, he only wanted to deal with Gu Huairou.
“You came to Zhengchun Pavilion yourself the day before yesterday,” Shen Zaiye said. “You were the one who asked Madam Jiang to leave the residence, and the carriage driver was your man. In this situation, how can you try to shift the responsibility to others? Isn’t that a bit unreasonable?”
Gu Huairou’s lips trembled, and she shot a hateful glance at Qin Jieyu.
At that moment, she seemed to understand everything. The rumors that had been circulating since last night must have been Qin Jieyu’s doing, aimed at forcing her to implicate Madam Jiang. If she couldn’t, then she would suffer the consequences.
Her mother hadn’t come to her call; she had wondered why someone would suddenly say so much to her mother, causing her to rush over and make a scene. It turns out the source of everything was Qin Jieyu!
What a Madam Qin, harming her to this extent yet leaving her unable to voice her grievances!
“You will face retribution!” Looking at Qin Jieyu, Gu Huairou’s eyes were filled with intense hatred. She gritted her teeth and said, “You will face retribution!”
Shen Zaiye glanced at Qin Jieyu, who wore an expression of extreme panic and innocence. “How can you be like this?” she said. “You’re making it seem as if I’ve done something! I, Qin Jieyu, have nothing to fear with a clear conscience. I’ve never done anything to feel guilty about, so I’m not afraid of ghosts knocking at my door!”
Gu Huairou choked back sobs, crying silently for a long while before looking at Shen Zaiye and saying, “My lord, can you allow me to stay in the residence for a few more days? After all, I’ve been here for so long. I’d like to pack my things properly and say goodbye to my sisters.”
“Very well,” Shen Zaiye said sternly. “But I won’t see you again.”
“…Alright.” Gritting her teeth as she stood up, Gu Huairou held Yuetao’s hand for support. She curtseyed to Shen Zaiye, glanced around the room, and then pulled her mother towards the exit.
“Rou’er!” Madam Gu exclaimed angrily, “You’re admitting guilt just like that? Who will dare to marry you in the future?”
“Don’t you think this is enough?” Gu Huairou cried and shouted as they walked. “Do you want the lord to hand me over to the capital’s authorities before you’re satisfied?”
Madam Gu was stunned and quickly fell silent, following her daughter back to Wenqing Pavilion.
Mei Zhaoxue, having seen enough of the drama, calmly returned to copy her Buddhist scriptures. Qin Jieyu looked at Shen Zaiye with a pitiful expression and curtseyed, saying, “I won’t disturb my lord’s rest then, but I hope you can trust me.”
“Mm.” Shen Zaiye waved his hand. “You may all leave.”
“I take my leave.”
The noisy Prime Minister’s residence suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of crying from Wenqing Pavilion echoing throughout the compound.
(End of Chapter)