Chapter 114 – She Trusted Those She Had Raised Herself

Chapter 114 - She Trusted Those She Had Raised Herself

She then pointed, "It's the smoke from this incense burner."

Everyone turned to look at the incense burner, which still had traces of tea stains on it.

A maid carefully lifted the lid with a handkerchief, revealing the extinguished smoke to all.

Lady Wang's face darkened. "Put it away."

"Wait." Lady Wang stepped forward and, taking out her handkerchief, she broke off a piece of the burnt incense and wrapped it up meticulously. "Lady Zheng, I hope you don't mind me keeping a piece as evidence?"

Lady Zheng gritted her teeth but had no choice but to agree. "Of course not."

"Hmph, such a major incident has occurred in your family. I'll be interested to see how you explain this to us."

Lady Wang pulled up a chair and sat down, waiting for her daughter to wake up.

The waiting was torturous. Zheng Jinxiu was restless, stealing countless glances at Zheng Jinyu.

Zheng Jinyu remained composed, standing aside and occasionally engaging in conversation with the Duchess.

After a while, Lady Lu arrived.

Upon entering the room and seeing her son lying in bed, she was utterly stunned. "What happened? What's wrong with my son? Where is the physician? Have you called for one?"

Wang Fuzhen had been helped to lie down on the couch, so what Lady Lu saw was her son alone in bed with a group of people attending to him. She never imagined the situation, assuming instead that her son had suddenly fallen gravely ill. Naturally, she was panicked.

Madam Zheng rushed to console, "Madam Lu, don't panic. Your son is fine; he'll awaken soon."

"How can you say he's fine? He's lying here unconscious! What on earth has happened to him?"

"Um..." Madam Zheng was at a loss for words.

Right then, Wang Fuzhen stirred awake.

Seeing the room full of people, she was utterly bewildered before her mind could fully clear.

Lady Wang hurried to support her, "Zhen Zhen, what happened? Why did you collapse here?"

Awakened by Lady Wang's exclamation, she gradually regained her composure.

Her gaze turned to Zheng Jinyu as she angrily shouted, "Zheng Jinyu, why did you try to harm me?"

Zheng Jinyu was taken aback, "Miss Wang San, where did that come from? You said you had your monthly visitor and were experiencing severe abdominal pain, asking me to help you rest. When we passed this room, you said you couldn't endure it anymore and wanted to rest inside. That's when I helped you in; there was no Lord Lu in the room at that time. After I laid you down, I went to find a sister who you're close with. Upon returning to the room, I saw you and Lord Lu on the bed. Throughout the entire process, I don't recall doing anything wrong. How am I harming you?"

Wang Fuzhen gritted her teeth, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events and unsure how to respond.

Zheng Jinyu sneered inwardly, thinking to herself, With the two of you so flustered in this situation, how dare you scheme against others?

They were at a loss when things didn't go according to their plan.

Don't they know the saying, "even the best-laid plans can go awry"?

After being initially confused, Lady Lu pieced together what might have transpired from their fragmented conversation.

She no longer worried about her son; instead, she began to appraise Wang Fuzhen as if she were a commodity, calculating whether she was worthy of entering their Lu family's gates.

Being a concubine might be acceptable, but as a wife, forget it. She's both foolish and shameless.

Fortunately, Lady Wang was unaware of her thoughts, or she would have been furious.

At that moment, Zheng Jinxiu spoke up.

"Sister, you helped Zhen Zhen into this guest room to rest. But why is there a smoke of intoxication in here? How did that happen?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, Zheng Jinxiu was at a loss. After much pondering, she finally came up with a plan to salvage the situation. Since the person lying next to Lu Shen wasn't Zheng Jinyu, it meant that she, Zheng Jinxiu, had caused Wang Fuzhen to end up in this state. She wanted to ruin Wang Fuzhen, and thus, the blame must fall on her shoulders.

Lady Wang glared at Zheng Jinyu with anger, awaiting her explanation.

With innocent eyes blinking, Zheng Jinyu replied, "How would I know there's intoxicating smoke here? Yes, how could there be such smoke? Who could be so wicked, to release it in the room, attempting to force a situation with Miss Wang San?"

This didn't sit well with Lady Lu. "What are you implying? Do you think my son lit it?"

Wang Fuzhen also caught on, exchanging a glance with Zheng Jinxiu.

"Mother, it was Zheng Jinyu who helped me in. Lady Lu, there was already this mist when I entered. I didn't think much of it, assuming it was regular incense. Then, I fainted."

She glanced provocatively at Zheng Jinyu. "But why did I faint while Zheng Jinyu remained unharmed?"

Lady Lu exclaimed, "Isn't the answer obvious? She must have lit it herself and held her breath as she entered."

Everyone's gaze turned to Zheng Jinyu.

Indeed, how could Miss Wang faint while Zheng Jinyu didn't? It was peculiar that after the second entry, everyone saw her collapse on the ground.

Lady Wang stared at Zheng Jinyu and asked, "I wonder why Miss Zheng didn't faint during her first entrance but collapsed on the floor during the second. Could it be that she deliberately avoided it the first time and then, to clear her name, chose to faint the second time around?"

Zheng Jinyu noticed both Zheng Jinxiu and Wang Fuzhen visibly relieved, exchanging supportive glances.

Lady Lu taunted, "At such a young age, Miss Zheng is already resorting to such dirty tricks. How wicked. Lady Zheng, your daughter seems to come from the countryside and lacks proper upbringing. You should pay more attention to her education."

Looking pale, Lady Zheng gazed at Zheng Jinyu with uncertainty, causing Zheng Jinyu immense disappointment.

Just moments ago, when Zheng Jinxiu was under suspicion, Lady Zheng had wholeheartedly supported her without any doubt.

But when it came to her own daughter, Lady Zheng lost her confidence.

After all, Zheng Jinxiu was the one she had raised with her own hands. In her heart, Zheng Jinxiu was innocent, kind, and lively. She believed she knew Zheng Jinxiu inside out, and she was certain that her daughter would never do anything to tarnish someone else's reputation.

"Jinyu, tell everyone exactly what happened," Lady Zheng requested desperately.

Disappointed in her mother, Zheng Jinyu had no more hope for her support. She took a deep breath, ready to face this ordeal on her own.

"Mother, I've already explained it clearly. It was Miss Wang San who said she had her monthly cycle and was in pain. She asked me to help her rest. She didn't enter this guest room at my invitation; she simply said she couldn't bear it anymore once she arrived at the door. As for the smoke, I helped Miss Wang in and then quickly left. Perhaps it was just a coincidence – I didn't inhale the smoke when I first entered."

"Ha ha, Miss Zheng, you think we'll believe it was just a coincidence? Is anyone here convinced?"

Wang Fuzhen jumped up, shouting, "Don't trust her! She deliberately held that incense burner under my nose, trying to harm me!"

"What? Deliberately?" Lady Wang was aghast. "How can such a young girl be so malicious? Lady Zheng, what do you have to say for your daughter?"

Lady Lu joined in the attack. "My son is still unconscious. Lady Zheng, how do you plan to explain this to us?"

Madam Zheng gazed at Zheng Jinyu with a mixture of emotions swirling within her.

Several times, she opened her mouth, only to hold back her words.