Chapter 315: The Evidence is Already on the Way

Chapter 315: The Evidence is Already on the Way

Zheng Jinyu sent Chunmei to notify Erya of Fangjia Village, planning to bring her along when she returned to the Xie residence.

She had specifically instructed the elderly lady-in-waiting to teach Erya how to dress herself.

As for Lu Shen, he wasn't particularly attentive towards Erya. Zheng Jinyu arranged for a lady-in-waiting from her household to disguise herself as a neighbor and visit Erya daily for an hour, teaching her how to emulate Zheng Jinxiu and present herself in the way Lu Shen favored most.

For half a month, Lu Shen didn’t notice anything unusual.

After all, she was just a plaything for his leisurely moments. He would indulge himself with her whenever he felt like it; there was no reason for him to become emotionally invested.

On this day, upon receiving news that Lu Shen and Wang Fuzhen had already set out for the Xie residence, Zheng Jinyu arranged for a small sedan chair to pick up Erya.

When Erya emerged from the sedan chair, her appearance, which was already seven or eight parts similar to Zheng Jinxiu's, had been deliberately enhanced by Zheng Jinyu’s instructions to achieve a likeness of nine-tenths. Zheng Jinyu was extremely satisfied.

"Jinyao, come here."

Madam Zheng had given her the name Fang Jinyao, hadn’t she? Today, she would call her Fang Jinyao. Calling her Erya sounded too common.

Erya cautiously approached Zheng Jinyu and timidly called out, "Sister."

Zheng Jinyu smiled faintly. "Let’s go."

Zheng Jinyu presented the invitation and smoothly entered the Xie residence with Erya.

Soon, someone came to escort them. It was the senior maidservant who served the county princess.

Upon seeing Erya, the maidservant paused, taking two or three glances before realizing that Erya wasn’t Zheng Jinxiu.

They went directly to the county princess, but instead met Xie Peiyu.

Xie Peiyu was also taken aback when he first saw Erya.

His prolonged gaze caused Erya’s heart to race, and she bashfully lowered her head.

Zheng Jinyu chuckled. "Doesn’t she look very similar?"

Xie Peiyu nodded. "Indeed, she does. Did you have her dressed up intentionally like this?"

"Yes, even the makeup."

Erya wasn’t as rosy-cheeked and fair-skinned as Zheng Jinxiu had been two years ago, but it wasn’t a significant issue. A good application of rouge would suffice.

Xie Peiyu laughed. "So, what do you plan to do?"

Zheng Jinyu replied with a smile, "I don’t have any plans. I’m just bringing my foster sister here for tea."

"You… cough… cough…" He had intended to spend some time alone with Xie Peiyu, but with Erya standing there with her head bowed, it was rather inconvenient.

He said, "Have your foster sister rest here for a moment while you come with me."

"Sure."

Zheng Jinyu turned to Erya. "Stay here and don’t leave. I’ll arrange a memorable entrance for you."

"Okay, I’ll listen to you."

Zheng Jinyu asked Xie Peiyu to send over two maidservants to keep her company, ensuring she wouldn’t wander off.

Together, they headed to the courtyard within the Xie residence that belonged to Xie Peiyu.

He said, "I received news from Fangjia Village. That person you called Third Grandfather couldn’t swallow his anger after all. He brought several relatives of Fang Dachuan’s clan to the capital city."

Zheng Jinyu wasn’t surprised. She nodded. "I knew it would be like this. People hope their relatives live well, but not better than themselves. Fang Dachuan’s family used to be one of the poorest in their large clan, and they only had one son, Sanbao. Now that they’ve prospered and turned ungrateful, others naturally can’t stand it."

"Mm. They’ve also brought evidence of the child-switching incident. This means we have both testimonies and physical evidence. Fang Dachuan and Zhao Zhaodi will likely spend the rest of their lives in prison."

"They deserve it."

"Since that’s the case, why did you bother promoting Erya? Wouldn’t it be enough for you to wait at home?"

Zheng Jinyu smiled. "Promoting Erya irritates Zheng Jinxiu. Only Fang Dachuan and his wife will be imprisoned, so how could I let this opportunity pass? If I want to cause trouble for Zheng Jinxiu, I can’t reach into the Lu family. I had to find another way."

Xie Peiyu nodded. "Actually, if you don’t want Zheng Jinxiu to have an easy life, you don’t need to dirty your own hands. There’s Wang Fuzhen…"

Zheng Jinyu interrupted him. "I don’t want to use Wang Fuzhen. That’s a conflict between Wang Fuzhen and Zheng Jinxiu, and it has nothing to do with me. Even if Wang Fuzhen takes revenge, I won’t feel satisfied. To truly take revenge, one must do it oneself to gain a sense of accomplishment."

As he listened to her words, Xie Peiyu pondered for a long time.

Using someone else’s hands…

Only by doing it oneself could one gain a sense of accomplishment.

Doing it oneself…

Zheng Jinyu asked, "Xie Peiyu, what are you thinking?"

Xie Peiyu snapped back to reality. "Oh, nothing. So, you don’t need my help then?"

Zheng Jinyu smiled faintly. "The people you lent me are very useful. Without them, things would be much more troublesome. You’ve already helped me a great deal."

Xie Peiyu smiled warmly. "It’s not a loan. They’re your people now, and you can deploy them as you wish."

"Thank you!"

Xie Peiyu was taken aback. "Why are you always so polite with me?"

"It’s not being overly polite; it’s just a habit… being polite."

Perhaps it was a habit from her past life; she would even say thank you when her mother poured her a glass of water.

...

Xie Peiyu went to his cousin's place to greet guests with him.

Zheng Jinyu went to pick up Erya Fang, and after bringing her along, they headed together to the Xie family's flowing tea pavilion.

The Xie family's flowing tea pavilion was quite famous, made of a massive stone slab, roughly ten meters long and one meter wide.

It had been hollowed out in the middle for the curved stream of water and cups.

Such a large stone as a seat was indeed extravagant.

One could only wonder how this stone was transported in ancient times without any machinery.

Along the way, Zheng Jinyu carefully instructed Erya Fang on how to make her appearance, where to stand, and how to utter her first words – all were matters of great consideration.

For the sake of her future, she was putting in a lot of effort.

Despite being somewhat intimidated, she mustered up the courage and approached Zheng Jinyu like a fluttering flower.

"Sister."

Indeed, for the desired effect, Zheng Jinyu entered first, and then Erya Fang emerged like an innocent young girl.

How pure and unsullied.

Her sudden appearance left everyone present stunned.

"Zheng..." No, that wasn't right?

Someone familiar with Zheng Xiujiao nearly called out.

Fortunately, upon closer inspection, they realized it wasn't Zheng Xiujiao.

"Second Miss Zheng, who is this sister? She looks so much like Miss Zheng."

Zheng Jinyu glanced at Lu Shen, who was staring in shock from across, and smiled as she explained to the lady who asked.

"Her name is Fang Jinyao. She is my elder sister's younger sister and also the sister I grew up with."

After the introduction, she led Fang Jinyao to sit beside her.

Ah, so she was Zheng Xiujiao's younger sister.

This was truly a rustic girl from the countryside.

They had heard some rumors that Lu Shen secretly kept the younger sister as a mistress, but they didn't know if it was true or not.

In front of everyone, Zheng Jinyu taught Fang Jinyao how to prepare and taste tea.

Though Fang Jinyao didn't understand, she humbly sought guidance, sitting obediently beside Zheng Jinyu and listening attentively.

Her demeanor seemed more likable compared to Zheng Xiujiao's flamboyance.

With Zheng Jinyu's introductions and the princess's deliberate favoritism, the other ladies gradually let go of their prejudices and occasionally asked her questions.