Chapter 354: Hatred for Her

Chapter 354: Hatred for Her

In the scheme against Zheng Jinyu and Lu Shen, it was Fang Jinxiu who was the mastermind, and Lady Zheng knew this full well.

Yet she could not bring herself to hate Fang Jinxiu, instead attributing all the blame to Wang Fuzhen.

Zheng Hongxu, that coward, had either believed Fang Jinxiu's words and harbored resentment towards Wang Fuzhen, or his inherent weakness prevented him from confronting Lady Zheng. Only he knew the truth.

Zheng Jinyu had walked far away, but Zheng Hongxu remained rooted to the spot.

It was only when Lady Luo came out and saw him standing there in a daze in the courtyard.

"Third Master."

Zheng Hongxu gradually snapped back to reality, said nothing, and left.

Lady Luo found it strange but did not dwell on it.

...

Recently, many things had happened at home. Zheng Ji claimed illness and took leave, while Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu also took leave from the academy to attend to their sick family members.

Zheng Hongxu came to see Lady Zheng, while Zheng Hongqi went to see Lord Zheng.

He did not get to see his father and was once again turned away.

But he did not give up and waited in the courtyard.

Instead of seeing his father, he encountered Lady He carrying a basin.

He hurried forward and bowed as a junior.

"How is my father?"

Lady He shook her head lightly and sighed, "Lord Zheng feels very guilty about what happened to the matriarch. He has been eating poorly and sleeping poorly, refusing to listen to any advice."

Zheng Hongqi lowered his head and frowned slightly, "I never expected Mother to do such a thing for Jinxiu."

When the Zheng family faced trouble years ago, although he was young, he had heard many stories.

His grandfather and eldest uncle were executed, sacrificing themselves to protect their family.

On his deathbed, his grandfather's last words were that if they could escape punishment, they should be filial to the matriarch.

But no one expected that when the matriarch passed away, his father could not even send her off properly, leaving her cold body on the bed for a night.

"This was indeed wrong of my mother," he said. "But he can't lock himself away for life over this. Father knows how critical it was for Jinxiu to marry; otherwise, it would have caused significant trouble."

Lady He sighed softly, "Lord Zheng is angry not just because the news of the matriarch's passing was withheld by Lady Zheng. What truly broke his heart was that Lady Zheng did not trust him. She made the decision without consulting him, which is the most inappropriate part."

Zheng Hongqi looked stunned and then nodded with a sigh.

"Also," Lady He added, "what truly disappointed Lord Zheng the most was that despite everything the Zheng family has done for Miss Jinxiu—treating her like a daughter and never mistreating her—her response was like that of an ungrateful wolf."

This left Zheng Hongqi speechless.

In the past, he always made excuses for her, thinking that her actions to harm Jinyu were due to fear and momentary confusion.

But since her marriage, she had firmly taken the Lu family's side, calling herself a member of the Lu family, and even refused to kneel before the matriarch.

In her heart, she resented the Zheng family, believing they had wronged her.

Her repeated acts of defiance made it impossible for him to defend her anymore.

The current Jinxiu was hard to reconcile with the Jinxiu he once knew.

"I want to go in and see my father."

"No, Lord Zheng said he doesn't want to see anyone."

"But..."

"Second Master, please listen to me. Lord Zheng wants some peace and quiet. Let him rest."

Zheng Hongqi nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, I'll come back another day."

Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu returned to their residence, both unhappy.

"Second Brother, you didn't see Father again?"

Zheng Hongqi nodded slightly, "Yes, he won't see anyone except Lady He now."

"Sigh!"

"And how about you? How is Mother doing?"

"Mother looks terrible. She's resting in bed, but she's willing to take her medicine."

"Willing to take her medicine is good. Sigh! I never thought our family would become like this."

They fell silent for a moment, then Zheng Hongxu spoke again, "Tomorrow, I'll go see Father."

"It's useless. He doesn't want to see anyone. It will be the same for you."

"What can we do then?"

"Perhaps..." Zheng Hongqi thought for a moment and said, "He might not want to see us, but maybe he'll see Jinyu. Third Brother, let's ask Jinyu to visit Father. Otherwise, we won't know how Father is doing, locked away in the matriarch's courtyard."

They were not familiar with Lady He and did not trust her very much.

Zheng Hongxu nodded, "That's the only way, but Jin Yu might not listen to us."

"I think she will. Although Jin Yu doesn't like us and even harbors some resentment towards us, not being close to us, she has always been straightforward and clear about right and wrong."

"Alright, let's give it a try."

The next day, the two went to see Zheng Jinyu together.

Zheng Jinyu was just about to go out, planning to visit the estate in the countryside.

The estate under the Zheng family's name raised some chickens, ducks, and geese, but it was uncertain if there were enough.

Now that Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu had come to find her, she could only postpone her departure.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, what do you need from me?"

Seeing her cold and distant demeanor, they felt a mix of emotions.

They still remembered the first time they saw her after returning from the academy. She had approached them eagerly, calling them Second Brother and Third Brother, introducing herself.

What did they say back then?

Zheng Hongxu bluntly asked, 'Are you Fang Jinyu?'

At that moment, the joy on her face vanished instantly, leaving her awkwardly standing there, muttering 'Fang Jinyu.'

This was a reminder that she was Fang Jinyu.

Neither of them felt any guilt; instead, seeing her embarrassed and at a loss, they felt a sense of relief.

Zheng Hongqi even kindly explained why she was called Fang Jinyu.

Because their father was grateful for the family who had taken her in, he named their newborn daughter Fang Jinyu.

Otherwise, she would have been named something like Ya or Di, like other girls in the village, or Dan or Bao, like the boys.

How heartbroken must she have been?

With no one speaking up for her, she sarcastically remarked that Jin Yu was the real one, regaining some dignity.

The two quickly composed themselves and stated their purpose.

"Jin Yu, after Father returned from the Lu family, he locked himself in the courtyard where Grandmother used to live and hasn't come out for several days. They won't see us, so we hope you can go and see him."

Zheng Jinyu said, "Father doesn't see anyone except Lady He. I might not be able to see him either if I go."

"Give it a try. Perhaps he'll see you? Mainly... we're worried about him and are really out of options."

Zheng Jinyu nodded, "Alright, I'll give it a try."

As she started to leave, Chunmei spoke up, "Miss, aren't we going to the estate anymore?"

"Not now."

With that, she quickly left.

Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu found this strange.

Zheng Hongqi asked Chunmei, "Why was Miss going to the estate?"

Chunmei honestly replied, "Miss's engagement to Prince Chen is set for the twelfth month, and there are only a few months left. The items for her marriage need to be prepared. Miss was going to the estate to check if there are enough chickens, ducks, and geese. Many things need to be prepared in advance, or it might be too late."

The two were speechless.

"Why does she have to worry about these things herself?"