Chapter 399: The One Who Betrays You Is the One Beside You

Chapter 399: The One Who Betrays You Is the One Beside You

After Zheng Jinyu left, Fang Erya's days became difficult, and she directly replaced Zheng Jinyu's position.

To outsiders, they seemed to be sisters who suffered together.

When Zheng Jinyu heard Chunmei’s statement, she found it amusing herself.

In the past, Fang Erya had stayed with her for some time, and people speculated that the reason she took in Fang Erya was exactly this.

Soon, Fang Erya entered. Zheng Jinyu instructed Chunmei to arrange an embroidery stool for her and dismissed everyone else, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"Speak, what is it?"

Fang Erya said, "A few days ago, Madam Zheng stopped caring about Fang Jinxiu. The Lu family threatened to make her a concubine and have her child follow Wang Fuzhen. Unexpectedly, after a few days, Madam Zheng changed her mind and personally went to the Lu family to negotiate, saying that the Lu family should treat her well as she would soon become a Miss of the Cui family."

Zheng Jinyu nodded, "I heard about it."

"But aren't you worried? Madam Zheng is your birth mother."

Zheng Jinyu chuckled, "Even my father can't do anything; what can I do?"

"But you..."

"Enough." Zheng Jinyu did not show her a good face, "What do you want from me? Just say it."

"It's her causing trouble for me."

"Oh? Don't you have Lu Shen protecting you? What trouble could she cause you?"

"Hmph, Lu Shen listens to his mother on everything. Lady Lu said that only Fang Jinxiu can bear children, so she forced Lu Shen to go to her room."

Zheng Jinyu raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you say that Lu Shen is taking medicine and abstaining?"

"Yes, but recently the doctor said his condition has improved slightly and he can occasionally indulge. However, Lady Lu thinks we are all barren hens and that the little bit of essence he has should not be wasted on us, so she forces him to go to her room.

She has only given birth once and already acts so arrogantly. If she were to get pregnant again, she would definitely use the child to force Lady Lu against me. We have reached a point where one of us must die, and she won’t let me off."

Seeing her enemy comfortable made Zheng Jinyu uncomfortable. She thought for a moment and asked Fang Erya, "When did your menstrual cycle start?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just answer the question."

Fang Erya felt a bit embarrassed talking about this topic and whispered, "It started on the seventh day."

"On the seventh day of every month?"

"Sometimes a day earlier, sometimes a day later, but around that date."

Zheng Jinyu used ink and paper to draw her a menstrual chart.

After finishing, she showed it to her, "The black circles indicate when your period starts, and the red circles indicate when you are most fertile."

Fang Erya didn't understand these things, "There are rules like this?"

"Of course, remember this."

"I..." Fang Erya awkwardly said, "I can't read."

Zheng Jinyu rolled her eyes, "You’re so stupid. If you can’t read, just count. This is the seventh day, got it?"

Counting, she could manage.

"Alright, I understand. Sister, does having intercourse during the red circle days guarantee pregnancy?"

"It’s hard to say; the issue isn’t with you but with Lu Shen."

Fang Erya looked troubled.

She knew the problem lay with Lu Shen. The doctor said he could occasionally indulge, but the chances of impregnating a woman were still low.

It also depended on fate.

Her miserable fate made it seem unlikely.

"Sister, thank you."

Fang Erya thanked her and took her leave.

She needed to find a way to get pregnant. Once she had a child, she wouldn't need to fear Fang Jinxiu anymore.

Indeed, Fang Jinxiu had been quite active these days. Now, Lu Shen's infertility issues were an open secret in the Lu family. Everyone knew about it, even if they didn’t talk about it openly.

It was that wretched Fang Jinxiu who leaked the information, hoping everyone would know that only she could bear children, making the servants hesitant to mistreat her.

Lu Shen couldn’t do anything about her and had recently been coerced by his mother into pleasing her.

Because the doctor said he had recovered enough to occasionally indulge, and if lucky, they might even conceive a child.

After such a long recovery, they couldn’t waste his essence on barren ground; they needed to choose the fertile soil of Fang Jinxiu.

But he now despised Fang Jinxiu. Even though her figure and skin had slowly recovered after giving birth, he still couldn’t bring himself to like her.

Why hadn’t he noticed her tyranny before?

Lu Shen humbled himself and went to Fang Jinxiu’s room, but she still wasn’t pleased. She sneered at him, "What? After drinking medicine for half a year, you're back in action? Do you need me to bear you a child again? When asking someone for help, you need to show respect, understand?"

"You..." Lu Shen was furious, "Don’t push your luck. I have many women; I don’t need you specifically."

"Is that so? Then why are you here? Go find Wang Fuzhen. Oh, right, Wang Fuzhen doesn’t want you; she looks down on you. Then go find Erya. Why are you here?"

Lu Shen endured her sarcastic remarks, holding back his anger.

But thinking about what his mother had said—that if she bore another son, with two sons in place, she would no longer force him and he could even kick Fang Jinxiu to the curb without any trouble—he endured once more.

After much deliberation, he chose to bear it again.

"Jinxiu, we used to be so close. How did we end up like this? Let’s not argue anymore. For the sake of the child, can we just live peacefully?"

Lu Shen wore a flattering smile.

Fang Jinxiu looked down on him even more.

Thinking of how she had once been so glorious, yet ended up marrying such a despicable man, she felt angry and resentful.

"I ask you, how did you know I was going to the temple? And how did you know which meditation room I was in?"

Lu Shen was taken aback. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Just answer me, why so many questions?"

Considering that Zhou Bo had already been implicated and given their current relationship, Lu Shen didn’t mind revealing the old story.

"Of course, someone from your entourage told me," Lu Shen said smugly.

Fang Jinxiu swayed slightly, her heart sinking deeper.

As expected.

"Who?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Lu Shen relished the sight of her being betrayed by someone she trusted, smiling maliciously as he slowly spoke, "It was Zhou Bo."

"Zhou Bo?" Could it really be him?

"Yes, Zhou Bo."

Fang Jinxiu had already suspected it was him based on Zheng Jinyu’s hints, but she still couldn’t believe it.

"Why would he betray me? What did you offer him?"

Seeing her rage, Lu Shen was secretly delighted, feeling very pleased.

"I told him that if I succeeded, when I inherited the Lu family, he would become the head steward of the Lu household. Being a servant, he must have dreamed of becoming the head steward. What reason did he have to refuse?"

Indeed, indeed...

Fang Jinxiu trembled with anger.

So she had been betrayed by the person she trusted most.

If not for him, she might have had the chance to marry into the Xie family and become the second wife of the eldest son of the Xie family.

"You bastard, scum, beast."