Jing Su took off her outer robe, revealing the female attire beneath.
The Chen family would never have guessed that the person who carried their daughter to the Tianxiang Tower was a woman. This was also Ji Shisu's order.
Chen Chuliu had gossiped in front of Zhao Luoning that day, touching Ji Shisu's bottom line. He decided to settle both the old and new scores at once.
Since Chen Chuliu had chosen to frame Ji Shisu and force him to take responsibility back then, Ji Shisu would now return the favor in kind. He would let Chen Chuliu taste the bitterness of being framed, scolded, and blamed.
The news of Chen Chuliu's incident couldn't escape Zhao Luoning's ears. She cast a suspicious look at Jing Su.
"Didn't you say you were taking her to find an inn?"
Jing Su replied calmly without batting an eyelid.
"I was only responsible for finding an inn. I'm not responsible for making sure the concubine doesn't have an affair." After a moment's thought, Jing Su added, "Besides, she's no longer a concubine. Our master divorced her yesterday."
Divorced? Zhao Luoning faintly felt something was off. She'd been divorced just yesterday, and today she had such a disgraceful incident. This really seemed like Ji Shisu's deliberate revenge.
Zhao Luoning suddenly remembered one of Ji Shisu's joking remarks: "If I clean up all the women in the backyard, will you accept me?"
When she first entered the Ji Mansion, Ji Shisu's backyard was like a garden in full bloom. Now, Lianxiang was dead, Lüqu had gone into seclusion with Ji Shijian, and Chen Chuliu had been divorced by Ji Shisu. Only Nanshuang was left.
But it was all too late.
Zhao Luoning suppressed the weariness in her heart, tidied up her dressing case, and asked, "Hasn't elder brother brought any news yet?"
Just as she was asking, Zhao Luochun walked in. He volunteered loudly, "Luoning, it didn't work."
"What happened? Did mother refuse to come and see me?"
Zhao Luoning had asked her elder brother to invite their mother out from the Zhao Mansion for a chat, but she didn't expect Zhao Luochun to return empty - handed.
"Mother was naturally very happy to hear you were back. But ever since mother left the mansion once, father has been extremely cautious and refused to let mother out. So you'll have to go to the mansion to see her."
"Is mother under house arrest?" Zhao Luoning asked in confusion.
Zhao Luochun blushed and replied, "I don't think mother is in that situation."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know what's wrong with father. It seems that after a year, he's become extremely clingy to mother. They're so lovey - dovey that even Yaron and I can't compare."
Zhao Luoning didn't bother to comment on her elder brother. With his straightforward personality, only his sister - in - law Yaron was magnanimous enough to tolerate him. Her elder brother didn't know how to treat a woman well.
But just because her elder brother didn't know how to treat a woman well didn't mean the news he brought was inaccurate. Zhao Luoning was really curious about her father and mother's new - found love.
What had gotten into her father, Lord Zhao? Did people really only know how to cherish after they'd lost something? Otherwise, why were they so affectionate all of a sudden?
Since mother refused to come and see her, she would definitely have to go back to the Zhao Mansion. She couldn't rest easy implementing her plan until she'd sorted out her mother's matter.
Moreover, by calculation, Ji Shisu's army should be arriving in the capital soon. Once Ji Shisu returned, it would be very difficult for her to have such an opportunity again.
### Ji Mansion
Zhao Luoyue was in the Second Lady's room, munching on melon seeds and waiting for her mother. Before her mother came back, she saw Zhao Luoming first.
The Zhao family's business had declined rapidly. Zhao Luoming was already preparing to liquidate the goods in the Zhao family's tea house. After paying the workers their last wages, he would close the tea house.
The century - old foundation of the Zhao family was about to be destroyed in his hands. Zhao Luoming was under great pressure. Seeing Zhao Luoyue, who came home every other day demanding good food and drinks, he felt even more irritated.
"If there are problems in your relationship with Ning Huaizhi, you should behave better in the Ning family. Coming home every day will only make them dislike you more."
Zhao Luoyue retorted indignantly.
"I think the one who dislikes me is you!" In the years since Zhao Luoyue got married, instead of becoming more mature, she'd picked up all the bad temperaments of a woman. Her behavior was crude, and she was a shrew through and through.
Zhao Luochun was too lazy to persuade her anymore and said bluntly, "Go back after dinner. You're a married woman. Don't come back to your natal family every day!"
The main reason was that every time Zhao Luoyue came back, she would pester her mother for a long time. Mother and daughter never had any good ideas. If it was just the Second Lady alone, Zhao Luoming could still defend against her schemes. But with two tigresses, he really had no way to deal with them.
Zhao Luoyue was not intimidated and sneered, "What? Are you afraid I'll eat you out of house and home? Oh, I forgot. The Zhao family's tea house seems to be going bankrupt. You've already ruined the family business before I can even eat you poor!"
"Zhao Luoyue!"
Zhao Luoyue's words had undoubtedly hit Zhao Luoming's sore spot. He gritted his teeth and shouted out her name.
Just then, the Second Lady came back from outside and scolded, "You're bullying your sister again. Your sister rarely comes back. Can't you just give in to her?"
Coming home almost every day of the month was called rarely coming back?
Zhao Luoming knew that his mother would always protect his sister. Without saying a word, he turned around and left.
Different from other families that favored sons over daughters, in front of their mother, Zhao Luoyue was always the favorite.
Zhao Luoming knew why his mother didn't like him. It was because he'd refused his mother's request to embezzle public funds and her request to maliciously suppress the main branch of the family. So, he'd already been judged by his mother as not being on the same side.
Zhao Luoming didn't say anything more. As he turned to leave, he glanced back at his mother and sister who were whispering to each other before they'd even left the door. He shook his head. There was no hope for them.
The Second Lady had gone to the Chen Mansion to inquire for news this time.
Hearing that the Second Lady had gone to the Chen Mansion, Zhao Luoyue was very puzzled.
"Mother, what did you go to the Chen Mansion for?"
Zhao Luoyue really had no impression of the Chen Mansion. It seemed that the Chen family didn't have much contact with the Zhao family.
"Wasn't the daughter of the Chen family found naked outside a brothel yesterday?"
This was already big gossip in Huangcheng, and Zhao Luoyue had an impression of it. She asked in confusion, "Mother, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to go to someone else's house to inquire about their family's scandal?"
"Silly girl, what are you talking about? Do you think your mother would do such a stupid thing? I heard that the Chen family's daughter was so stimulated that she's half - crazy. I took the ginseng your father gave me the year before last to visit her."
"That big ginseng? Mother, you were even reluctant to eat it yourself. Why did you just give it away!"
"It's okay. Compared to the news I got, this ginseng is nothing."
"Mother, what news did you get?"
"Zhao Luoning isn't dead, and she returned to Huangcheng a couple of days ago."
"What?"
"If the news that Zhao Luoning isn't dead is true, she can't escape the crime of deceiving the emperor."
Moreover, the Second Lady had another suspicion in her heart. Zhao Luojing had disappeared for a year after Zhao Luoning's "death".