Chapter 38: Too Much Information

In the main hall, with so many people gathered, it felt somewhat stuffy.

The host had lost the inclination to instruct the servants to bring in more ice basins.

Yet the people present seemed unaffected by the heat, crowding around, craning their necks to watch the spectacle.

At the main seat, on one side sat Mr. Chen, who appeared to have aged ten years, and on the other side sat Chen Susu, whose eyes were swollen from crying.

Upon hearing the news, Old Madam Chen had fainted shortly after leaving the house, and she was currently resting in her room.

On the guest side, the Pan family sat to the left, and the Meng family sat to the right.

Pan Bin and Madam Meng knelt in the middle of the crowd.

Pan Bin kept his head lowered, while Madam Meng was quietly sobbing.

Mr. Chen’s voice, worn and rough, rang out: “Since you have no shame, and our Chen family has few members, no sons or grandsons, there’s nothing to hide. Since this matter has already been discovered, let’s examine it here in front of everyone, and let everyone judge it.”

The members of the Meng and Pan families both looked terribly uncomfortable.

The Pan family had been a humble household, but had risen slightly thanks to the support of the Chen family.

Though this scandal was embarrassing, they had no means to rectify it.

As for the Meng family, they feared the impact it would have on their children. Before the gathering of people from the Chen family, Mr. Meng had tried every possible method to persuade Mr. Chen, using both threats and incentives, but Mr. Chen had refused to listen.

The families that had alliances with the Meng family also had uneasy expressions. Those who were engaged were already considering how to break off the engagements.

Mr. Chen stood up, his voice rough: “When did this all begin?!”

The two had been together for many years, and since they had been caught in the rockery for quite some time, it was clear they had already agreed on their stories, so he did not separate them for questioning.

Before his daughter had informed him of this matter, he had held his son-in-law in high regard. But now, not only was the son-in-law involved, but the daughter-in-law, whom he had also praised, turned out to be a monster in human skin.

After Mr. Chen asked the question, Old Madam Meng, who stood behind the Meng family’s seats, gripped the armrest of her chair tightly and stared at Meng Xiang, fearful that she might say something detrimental to herself.

Madam Meng had fallen ill from the shock and was not present. The rest of the Meng family, who knew about the matter, all had dark expressions.

Pan Bin lowered his head in dejection, remaining silent for a moment before speaking in a soft voice, “Three or four years, I can’t remember clearly.”

Master Chen closed his eyes in sorrow and finally weakly sat back in his chair.

Chen Susu suddenly rushed forward and slapped Pan Bin hard.

“Why did you do this to me? Has either I or the Chen family ever mistreated you?” Chen Susu shouted in despair.

Pan Bin turned his head to the side, not looking at her and not answering.

Chen Susu staggered two steps back, her face filled with sadness. “My womb has been silent for years. I told you, if it didn’t work, we could separate, and you could remarry, but you said you didn’t mind, as long as we could be together.”

She pointed at him fiercely, tears flowing down her face. “So, the person you wanted to be with is someone else! She is the reason you stayed in the Chen family!”

Chen Susu slightly closed her eyes, her body swaying. Her maid quickly supported her.

Meng Xiang looked up and glared at Chen Susu. “Stop pretending! You must have known long ago, right? Otherwise, how would I and Pan… he, have known about the rooster-catching arrangement?”

Chen Susu sneered. “What are you talking about? Isn’t it you two who have no shame?!”

She weakly leaned against her maid and whispered through her tears, “We were afraid you would tell your family in advance, so we didn’t inform you. Now, at this point, you still want to turn the blame on us?”

The servants involved in this matter were few, and they were all people whom she and her father were certain were loyal, so nothing leaked, and the plan succeeded.

Chen Susu covered her face and wept, feeling a sense of satisfaction deep inside.

Meng Xiang, stubbornly holding her ground, was about to speak again, but Master Meng stood up and walked over, slapping her to the ground.

“You disgraceful thing! You’ve ruined the Meng family’s reputation!”

Pan Bin quickly went to help Meng Xiang up.

Meng Xiang covered her face, her eyes filled with hatred. “Isn’t it because you refused me at first, criticizing Pan Lang’s family background and forcing me to marry into the Chen family!”

“If Pan Lang hadn’t done it for me, how would he have become the subject of ridicule as a son-in-law?”

“Today’s events, how could they have happened? This is your debt to me!”

Master Meng almost lost his balance, his lips trembling with anger. “Meng Xiang! I truly spoiled you, let you do whatever you wanted without considering the Meng family, and now you’ve ruined the Meng family!”

He shouted in fury.

The Meng family had never been a prominent family, or they wouldn’t have allowed Old Madam Meng to marry as a secondary wife.

Over the years, the Meng family had gained some prestige due to their connection with the Marquis’s family.

As the family’s situation improved and Meng Xiang grew up without a mother, he became more indulgent with her, not expecting it to lead to such a disaster.

At that moment, people by the door moved aside as two guards escorted a middle-aged man into the hall.

One guard said, “Master, Dr. Wu was acting suspiciously, carrying a bundle and trying to leave the house. We found it odd, so we brought him back.”

The two guards released their grip and pushed him to the ground.

Dr. Wu’s forehead was sweating as he looked at the two people kneeling in front of him, his body trembling slightly.

Master Chen sat up straighter, as if regaining his composure, adjusting his posture and staring directly at Dr. Wu.

“You’re in cahoots with these two, aren’t you?”

“Did you tell them willingly, or should I have someone pry the truth out of you? Or should I send you to the authorities to have the officials who manage the prison interrogate you thoroughly?”

A few years ago, Old Madam Chen had been ill and weakened, so they had hired a permanent doctor to treat her.

An anonymous letter mentioned poisoning and malice, and they suspected the doctor had been bribed.

The guards had been placed by Master Chen, who had instructed them to keep an eye on Dr. Wu’s residence.

They wanted to see if Dr. Wu would react now that the affair between the two had been exposed.

Dr. Wu quickly moved forward a few steps, his eyes pleading. “Master, I’ll tell you!”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, sensing the ominous atmosphere around him. He stepped back a little before speaking.

“Miss hasn’t been able to conceive for many years, and in fact, it was your son-in-law’s orders. He had me replace the medicine meant to nourish her with something harmful, which is why Miss could no longer conceive.”

“They’ve recently… they even wanted to kill Miss, and asked me to put something in the medicine for her treatment—it’s a slow-acting poison. If stopped immediately and treated, it wouldn’t harm her.”

After saying this, Dr. Wu bowed several times. “I’ve told you everything I know, and I hope you will spare my life. They’ve been threatening my family, and I had no choice.”

Upon hearing this, the room fell into stunned silence for a long time as everyone grasped the truth.

Chen Susu’s infertility was the result of Pan Bin’s plot, not her own fault.

And these two had even planned to kill her.

Their malicious intentions were shocking.

The room erupted in angry discussions, many people cursing the two of them.

To save his life, Dr. Wu hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Also, Mrs. Meng was pregnant six years ago. I examined her several times, but I don’t know what happened afterward. The last time I examined her, she was five months pregnant.”

This statement was like a thunderclap. The room erupted in a frenzy of discussion.

Those familiar with the Chen family were the most shocked. As far as they knew, Mrs. Meng had never been pregnant.

The elders in the Meng family who knew about this were startled, their faces pale and troubled.

Old Madam Meng felt a dryness in her throat, and her ears seemed to ring.

As memories resurfaced, Madam Wang was the first to react. She pushed through the crowd and said with conviction:

“Suniang, I just saw it, Mrs. Meng has stretch marks on her belly from pregnancy.”