Chapter 39: The Onlookers Were Stunned

Madam Wang’s husband tugged at her side, signaling for her not to meddle in others’ affairs, but Madam Wang shrugged him off with a quick twist of her body.

Chen Susu cried out in despair, then collapsed into her maid’s arms.

Master Chen, trembling, pointed at Pan Bin, “You… you not only knew each other before marriage and had secret dealings for years, but you even have a child?! You’ve truly deceived my Chen family!”

He clutched his chest, taking some time to calm down, before slamming his hand on the table. Gritting his teeth, he angrily demanded:

“Tell me! Where is the child?!”

“He died.” Pan Bin’s expression was dejected. “Maybe it was because of her long-term use of a corset. She gave birth prematurely, before reaching full term, and… she’s gone.”

Meng Xiang started sobbing again, quietly.

But Mrs. Wang continued, “I think there’s something off about this situation. Many women in this room have been pregnant, and they all know how big and heavy the belly gets near the end of pregnancy. How could you have hidden it from us?”

The other women in the room murmured their agreement.

Mrs. Guo, who had been hiding in the crowd, took a few steps forward and said, “Suniang, think carefully. Has Meng ever been away from home for several months?”

Her husband, Guo Xiang, had some family connections with the Chen family, and they were older than the Chens. With the elder Mrs. Chen not present, she couldn’t resist speaking up.

Chen Susu exchanged a glance with her father and pretended to think for a moment, then exclaimed, “It was when the old matriarch of the Meng family was seriously ill!”

“The Meng family says that Meng lost her mother when she was young and was raised by the old matriarch. When the old matriarch was gravely ill, she greatly missed her granddaughter. Meng also begged her mother, wanting to return to visit her.”

“Of course, we wanted to support her filial piety, so we allowed her to return. Since it was for filial reasons, we didn’t rush her. But this time, it’s been nearly half a year.”

As soon as this was said, everyone’s gaze shifted toward the Meng family.

The elder Mr. Meng’s face turned pale.

The old Mrs. Meng’s body stiffened, and her heart began to race.

She knew this matter could never be acknowledged. Elder Mr. Meng immediately retorted, “Don’t jump to conclusions! She wanted to marry Pan Bin at the time, but I didn’t agree, so how could I have allowed her to do something like this?”

“If anyone finds out, our Meng family’s reputation will be ruined! How could I do such a foolish thing?” He was drenched in sweat on his back.

It was all because he had been muddled by his mother and daughter, blaming him for insisting on marrying his daughter to the Chen family. As a result, Old Master Chen died, and his daughter’s future was ruined.

The younger ones were all searching for a way out, so he had no choice but to summon his older sister, Old Mrs. Meng, to discuss a countermeasure.

“The child didn’t die. It was actually Miss Fang Miaoyi, the fifth daughter of the Fang family! The real fifth daughter of the Fang family was swapped out the day Qin gave birth. I personally threw her into the city moat!” A woman’s voice suddenly rang out from somewhere.

Most people in the room were too stunned to respond, only a few of them instinctively looked around.

Old Mrs. Meng trembled all over.

It was Nanny Zhang!

How could she…

The people at the door parted to make way, and Nanny Zhang, with red eyes, walked in with a look of utter despair on her face.

“The child swap was all Old Mrs. Meng’s doing!” she pointed at her.

The elder Mr. Meng was the first to react. He stood up and ordered the servants, “Take this nonsense-spouting servant away!”

The room was already packed with the hosts of the banquet, and the servants of each family were waiting outside, unable to hear the summons.

Nanny Zhang spoke violently, shouting like a madwoman, “Many elders in the Meng family know about this!”

The elder Mr. Meng couldn’t care less. He hurried toward Nanny Zhang, intending to stop her from speaking, but someone grabbed the back of his collar, preventing him from advancing any further.

The Meng family’s children immediately stepped forward to help.

Fang Xunli was the first to walk out of the crowd, standing in front of Nanny Zhang.

In the next moment, Cao Ran, accompanied by a few young men from the Cao family, emerged from the crowd. Together, they formed a wall in front of Nanny Zhang, shielding her as she continued to speak.

Nanny Zhang trembled as she shouted, “When Qin married, the fire in the new house was set by Old Mrs. Meng to gain her trust!”

“The sixth Miss Fang fell from the rockery and injured her head. It was also Old Mrs. Meng who instructed me to push her. She wanted me to kill that child so that Meng’s child would gain all of Qin’s affection and more dowry! Who would have thought that the child survived!”

“There are many other covert attempts to harm the first branch of the family, all instructed by Old Mrs. Meng!”

“To ensure my loyalty, she set up a trap to involve my husband and son in gambling. But I just realized it now!”

Nanny Zhang screamed hoarsely, shouting incoherently. In the next moment, it seemed she lost all strength, and she fell to the ground, crying in pain.

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Those watching were stunned, processing the shocking information. They couldn’t recover for a long while.

Old Mrs. Meng was sweating profusely, staring blankly at Nanny Zhang, her lips dry and pale, continuously swallowing.

Qin Xuan knew it was time for her to step in.

“What did you say?” Qin Xuan walked out from the crowd, stopping in front of Nanny Zhang, looking at her in disbelief.

“Is what you said true?” she asked softly again.

Nanny Zhang lifted her gaze with difficulty, “Madam, I’m sorry, but I had no choice. It’s all Old Mrs. Meng’s fault. She destroyed everything for us!”

Qin Xuan stepped forward and yanked at her clothing, “Then what about my biological daughter?”

Nanny Zhang swallowed hard and avoided her gaze, “I threw her into the river. I saw her sink, and then I stood by the river for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, but I’m not sure if she drowned.”

“How could this happen?” Qin Xuan, heartbroken, let go of her grip, turned, and walked toward Old Mrs. Meng. As she approached her, she said, “I once thought you were the best mother-in-law in the world. When you risked your life to save me from the fire, I decided I would honor you for life. But now I see it was all a lie, all part of your scheme!”

When she said the last sentence, her voice suddenly rose, filled with despair and grief.

“You killed one of my daughters, and it wasn’t enough? You even wanted to kill another one…” Just as Qin Xuan was about to say more, she suddenly fainted.

Nanny Lei, who had already positioned herself in front, quickly stepped forward and caught her.

Madam Cao followed closely behind and helped Qin Xuan down.

Guo Xiang, standing in the crowd, was filled with rage, pointing at Elder Mr. Meng and shouting,

“The actions of these two malicious women in the Meng family—there’s no way Meng Chang didn’t know about it, yet he chose to condone and cover it up. How can a man like you serve in any official or ministerial position?”

Cao Sanye spoke up in agreement, “What the Meng family did is despicable! If the truth hadn’t come out today, the Fang family and the Chen family would have been devastated. You would have devoured them until there was nothing left!”

A few others chimed in.

Before Guo Xiang and Cao Sanye could continue, a team of bailiffs from the Court of Judicial Review arrived at the Chen family.

The people at the door were already stunned, and it wasn’t until those behind them pushed and nudged them aside that they mechanically made way.

The head bailiff cupped his fists and addressed Mr. Chen, “Lord Chen, I regret arriving at your estate on such a joyous day, but there is urgent business I must inform you of. Please forgive me.”

Mr. Chen stood up and gave a slight nod.

The arrival of the Court of Judicial Review at this moment was, of course, no coincidence.

In the past couple of years, he had established some rapport with the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Because of the Lin family case from earlier, a major scandal within the Chen family had come to light.

The Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, fearing that Mr. Chen would not be able to handle it, had taken the precaution of giving him some early warnings.

The bailiffs arriving now were part of the arrangement made by Mr. Chen through the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

The head bailiff continued, “When the Court of Judicial Review was investigating the Lin family case, we found an amount of money on the Lin family’s account, which came from your daughter-in-law, Meng. According to Lin Da’s confession, this money was paid to use connections and destroy evidence that was detrimental.”

He paused for a moment, unable to hold back a sigh, “Your son did not die by accident; it was murder. Lin Da suspects that Meng was having an affair, and when your son discovered it, she decided to silence him. Therefore, I have been ordered by the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to arrest Meng.”