Chapter 214: The “Wildflower” Outside

It wasn’t just Gao Ming Lan who thought this way.

Zhao Wan Yi’s thoughts were quite similar.

She had always seen Gao Ming Lan as a simple, clueless person. But now it seemed that beneath the surface, she harbored a great deal of cunning.

Her family had clearly pocketed so much silver, yet she still pretended to be oblivious.

Watching the subtle under currents between the two women, Leng Qing Yu’s lips curled up slightly at the corners.

She continued, “Actually, I wouldn’t have been so upset, except one of the items that went missing was my favorite hairpin.

Just the other day, I saw that very hairpin adorning another woman’s head. She even told me it was a keep sake from her husband, given as a token of love! How could anyone tolerate that?

If it weren’t for the deep affection the Marquis has shown me all these years, I might have thought he was keeping a mistress outside.”

The mention of another woman immediately piqued Zhao Wan Yi and Gao Ming Lan’s interest.

One of the reasons they disliked Leng Qing Yu was her wealthy background, which overshadowed them, despite their origins in official families.

Another reason was the unrelenting love and devotion that Lu Ting En had shown Leng Qing Yu over the years.

It was well-known among outsiders that the Marquis adored his wife.

As Leng Qing Yu’s sisters-in-law, neither of them received even half the care she did.

Before his marriage, Lu Ting Cong had already taken two concubines, while Lu Ting Yi had three secondary wives in his household.

Although Zhao Wan Yi and Gao Ming Lan came from prominent families and were able to keep these women in line, ensuring they were obedient, they couldn’t help but feel inferior when compared to Leng Qing Yu.

As women, who wouldn’t want their husband’s attention to be solely focused on them?

Why should Leng Qing Yu be treated so differently?

So when the topic of another woman came up, both women became particularly intrigued.

“Did you not investigate further, Sister-in-law?” Zhao Wan Yi asked. “Who is this woman? Surely it’s not a coincidence that she ended up with an item from the treasury?”

Gao Ming Lan quickly chimed in, “Exactly! Who is this woman? Forgive me for being blunt, Sister-in-law, but this woman must not be simple. Perhaps she truly is a delicate flower that Eldest Brother is keeping outside.

You should be careful!”

After speaking, a hint of glee appeared on Gao Ming Lan’s face.

She would love for Lu Ting En to have a few mistresses outside.

How could Leng Qing Yu maintain her self-assured demeanor then?

To her surprise, Leng Qing Yu didn’t appear angry. Instead, she smiled and said, “You and I are indeed thinking alike. I also suspected the Marquis might be keeping a hidden beauty outside.

But when I looked into it, that wasn’t the case at all.

The woman later admitted that she bought the hairpin from a shop on the street.

Think about it. With the wealth in my household, there’s no reason for the Marquis to sell a random hairpin, is there?”

Gao Ming Lan and Zhao Wan Yi exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.

Leng Qing Yu’s last statement hit the mark: there was no reason for the elder brother to sell a hairpin.

“But that woman’s words might not be true! She could be lying,” Gao Ming Lan said, unwilling to let the matter rest.

Leng Qing Yu sighed and said, “Ah, that’s the thing about us women, we’re always so suspicious when something happens. I didn’t fully believe her either, so I had someone investigate.”

“And what did you find?” Gao Ming Lan’s curiosity was insatiable.

“The results…” Leng Qing Yu deliberately stretched out her words before continuing, “The servant I sent reported back. That woman lives in Yong Ning Alley and has a 14-year-old son.

It’s said the boy is quite accomplished in his studies and is planning to take the imperial examination next year.”

“That’s it?” Gao Ming Lan pressed further.

Zhao Wan Yi, equally intrigued, focused her attention on what Leng Qing Yu might say next.

But to their surprise, Leng Qing Yu stopped there.

“Yes, that’s it,” she replied casually, pouring herself another cup of tea.

Seeing both women staring at her intently, Leng Qing Yu hesitated, showing a conflicted expression. Finally, as if making a difficult decision, she turned to Gao Ming Lan and said, “However, the servant also told me something else. That woman’s son… his surname is Lu.

And during the days my servant was observing, he saw something…”

“What did he see?” Gao Ming Lan felt a bad premonition.

“Never mind, I shouldn’t say.”

Leng Qing Yu now seemed to regret letting anything slip.

But Gao Ming Lan refused to let it go, relentlessly pressing, “Sister-in-law, what exactly did he see?”

Forced to respond, Leng Qing Yu finally said, “On the day that woman returned home from the Ya Men, the servant saw Second Brother escorting her back.”

“What?”

Gao Ming Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief, her jaw dropping open.

She could never have imagined that, in her quest for juicy gossip, she would end up being part of the story herself.

“It… it was really my husband, Ting Cong?”

She froze for a moment, her voice trembling.

Leng Qing Yu nodded gently, her expression one of pity.

Still, her words were soothing. “Second Brother only escorted her home. Perhaps they met by chance, and he simply offered her a ride. Sister-in-law, don’t overthink it…”

Before Leng Qing Yu could finish speaking, Gao Ming Lan raised her hand to stop her, saying, “Sister-in-law, listen to yourself. Do you believe what you’re saying? If elder brother really escorted that woman home, would you believe it was just on the way?”

Leng Qing Yu slowly shook her head.

Gao Ming Lan then turned to Zhao Wan Yi.

Zhao Wan Yi, who had been watching the situation with amusement, immediately adopted a sad expression when Gao Ming Lan looked at her, shaking her head in agreement.

Seeing their reactions, Gao Ming Lan could no longer hold herself back. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

“Bastard man! He’s eating at home but eyeing the food outside. There are so many beautiful women at home, and yet he still wants to go out and taste something else. I’m going to get to the bottom of this!”

With that, Gao Ming Lan turned and started walking towards the door.

Leng Qing Yu didn’t stop her.

Zhao Wan Yi quickly stood up as well.

“Sister-in-law, second sister-in-law is hot-tempered. Let me go talk to her.”

After speaking, Zhao Wan Yi hurried after her.

By the time Zhao Wan Yi caught up with Gao Ming Lan, she was almost at the entrance of the Hou residence.

The maid following behind couldn’t keep up, barely running to catch up with her.

“Second sister-in-law, slow down!”

Zhao Wan Yi called out to her.

“What are you stopping me for! Weren’t you just enjoying the show and waiting for me to make a fool of myself?” Gao Ming Lan exploded in anger, taking it out on anyone nearby.

Zhao Wan Yi wasn’t offended and calmly said, “Second sister-in-law, the matter isn’t clear yet! If you go back now and confront him, it won’t do any good.”

Gao Ming Lan retorted, “How is it no use?”

Zhao Wan Yi explained, “Think about it. If it’s true, your confrontation will just alert the enemy. If it’s false, then you’ll just be stirring up trouble and offending people without any reason.”

Zhao Ming Lan realized that Zhao Wan Yi had a point.

Since marrying into the Lu family, she had often benefited from Zhao Wan Yi’s advice.

She had been too impulsive just now.

Now, she decided to listen to Wan Yi.

“So, what do you suggest we do?” she asked, looking troubled.

Zhao Wan Yi replied, “We should ask sister-in-law for the woman’s exact address, then send someone to keep an eye on the place. If second brother really shows up there, then we can confront him.”