Chapter 294 - 258: Reclamation (Part 2)

"Alright."

The next day, two events that happened in Prime Minister Wang’s Mansion spread widely. First, after being verified by people sent by Prime Minister Wang, the child brought by the Wen Family was confirmed to be Xiao Yanci’s. The Prime Minister’s Mansion was willing to take in the Wen Family mother and child, arranging a separate courtyard for them. Second, Prime Minister Wang’s nephew disgraced the heir of Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion at a banquet, causing the noble young master to become the lower one in that humiliating affair. Several Imperial Physicians were called to stop the bleeding, and he nearly lost half his life.

Prime Minister Wang took the nephew’s parents to Cheng’an Hou Mansion to apologize, bringing a large supply of medicinal materials to nurse the young master back to health, along with twenty boxes of compensatory gifts.

Thus, the two matters were settled.

"The heir of Cheng’an Hou Mansion’s bottom is indeed valuable, twenty boxes, more valuable than someone’s dowry for their daughter."

"If I were him, I wouldn’t have the face to go out and meet anyone. So many people witnessed his humiliation, watching his noble rear end bleed profusely. Ha ha..."

"That young princely heir, relying on his family’s power and influence, dismissed us commoners. Now he has indeed met with retribution."

"What I’m more curious about is whether the title of Marquis Cheng’an Mansion still belongs to that young princely heir after becoming like that? Yet, apart from him, there is no other heir in Cheng’an Hou Mansion."

"Who said there’s none?" the shop assistant nearby whispered mysteriously, "I’ve worked on this street for decades, I know Cheng’an Hou Mansion better than you. Cheng’an Hou Mansion had a legitimate eldest son back in the day, if he’s still alive, he should be sixteen or seventeen now. That young master was born from the original wife, and he was a beautiful boy since childhood, the kind of little fairy everyone wanted to pinch on the street back then. Later, his family underwent a change, his mother passed away, and I haven’t seen him outside since. Later, he drowned, and his death was especially tragic. Some say it was the stepmother who caused it. Otherwise, how would such a delicate legitimate eldest son die so miserably and horrifyingly?"

"Wasn’t that stepmother in Cheng’an Hou Mansion quite kind? I heard she never argued with others. Previously, everyone said that young princely heir didn’t resemble her at all, not inheriting a bit of his mother’s gentle kindness. But thinking about that Marquis Cheng’an, it’s not surprising at all. If he doesn’t resemble his mother, then he must take after his father."

"Actually, I saw someone who looks like that young master a few days ago, but I didn’t dare to say." the shop assistant next to him said, "Do you know the newly crowned Champion Scholar?"

"We know! We were all watching the excitement when he rode through the streets. Such good looks, much more handsome than the third-place examinee."

"Exactly, it’s him. The young master I mentioned looks very much like this Champion Scholar. If I hadn’t seen that young master’s corpse with my own eyes, I would have thought it was him!"

Someone rode past on horseback. The shop assistant who had just been talking pointed at the figure outside and said, "Look, that’s him."

"That’s the son-in-law of the National Guardian General Mansion, I heard he’s also a live-in son-in-law, previously fell into the hands of a human trafficker, and it was General Su’s daughter who bought him, which is why he is what he is today."

Zhou Wangshu listened to the discussions but pretended as if nothing had happened, continuing his duties during the day and spending time with his wife in the evening, as if he had no idea about the rumors outside.

The rumors had already been spread, just like a bait had been laid, now just waiting for the fish to bite, so he could cast his net.

Xiao Yanci sat in the carriage, heading straight towards Zhou Wangshu.

There was a dark circle under his eye.

Last night was his wedding night; he had married a lovely wife, and given her noble status, he thought his days of hardship were over and he could start a new life.

In his past life, he became a powerful minister solely by his efforts. In this life, he held onto the thigh of Prime Minister Wang, so his life should be better than before, and he thought it wouldn’t take long to become a powerful minister.

However, when he discovered that Wang Ruyan was not a virgin, he felt a disgusting sensation like swallowing a fly.

Wang Ruyan deceitfully argued in front of him, saying it was because of riding horses that she lost her hymen. Ridiculously, he had experience with women and was very clear whether a woman was a virgin. After all, virginity is not just about the hymen; a man is very clear if a woman’s body has been touched before.

He clenched his fist till his palms bled to restrain himself from exposing her lie on the spot, instead gently comforting her, claiming he believed in her innocence.

He had invested so much; if he couldn’t receive Prime Minister Wang’s support, he would bring down that audacious father-daughter pair with him.