Chapter 499: I’m the Real Clown
Chapter 499: Chapter 499: I’m the Real Clown
Su Zhirou still held a grudge over Chen Shaobei kicking her straight out of the military camp last time.
She had thought he was a man of such discipline and few desires, but Su Zhirou had found some dirt on him.
Her spies staked out the inn, and just as she’d expected, they reported that a woman came to stay there every few days.
What’s more, she stayed in the very room that Chen Shaobei had permanently booked.
She would stay for an hour each time.
Even a ghost could guess what was happening in there!
So, Su Zhirou decided to make this public. She sought out Mrs. Zhang, who was known throughout the Capital City for being a termagant.
She lied, claiming she had seen Vice General Zhang entering and leaving with another woman. As expected, Mrs. Zhang couldn’t sit still and rushed over to catch him in the act.
Once Mrs. Zhang pushed open the door, she would discover that the person inside was actually Chen Shaobei’s lover!
Then the matter would be impossible to hide, and word would naturally spread like wildfire.
Su Zhirou was incredibly smug.
She was certain her plan was foolproof.
After all, her spies around the inn had told her just half an hour ago that the girl had arrived.
Mrs. Zhang had arrived at the perfect time.
Su Zhirou went up to the second floor, where Mrs. Zhang was in front of a door, shouting curses.
"Zhang Man, why did you bolt the door from the inside? What shameful secret are you hiding that you daren’t let me see? Open this door, Zhang Man!"
Mrs. Zhang pounded loudly on the door.
Su Zhirou walked over, adding fuel to the fire. "Mrs. Zhang, perhaps we should just let it go. Maybe it’s not what we think. Let’s go home for now. You can have a proper talk with Vice General Zhang when he returns."
But Mrs. Zhang was in a blind rage and in no mood to listen to her.
"Zhang Man! If you don’t come out now, I’ll order someone to kick this door in! Don’t force me to make a scene!" Mrs. Zhang bellowed, her upbringing in a military family on full display.
Seeing the tightly shut door, Su Zhirou snickered to herself.
’The people in that room must be terrified, right?’
’Serves them right!’
Unwilling to wait any longer, Mrs. Zhang ordered her servants to kick in the door.
But just at that moment, the door was opened from within.
Mo Lingwei’s cold, forbidding face was revealed to all.
Mrs. Zhang jumped in fright. She had attended a palace banquet with her husband before, so of course she recognized Mo Lingwei!
"C-Crown Prince? Why is it you?" Mrs. Zhang stammered in astonishment.
Then, the lovely figure of a young woman peeked out from behind Mo Lingwei. "You were all cursing up such a storm, yet you didn’t even bother to find out who was in the room?"
When Su Zhirou saw who it was, her face went deathly pale!
’How can it be Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning!’
A cold, murderous intent flickered in Mo Lingwei’s dark eyes. "Who are you looking for?"
Mrs. Zhang could barely get the words out. "I... I am looking for Zhang Man."
"If you’re looking for Vice General Zhang, you should go to the military camp. Why are you causing a scene here?" Mo Lingwei’s presence was powerful, his aura suffocating.
Mrs. Zhang struggled to speak. "It was Miss Su who told us."
Su Zhirou never expected Mrs. Zhang to throw her under the bus so easily.
She scrambled to explain, "Your Highness, I merely caught a glimpse of someone by chance, but I wasn’t certain it was Vice General Zhang. I even tried to persuade Mrs. Zhang not to come up here, but she wouldn’t listen to me."
Shen Ningning scoffed from behind Mo Lingwei.
"You’ve hardly ever met Vice General Zhang, yet you run your mouth so carelessly in front of his wife. What were your intentions? What would you have done if you’d ruined their marriage?"
"As for today’s events, if Zhang Man were to find out... Mrs. Zhang, how do you expect him to show his face in the Capital again?" Mo Lingwei added, his voice a cold interrogation.
His words plunged Mrs. Zhang into an icy despair.
She had an impulsive personality, a trait that hadn’t changed since she married. Her husband’s family treated her well, which was why she had never matured over all these years.
She never thought that her barging in so brazenly today would turn out to be such a ridiculous blunder!
Su Zhirou felt Mrs. Zhang’s sharp, furious gaze lock onto her.
She cried out in alarm, "Mrs. Zhang, why are you looking at me like that? Surely you can’t blame me for this! You were the one who insisted on coming up here. I even tried to stop you, so why didn’t you listen?"
Shen Ningning scoffed, her expression filled with disdain.
’She tries to drive a wedge between a husband and wife, and now she wants to wash her hands of it all.’
Just then, a dignified female voice spoke from behind Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei. "Zhirou, how could you do something like this?"
Su Zhirou was utterly stunned.
Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei stepped aside, revealing her adoptive mother, Lady Shu, who rose from a round table and walked toward her.
Her dignified face was etched with disappointment.
"Mother... Mother, when did you return?" Su Zhirou asked, completely taken aback.
’Didn’t Lady Shu go back to Shu State to visit her family?’
’Why did she come back without me knowing?’
Lady Shu sighed. "I received a letter saying you had been injured here in the Capital and were having trouble walking. I rushed back immediately and happened to run into Ningning and Ling Wei, so I joined them for tea."
"In your letters to me, you were so full of well-wishes and concern. I truly thought you had matured during my time away from the Capital. But how could you do something so outrageous!"
Sowing discord between a husband and wife.
Lying about seeing Vice General Zhang enter an inn with another woman.
It was utterly absurd!
"Why would you do that!" Mrs. Zhang demanded, her voice rising.
She was so angry her clenched fists were trembling.
If Lady Shu hadn’t been there, Mrs. Zhang likely would have grabbed Su Zhirou by the collar on the spot.
"I... I only meant well," Su Zhirou sobbed, her voice laced with helplessness. "Besides, I told you I might have seen wrong. Mrs. Zhang, you came here on your own. How can you blame me?"
Seeing that she still refused to admit her fault, Lady Shu shook her head in resignation.
"I have failed to teach her properly. Mrs. Zhang, as she is in my care, I will take her home at once and instruct her thoroughly. I will see to it that she pays you a visit to formally apologize. Please, do not let her nonsense cause a rift between you and your husband. This time, the Su Family has done you a great wrong."
Mrs. Zhang’s face was ashen as she suppressed her fury.
She had to maintain her decorum and return the courtesy to Lady Shu.
"I trust your character, Lady Shu. But as for Miss Su... Ugh, never mind!" With a flick of her sleeve, Mrs. Zhang turned and stormed off, utterly humiliated.
After she was gone, Lady Shu turned a stern gaze on Su Zhirou. "If word of this gets out, what will people say about you? Come home with me and admit your wrongdoing!"
With that, Lady Shu turned to Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei. "I will host a tea banquet for you both another time to make up for this. I have things to deal with today, so I will take her with me now."
Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei both nodded.
"Auntie, please calm down. Don’t let this truly upset you. It isn’t worth it," Shen Ningning added with concern.
Just a moment ago, Lady Shu had been telling her that ever since recovering from her major illness, she couldn’t let her emotions fluctuate too much, or she would become dizzy.
Hearing Shen Ningning’s concern, Lady Shu gave a comforting nod.
"Thank you, Ningning." She then led the pale-faced Su Zhirou away.
After they left, Shen Ningning went to the adjacent private room.
Jiang Zhi had been waiting for a long time. When she heard them slandering Vice General Zhang, she had nearly gone out to set the record straight.
"Ningning, are they gone?" Jiang Zhi asked. "What should we do? My relationship with the General is completely innocent, but Vice General Zhang has been inexplicably dragged into this mess for us."
She had come to the inn today to take a bath.
But not long after, Shen Ningning had arrived with Mo Lingwei.
They had told her that someone would be coming to cause trouble for her.
Jiang Zhi hadn’t understood at the time, but now it all suddenly made sense.
Su Zhirou must have noticed her frequent visits to the inn and targeted her.
’She must have thought I was Chen Shaobei’s mistress, kept on the side!’