The maid pressed her forehead to the ground and said, "My lady, I hesitated because I wasn't completely certain. Perhaps... perhaps we should quietly take some people to Tingtai Lane to investigate. It's a small area, so finding someone shouldn't be difficult."
Madam Zhen's chest heaved violently, and it took her a while to catch her breath. Her eyes were blazing with fury. "Let's go, right now. Even if they have to carry me there, I must see what kind of woman Qu Pengfei has been keeping hidden from me all these years!"
Her marriage to Qu Pengfei had been loveless, merely an alliance between families for mutual benefit.
Though there was no love, she had always maintained her dignity, bearing children for the Qu family and managing the household, never doing anything to disgrace the family name.
Qu Pengfei had treated her with respect, granting her the rights and face befitting the primary wife. He had never shown favoritism to any concubine, and the secondary wives wouldn't dare disrespect her, so her life had been quite satisfactory.
Now someone was telling her that she had been deceived all these years. It wasn't that Qu Pengfei didn't favor concubines – his most beloved was being kept outside the household.
He was keeping her away from the main residence to spare her from harassment, treating her as the true mistress!
No wonder...
No wonder Qu Pengfei had been carried home unconscious early this morning, yet she couldn't find him when she returned – he had gone to his other family.
Jiang Xinyue deliberately orchestrated a collision with Madam Zhen at the palace gates. The servants wouldn't dare crash into the Imperial Consort's sedan chair and had to make way urgently, but the carriage was jolted several times by protruding stones, breaking its axle.
Madam Zhen's knee was already injured, and when she got down from the carriage, she was extremely agitated. Having to bow deeply to Jiang Xinyue only irritated her further.
"Does Madam Qu have urgent business?"
Jiang Xinyue gestured for her sedan bearers to set her down. "It was my fault that your carriage was damaged. If you have urgent business, please take my sedan chair. I'll have them escort you. Your knee is injured, and I would feel guilty if my actions made it worse."
She spoke with such sincerity and even took the initiative to rise from her sedan chair. Madam Zhen, eager to catch her husband in the act, didn't think too much about it and accepted the offer after expressing her thanks.
However, when a consort's sedan chair travels, it must be accompanied by eunuchs and palace maids. Shuang Jiang and Xiao Xiangzi, under the pretense of directing the sedan bearers, went along as well.
Shuang Jiang's mouth never stopped during the journey: "Madam Qu, have you also heard about Master Qu's affairs in Tingtai Lane? Actually, our lady heard about it too. She's not here to mock you – she came today to warn you. But seeing you in such a hurry, our lady guessed what was happening and worried you might be bullied if you went alone, so she deliberately waited here to have us protect you."
The servants from the Qu household still bore the Qu surname, and if the master and mistress got into a fight, they would likely side with the master.
But now it was different – the sedan bearers were all the Imperial Consort's people, and even her personal palace maids and eunuchs had come. Qu Pengfei would have to think twice before acting rashly.
"Our lady was very grateful that Madam Qu noticed something wrong with our Third Miss Jiang that day but didn't tell anyone. So when she first heard about the master's situation, she wanted to go to Tingtai Lane to apprehend him, but feared it would cause a scandal and hurt you."
"Our lady also said that the Zhen family is just as prominent as the Qu family in Qin Province. If the master has behaved inappropriately, you needn't compromise. Instead of confronting him, think about how to pressure him into having Grandpa Qu rescue the Third Young Master."
Madam Zhen's mind was in chaos, but every word from Shuang Jiang was penetrating her ears: "It's really all Elder Master Pei's fault. If he hadn't tried to scheme against our Miss Jiang, the Emperor wouldn't have accompanied our lady to search for her. Our Third Miss wasn't there, but your Third Young Master ended up suffering instead. When our lady tried to speak up for the Third Young Master yesterday, Pei family's officials accused her of interfering in politics from the inner palace, frightening her into silence."
So the Imperial Consort had tried to help her, and the Pei family was being utterly unreasonable. Just because the Qu family had Consort De and the Third Prince in the palace, they wanted to destroy her son?
It was obvious which prince the Pei family wanted to support.
The Third Prince had Consort De as his mother and the Duke of Cheng as his maternal grandfather, plus the Qu family's backing. His position was unquestionable, and the Pei family had no need to interfere.
The Fourth Prince was a remnant of the previous dynasty, fundamentally barred from ascending to the throne.
The Sixth Prince had the Imperial Consort as his mother, who held the Emperor's deep affection, and it was only a matter of time before the Jiang family became a noble house.
Only the Fifth Prince...
The Fifth Prince had suffered a tragic fate. His birth mother was executed while he was spared, and though he was raised under the Empress's name, she too had passed away. In the end, he was sent to guard the imperial tombs.
If the Pei family wanted to support a prince for the throne, the Fifth Prince, who lacked both foundation and imperial favor, would be their best choice.
So why target her son instead of the Third Prince?
What was the point of going after her child?
While she was lost in thought, they arrived at Tingtai Lane.
Qu Pengfei had chosen this location for his mistress because it was secluded and sparsely populated. Since the residents were all wealthy, the houses were large, with only four or five households in total.
This made it easy for Madam Zhen to investigate. After asking just one household, they pointed out that the Qu residence was at the end of the road.
Madam Zhen didn't knock on the door but instead waited around the corner, supported by her maid.
Soon, the main gate of the Qu residence opened, and two boys about eight or nine years old ran out.
"Mother, hurry up! Father says the new wonton shop in the city is delicious, and there won't be any seats left if we're late!"
"Little brother, you're such a glutton. Mother, please walk slowly, you still have our little sister in your belly!"
A woman in apricot-colored clothing walked out. She had delicate eyebrows like distant mountains, a slightly upturned nose, and perfectly proportioned lips that smiled sweetly, making her affectionate eyes seem as gentle as water.
She was beautiful, with a scholarly air about her, like a woman from the Jiangnan region. She gently caressed her swollen belly while watching the two children, smiling beautifully.
"My lady, look!"
Qu Pengfei was the last to emerge.
He quickly walked out and took the woman's hand. "My lady, wait for me."
Some neighbors came out and greeted the family with warm smiles: "Young Master Qu is taking his lady and young masters out for good food again! Could you bring some back for us? We'll pay."
The two boys in front responded: "We'll bring some back for Sister Xiao!"
Madam Zhen could no longer contain herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, and despite her injured knee, she stumbled forward and demanded harshly: "If she's your lady, then what am I?"
