Chapter 2361: Doubts Arise in Cheng Wu (Patreon)

Chapter 2361: Doubts Arise in Cheng Wu

With Rong Hou's defection, things became much easier on Shu Yu's side. Their previously planned alternative strategies could be temporarily set aside.

The most immediate benefit was that their food was no longer being tampered with. This minor task was not difficult for Rong Hou, who could secretly switch the medicine, and others wouldn't notice.

At the same time, Shu Yu informed Prefect Magistrate Cheng about the situation with Lady Wang being an insider. She didn't have any evidence and didn't mention that Rong Hou provided this information. Whether he believed it or not was up to Prefect Magistrate Cheng.

When Prefect Magistrate Cheng first heard it, his face was filled with shock, and he naturally didn't believe it. His backyard was relatively simple, with three concubines besides the main wife. One of them had died due to complications during childbirth more than ten years ago, and although Lady Wang didn't have any children, she had been by his side for many years.

Especially during the time when the Cheng family encountered trouble, Lady Wang had shielded him and nearly got hurt.

At first, when he heard that she was an insider, Prefect Magistrate Cheng's immediate reaction was that it was a joke. However, Shu Yu wouldn't make such jokes, especially not at this time.

So, although he was deeply confused, he managed to remain calm. Some things were best left unthought of; once you started thinking, they all became traceable.

The Cheng family was taken down too easily and too quickly, and although Cheng Wu had betrayed them, he couldn't cover everything in such a large Cheng family. For instance... the rear courtyard.

Cheng Wu stayed by Prefect Magistrate Cheng's side, walking in the front yard and outside the mansion during daily activities. It was not easy for him to reach into the rear courtyard.

So, there was also an insider in the rear courtyard.

Excluding those who couldn't possibly be involved, Lady Wang was the only one left.

Shu Yu didn't concern herself with how Prefect Magistrate Cheng dealt with the matter. She only knew that Lady Wang had died, strangled by Prefect Magistrate Cheng.

When Lady Wang's body was carried out, the guards outside the door were momentarily stunned but quickly realized that she had been exposed. They didn't say anything since, in their eyes, Lady Wang was just a pawn and was quickly dealt with.

With the insider gone from the house, everyone stopped eating the drugged food. Their strength gradually returned, and it didn't raise suspicions among the others. People guessed that something had happened in the Cheng Mansion and waited for the right moment, aware of it but not saying anything.

Two days later, Meng Yunzheng was released.

Cheng Wu couldn't understand why, and he needed an explanation from Rong Hou.

Rong Hou only said, "Young Master Meng and County princess Lu are both people who yield to softness and not hardness. If they can cooperate in the future, there's no need to strain our relationship unnecessarily. Just let them meet as a couple to avoid their continuous vigilance against us."

Cheng Wu sneered, "Cooperate? It's been several days already, and they still haven't budged. Whether they can cooperate in the future is still uncertain. Steward Rong, our time from above is running out. If we can't get Dongqing Temple Master to talk, we'll all be finished."

Unfortunately, he didn't know what Dongqing Temple Master needed to say. If he knew, he could easily replace Rong Hou.

In Cheng Wu's eyes, Rong Hou was cautious, lacked ability, and had merely been lucky enough to follow Master Gong in his earlier years.

Rong Hou was displeased. "I'm aware of the situation, no need for your reminders."

After saying that, he left with a swish. However, he turned around and found an opportunity to tell Meng Yunzheng, "It's not going well like this. Cheng Wu seems to be suspicious of me. He's had his eye on me for a while."

"Endure it a bit longer," Meng Yunzheng advised.