Abandoning Wife and Selling Daughter? Turning Around to Marry a Powerful Minister and Wiping Out Your Entire Clan! - Chapter 40

She had always wondered why her mother treated her so coldly and why she hired so many teachers to instruct her in household affairs, needlework, poetry, and painting.

The sudden shifts between warmth and indifference always made her suspicious.

Tao was originally a seamstress from the Bureau of Apparel, so why did she become her wet nurse?

Now that she had this embroidered handkerchief, everything was clear.

She was not her biological daughter, so naturally, there was no closeness.

Teaching her all those things was probably just for show, meant for certain people to see.

The content on this handkerchief was written by Zhou Quan’s mother. Since it was a secret, Zhou Quan always carried it with him.

Why did the message say he must keep her tightly bound?

Zhang Xiaolan finally had some answers to her lifelong questions, and the weight in her heart instantly disappeared.

But a new question arose—whose daughter was she?

“Madam Zhang, there are two young men outside who call themselves the Han brothers. They say they have something important to report to you,” Rou Niang whispered outside the door.

Zhang Xiaolan was already awake. She composed herself and stepped out of the room.

The Han brothers had already been brought inside.

Han Boguang was surprised to see Rou Niang, while Han Changshu looked curious.

Zhang Xiaolan had Rou Niang sit nearby.

“Speak, we’re all on the same side here.”

Han Boguang wasn’t sure what had happened, but he still reported what he had learned.

“My father would never get into a fight! And he would never kill someone!” Upon hearing what Han Boguang had discovered, Rou Niang immediately stood up, her eyes swollen with tears. Her body trembled, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her palms were cut, yet she felt no pain. She just kept repeating that her father was innocent.

Zhang Xiaolan struggled to calm her down and sent the Han brothers to fetch medicine.

“This is an official document. If this isn’t what truly happened, then someone must have made it look that way.” Zhang Xiaolan carefully treated Rou Niang’s wounded hands and took her to the side room.

“It wasn’t a fight. They came looking for me.” Rou Niang’s eyes looked empty. “That day, when I got home, I knew something was wrong. My parents were lying on the bed, drained of bl00d, already dead.”

“I wanted to go to the county office to report the crime, but I heard people searching outside. I quickly hid and saw that those who came were just a bunch of thugs.”

“I held my breath and stayed hidden. The thugs searched thoroughly and refused to leave, saying their master ordered them to ‘eliminate the root.'”

“Heh, my parents were already dead. If they were trying to ‘eliminate the root,’ who else could they be after if not me?”

“I had no choice but to disguise myself as a servant woman and go from house to house in the city, searching for help. That’s how I ended up staying with Madam Zhang.”

“Otherwise, I would have already been killed.”

“And now, they’re ruining my parents’ reputation, claiming they killed each other? They were just silenced with money!”

Rou Niang let out a bitter laugh. Zhang Xiaolan silently put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

“Could those thugs have been sent by Zhou Quan?” Zhang Xiaolan suspected the embroidered handkerchief was the cause of everything.

Rou Niang looked at her, her eyes widening. “Could it be…?”

“The message on this handkerchief is no small matter. It concerns my identity and the Zhou family’s conspiracy.”

Zhang Xiaolan didn’t want Rou Niang to torture herself over it. “You can hate me if you want.”

“Hate you?!” Rou Niang suddenly lifted her head, her eyes burning with anger. “You did nothing wrong. They were the ones who planned everything. They were the ones who sent people. Should I blame you just because you rescued me? If that’s how the world works, then how could there be any good people left?”

Zhang Xiaolan was speechless.

She had thought that rather than let Rou Niang hurt herself, it would be better if she directed her hatred at her instead.

But she hadn’t expected Rou Niang to see things so clearly.

The ones who were hurt were never in the wrong. The ones at fault were always those who did the hurting.

If she had understood this when she was younger, would she have been fooled by Zhou Quan for so many years just because he showed her a little affection?

After soothing Rou Niang, Zhang Xiaolan promised to bring dinner back and left for Fenghua Tower.

To her surprise, the Han brothers were still outside.

“Why haven’t you left?” Zhang Xiaolan kept walking as the Han brothers followed behind her.

“Since Miss Rou is in the courtyard, it wouldn’t be right for us to stay too long,” Han Boguang said as he walked behind her. “But now that Madam has another person to take care of, should we stop hiring the martial arts teacher?”

He had asked the teacher, and the tuition Zhang Xiaolan paid was quite high. Since the brothers had already learned some skills, not hiring the teacher would save a lot of money.

Zhang Xiaolan was surprised but found it in line with Han Boguang’s practical nature.

“Don’t worry. I still have some silver left. Focus on your studies. At the end of the month, when you hand in your assignments, I’ll arrange some proper work for you.”

The Han brothers immediately lifted their heads, their eyes shining.

“Alright, I’m here now. You two can go back.” Zhang Xiaolan pointed to the alley ahead. “Work hard on your lessons and martial arts. Soon, you’ll be helping me with real tasks.”

The Han brothers nodded excitedly and only left after escorting her to the entrance.

Zhang Xiaolan felt a surge of excitement. She had found Zhou Quan’s weakness. Now, she just had to see how the Han brothers would manage the shop.

Shen Ting, how far do you think you and Zhou Quan can go?

As she stepped inside, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that a waiter was hiding in the shadows.

What was he planning?

Drug her? Throw her into a den of wolves? Or arrange for someone to ruin her reputation in public?

Zhang Xiaolan tried to think like Shen Ting, predicting her next move.

But none of the scenarios seemed right. If something happened to her, no matter what it was, Fenghua Tower wouldn’t escape blame.

The owner of Fenghua Tower was quite mysterious—she had never seen them before. It was always Manager Zhang who handled everything.

Bang! Suddenly, a small stone hit her head.

Zhang Xiaolan looked around and saw Tian Dong peeking over a courtyard wall.

Fortunately, everyone was busy working, so no one noticed him.

Tian Dong pointed to the paper wrapped around the stone before disappearing.

Zhang Xiaolan casually retrieved the paper and tucked the stone into her sleeve.

“Shen Ting has found the medicine. She may have a grudge against Fenghua Tower. Two birds with one stone.”

Zhang Xiaolan admired Tian Dong’s skill. Even such hidden information was within his reach.

Looking at the note, she remembered that Shen Ting did have a grievance with Fenghua Tower.

Back when she first became a steward, she had made a mistake in arranging gifts, and it happened at Fenghua Tower.

She had scolded Shen Ting and made her apologize there.

Now, every time Shen Ting came to Fenghua Tower, she probably remembered that humiliation.

So, if she could harm both Zhang Xiaolan and Fenghua Tower’s business, it would be a win-win for her.

Maybe she even thought that if Fenghua Tower collapsed, she could buy it back, so she would never feel humiliated again.

With her thoughts clear, Zhang Xiaolan knew exactly what to do next.

As the sun set, Fenghua Tower became lively again. Zhang Xiaolan received an order from the front hall.

Crystal Dragon Phoenix Cake—ordered by an official from the Ministry of Justice.

So, this was it. Zhang Xiaolan began preparing the dough, shaping it, and placing it in the steamer.

Then, as if suddenly experiencing stomach pain, she clutched her belly and cried out, “Oh no, my stomach hurts! I need to go to the restroom!”

She handed the steamer to the waiter and rushed off.

The waiter waited until the steamer was filled with mist, then took out a packet of powder and pretended to inspect the cakes as he sprinkled it inside.

“What are you doing?!”