She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 262 Exposing the Fake Pregnancy

Zhao Jue was stunned by the beating and looked at the Second Master in disbelief.

The second master's hands were trembling. This was not Yu Niang, but clearly Yue Niang.

The madam said that Yue Niang had been redeemed and taken away by a young master.

Is this young master actually Zhao Jue?

The second master couldn't imagine it; it was simply too absurd.

He couldn't accept the reality before him, and he couldn't reveal the relationship between him and Yue Niang.

The second master raised his hand and slapped Zhao Jue across the face again.

Zhao Jue reacted quickly, grabbing the Second Master's wrist: "Father, what are you doing?"

Despite the cramping pain in her lower abdomen, Shen Mingzhu seized the opportunity to say, "You've divorced your wife and remarried. Once word gets out, how will your father-in-law face anyone? How will you ever recover your reputation?"

Looking at the tearful, pitiful Yue Niang, she felt even more furious.

Shen Mingzhu gritted her teeth and continued, "Third Master, don't make another mistake. If you don't think about yourself, you should think about your father-in-law."

The second master agreed with Shen Mingzhu's words, realizing that Zhao Jue didn't care about him, his father, at all.

Back then, when he asked Zhao Jue for the money to redeem Yue Niang, Zhao Jue said that he had no money on him.

Now, not only has Yue Niang been redeemed from her servitude, but there is also money to hold her wedding ceremony.

And she lied to him, saying that Yue Niang was an orphan who brought her family's wealth with her when she married into the family.

"You cannot marry her." The second master looked at the pitiful Yue Niang, who was silently weeping, and said firmly, "Mingzhu is carrying your child. You haven't divorced her yet, and you're going to take another wife. It's simply outrageous."

Shen Mingzhu clutched her stomach, wiping away tears as she choked out, "I am now all alone. Third Master has divorced me, and I have nowhere to go. This is forcing me to my death. Either way, I'm going to die. Even if I die, I will take this matter to the authorities and ask the officials to do justice for me."

Moon Lady seemed terrified by Shen Mingzhu's words. Her face turned ashen, and she was flustered and at a loss. Her delicate fingers gripped Zhao Jue's sleeve tightly as she defended him, saying, "If this goes to the authorities, Sanlang will be ruined. Let's resolve any misunderstandings privately first."

"There is no misunderstanding. Zhao Jue did not divorce his wife. Mingzhu is still his wife. His divorce and remarriage violate not only moral principles but also the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he will be punished."

Seeing that Yue Niang's heart and eyes were full of Zhao Jue, the Second Master's suppressed emotions surged up. He clenched his fists tightly and said sternly, "Zhao Jue, let her go. I will not acknowledge this daughter-in-law."

Zhao Jue's jaw was clenched; the final step had been thwarted. Yue Niang's money was about to be in his hands; if he sent it back, all his efforts would have been in vain.

"father……"

"Shut up!" the second master snapped. "If you insist on marrying her, my son and I will sever all ties today."

Yue Niang's expression changed, and she pushed Zhao Jue away: "San Lang, you want to give me a place to stay, to rely on, and you always think of me. I can't selfishly drag you down and damage your reputation."

Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she looked frail yet forced to stand strong: "Sanlang, thank you for rescuing me and giving me my freedom. If you ever need my help in the future, I will definitely repay you."

After saying this, Yue Niang's clothes were soaked with tears. Before leaving, she glanced at Zhao Jue and walked out of the mansion without looking back, as if she was afraid that if she turned back, she would be reluctant to leave.

Zhao Jue saw that Yue Niang's face no longer held the shy blush she had shared with him after their marriage; instead, it was pale, fragile, filled with sorrow and resolve. He had clearly deceived her; she knew the truth, yet she didn't hate him; instead, she was still concerned for his reputation.

He instinctively chased after Yue Niang.

The Second Master's attitude of ignoring Yue Niang and protecting Zhao Jue stung his eyes.

He stood in front of Zhao Jue: "Haven't you lost enough face already?"

Zhao Jue stared in disbelief at his angry second master, not understanding why his father had suddenly objected. His father had clearly agreed before the marriage proposal.

This was too unusual, so unusual that it aroused his suspicion.

"Shameful?" Zhao Jue sneered, "If you felt ashamed, why would you stay in brothels every day? Why would you even sell your house to get money to indulge in pleasure? What you've done, one thing after another, do you have any shame?"

The mere mention of brothels filled Zhao Jue with disgust, as he found the people inside filthy.

People who care about their reputation and have high standards would never frequent brothels.

"I am your father, it is not your place to teach me how to be a person." The second master looked around and took out a horsewhip from somewhere, and shouted angrily, "You unfilial son, kneel down for me."

Zhao Jue stood with his back straight.

Seeing that Zhao Jue didn't take him seriously at all, the second master snapped and raised his whip to lash out at Zhao Jue.

Shen Mingzhu quickly stepped in front of Zhao Jue, shoving her away forcefully with one hand.

She was like a piece of paper, floating lightly, and uncontrollably lunging forward.

With a loud thud, Shen Mingzhu's lower abdomen slammed heavily against the edge of the table. A sharp pain shot through her, her face turned deathly pale, and she slowly slid down, curling up in pain.

"It hurts...my stomach hurts so much..."

Shen Mingzhu hugged her stomach, which she had stuffed with a fake belly, but the part that bumped against her was an inch below her navel, where there was no fake belly and no cushioning at all.

These past few days at the villa, she had been experiencing a dull, aching pain in her lower abdomen, which made her wonder if she was pregnant again.

After all, back in the Duke's mansion, she seduced Zhao Jue into sharing a room in order to have a child.

If she had conceived, she would be more than a month pregnant.

She begged the maidservant guarding her to fetch a doctor for her.

The maidservant, fearing she would run away, refused her request.

Shen Mingzhu was in so much pain she couldn't straighten up: "My child... save my child..."

The second master was startled by this sudden turn of events and threw down his riding whip.

Zhao Jue looked at Shen Mingzhu with icy eyes. If it weren't for her, he would have successfully married Yue Niang, and the plan would have succeeded.

Now that she has interfered, all our efforts have been in vain.

Zhao Jue glanced at Shen Mingzhu's belly, but out of consideration for the child, he carried her to the backyard and instructed the maid to fetch a doctor.

After an unknown amount of time, the doctor rushed over with his medicine box to take Shen Mingzhu's pulse.

"This..." The doctor looked at Shen Mingzhu's swollen belly, and took her pulse again with some uncertainty. He felt the pulse with both hands, and frowned, saying, "This young lady's pulse indicates that she is only a little over a month pregnant."

Zhao Jue frowned: "More than a month?"

"Even if my medical skills are terrible, I shouldn't be unable to detect pregnancy." The doctor glanced at Shen Mingzhu's belly and said solemnly, "I originally thought the young lady had some other illness, but after carefully taking her pulse, I've confirmed that there's nothing seriously wrong with her. It's just that... the fetus in her womb has moved, and there are signs of miscarriage."

Shen Mingzhu hurriedly asked, "Can my child be saved?"

"Your body is weak and blood is deficient. So you had a miscarriage before?" The doctor deduced the result from the pulse and Shen Mingzhu's fake belly: "You did not take good care of yourself back then and became pregnant again. The fetus was already unstable, and now it has been severely damaged. It will be difficult to keep it."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'll write you a prescription. Take it first and try to stay in bed as much as possible to preserve the pregnancy. Whether it can be saved or not is up to fate."

The doctor wrote down a prescription and then left in a hurry.

Shen Mingzhu was struck dumb, and her mind went blank.

She had gone to great lengths to have the child, and she had only just learned of its existence when she was about to lose it.

Her first child was killed by her mother.

The second child was killed by the child's father.

Standing next to Shen Mingzhu, Zhao Jue asked coldly, "Your previous child is long gone. Did you fake a pregnancy to secure your position?"

Shen Mingzhu's fingers gripped the mattress tightly. The fear of losing her child in the wedding hall made her forget to hide it.

Because her period was delayed, the cramping pain in her abdomen was very similar to the symptoms of a first pregnancy.

She figured that even if her pretense of pregnancy was exposed, she would be pregnant again and that would be enough to get through the situation.

But, to everyone's surprise, the child could not be saved.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have divorced my wife and remarried,” Zhao Jue said coldly. “I should divorce you.”