Turning His Own Methods Against Him

Otherwise, she wouldn't have reminded the Lady Su to be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace, nor would she have discovered the despicable tactics Zhao Yuankun was now employing.

Zhao Yuankun used the promise of taking a concubine as bait to have Lady Su 'Lady Su personal maid poison her. Nanny Sun was always on guard, noticed that something was wrong with Lady Su's health and quickly investigated, discovering the truth.

The mistress and servant were terrified by Zhao Yuankun's ruthless methods. They knew that even if the Su Family knew about this, they couldn't deal with Zhao Yuankun. They were also afraid of alerting Zhao Yuankun and causing him to go mad and kill Lady Su. If he really went crazy, it wouldn't be difficult for him to make Lady Su fall into the pond and drown, or even fake a hanging.

Although they brought some guards and maids from the Su Family, Zhao Yuankun was the head of the household and Lady Su's husband. He said he wanted to share a room with Lady Su and kept these people far away, leaving them with no choice.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Lady Su didn't disturb her personal maid, but quietly poured out the medicine. Sometimes the maid kept a close eye on her, and she knew that this stuff was a slow-acting poison that wouldn't kill her immediately. If her body didn't show any changes, Zhao Yuankun would become suspicious, so he insisted on drinking the soup laced with the medicine.

She knew that Zhao Ruxi's coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, and she wanted to postpone it until that day. Zhao Yuankun would definitely force her to cause trouble. Today, she took the opportunity to come to the Earl of Suiping's Residence to ask Lady Zhu for help.

"Sister-in-law, I know I was wrong. I was so wrong. I shouldn't have gone against you. I'm so sorry to you and Miss Xi." She grabbed Lady Zhu's hand and cried.

"Please, sister-in-law, for the sake of our more than ten years of sister-in-law relationship, and for the sake of Young Master Ning and Miss Shan, save my life."

As she spoke, Lady Su knelt down directly in front of Lady Zhu.

Seeing Lady Su's state, Lady Zhu felt a mix of emotions.

Regardless of past conflicts, they had been together for over a decade. She couldn't bear to watch Lady Su die.

Furthermore, given Zhao Yuankun's crazed state, once Lady Su passes away and he gains power as someone's son-in-law, he will undoubtedly seek revenge against the Earl of Suiping's Residence and Zhao Ruxi immediately.

She couldn't let this venomous snake spy on the Earl's mansion and her daughter, lest she be suddenly bitten.

"Get up first." She helped Lady Su up and said to the servants, "You may all leave."

After everyone left, Caidie and the others guarded all the places to prevent eavesdropping. Only then did Lady Zhu say to Lady Su, "Sister-in-law, tell me, how can we save you?"

Lady Su was taken aback, looked up at Lady Zhu, and then the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.

Yes, how will the Earl of Suiping's Residence rescue her?

Even if the two families hadn't severed ties long ago, they had separated, and her mother-in-law and brother-in-law could no longer control them. What good would their words of advice do? They would only hasten her death.

"Isn't there any other way?" Tears streamed down Lady Su's face as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Not to mention my resentment, my children are still so young. If the new wife comes in, they... sob, they'll only have one way out: death."

She knelt down again and kowtowed several times to Lady Zhu, pleading, "Sister-in-law, please save me, please save me!"

Lady Zhu sighed and reached out to pull her up, "Get up first. Even if I wanted to save you, I couldn't if you're like this."

Lady Su quickly stood up, forcing back her tears, and looked at Lady Zhu expectantly.

Lady Zhu sat back down, not looking at Lady Su, and said softly, "Only you can save yourself; it all depends on whether you can be ruthless enough."

Lady Su looked at Lady Zhu with suspicion.

Lady Zhu did not speak again, but picked up the teacup beside her and took two sips of tea.

Lady Su widened suddenly. "You mean... an eye for an eye?"

Lady Zhu half-closed her eyes. "I didn't say anything. You said it all yourself."

Lady Su didn't speak again, but frowned and fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, she raised her eyes and said, "I know what to do."

"Then you should go back quickly. The guests have all left, and if you stay here, you might arouse suspicion." Lady Zhu stood up.

Lady Su bowed deeply to Lady Zhu, said "Thank you," and then hurriedly left.

Lady Zhu watched Lady Su disappear through the courtyard gate and sighed softly.

Back in the backyard, she first went to Slender Bamboo Courtyard, dismissed the servants, and quietly told Zhao Ruxi about it.

Zhao Ruxi was shocked. She really hadn't expected that Lady Zhu would give Lady Su such an idea.

She nodded gently to Lady Zhu: "I understand. I won't tell Grandmother and Father."

Lady Zhu nodded and patted Zhao Ruxi's head. "I knew it, my Miss Xi is extremely clever."

She sighed softly, "Don't blame your third aunt and me for being too ruthless. He's a menace, a madman, ruthless and insane. If we don't deal with him, he'll bring trouble to our family sooner or later. He can take your third aunt's life now. Once he gains power, he'll take our whole family's lives. Even for your and Young Master Tai's sake, I can't just sit idly by."

"I understand, Mother, I know," Zhao Ruxi said.

She didn't think Lady Zhu and Lady Su had done anything wrong. If she were in their shoes, she would have given Lady Su the same advice.

Some things, if you don't make a decisive decision, will only cause you harm.

Zhao Yuankun was capable of poisoning Lady Su, his wife of over ten years, who had been devoted to him and bore him children. This man has completely lost his humanity. If such a person is not eliminated, he will pose a great threat. Lady Su will also lose her life because of him.

With Lady Su dead, Zhao Jingning and Zhao Rushan struggled to survive under their stepmother's control, making it difficult for them to live on.

These are three lives lost.

Now that Zhao Yuankun has gained power, the first people he'll likely target are his niece, who has prevented him from ever holding an official position, as well as his matriarch and Zhao Yuanxun, who have suppressed him for over a decade. The entire eldest branch of the family will be finished.

Some might say that if someone tries to harm you, you shouldn't harm them in return, but rather report them to the authorities so that the law can punish them and bring them to justice.

But this is ancient times, and personal relationships are paramount. If Lady Su reports it to the authorities, regardless of whether her evidence is conclusive, the Zhao Family family patriarch would not stand idly by. He would not allow a murderer to emerge from the Zhao Family and damage the reputation of the entire clan. For both public and private reasons, he would inevitably have to protect Zhao Yuankun.

Zhao Yuanxun will also be thrust into the spotlight.

He's an official now, holding a position at the Court of Judicial Review, so he's got some influence. If he ignores this matter, everyone in the capital will think he's cold-blooded, watching his own brother go to jail. Nobody wants to associate with someone like that.

However, if Zhao Yuanxun were to go out of his way to help Zhao Yuankun, some people would say that as an official of the Court of Judicial Review, he himself could not uphold justice and was protecting his murderous brother out of family ties. Such a person is not fit to be an official, especially an official of the Court of Judicial Review.

Even if the Emperor wanted to protect their family, he had no choice but to remove Zhao Yuanxun from his post due to such remarks. Zhang Changshen would also not tolerate having such a person serving under him.

In short, he is caught in a dilemma, will be mired in trouble, and will also damage the reputation of the entire Earl of Suiping's Residence.