CHAPTER 362: CHAPTER 362: WHO’S THE FATHER?

After awakening, although Zhong Cuilan shyly showed him her virginity handkerchief, he was somewhat muddled from drinking, and his memory of the process was blurry. He couldn’t be certain whether Zhong Cuilan had really been a virgin.

After all, the virginity handkerchief could be faked.

When he heard Midwife Wei say that the child was over six months old, County Magistrate Zou immediately concluded that he was not Zhong Cuilan’s first man!

County Magistrate Zou was so enraged that his blood rushed to his head, his vision darkened, and he nearly fainted.

After a short while, he managed to muster up the strength to overcome the dizziness. His eyes, poisoned with fury, were fixated on Zhong Cuilan’s chamber. What a Zhong Cuilan she was, daring to cuckold him—whose child was it? Who was the adulterer?!

County Magistrate Zou immediately ordered Zou Jiang to notify Guardian Master and have him and the Protectors surround the Huilan Courtyard.

The people inside Huilan Courtyard were terrified, but nobody dared to ask County Magistrate Zou; they just wanted to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.

Even Zou Yuwan now regretted her decisions.

After she followed Mrs. Zou back to the mansion and came to the Huilan Courtyard to watch the excitement, she ended up trapped.

Had she known, she would have followed the example set by the eldest daughter and returned to her own courtyard as soon as she got back to the mansion.

Seeing County Magistrate Zou nearly losing his reason to rage, Zou Jiang hurriedly reminded him, "Old Master, perhaps you should let the unrelated others return to their homes first."

There were so many people around, and with daughters-in-law and daughters present, any scandal would bring shame upon the Old Master himself.

County Magistrate Zou came to his senses and immediately waved his hand, "Let the eldest son’s wife and the others leave, but the maids, the midwives, and Doctor Wen from the Huilan Courtyard cannot go."

He added a stern instruction, "Tell them to keep their mouths shut. If they dare to spread any word of the happenings in Huilan Courtyard, no matter if she’s a lady of the mansion or not, this official will deal with her!"

"Yes." Zou Jiang went to convey the message right away.

The wives of Zou Yuqian and Zou Yunkun, Zou Yuwan, and several concubines immediately swore oaths of silence and rushed away with their servants in tow.

With the crowd gone, County Magistrate Zou pointed at the wooden box containing the dead fetus, "Open the box!"

Midwife Wei hastily complied and opened the box.

County Magistrate Zou grabbed Doctor Wen, "Go and see that... child. How old is it? Is it really over six months?"

Doctor Wen was at a loss; how could anyone tell?

Yet he dared not disobey, so he unwrapped the swaddling clothes to examine the child.

After a moment, the doctor shook his head at County Magistrate Zou, "The child is too small; it’s hard to say. But it’s around five or six months along."

County Magistrate Zou could not bear to hear the number six and demanded, "Which is it? Five months or six?"

Zhong Cuilan had entered the mansion at the beginning of February, and today was the seventh day of the seventh month. If it was five months old, it could be his, but if it was over six months old, it definitely wasn’t.

"I will examine it again." Seeing County Magistrate Zou’s menacing demeanor, the doctor complied with his wishes. After examining the dead fetus again, he said, "I conclude that it could be a little over five months, or it could be over six. If the official wants the exact duration, he should ask the two midwives. They have a technique for feeling the bones, which can tell exactly how far along the fetus is."

Doctor Wen had already figured out that County Magistrate Zou had been cuckolded, but such private family matters were not something Doctor Wen wanted to be involved in.

County Magistrate Zou pointed at the two midwives and said, "You two, go and check how old the child really is."

Midwife Wei squatted down, felt the child’s bones, and after a moment said, "To answer your question, sir, I am certain that the child is already six and a half months old."

County Magistrate Zou’s hands shook with anger as he pointed at Midwife Liu and said, "You, go feel!"

With no choice, Midwife Liu squatted down, felt the child’s bones, and after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she said, "Sir, the child should be at least six months old."

"Good, very good, Zhong Cuilan, I have treated you to a life of luxury, and you, whore, dare to cuckold me?" County Magistrate Zou, enraged, charged into the room and dragged Zhong Cuilan, who was still lying in bed, down.

Zou Jiang hurriedly said to Doctor Wen and the other two, "You wait here; without the official’s order, do not leave on your own."

Doctor Wen felt like dying; had he known the Zou family’s matter was so dirty, he would not have come.

Zou Jiang had no time to care whether Doctor Wen was willing to stay or not. After getting the Protector to keep watch over them, he immediately rushed into the room and pulled County Magistrate Zou away from beating Zhong Cuilan, "Old Master, please calm down first. If you kill Mrs. Zhong now, we won’t know who the other party is. We need to find out who it is first, then we can deal with them and soothe your anger."

Zhong Cuilan, with no care for her own pain, cried out claiming her innocence, "Old Master, I have been wronged! Lan’er has been loyal only to you, there has never been another man in my life, how could I do something to wrong you?"

"I was framed, Old Master, you must seek justice for me."

She knew County Magistrate Zou cared about the child, so she took up the matter of the child, "Old Master, the child is yours, someone envied Lan’er for carrying your son, afraid that our son, once born, would compete with them for the inheritance, so they schemed to harm Lan’er... wuu wuu wuu, Old Master, Lan’er is innocent, you must seek justice for me."

"You claim you are wronged for shit, Doctor Wen, both midwives said the child is over six months, do you still have the face to claim innocence?!" County Magistrate Zou kicked Zhong Cuilan with a foot, but he was so angry and tired that he staggered while kicking her, nearly falling over.

Zou Jiang quickly supported him, "Old Master, what Mrs. Zhong said isn’t entirely unreasonable. Let’s investigate this matter before making conclusions. After all, this concerns the Old Master’s reputation and offspring. If there indeed is some conspiracy at play, won’t that be giving the Old Master outright cause for anger and letting the young master suffer wrongful blame?"

After listening, County Magistrate Zou finally regained some sense of reason and told Zou Jiang, "You go investigate immediately, and have someone search this room again. If there is a lover, he would have left some token."

"Yes." Zou Jiang, afraid County Magistrate Zou would get too enraged, advised, "Old Master, why don’t you go and wait in the study? Once I find the result, I shall come and report to you?"

This matter was a tremendous disgrace for County Magistrate Zou; he refused to leave and insisted on waiting here for the results.

Zou Jiang had no choice but to support him to the left wing room and have him wait there.

After making sure County Magistrate Zou was settled, Zou Jiang immediately ordered a group of Protectors to search the room.

The Protectors turned the room upside down but found nothing suspicious.

Mo Qiuyue, Lv He, and the two old maids from Huilan Courtyard were kneeling outside the room, shivering.

An hour later, Guardian Master came to report, "Housekeeper Zou, we have found nothing suspicious."

Zou Jiang said, "Keep searching."

"Yes." Guardian Master turned back into the room, ordering the Protectors to continue the search.

Midwife Liu, trembling, raised her hand and said, "Housekeeper Zou, Mrs. Zhong has given the young master a small copper box as a keepsake, would you like to take a look?"

Zou Jiang quickly went over, took the small copper box, opened it, and saw that inside was a small golden lock with a golden key.

After using the key to open the golden lock, to his surprise, he discovered that at the bottom of the arched bar of the popped-out golden lock, there were two characters: Yuqian!