Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 32 - Just How Many Green Hats Are There?

Pfft!

The tea that Song Hongtao had just sipped instantly sprayed out.

Song Yan flicked his sleeves with some disdain, took out a handkerchief, and wiped off the tea that had been sprayed on his sleeve.

You're a grown man, why is your ability to handle things so poor? Isn't it just one son that isn't yours?

What's the big deal?

Besides Song Zhen, you still have seven other sons. Who knows, maybe none of them are yours either.

People, ah, they just need to get used to it.

Butler Wang at the side was also dumbstruck.

Too stimulating.

Was this content that he was allowed to hear?

Song Hongtao was breathing heavily, his face turning pale and then green. He barely managed to catch his breath. With a Thump, he slammed a hand heavily on the armrest and shouted sternly:

"You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Song Yan sighed.

"I also think that old woman Liang was speaking nonsense. The First Mistress comes from a powerful and noble clan. How could she do such a filthy thing?"

"Father, you know what these gossips are like. They're always wagging their tongues everywhere. If this were overheard by others, it would be very detrimental to the reputation of the Duke's mansion and to Father. So I temporarily locked them all up."

Song Hongtao's anger subsided slightly: "In this matter, you did well."

My own son, blood is thicker than water. Although I treated him poorly before, at the critical moment, he still sides with his old father. Thinking this, Song Hongtao was actually a little moved.

It's just that his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Seeing Song Hongtao's appearance, Butler Wang shook his head slightly.

The difference in their levels is too great. He can't outplay the Ninth Young Master...

Saying the First Mistress came from a powerful clan and wouldn't do such a filthy thing would only make the Old Master think Song Yan was young, naive, and ignorant of the world. But as a fellow noble, Song Hongtao was very clear on just how filthy the great clans were on the inside.

Evidence?

There's no need for that kind of thing.

As long as a seed of doubt can be planted in the Old Master's heart, that is victory.

Song Hongtao has ambition but lacks great wisdom, and is also suspicious by nature. He will naturally follow the target Song Yan has drawn, recall everything that happened before, and many originally normal things will become abnormal.

Is this the Ninth Young Master's follow-up move?

He claims it's all nonsense, yet step by step, he pushes a person into hell.

Song Hongtao was drinking tea. He seemed to want to put on an unconcerned appearance, but the surface of the water in the teacup rippled with a chaotic rhythm.

Just like his heart, it was not calm.

For a moment, the study fell into a deathly, oppressive silence.

Song Yan didn't say anything more either. He knew when to stop. He slowly held his teacup, taking small sips.

Speaking of which, he really couldn't appreciate this brewed tea soup. One sip, and it was sour, salty, bitter, and spicy. It was refreshing and cleared the mind. Paired with its deep brown color, those who knew would know he was tasting tea; those who didn't would think he was drinking Chinese medicine.

This was one of the ways tea was prepared in ancient times. First, the tea leaves had to be ground into a fine powder and made into a tea cake. Then, scallions, ginger, salt, jujubes, mint, orange peel, and the like were added and boiled together. What was boiled was this tea soup.

Some would even go so far as to directly mix the tea powder with water to form a paste and drink it. This was called 'eating tea'.

Tea steeped in boiling water belongs to pan-fried tea, which probably began to appear and gradually became popular during the Song Dynasty period. Perhaps I can find a way to pan-fry some tea; that could probably earn some money too. Of course, people's habits can't be changed in a short time.

In the main seat, Song Hongtao saw that Song Yan was making no move and grew a little restless. He really wanted to confirm whether or not he had been cuckolded.

He placed his teacup on the table, deliberately making a little noise, and then said:

"What else did that old woman Liang say?"

"Just some filthy talk. It's better not to listen, lest it dirty Father's ears." Song Yan gave a disdainful smile and said softly.

Song Hongtao's lips twitched slightly. At this moment, his appearance was just like a poor wretch who has heard his wife is cheating, is unwilling to believe it, yet wants to know more details.

Song Hongtao forced a smile.

"It's fine. I just want to know how these servants gossip about their masters behind their backs."

"Very well." Song Yan sat up straight.

"That old woman Liang said she once got up at night and happened to see a figure leaving the First Mistress's room. From the build, it was a man."

"Not long after, the First Mistress became pregnant. After a ten-month pregnancy, it was Fifth Brother, Song Zhen."

Song Hongtao's eyes narrowed to a slit: "Did that old woman Liang say who the man was?"

"No, she didn't. After all, it was pitch black at the time. It was already not easy to make out that it was a man; his features couldn't be seen clearly."

The truth shows sincerity.

"However, the old woman Liang did say that at that time, the Duke's mansion happened to have a guest. It was the First Mistress's male cousin from the Huilong Yang clan."

"What was his name again? I can't remember."

At this point, Song Yan changed his tone.

"But, this is absolutely impossible. After all, a male cousin and a female cousin, it's a violation of human ethics. How could that be possible?"

"The First Mistress comes from a prestigious family and is well-versed in etiquette and reason. She would absolutely never do such a thing."

Song Hongtao, however, his breath suddenly hitched, and his face twisted into an indescribable contortion.

Male cousin?

Female cousin?

What's so impossible about that?

Although this son was filial, he was ultimately too naive. He simply didn't know how filthy and disgusting those so-called great aristocratic clans were.

Sister-in-law and brother-in-law, father-in-law and daughter-in-law, mother and son, brother and sister...

Nobles?

Just a pack of filthy beasts.

In this world, there are only things you can't imagine, not things they can't do.

Speaking of which, Song Hongtao also had some impression of that so-called cousin. Thinking back carefully, it seemed that man and Song Zhen did indeed look very similar.

But at the time, Song Zhen was too young, and besides, people said that a nephew resembles his maternal uncle, so he hadn't thought much of it.

Thinking back now, it was simply foolish. The Huilong Yang family and the Langya Yang family had already been separate branches for one or two hundred years. How much of the bloodline could be left? That so-called 'maternal uncle' was probably not much different from a stranger. How could they be so similar?

"Butler Wang…”

"That person who came from the Huilong Yang clan, what was his name?" Song Hongtao asked in a hoarse voice, which was trembling.

Butler Wang glanced at Song Hongtao with some worry. A little pitiful.

But he still spoke: "Yang Zhen!"

Yang Zhen!

Song Zhen!

Song Hongtao's body trembled violently. That old face of his turned red, then green, then white, as splendid as a rainbow.

Even Song Yan was a little surprised. It was really hard to believe that a person's face could actually display such complex and wonderful colors.

They didn't even bother to change the name? Song Hongtao still remembered that it was Yang Shi who had insisted on naming him Song Zhen. It happened that when Song Zhen was born, there was a clap of thunder, so she used 'Zhen' (which means shock/thunder) as his name, hoping that in the future his fame would shake the four directions.

The same name, an unusually similar appearance.

It's confirmed. He's been cuckolded!

He, Song Hongtao, the patriarch of the Song clan, the Duke of Song, had been cuckolded by his own wife. If it weren't for having a truly filial son, Song Yan, I'm afraid he would have been kept in the dark until the day he died, right?

Thinking back now, that clap of thunder that day, could it have been the heavens warning him?

Just as Butler Wang had predicted, as long as there was a target in his heart, everything Song Hongtao could think of all became arrows shooting towards the bullseye.

Suddenly, Song Hongtao's expression changed again. That Yang Shi had committed adultery was confirmed without a doubt. But who could guarantee that Yang Shi had only committed adultery this one time?

Who could guarantee there was only this one lover?

Who could guarantee that the other seven sons were his?

The suspicion in his heart was like a flood breaking through a dam, stimulating Song Hongtao's sensitive nerves.

Song Yun, Song Lu, and the others, in terms of appearance, did indeed bear some resemblance to him.

But upon careful consideration, one could discover that compared to him, their father, their degree of resemblance to his second brother, Song Jincheng, seemed to be even higher.

Especially the sixth son, Song Zhe, he was practically carved from the same mold as Song Jincheng.

Moreover, Song Jincheng had specifically brought Song Zhe to the capital and personally recommended him to the dean of the White Egret Academy…

For a nephew, would Song Jincheng be so devoted, willingly investing so many of his connections and resources?

Brother and sister-in-law?

Could it be that Song Zhe is actually...

Yang Shi, that damned bitch, just how many green hats has she put on his head?