Shen Gui did not even remove his official uniform and strode into the hall. It seemed that he had been given notice of Shen Qing's news and came over in a rush.
When Ren Wan Yun saw him, she immediately cried more miserably, "Lǎoyé… Qing-er…"
Ren Wan Yun's and Shen Gui's relationship was not necessarily deep, else Shen Gui would not have filled the courtyards with concubines. In spite of that, Shen Gui was still respectful to Ren Wan Yun, not because of anything else but because Ren Wan Yun was able to manage the entire Shen residence and had good relationships with Shen Gui's colleagues' Fūréns. As his other half, Shen Gui was rather satisfied with Ren Wan Yun so he gave her a face and would not fall in comparison.
"Shen Miao!" Shen Gui turned his head and looked at the young female in the hall. He knew the reason why Ren Wan Yun brought the three Di-daughters to the Wu Long Temple. But bringing the three Di-daughters of the Shen residence out, was only to prevent others from talking. Who knew that the one that would be in trouble was his daughter Shen Qing. The servant who went and transmitted the news secretly told him that everything was Shen Miao's doing. Even though he felt that it was unfathomable, one would need to take out the anger on someone. Since it was not possible to vent on the Second household, then all the crimes and responsibilities were pushed onto the First household.
"You harmed your sisters with such evil means and since Eldest Brother is not here today, I will teach you well on behalf of Eldest Brother!" After he said that he loudly shouted, "Bring the rod!"
Bring the rod? Chen Rou Qiu and Shen Wan looked at one another. Ever since Chen Rou Qiu entered the Shen family, she had never seen this Shen family's rod. From what Shen Wan said, the rod was usually used on Yiniangs that committed some wrongdoings and have never been used on the descendants of the Shen residence.
Moreover, the Shen family was of a military lineage and the rod would naturally be unusual. The servant quickly took out a long wooden box over as Shen Yue looked over curiously. When that long wooden box was open and the thing inside was taken out in front of everyone, she could not help but to suck down a mouthful of cold air.
It was a long whip and no one was sure what the whip was soaked in for so many years that it looked black and shiny. Moreover, it was as thick and coarse as a fully grown man's wrist. With one look, one would know how strong and powerful it was. If one was to be beaten by that whip, most likely half one's life would be gone. If one was to use more strength then it would be easy for a life to be snuffed out.
"Exactly." Old Shen Fūrén put back on an arrogant air. Seeing that her son had returned, her back was even more straightened. She, after all, treated Shen Qing with some sincerity, thus when she saw her granddaughter fallen to a mishap, she was angry in her heart. Since Shen Gui had spoken, she naturally would push the boat with the current.
"Wǔ Niáng had made mistakes and you as a Dìdì will naturally teach her on behalf of one's Dàgē. Our Shen family's rules are in order and those who committed a wrong will be given the rod. Wǔ Niáng, you should rejoice for your Èrshū's good heart else it would not be as simple as just bringing the rod out. If the family elders in the ancestral hall investigate, you will be expelled from the Shen family." Saying this, her eyes suddenly moved. Yes. If Shen Miao was expelled from the Shen family, would not that be good?
Seeing Old Shen Fūrén's expression, Chen Rou Qiu secretly scolded her a fool. If Shen Miao was expelled from the Shen residence then with Shen Xin's personality, he would definitely leave together with the entire First household. Even though they did not like seeing the First household well, there were many matters that required the name of the First household. This old woman really thought it was that simple. Her thoughts truly originated from a songstress that could not be seen in public.
Ren Wan Yun was also startled when she heard it as she had roughly guessed Old Shen Fūrén's hidden wish. She, however, did not wish for Shen Miao to be expelled from the Shen residence. Not because of anything else but because this would be letting Shen Miao off too lightly. She now could not wait to let Shen Miao remain in the Shen residence then there would be lots of tricks to be used to take revenge on her. Once she was expelled from the family, how would it be easy?
But everyone had their own thoughts and when they heard Shen Miao's light cough, she was looking at Shen Gui.
Shen Gui was shocked by her inexplicable move and looked at her with a frown. He often put on airs in the official circles and his official rank was not low. If he was stared at by normal people, they would have been weak in their knees as they see his anger.
But Shen Miao did not make the slightest move. Her calm demeanour and undisturbed eyes even projected an illusion to Shen Gui. As if Shen Miao was high above others and he was just a subordinate.
This kind of illusion was broken by Shen Miao's words. She said, "Èrshū indeed has a good heart. Dàjiě is bedridden and Èrshū was not in a rush to check on her condition but was busy teaching me on behalf of Fùqīn. It is probably Èrshū truly caring for me, even much more than for Dàjiě."
When the words were out, everyone in the house fell silent.
There was a flash of sarcasm in Chen Rou Qiu's eyes while Shen Wan frowned. Old Shen Fūrén's facial expression changed and Shen Yue's mouth was opened, whereas Ren Wan Yun's head was lowered as she secretly clenched her fist tightly.
If one were to talk about the three masters in the residence, although Shen Xin neglected Shen Miao, he really truly loved her. Shen Wan cherished Chen Rou Qiu and loved Shen Yue, who was born from Chen Rou Qiu, like treasured stones. And there was Shen Gui.
Shen Gui was one who coveted wealth and lusted for women and probably had not done his role of a father. The treatment of his two sons was much better but towards Shen Qing, his daughter, he had never disciplined her. Most likely in Shen Gui's eyes, Shen Qing would be married into some nobility and it would be best that she was able to give a boost to his power. This time Shen Gui was this angry since Shen Qing fell into a mishap, and that was not because he was distressed that his daughter had a bitter experience, but because he resented that the plans were disrupted and feared that if Prince Yu were to know of the matter, he would be furious. He was also furious that because of Shen Miao, he had wasted the possibility of using his daughter to gain power for his official route.
It all boiled down to the word 'benefit'.
If a father were to truly love his daughter, after knowing of the matter, one would definitely return to take a look at his daughter's condition and would not have rushed back in a hurry like this, to 'discipline' the person who initiated the entire thing. So to say, one would feel some pity for Shen Qing.
A touch of awkwardness flashed on Shen Gui's face. He could not help but be a little embarrassed to be found out by Shen Miao's words. When he looked at Ren Wan Yun again, she had indeed turned her head and did not look at him. Shen Gui's heart was shocked and when he looked back at Shen Miao, he pondered. One sentence was enough to make a couple be at odds. This kind of instigation was so accurate and ruthless. Shen Qing was the one that Ren Wan Yun cherished the most but to Shen Gui, she was just another thing that could be exploited. This made the couple who shared the hatred for the same enemy to be displeased with one another. This approach of Shen Miao's was like that of a wily old fox in official circles.
The young female had delicate features and looked extremely pleasing to the eyes, but one did not know why there was a faint flash of majesty that made one dare to not watch intently.
Suppressing his surprise in his heart, Shen Gui said, "Shen Miao, you still have not reflected upon yourself till now. As such, if I do not teach you today, I would be ashamed to be a man and ashamed to face your father." He raised his hands to take the whip.
Shen Yue stared fixedly at Shen Gui's actions with both rejoice in others misfortune and some nervousness. Would Shen Gui really beat her? Shen Miao was so overbearing that even facing such a scene she would still not admit to a loss.
"How would Èrshū teach me? Use this whip to murder and silence this one? Or to beat half to death before sending to the court." Shen Miao suddenly spoke.
Shen Gui's action paused in surprise.
Shen Wan was also stumped for words. Probably they did not think that Shen Miao would be that hostile. Even though Shen Miao had changed these days, everyone felt that that was only a strong act, but now in front of everyone in Shen residence, she did not bother to camouflage herself and just shed all pretence of cordiality.
"Evil girl, what kind of words are you saying!" Old Shen F��rén was the first one who shouted angrily, "Is it possible that you are saying that your Èrshū wishes to murder you? You are really rebelling against the Heavens!"
"Yes. Wǔ Niáng, how could you say it like this." Chen Rou Qiu also finally spoke but still poured oil into the fire quietly, "You had harmed Qing-er but how could you make bogus accusations against the victims. Where were these learnt from?"
Chen Rou Qiu thought that if Shen Miao and the Second household fight till both sides suffer then her Shen Yue would truly be a fish back in the water in this Shen residence. After all, in their Third household, Shen Wan's power was not comparable with the First household, heirs were less than the Second household, so if one did not use some underhanded means, one would fear that there would not be any benefits in this huge Shen residence.
Ren Wan Yun cried as she kowtowed towards Old Shen Fūrén, "Look that this. Wǔ jiě'ér hated us this much. She had harmed Qing-er but still do not know regret and even want to dirty Lǎoyé's reputation. Such arrogance was clearly because she relied on Dà bǎizi's power to bully us. Could it be that this was learnt from Dà bǎizi? Wǔ jiě'ér is a Gūniáng and how would she understand this much. It must be someone behind that taught her to do so. We have supported Dà bǎizi, how could Dà bǎizi's family do such a thing…"
Ren Wan Yun's cries were very dynamic as she put herself in a weak position. On normal days she was strong but at this moment her weak appearance would only make one believe that everything she said was true.
Unfortunately, she involved Shen Xin.
Dragons could reverse their scales and Shen Xin was the topic that would rub Shen Miao the wrong way.
Her eyes swept across everyone at Rong Jing Tang. They were all glaring like tigers watching its prey. They were a family that could talk and change black to white and turn death to the living. They surrounded her, like facing a piece of fatty meat that fell at the side of a hungry wolf.
But what is the use of having such glib tongues? There were so many females in the Inner Palace that could speak with great reasoning but how many were left and how many more became fertilizer for the Imperial Gardens' greenery?
"Èrshěn kept saying that I have harmed Dàjiě then one would like to ask a couple of questions to Èrshěn. Will Èrshěn be able to clarify my doubts?"
Ren Wan Yun was surprised for a moment as she did not know why she felt some guilty conscience when she met Shen Miao's clear eyes. After seeing the surrounding people, she put her heart down since all those who were standing were her side of people and how would Shen Miao have the ability to reverse Heaven and Earth?
"Question then." She wiped her tears.
"Alright." Shen Miao's lips hooked, "I would like to ask, that day Èrshěn was staying in the next door to Dàjiě's room and was extremely close. If anything were to happen, how would Èrshěn not be able to hear it?"
Ren Wan Yun was stunned.
"If Dàjiě had resisted, there would have been noises. Seeing that Dàjiě's body was filled with injuries that day, it seemed that she had struggled for help; then why did Èrshěn was unable to hear all this even being so close? Could it be that Èrshěn heard it but was unable to come out to take a look as one was just too tired?"
"You…" Ren Wan Yun opened her mouth and wanted to refute as her palms were filled with cold sweat.
"Of course, perhaps Èrshěn did not hear the calls for help. Why? Naturally, because Dàjiě did not call for help. Why did Dàjiě not call for help? Was it because she knew that evildoer?"
"You are spouting nonsense!" At this moment Ren Wan Yun could no longer tolerate and interrupted Shen Miao's words sharply.
Shen Gui and Shen Wan were after all men and their thoughts were not as meticulous as females and did not think much about the matters in the Inner Courtyards. But Chen Rou Qiu and Ren Wan Yun almost immediately understood. The former looked towards Shen Miao with eyes filled with surprise, while the latter's eyes filled with fear.
Shen Miao's words were actually scary. Yes, that day Ren Wan Yun's and Shen Qing's rooms were that close to one another and if Shen Qing were to call for help, how could one not hear it and if one heard it, then why did one not go and take a look. Could it be that Ren Wan Yun did it on purpose? Ren Wan Yun naturally would not deliberately harm her own daughter but the person who was supposed to be staying there was Shen Miao. Ren Wan Yun had no reason to harm her own daughter but it was not impossible for her to harm her niece. For Shen Miao to say it out straightforwardly, Ren Wan Yun's secret plans would not be able to remain covered up in front of others.
And she also envisioned another possibility. That Shen Qing did not cry for help at all and why was that so? To suffer that much abuse and yet not cry for help, it could be intentional. Why would it be intentional? This matter, if one were to make it a smaller issue, it would be humiliated by an evildoer, if one were to make it a big issue, perhaps one would even spread out that Shen Qing deliberately committed the crime of engaging in an illicit relationship with others!
This world was already especially difficult for females and it was always better to be safe than sorry. When rumours start, it would be difficult to put it out.
Shen Miao gently smiled, "Èrshěn, I find that there are many doubts in the matter. Since Èrshū is also reasonable and upholds justice, it would be better to send me to the Inspector-General government office to hold an open trial. I would definitely inform the Dàrén what I know in its entirety and let Dàrén make a final decision and maybe that evildoer would also be known."
"No!" Ren Wan Yun and Shen Gui opened their mouths together.
Ren Wan Yun said no as she naturally was afraid that the issue would be complicated. If Shen Miao were to speak the matter out, then discerning people would be able to pick up the secret. There were many large families in the Ding City and it was still alright if the matter was hidden well, but if the rumours spread out then it was not impossible that one would be able to see the truth of her scheme of harming her niece. Moreover, once the truth comes out, what would be the result of Shen Qing's innocence? When these rumours spread out, Shen Qing would need to hang herself with a bolt of white silk.
However, Shen Gui said no because of a directly opposite thought than Ren Wan Yun's. He was only afraid that the matter would implicate Prince Yu of the First Rank. Originally, the matter was mucked up and Shen Miao's and Shen Qing's identity were mixed up. When Prince Yu gets to know of the matter, he would definitely be furious and if he was implicated in the matter and affected by troubles, Shen Gui was afraid that his official route would be particularly difficult.
As such, the married couple who were previously menacing, both stopped Shen Miao's proposal in unison.
"Then what would Èrshū do?" Shen Miao's eyes swept to the thick long whip that was in Shen Gui's hands and casually asked, "Still want to use the family rod?"
The people in the room quietened for the moment as Shen Yue stared incredulously at Shen Miao.
Even Shen Yue could see that she was threatening!
As if to reflect the surprise in everyone's heart, Shen Miao softly laughed, "If Èrshū was to use the family's rod then there is no way out, but I have always had a stubborn temper and if I were to carry that evildoer's crime that does not belong to me, when Fùqīn returns, then I would definitely think of a way to report to the government office."
She was implying that if Shen Gui hit her today, in the future when Shen Xin returned, she would certainly complain and at that time would also urge Shen Xin to report to the government office. One says it was to report the evildoer but who would know who exactly she was reporting against at the end?
"Èrshū, are you bringing the rod out or not? If it is to be used, then please do it quicker." There was a slight smile in Shen Miao's clear eyes and there was also slight ridicule, "Since there are so many people around, I will not be able to escape from it."
Practically lumping the entire crowd of people in Rong Jing Tang as bandit-like characters, who wanted to see Shen Miao suffer the beating.
Shen Gui never had thought that he would be threatened by his own niece today. After all, he had been in the official circle for a long time and had the double-face ability to cope with any matter like fish in the water. It was not that he had not thought about any way out but it was that Shen Miao did not give him an opportunity to respond at all from the beginning. It was Shen Miao who was speaking in the beginning and as it went along, her words were as sharp as a spearhead and were so aggressive that one could not retreat at all.
A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Wan's eyes. This Èrgē of his was a wily old fox in the official circles that even those political opponents had never pushed him to such an awkward position. Moreover, the person that pushed him to such a situation was just a fourteen-year-old young female. The First household… Was really that indestructible? Shen Wan's bright eyes turned cloudy.
"You…" Shen Gui's face was becoming somewhat red. Today he did and said everything in a fit of anger. As in his heart, Shen Miao was after all a niece that was easy to con and weak in character. Even if she was to be beaten and the rod was being used, in the future, with some coaxing, she would not dare to speak of today's matter. Who knew that Shen Miao would change drastically and he had no idea that she had become a thorn in his head. She not only did not submit herself meekly to adversity but still attacked him and made him unable to step down from the stage.
If he was not afraid of Shen Xin, Shen Gui really could not wait to kill Shen Miao now.
The Old Shen Fūrén who was sitting in the hall quietly saw that her son was forced into such a situation, she looked at Shen Miao with a trace of anger in her eyes. After suppressing it down, she said deeply, "Enough!"
The hall fell into silence again, Shen Gui sighed in relief and everyone looked towards Old Shen Fūrén.
Old Shen Fūrén was ignorant of the Court's affairs and the outside world but was a good player in the Inner Courtyard. Shen Miao's words to both Shen Gui and his wife made her raise her eyebrows and she could not help it. The more Shen Miao showed a wise side, the more her heart felt malicious. It was because Shen Miao now held Shen Xin's reputation and could threaten Shen Gui's matters. So, for the time being, Old Shen Fūrén dare not act rashly.
She coldly said, "Wǔ nǚ'ér, what your Èrshū said was rational. Taking into consideration your young age, the rod can be forgotten but since Chángnǚ has suffered in your stead, you will go and kneel in the ancestral hall to atone for the crime against your Dàjiě. As of today, you are to be confined and to copy Buddhist scriptures while kneeling in the ancestral hall. Whenever Chángnǚ recovers, it would be when you are released."
That meant keeping Shen Miao locked up permanently.
Shen Yue was somewhat disappointed when she heard this. She still wanted to see Shen Miao beaten so much that she would not be able to get out of bed or perhaps that she would be expelled from the family clan. Who knew it was just painless and superficial confinement and when Shen Xin came back in a couple of months, Shen Miao's confinement would be lifted and at that time, everything would be like before.
Ren Wan Yun was also somewhat dissatisfied but Shen Miao's words were so shocking that she now dared not act rashly. At this moment, her heart was in a mess and she was unable to think of a better method. Even though she had complaints with Old Shen Fūrén's words, she knew that this was an interim tactic and so she could only simmer and not say anything.
"Oh." Shen Miao's voice was slightly dragged out and her words were clearly gentle but one did not know why when others heard it, there were a hundred different feel to it. She said, "Understood. I will 'atone' for Jiějiě in front of Buddha."
Now every word that Shen Miao said all seemed to have another meaning. Ren Wan Yun could not help but feel a layer of goosebumps all over her. She did not know what to say so she could only cry.
"Alright, alright," Old Shen Fūrén was rather intolerable today and could not stop Shen Miao and thus felt a stone blocking her heart. Looking at Ren Wan Yun crying, she felt more frustrated in her heart and said, "Cì zǐ, bring your Fūrén out. What with all the crying in Rong Jing Tang! All of you leave! Wǔ nǚ'ér, you, now go to the ancestral hall to kneel and do not even bother to take dinner today!"
Everyone retreated and Shen Miao did not bother too much about the matter. She left Rong Jing Tang and headed towards the West courtyard.
Shen Wan said heavily, "Wǔ Niáng has really grown up."
"Yes." Chen Rou Qiu's lips pulled, "This time Wǔ jiě'ér can be considered a real eye-opener."
���Mǔqīn…" Shen Yue softly spoke, "Wǔ mèimèi is somewhat scary." At Wu Long Temple, her placid expression and ability to let Shen Qing suffer a loss and yet get out of it unharmed made Shen Yue feel a trace of fear. She did not know since when did that stupid and easy to talk to Tangmei acquire such an ability?
"What is Yue-er scared of?" Shen Wan pat Shen Yue's head. It was clearly a loving look but his words were however gloomy, "She is just a little girl who does not know how high the skies are and would sooner or later pay the price."
*****
Shen Miao really did what Old Shen Fūrén had arranged and entered the ancestral hall of the Shen family.
The Shen family was of a military lineage and the ancestors that were worshipped were all ancestry of successive dynasties. These ancestors fought on horseback for the Shen family and laid out such a prosperous family property. Unfortunately, upon reaching this generation, the Shen family coincidentally was not far from falling.
Old General Shen's generation was actually thriving initially. Unfortunately, in one of the wars, several brothers of the Shen family were killed and only Old General Shen survived. Old General Shen had three sons and only one took the military route. Now, the Shen residence inherited the original glory on the surface but other than the formidable Great General Shen Xin, it was only an out and out literary family which was ironic.
"Is Xiǎojiě numb from the kneeling?" Gu Yu asked.
Jing Zhe and Gu Yu also followed into the ancestral hall. Shen Miao was worried that Ren Wan Yun would take action behind her back, even though she had deliberately drawn Jing Zhe and Gu Yu away so that they would escape the fate of being killed. But in the huge Shen residence, each one had their own ulterior motives so she kept them by her side. No matter how long Ren Wan Yun's hands were, she would not dare to do anything in front of her.
"Even though it is not numbness, the humidity is also heavy here." Jing Zhe complained as she looked at the small window, "Now it is raining and the ground is wet. What would happen if one were to catch an illness from kneeling? Moreover, they really have nothing better to do. What does this get to do with Xiǎojiě, this is exactly a case of the guilty party filing the suit first. Wait till Lǎoyé is back, see if they still dare…"
"You should say a few words less." Gu Yu blamed, "If one were to be found out, Xiǎojiě would be at a disadvantage."
Shen Miao smiled and did not care about it.
Jing Zhe thought for a while and asked again, "However, it is also out of anyone's expectations. Today so many of them went to Rong Jing Tang, but there was not anyone by Xiǎojiě's side and even then she could leave unscathed. Although it is also bad to kneel at the ancestral hall, as compared to what this servant has thought might happen, it is already a lot better."
Before she entered Rong Jing Tang to be condemned, Shen Miao did not bring any maids in. Thus, Shen Miao's maids did not know what happened inside.
"Xiǎojiě must have convinced the entire roomful of people." Gu Yu said admiringly, "To face so many people and not even be afraid, Xiǎojiě now has more of Lǎoyé's style."
So many people? Shen Miao laughed in her heart. It was only a small little Shen residence and it was nothing more than some jumping clowns that could not be seen in public. At that time when Fu Xiu Yi wanted to change the Crown Prince, the officials stood at Mei Fūrén's and Fu Chen's side. Her Fu Ming was under house arrest and she wore the formal attire of an Empress and faced the officials from the throne and argued with those officials weeping blood with every word.
How meagre could the power of one person be? Just like she was obviously the most distinguished lady in the world and married to the world's most distinguished man, but she could not even protect what her son deserved. No one stood by her side and she could not retreat as she had people to protect.
It was because at that time she was unable to protect her precious people that now she would use more intense means. Cruel? Ruthless? Hypocritical? Cunning? That did not matter, as long as the knife was pointed at the enemy and the one who fell was the opponent, even if the process was cruel, she would shoulder all the sins, what would it matter?
She closed her eyes. The ancestors' memorial tablets were in front of her as Shen Miao softly contemplated, "Ancestors, if your spirits are still here, please grant me the sharpest of arrows and swiftest of horses to kill the enemies with my hands."
After chanting it and opening her eyes, she saw Jing Zhe looking at her while blinking her eyes. She took a bag of snacks from her arms and smiled, "Xiǎojiě has gone hungry for so long and cannot go without eating. This servant has some snacks here for Xiǎojiě to fill up the stomach."
It was not really because of Old Shen Fūrén's order that she really stopped eating. She reached for the paper bag and when she opened it, she could not help but be momentarily surprised, "This is…"
"This was what this servant found in Xiǎojiě's room in Wu Long Temple." Jing Zhe scratched her head and said, "At that time, Xiǎojiě gave the snacks to this servant. After this servant tried a piece, this one had never tasted such a great tasting snack like this and could not bear to eat it. After returning to the residence and head to the ancestral hall with Xiǎojiě, this one did not have time to bring food from outside and is only left with this."
Shen Miao looked at that small and intricate snack. That was the one that Xie Jing Xing left after he talked with her. Thinking of it, it was like she could see the handsome face of that youth in the curtain of rain and that mysterious identity of his.
Xie Jing Xing… Shen Miao muttered to herself irresolutely, just what kind of person he was.
In Cai Yun Yuan.
The physician just left, and Shen Qing who had drunk the medication to soothe her nerves was asleep.
Even though she had seen it many times but when she saw the bruises on Shen Qing's body, Ren Wan Yun's heart could not help but feel a knife being twisted in it. That physician was of her people and naturally would not speak about this, and he had told Ren Wan Yun that the injuries on Shen Qing's body were too serious and with her unclear sanity, one fear that she would need to rest for quite some time. As to why her sanity was not clear, it was because she was scared to this state.
In that fated night, Ren Wan Yun dared not think of what kind of torture Shen Qing had actually suffered. That night, she was staying next to Shen Qing and could hear Shen Qing's cries for help but she thought that it was Shen Miao so she did not go up to stop it. In the end, her daughter's life was ruined. As long as she thought about it, Ren Wan Yun's heart was filled with regret.
Shen Gui took a look at Shen Qing on the bed and seemed to feel that his head was throbbing, turned to leave.
"Stop there!" Ren Wan Yun stopped him, "Qing-er has now become like this, and you still want to go to that vixen's courtyard?"
Shen Gui was lecherous and had a few concubines in his backyard. Each one was beautiful and gentle but Ren Wan Yun was powerful as she could settle them appropriately. Even though Shen Gui was lecherous, he knew that only Ren Wan Yun could make his official route go more smoothly, and would not overstep the boundary of what was proper so Ren Wan Yun would not control him. Men were all the same, the concubine courtyard was nothing more than a plaything. Why would she compete with a plaything?
But today, she was being somewhat unusual.
"You better not create trouble without reason." Shen Gui was somewhat irritated. Today he was rendered speechless by his own niece and at Prince Yu's side, he did not know what the situation would be and if he would be angry with him. Thinking about these matters, Shen Gui became more anguished and now, after seeing Shen Qing, it was like pouring oil onto the fire. His tone was somewhat impatient, "It is useless for me to stay here, it would be better if I am undisturbed so I could think of what to do next."
"Think, think, think!" Ren Wan Yun changed her usual temper of looking at the bigger picture and screamed, "You only know how to think, think, think! What exactly is Qing-er to your eyes? Now she had become like this and you as a father was not in the least concerned and would not care about it! In your heart, I fear there is no Qing-er at all. In this world, how could there be such a vicious father like you!"
When the words were spoken, even Ren Wan Yun's two close maids, Lan Xiang and Cai Ju were stunned. Normally Ren Wan Yun would face things calmly, and even when Shen Qing encountered the mishap in Wu Long Temple, she also pushed forward and looked at the overall situation. As for Shen Gui, even though he did not say any harsh words, for Ren Wan Yun being such a rational person to suddenly become a shrew and quarrel with Shen Gui, no one could believe it.
Ren Wan Yun also did not know why she was like that. Seeing Shen Gui like this, Shen Miao's words that were said in Rong Jing Tang, still echoed in her ears.
When Shen Gui knew that Shen Qing had fallen into a mishap, his first thought was not to go take a look at Shen Qing's injuries but to discipline Shen Miao. This was by no means what a real father should do. Shen Gui did not even care about his daughter's life and death. Perhaps Shen Qing was just a valuable thing to Shen Gui, and because she had value so he continued to keep her. Now that there was no value, he was not even willing to give her another look.
Shen Miao's provocation was insignificant in Rong Jing Tang but after ruminating till now, it finally exploded.
"You shrew!" Shen Gui was often flattered in official circles and when would there be a time where he would be accused and scolded. Even though he was resentful in his heart, he still knew that he could not shed all pretence of cordiality with Ren Wan Yun so he sneered, "You say that I am not a good father but are you a good mother? Qing-er was brought to Wu Long Temple by you and you should have taken proper care of her. You were by her side but still, let her fall into a mishap under your eyelids. That night, were you not sleeping next by her room? If you really loved her, then in such a short distance, how did you not discover that the person who was in trouble was Qing-er?"
When he spoke, Ren Wan Yun was immediately stunned.
The thing that she most regretted and hated was that night in the Northern Pavilion. She had obviously heard the cries for help and obviously had the opportunity to save her daughter but a series of factors, let Shen Qing fall into a mishap. Now with Shen Gui stabbing her heart with a knife and putting salt on her wound, it rendered her stunned on the spot.
Shen Gui saw that she did not speak and thus he scoffed and brushed his sleeves and left in a huff. No one knew which concubine's yard he went towards.
Ren Wan Yun stood blankly for a moment when suddenly her legs softened and she collapsed onto the ground. She held her face and started to cry softly.
Xiang Lan and Cai Ju were both shocked and scared in their heart. The current Ren Wan Yun seemed to have collapsed overnight and was beaten into a hopeless position. There was not any of the previous proudness and arrogance.
The two maids could only step forward to comfort. After crying for some time, Ren Wan Yun wiped her eyes and stood up again. She said, "Bring paper and brush over, I want to write a letter to Yuan-er."
Shen Yuan was the eldest son of the Second household and Ren Wan Yun's eldest son. Today, he was appointed in Liu Zhou and once his term in office was completed, he would return to Ding City as an official.
If one were to say in all three households, Shen Yue was the proudest, in the Second household, Shen Yuan Bo was the youngest and Shen Qing was after all not qualified but Shen Yuan was however unique. At a young age, he was able to achieve a scholarly honour and he did a good job that even Shen Gui would be amiable in front of his son.
"Since the father is unreliable, then there is an older brother." Ren Wan Yun looked at Shen Qing who was sleeping and said with clenched teeth, "Yuan-er doted on his younger sister the most. Shen Miao, that little slut, this time I want you to pay for your actions and live a lifetime full of regrets!"
Xiang Lan quickly ran to get paper and brush. Ren Wan Yun sighed heavily and spoke to Cai Ju who was at her side, "Are those girls still there?"
"The four maids and Gui Momo are all in the woodshed. Fūrén wants to feed them the mute medication or directly…"
These few maids naturally witnessed Shen Qing fall into a mishap. There were Shen Qing's maids, Yan Mei and Shui Bi, and Shen Yue's maids, Qing Luan and Huang Ying, and also Gui Momo.
"Feed Shen Yue's maids the mute medicine and hand them back to Qui Shui Yuan, let Chen Rou Qiu handle them herself. Qing-er's two maids…" Ren Wan Yun said viciously, "Sell them to the ninth-ranked brothel. Wouldn't it be letting them off lightly if they were to die just like that? Since the protectors did not do their jobs, naturally the sins are not forgivable."
Cai Ju could not help but break into a cold sweat. A brothel and a Hua Lou (a place where courtesans worked at, direct translation: Flower Building) were different. The ladies in Hua Lou could choose to sell their skills or sell their body, but the ladies in a brothel all did the business of flesh. Moreover, the ninth-ranked brothel was the lowest of all because the guests were all the rudest and coarse lowest people and because of being the lowest-ranked people, they would not care about the fairer gender and would even be brutal. Those females would need to receive customers nonstop, be it day or night. The money they received was not their own and was directly given to the Mama. If there came one day where they become infected by venereal diseases, they would not have any medication to take and will be thrown out on a mat and freeze to death, hungry to death or even bitten to death by dogs. These were all common scenarios.
Therefore, those people who were sold to the ninth-ranked brothels were all servants that had committed heinous mistakes or else it would be due to their owner's hatred. Yan Mei and Shui Bi followed Shen Qing since young and after all these years, if there was no credit there was also hard work. Who knew that their fate would be as such.
"This servant noted. That Gui Momo…" Cai Ju probed. Gui Momo had already cast her lot with them and was regarded as Cai Yun Yuan's person.
"Gui Momo…" Ren Wan Yun sneered with her head lowered, "That night what exactly happened, I do not know. But now to think about it, there is still a need to meet Gui Momo since she was the one that knew the ins and outs of it."
*****
The abandoned woodshed was filled with a rotting odour; it had been raining for the past few days that even some mushrooms grew on the floor. If it was as per normal, it would be quiet but in the current darkness, it seemed somewhat strange.
This woodshed had been used to lock up countless numbers of people and those were ones who had committed a mistake in the Shen residence. There were masters and servants before but these people would not meet a good ending because after being locked here for a while, they would disappear from the Shen residence quietly, without a noise, as if they had not existed in the world before.
At this moment, in the woodshed, there were some strange voices and there seemed to be someone struggling, and their legs had kicked onto something before suppressing their cries.
Placing the lanterns in their hands aside so that light would shine the woodshed up. The dim yellow light made the woodshed look even eerier. Two larger sized old women were holding the two maids by their neck and pouring some stuff from the bottle down into the maid's throat.
The two maids kept struggling but unfortunately, their weak and small bodies seemed to be like a small chicken in the old women's hands. Those women clenched the maid's chins closed so they would be unable to vomit the thing out of their mouth. No one knew how much time had passed but the two maids finally stopped struggling and clutched their painful neck.
"Drag them out." One of the old women ordered the servant behind her and two more servants came in to drag the two maids out.
"These two…" The old woman pointed at the other two maids, "Will also be dragged out. But Fūrén has specially mentioned taking great care of them as they would be sold to that kind of place. If you are willing, then do it according to your wishes."
When the two servants heard it, their eyes exposed a coveting look. When one looked at the two maids again, there was only despair on their faces.
The two old women saw that everything was almost cleaned up, so they got up and headed out.
"Did Fūrén… Fūrén mentioned what to do with this old servant?" In a dark corner, a silhouette suddenly rushed out and hugged the legs of one of the old women, "What about this old servant?"
That person was not someone else but Gui Momo.
"Momo must not be impatient," That old woman pulled Gui Momo's hand away from her legs and spoke eccentrically, "Fūrén places importance on Momo and would definitely arrange completely for Momo. Just wait for it."
Finishing, she left without turning back.
The room suddenly fell into darkness again and Gui Momo shrank to the corner, looking extremely fearful.
No one was willing to die. She wanted to continue living.