allonlinenovel Chapter 121 Blood Feud, Betrayal
Chapter 121 Blood Feud, Betrayal
In the backyard of Baixiangzhai, Shen Qingtan had a private conversation with Boss Qin.
"Your eldest brother raised the price of grain to two taels of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure), and I told him to stop." Boss Qin felt that Shen Shaoheng was acting strangely: "Does he think that Marquis Chengen is guilty and went to Guanzhou specifically to find evidence of his crimes?"
“In this way, if he gets the evidence and exposes the crime, he can avoid being implicated.” Boss Qin said, but then felt something was wrong: “But doesn’t the law of the Great Zhou strictly prohibit juniors from accusing seniors? Even if the crime is true, if a junior goes to accuse someone, he will be severely punished.”
Shen Qingtan had initially thought of this as well, but ultimately considered that he intended to give the evidence to Old Madam Shen to file a complaint.
Although younger generations cannot sue their elders, elders can sue their children.
The only thing that made her suspicious was why Shen Shaoheng, who had already obtained the title of heir apparent, would still need to find evidence of the Marquis of Chengen's crimes.
After all, given the crimes committed by Marquis Chengen, he should at least face the execution of his entire family, which would be very disadvantageous for him.
Madam Shen spoiled him and maliciously plotted to have him have an affair with the Marquis's concubine, and then exposed and ruined him. He could have taken revenge elsewhere.
Shen Shaoheng's current actions always make her feel that he is willing to do anything to destroy the Marquis's mansion, even if it means sacrificing his own life.
Such actions seem like they stem from some deep-seated blood feud.
Suddenly, Shen Qingtan thought of Shen Shaoheng's parents who had died young, and a thought flashed through her mind—could they have been killed by the Marquis of Chengen?
If so, then Shen Shaoheng's actions make perfect sense.
"I'm not sure what he's thinking, I need to investigate further." Shen Qingtan instructed Boss Qin: "Sell the grain to the Marquis's mansion at a high price, and after receiving the silver, use the extra portion to provide porridge and relief to the disaster victims."
"Anyway, it's the people's hard-earned money they've plundered, so it's only reasonable for it to be used on the people," Boss Qin said with a smile. "We'll only take what we deserve, and that will put our minds at ease."
Shen Qingtan thought that Boss Qin's untimely death in his previous life was certainly because of her, but she couldn't help but fear that he might make a wrong move and give others leverage over him.
"The Earl of Yongyi has been arrested. It is said that he used the Marquis of Chengen's name to force officials to sell grain to him. The evidence is conclusive." Boss Qin learned some inside information from Shen Qingtan and knew that the Earl of Yongyi was a scapegoat.
He sighed, "You still have to follow the right master, otherwise you'll become a pawn and end up in a miserable state."
Shen Qingtan was not surprised at all. She had extended an olive branch to the Yongyi Marquis's mansion, but they were still misled by the Chengen Marquis and went to Guanzhou to be scapegoats.
At that time, even if she told the truth to Lady Yongyi, Lady Yongyi might not believe her and might instead sell her to Marquis Chengen.
She didn't interfere, but waited for Yongyi to suffer a setback.
At that time, Lady Yongyi will realize that she has fallen into the trap set by Marquis Chengen.
Given the temperament of the Lady of Yongyi, she will surely turn against the Marquis of Chengen and try to frame the Marquis's family.
In addition, she had another guess.
She guessed that Lady Yongyi already knew she was not the Marquis's biological daughter.
Before Shen Mingzhu was formally recognized as a member of her ancestral family, the Lady of Yongyi treated her with exceptional warmth. However, two months before her marriage, the Lady of Yongyi's attitude towards her changed, and she became even more affectionate towards Shen Mingzhu than before.
The most obvious change was in Liu Ruojiao, who went from trying to please her to trying to please Shen Mingzhu.
Having guessed this, she wanted to take advantage of the falling out between Lady Yongyi and Marquis Chengen to persuade Lady Yongyi to prove that she was not the daughter of Marquis Chengen's family, and thus sever ties with the Marquis's family.
Even if the Marquis of Chengen's family is punished and their entire clan is executed, it will not implicate her.
Shen Qingtan realized something: if Boss Qin knew about the situation in Guanzhou, did the Lady of Yongyi also know about it?
"Uncle Qin, I have some things to take care of, so I'll have to leave now."
Shen Qingtan gave Boss Qin a few instructions on what to do next, and then left Baixiangzhai with Liuyue.
She came to the carriage and saw Jiang Mu.
Jiang Mu respectfully said, "Second Madam, when the wife of the Earl of Yongyi learned that the Earl of Yongyi had been arrested, she went to the Marquis's residence in a huff."
Shen Qingtan's heart sank. She knew without a doubt that the Lady of Yongyi had gone to threaten the Marquis of Chengen.
The actions of the Countess of Yongyi are very likely to backfire and hasten her death.
Shen Qingtan naturally did not want to see Lady Yongyi murdered, so she immediately took out a gift box from the cabinet in the carriage, wrote a temporary gift card, and instructed Jiang Mu to send it to the Yongyi Marquis's residence.
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The Marquis of Yongyi's Residence.
After returning from the Marquis of Chengen's residence, Lady Yongyi immediately arranged for people to keep an eye on the Marquis of Chengen's movements, and then, unable to bear it any longer, lay down on the bed.
"Ru Niang, please don't tell Jiao Jiao about the Earl's matter." The Lady of Yongyi's headache was acting up again, with throbbing pains on the left side of her head.
She was still preoccupied with the matter of Yongyi, and said regretfully, "I should have stopped him earlier. If I had sided with Tan'er, I wouldn't have become someone else's scapegoat."
Ru Niang was a maid who came with the dowry of Lady Yongyi. Originally, Lady Yongyi wanted to marry her off to the steward of the mansion.
Unfortunately, Ru Niang took a fancy to the attendant of the Earl of Yongyi, and with the permission of the Earl of Yongyi's wife, the two got married.
As a result, the man died young, leaving behind only an orphan and a widow to depend on each other for survival.
Over the years, Ru Niang has served Lady Yongyi faithfully and responsibly.
The Earl of Yongyi trusted her very much.
"Don't worry, I won't reveal a word." Ru Niang looked at the sickly appearance of the Lady of Yongyi and pursed her lips: "Your old ailment has flared up again. I'll go and brew some medicine for you."
Lady Yongyi closed her eyes sadly: "Go."
Ru Niang responded and went downstairs.
A short while later, someone outside announced that the Lady of Yongyi had sent someone in.
The maid entered the inner room and whispered in the ear of the Lady of Yongyi: "The person you sent out to inquire has brought news that the Marquis of Chengen has made a move, and it seems that he is working on behalf of the Earl."
"I understand, you may leave." Lady Yongyi planned to give Marquis Chengen three days. If there was no progress, she would go to find Shen Qingtan.
"I have something else to report," the maid continued. "The Second Mistress of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion wishes to see you."
Lady Yongyi was taken aback. After a moment's thought, she declined, saying, "I will not see you for the time being."
She worried that Marquis Chengen would misunderstand her as being in cahoots with Shen Qingtan and would be unwilling to save Earl Yongyi anymore.
The maidservant withdrew.
Two quarters of an hour later, Ru Niang brought over a bowl of medicine and served it to Lady Yongyi.
Lady Yongyi frowned deeply.
Seeing this, Ru Niang turned around and brought over a bowl of honey water. She paused for a moment before finally handing it over.
"Miss, if you drink the sugar water, it won't taste bitter anymore."
She used the title she had before she married.