It was spring
again, and Fanghua complained: Fireworks are easy to be cold. For whom to bow down
? In order to make the eldest young master of the Shen family happy, the Shen family took six concubines one after another, and they all died.
I, on the other hand, became the seventh.
Deep house and courtyard, people and ghosts are hard to distinguish. Who is the enemy and who is the friend of
the terminally ill eldest young master, the old lady with a knife hidden in her smile, the pitiful eldest young grandmother, the arrogant and domineering second young grandmother, and the mediocre second young master? Everyone
thinks I’m weak and can be bullied, but they don’t know that the more unsophisticated a woman is, the more deceptive she is. It is not my wish to
marry the terminally ill Shen Junlin as a concubine.
My father lost money in gambling and owed usury of one hundred taels of silver. When he was about to commit suicide
because he had no money to pay off his debts, he accidentally picked up a notice from the Shen family that he was willing to pay three hundred taels of silver to buy a 16-year-old girl to marry Shen Junlin Chongxi. Without saying a word,
my father happily forced me to get into the bridal sedan chair, in exchange for three hundred taels of silver to pay off debts and as gambling money. After the
worship hall, Shen Junlin repeatedly hemoptysis, the condition seems to have worsened, was carried back to the east wing by the people.
I was regarded as an ominous person and was ordered not to step into the east wing.
I don’t care too much, before me, Shen Junlin married six concubines of Chongxi, but they all died.
As a poor girl, I have been used to a lonely life since I was a child, and now I just change a place to continue to be lonely.
Besides, it doesn’t seem to matter who I marry since I learned that Brother Xing Feng died in battle. Early
the next morning, after I finished grooming, I was taken by the servant girl to pay my respects to the old lady. When
I went to the garden, I saw two women quarreling.
The servant girl told me that with light makeup and no makeup, the pitiful one was Mei Ruohua, the eldest young grandmother, and the overbearing one was Su Xiaoxiao, the second young grandmother. Holding a child in her arms,
Su Hsiao-hsiao pointed at the blood-red scratches on the child’s face and scolded, “Mei Ruo-hua, you bitch, your husband is dying, and you don’t have any children, so you want to kill my daughter. You are so vicious!” “Su Xiaoxiao,” said
Mei Ruohua with a blush on her hibiscus face, “it’s up to you to insult me and slander me, but I won’t allow you to curse my husband.”
Su Hsiao-hsiao did not agree. “Not only do I want to curse your husband, but I want to find a Taoist priest to open the altar so that he can ascend to heaven as soon as possible,” he said with a sneer.
“You..” Mei Ruohua was so angry that he pointed at her and could not speak.
Su Xiaoxiao became more and more domineering: “You vicious woman, don’t pretend to be weak in front of me!”! How dare you hurt my daughter? I’ll teach you not to die. After
saying that, he went up and gave her a hard slap and a hard cut with his armor. Blood oozed from her face, and it could be seen that the injury was not light.
“I really didn’t hurt Meier..” Mei Ruohua covered his face with one hand, pointed to the baby in swaddling clothes with the other hand, and said with grievance.
“Oh, who are you acting for, you cheap fisherman girl!”! As she spoke, Su Xiaoxiao handed the child to the servant girl behind her and went to tear Mei Ruohua. As she dodged back,
Mei Ruohua sobbed softly, “Xiao Xiao, it’s nothing for you to wrong me. But Mei Er is your own daughter. She’s still so young. How can you have the heart to cut her to frame me..”
Su Xiaoxiao also ignored her, took the gold hairpin and stuck it on her body, which made her feel painful from a distance. I had heard for a long time that Su Xiaoxiao, the second young woman of
the Shen family, was a lady from a good family in Kaifeng, but I didn’t expect her to be so shrewish.
I frowned slightly, ready to go forward to persuade, the servant girl hurriedly pulled my sleeve and shook her head at me, indicating that I should not mind my own business.
Listening to Mei Ruohua’s screams, I couldn’t resist going up to stop Su Xiaoxiao. I gave her a blessing and said, “I’ve seen the Second Young Lady.”
She looked me up and down and said with a sneer, “Are you Shen Junlin’s new concubine?”
I lowered my eyebrows and said, “It’s Juanyan.”
She looked at me with indifference, as if she were looking at a dying man. “No one in the Shen family dares to meddle with me and Mei Ruohua except the old lady. How dare you, a humble concubine, come and meddle?”
“I didn’t dare. It’s just that the old lady sent word to Juanyan to pay her respects first, and then the old lady took me to pay her respects.” I didn’t lift my eyelids and said calmly.
Su Hsiao-hsiao held up the gold hairpin in her hand and hesitated for a moment. Then she said to Mei Ruo-hua, “You’re lucky today, cheap embryo. If you teach me to meet you next time and attack my daughter, be careful of your skin!” With
that, he took the servant girl away in a threatening manner.
I handed the silk to the eldest young lady and pointed to her face, which was slightly bleeding.
She took it, and Shimizu’s eyes were full of gratitude. She said to me, “Thank you, Juanyan.” “You’re welcome,”
I said with a slight salute.
She looked at me sincerely and said in a soft voice, “You and I were both born in a humble family. We are both my husband’s women. In the future, we should be sisters, big or small, and we should help each other and take care of my husband together.” Then
he dragged my hand and went to see the old lady together.
In the main hall, Su Xiaoxiao had already sat there with the old lady.
Seeing us, she gave a cold snort and said, “The eldest young lady is really from a small family. She has become the daughter-in-law of the imperial merchant family. Her face is still red from time to time. I don’t know if she wants to curse our Shen family for seeing blood.” The wound on
Mei Ruohua’s face was clearly scratched by her armor, but she bit back with red lips and white teeth, which was really shameless.
Mei Ruohua also ignored her and sat down after seeing the old lady.
I took the tea from the woman and knelt down to offer tea to the old lady.
The old lady had a full head of silver hair, but she was hale and hearty, and she was also very kind. After she told me a few words, she drank the tea and gave me a jade pendant with nine patterns inlaid with silver antelope.
I offered tea to Mei Ruohua according to the rules. She also drank the tea with a smile and gave me a pair of earrings. When it was Su’s
turn, she frowned and said, “This tea is getting cold. Change it.” I
ordered the maid to serve a new cup of hot tea, and I held the silver tray and handed it to her. When
she picked up the tea, she frowned and said, “Is this going to burn people to death?” With
that, he pretended to miss and splashed the whole cup of boiling tea in my face.
Fortunately, Mei Ruohua next to me pulled me away, otherwise the boiling water would be poured on my face, and my face would probably be destroyed.
Even though I was not surprised at ordinary times, I was also shocked.
Mei Ruohua felt a little aggrieved and couldn’t help shouting for me: “Su Xiaoxiao, you usually bully me. Juanyan is just a concubine. Why do you want to kill her?” But
Su Hsiao-hsiao laughed wittily and said innocently, “I just accidentally knocked over my teacup. The eldest young lady is going to give me a charge of murdering my eldest brother’s concubine. Even my father, who is the prefect of Kaifeng, doesn’t dare to judge the case like that. Do you think so, old lady?” After hearing this,
the old lady was noncommittal. After a while, she said, “Let’s disperse.”
Su Xiaoxiao stood up, took a provocative look at Mei Ruohua, and left arrogantly.
Mei Ruohua also walked out of the main hall with me, who had just recovered from the shock. She took my arm and said apologetically, “Juanyan, I got you into trouble today.”. Su Xiaoxiao is just not angry with you to help me out, just to punish you, just. She’s a little too vicious for that.
I stroked my chest and said, “I don’t blame the eldest young lady. If the second young lady doesn’t like me and doesn’t take action against me today, she’ll take action sooner or later. Besides..” It seems like she’s not just targeting me. Only then did
Mei Ruohua tell me the truth of the matter. Shen Wanshan, the master of the Shen
family, was originally a master of wine making. After he opened his own distillery, he soon became famous. Later, he was hired by the imperial court as an imperial merchant. When he was
alive, he married the old lady Du Shi, who gave birth to two sons for him. The eldest son was Shen Junlin, whom I married, and the second son was Su Xiaoxiao’s husband Shen Changqing.
Shen Junlin was young and promising, and was very much favored by Master Shen and the old lady. When Master Shen died, he appointed him as the heir of the Shen family winery.
But Shen Changqing’s aptitude was mediocre, and he only got the title deed of Shen’s winery to guarantee his rich life in the latter half of his life.
Unexpectedly, a few years ago, Shen Junlin contracted a serious illness, which had not been cured for a long time, and lost the ability to manage the winery.
The old lady was forced to hand over the management of the distillery to her second son, Shen Changqing, but she disliked the silent son and wanted to cure his illness and return the distillery to him. Su Xiaoxiao, the
second young woman, was not angry about this, so she tried every means to target Shen Junlin and the people around him. When I
heard this, I felt a slight chill in my heart. Subconsciously I asked, “Did Su Xiaoxiao kill the six concubines who died?”
Mei Ruo-hua’s beautiful face added a touch of sadness to it, and she said with a wry smile, “I used to think so, too. After all, the last people who want their husband’s body to get better are Su Xiaoxiao and his wife.”
I pondered for a moment, then went on to ask, “I think the old lady seems to be quite indulgent to Su Xiaoxiao.”
Mei Ruohua said helplessly, “She is the eldest daughter of the prefect of Kaifeng. As long as she doesn’t go too far, the old lady can only let her go.” As we
spoke, we were already outside the east wing.
I quickly waved my hand and said, “The eldest son has ordered that I am not allowed to set foot here.” With a gentle smile,
Mei Ruohua whispered, “I’m not afraid.”
Pulled me in.
Shen Junlin is reclining on the bed to read.
He used to be handsome, but now he is thin and has a very elegant temperament, but when he reads, his body trembles slightly, and when he sees a few eyes, he coughs, and occasionally coughs blood, which makes people feel very frightened.
Mei Ruohua seemed to be used to it. She went up to pour water and handed it to him. She pointed at me and said with a smile, “This is my husband’s new concubine. She is a rare good girl.”
Shen Junlin looked at her like a couple in love, full of tenderness and eagerness.
Only after hearing her talk about me, her eyes became sharp in an instant, and her expressionless face spat out a word to me: “Get out.”
“Xianggong, don’t frighten sister Juanyan.” Mei Ruohua quickly comforted him. But
he was not moved and continued to say to me in a cold voice, “Get out.” Then he coughed again.
I sighed, where want to stay here to make a nuisance, hurriedly Shi Li walked out.
Out of the yard, but unfortunately met Su Xiaoxiao.
She was lying lazily in the pavilion eating plum, and two little maids beside her were fanning her.
She gave me a sidelong glance and said with a half-smile, “Little sister-in-law, if you want to live long in the Shen family, you must learn to be wise and play safe and pretend to be deaf and dumb.”
Seeing that I was noncommittal, she continued coolly, “Sometimes what you see is not necessarily what you believe, and good people and bad people are not necessarily what you think. I advise you not to mind your own business.”
With that, he ignored me.
I also saluted and left in a hurry. For the
rest of the day, I stayed indoors except to greet the old lady.
The eldest young lady often came to visit me and brought me some delicious food and beautiful clothes. Occasionally, when the woman and the servant girl did not serve me well, she would help me out.
She really treated me very well and took good care of me as her own sister.
One day when I was carefully preparing a pot of orchids, my maid, Lamei, suddenly hurried in. Out of breath, she said, “Little young lady, it’s not a good thing. Big young lady had an affair with a man and was caught red-handed by the old lady.”. She said that she had been wronged and that she had hit the wall on the spot. My
gesture stopped slightly, and I asked, “Does the eldest son know?”
Lamei shook her head and said, “Who dares to tell the eldest son? If he can’t stand the excitement and dies, won’t he be in bad luck?”
I glanced at the wintersweet, pondered for a moment, and said to her, “Let’s go and find the eldest son.” After
saying that, he took her to the east wing.
Shen Junlin still looked at me with extreme disgust and told me to get out.
I saluted and told him about the young lady.
His bloodless face suddenly took on a nervous expression, and he told me and Lamei, “Help me to see the old lady.”
In the main hall, I saw Mei Ruohua, whose forehead was bleeding, kneeling on the ground with tears shining, which was very pitiful.
Next to her, Su Xiaoxiao fanned herself and said in a strange way, “Old lady, if this kind of thing happened to sister-in-law, how would the world laugh at us, the Shen family?”? In my opinion, she should have poisoned herself to save the family’s voice.
Mei Ruohua’s voice was full of desolation. She said with all her strength, “Old lady, my daughter-in-law is really wronged.”
“Do you mean to say that the old lady wronged you?” Su Xiaoxiao’s pretty face showed a sneer.
The old lady looked cold and indecisive. Seeing this,
Mei Ruohua said in a mournful voice, “If the old lady refuses to trust her daughter-in-law, I’m willing to take poison and commit suicide to show my innocence.” When
Shen Junlin heard this, he opened his mouth and said weakly, “If you die, how can I live alone?”
Mei Ruohua turned around and said in surprise, “Xianggong, what are you doing here?”
When she saw me next to her, she immediately understood what was going on and gave me a grateful look in her eyes.
The old lady saw Shen Junlin walking trembling all over, but also very distressed, hurriedly ordered people to take a couch for him to lean on.
Then he said in a deep voice, “Lin’er, I know you have deep feelings for Mei Ruohua, but I saw her caught in bed with my own eyes.”
Said, pointed to the adulterer next to him, the adulterer turned out to be Li Xi, the son of the housekeeper.
Li Xi knelt there and said nothing with his head down.
Shen Junlin stared at him and asked, “Zhixi, I have treated you well all these years. Why have you wronged Ruohua?”
Li Xi quickly waved his hand and said, “My eldest son, I’ve been in love with my eldest daughter for a long time. We’ve had an affair many times, but I didn’t expect to be caught by you this time. If you want to kill or cut up, you can do whatever you want.”
Shen Junlin pulled out a sharp smile at the corners of his mouth, which was really not like what a patient would have.
He said, “You’ve been working with me for so many years, and you know how I do things.”. It doesn’t matter if you refuse to tell the truth, but if you kill my wife, I will have to pay for it with the lives of your closest relatives.
Li Xi was stupefied for a moment, then kowtowed for a long time and said, “Big son, one person does one thing, and it’s not as bad as parents.”
Shen Junlin just snorted coldly and did not speak. He had already sent someone to tie up the housekeeper, Uncle An. When
Li Xi heard this, he was so frightened that his legs trembled like chaff. He repeatedly kowtowed and said, “Please let my father go. I’ll tell you the truth!”! It was the Second Young Lady who gave me 200 taels of gold, which made me dizzy. The First Young Lady wronged her. She said that when the job was done and the First Young Lady was driven out of the Shen family, she would give me another 300 taels.
“What did you say?” Seeing this, Su Xiaoxiao’s face changed greatly and he suddenly stood up.
Second Young Lady, you know that although the eldest son is usually gentle, he is ruthless. Now, I can’t put my father’s life on the line for the sake of gold. I can only tell the truth. I hid the gold you gave me in the hearth of the Kang, and I didn’t touch a cent of it. Li Xi did not dare to look at her face, obviously very afraid.
“Don’t wrong a good man, Li Xi!” Su Xiaoxiao’s plot was exposed, apparently somewhat exasperated.
Li Xi was too scared to breathe.
Shen Junlin looked up at the old lady and said lightly, “Mother, are you satisfied with the result?”
The old lady’s kind face was covered with shadows. She said coldly, “Li Xi, how dare you wrong your master? You should have been sent to an official for investigation.”. But now, for the sake of the Shen family’s reputation, I’ll spare you once. Then he
ordered, “Somebody, beat him a hundred times and drive him out of the house.”
The people came forward and dragged Li Xi down.
Before long, there was the sound of hitting the board and the wail of Li Xi outside. If
a hundred boards go down, even if Li Xi does not die, he will be disabled for life.
I looked up at the old lady and Shen Junlin, and then I realized that the people who could survive in the Shen family, no matter how gentle they looked, were fierce in their bones.
The old lady gave Su Xiaoxiao another sidelong glance and said with a sneer, “For the sake of being the daughter of the governor of Kaifeng, I always forgive you no matter how much mischief you make, but this time you’re so confused!”! Go back to your room and think about your mistakes behind closed doors. Don’t step out of the door again, or I’ll let Changqing divorce you. No matter how arrogant
Su Hsiao-hsiao was, she knew she was afraid. She quickly knelt down and solemnly said, “Mother, my daughter-in-law really doesn’t know what happened this time. I was wronged by Li Hsi.”
“Has Li Xi wronged you with his own life?” In the face of her weak defense, the old lady was dismissive.
When Su Hsiao-hsiao heard the heart-rending cries outside, she knew that it was useless to defend herself, so she had to restrain her temper and say, “My daughter-in-law will go back to her room and think about her mistakes behind closed doors.”
She stood up and turned away. As she passed me, she whispered in my ear, “Don’t think that what you see is the truth. One day you will pay for today’s foolishness.”
She spoke so quietly that only the two of us could hear her. After
saying that, he left angrily.
The old lady hurriedly picked up Mei Ruohua and personally wiped her blood, saying, “Daughter-in-law, you have suffered.”
Mei Ruohua’s eyes were filled with tears, but she smiled with gratitude and said, “Thank you, old lady, for keeping my daughter-in-law clean. I’m not bitter.” Then
she turned to me and shook my hand. “Thank you, Juanyan,” she said. “I didn’t think you were the only one who would help me when I was in trouble.”
I shook my head with a smile and felt happy for her.
Turning my head, my eyes touched Shen Junlin’s eyes, and the way he looked at me seemed. It also becomes very soft.
Everything is going well, but I always feel a little uneasy in my heart-everything seems to be going too well today.
Since Su Xiaoxiao was grounded, the Shen family has been much quieter.
I was planting orchids in the yard when Mei Ruohua came in with a smile.
Her forehead was still bandaged, but she was in high spirits.
I quickly saluted her, but she smiled and asked me, “Does my sister seem to like orchids very much?”
I said shyly, “Throughout the ages, people have loved peonies. Tao yuan-ming only loved chrysanthemums, and Chou Tun-yi only loved lotuses. But I love orchids–this is the flower that has been hidden through the ages. I don’t want to hear about it, only the haze.”
Mei Ruohua nodded and said, “I’m a fisherman’s daughter, and I haven’t read a book, but I can understand what my sister said.”. I came here today to give my sister a gift to thank her for risking her life and helping me that day.
With that, he handed me the brocade box in his hand.
I took it out and saw that it was a string of Nanhong agate eight-edged hand string inlaid with orchids. The workmanship was very exquisite and the tentacles were cool. It was very valuable at first sight.
I quickly waved my hand and said, “I can’t accept such a valuable thing.”
Mei Ruohua was worried: “No matter how valuable things are, are they as valuable as my life?”? My sister is my savior. This was given to me by my husband. When I saw that my sister liked orchids, I offered them to my sister. If you don’t agree, you will be disgusted.
“I’m afraid the eldest son will blame me.” I said.
My husband was delighted to hear that I had given it to you. My husband originally thought that you married into the Shen family for the sake of silver, and he despised you in his heart. Since you laid down your life to save me last time, he has changed. Mei Ruohua said and put the bracelet on me with his own hands.
I always feel that she said that I sacrificed my life to save her or something, which is too exaggerated, but it is not easy to shirk. As
we were chatting, her maid, Chunxue, stumbled in, weeping and saying, “Big young lady, the big young man is not doing well!”
“What do you mean it’s too bad?” Mei Ruohua’s face changed and his body trembled slightly.
Chunxue wiped away her tears and said, “The doctor said that there was only air coming in, and there was no air coming out.” With a cry of surprise,
Mei Ruohua stumbled and ran to the east wing.
I dropped the flower hoe in my hand and rushed with it.
In the east wing, she saw the old lady sitting outside with a gloomy face and heard the servant girl say that there were several doctors in the room to consult Shen Junlin.
After more than half an hour, the doctors came out together and bowed to the old lady, saying, “Fortunately, the old men have saved the eldest son.” Only then did
the old lady look happy, thank the doctors repeatedly, and order the people to offer gold and silver.
Chief Lin stroked his goatee and said thoughtfully, “I don’t know whether I should say something or not.”
“But it doesn’t matter.” Said the old lady. Doctor
Lin said slowly, “I used to be an imperial physician in the palace. Later, when I was old, I retired and returned to my hometown. I think the old lady knows this, too.”. I’m used to seeing intrigues and intrigues in the palace, and today I saw the eldest son suddenly morbidity, which is like what I saw in the palace a few years ago.
He whispered four words to the old lady: “The art of being tired of winning.”
“The art of being tired of winning?” The old lady exclaimed, “Dr. Lin is so good at medicine, how could he believe that?”
“I’ve seen it in the palace. I have to believe it.” He sighed and left with the medicine box. After a while,
the old lady turned around and asked Mei Ruohua, “What do you think?”
Mei Ruohua lowered her eyebrows and said softly, “I think it’s strange that my husband is morbidity this time. After all, he offended someone for me a few days ago. Is it because someone has cursed someone?”
The old lady thought for a moment, nodded and said, “You have a point, too.”. In that case, you should follow Mammy Liu and search the whole house to see if you can find any clues.
Mei Ruohua promised and took Mammy Liu with her. When I
look at her back, I always feel strange. When I saw the
old lady impatiently entering the big childe’s room, I was suddenly enlightened.
Sure enough is the poor world parents heart, the big childe has just been rescued back, the old lady as a mother is naturally eager to see him, but. Isn’t the eldest young lady the one in his heart?
Why
? Before I could think about it, I was called in by the women to visit the eldest son.
His face looked good, and his breathing gradually stabilized, but his eyes were closed and he had not yet woken up. The old lady and
I sat with him for a long time, and then I heard the servant come to report that he had found the object that practiced the art of being tired of winning. When
the old lady heard this, she looked awe-inspiring and took me back to the main hall. She
saw Mei Ruohua standing on the ground with her servant girl, and even Su Xiaoxiao, who was grounded, came next to her. After
the old lady sat down, she asked Mei Ruohua, “What have you found?”
Mei Ruohua gave Mammy Liu a wink, and Mammy Liu handed over the object in her hand. When I
opened the yellow silk, I saw a small scarecrow wrapped in it, and many needles were stuck on it. “Old lady,” said Mam
my Liu, “this scarecrow has Brother Lin’s name written on it and the eight characters of his birthday on it.”
The old lady was so angry that she pointed at Su Xiaoxiao with trembling hands and said, “You bitch, you are the daughter of the prefect of Kaifeng. If you dare to harm my son, the old man will let you die!” Seeing this,
Su Hsiao-hsiao opened his eyes wide and shook his head. “Old lady, you’ve made a mistake. This scarecrow wasn’t found in our second room.” Surprised,
the old lady gradually regained her composure. “Who is that?” She snapped. Mam
my Liu pointed to me and said, “It was found at the bottom of an orchid pot in my little grandmother’s room.”
“Me?” With a slight palpitation, I should have come, but I did. Nodding her head, Mam
my Liu said, “There were more than ten people following, and the eldest young lady was also there. There was no one to frame.” With
that, she glanced at Mei Ruohua.
Mei Ruohua’s eyes were red. She nodded and said, “Mammy Liu is right, but I don’t believe my sister would do such a thing anyway. I’d like to ask the old lady to find out and clear her name.” No sooner had
she finished speaking than Lamei, my servant girl, fell down on her knees and cried, “Spare me, old lady! Spare me, old lady!”
“Lamei, what are you talking about?” I was caught off guard by her action, and I quickly scolded her. But
she wept and said, “Young lady, I know you’re not angry that your father sold you into the Shen family, married your eldest son Chongxi, and buried your happiness for the rest of your life, but you shouldn’t have evil thoughts to harm people.”. Now that the evidence has been discovered, you might as well confess.
“How much silver did you take from the man who framed me?” I asked, staring at her with my eyes like torches. But
she turned to look at the old lady with a death-defying expression on her face. “Old lady, it’s the maidservant’s fault. She shouldn’t have ganged up with the eldest young lady to harm the eldest son. The maidservant is willing to die to atone for her sin.” With that
, she slammed into the pillar next to her.
I heard a bang and my body fell heavily to the ground. Mam
my Liu came forward to sniff, but she was already dead. The death
of wintersweet was a complete confirmation of my murder of the eldest son with the art of being tired of winning. If
she was only for gold and silver, how could she put her own life into it?
The old lady stood up and angrily rebuked me, saying, “I didn’t expect to know a person’s face but not his heart. Feng Junyan, you are such a person. My son has no quarrel with you. You murdered your husband. My Shen family absolutely can’t tolerate you.”. Somebody, drag her out of the caisson. As soon as
her voice fell, a guard came forward to drag me.
I quickly knelt down and said, “Old lady, please give me a chance to prove my innocence. I have witnesses to prove that the scarecrow was planted.”
Su Xiaoxiao said coldly beside him, “Feng Junyan, I advise you to accept your fate and not to make a desperate struggle.”. Anyway, six of my eldest brother’s concubines have died, and you’re not one more.
It was Mei Ruohua who pleaded with the old lady, saying, “I beg the old lady to give Junyan a chance to explain. If what she said is not credible, it is not too late to execute her.”
The old lady hesitated for a moment and let me go on.
I said, “Please ask the old lady to send someone to fetch a letter from the brocade box under the eldest son’s bed.” As soon as
this remark was made, everyone was surprised, but the old lady ordered someone to do it.
Not long after, the letter was brought back.
The old lady took one look and asked Mammy Liu to read it out.
The letter is wintersweet’s suicide note.
In her suicide note, she wrote that her life experience was so terrible that it was related to a noble person in the house. When she was discovered, the man threatened her with this matter and asked her to frame me with her life. In order to preserve the reputation of the noble person, she had to sacrifice herself.
In order to prevent the person who ordered her from repenting, she wrote two suicide notes, one explaining the whole story and the other writing the name of the person who ordered her, which were hidden in different places in the house.
The letter was so absurd that no one would believe it. Laughing,
I said, “I found this letter by accident in a jar buried deep in the garden when I was planting orchids a few days ago. I was doubtful at the time, but to be on the safe side, I gave it to my eldest son to keep for me in case I needed it. I didn’t expect it to come in handy today.”
“Have you met your husband in private?” Mei Ruohua blurted out and asked.
I nodded and said, “I’m just asking the eldest son for help. Don’t be nervous, sister.” Then
I said to the people, “If I am lying, how could I have predicted and forged such a letter in advance?”? If you don’t believe me, you can ask him when the eldest son wakes up.
When they heard this, they all nodded.
Now, the old lady also believed my words.
It’s just that her mind should be haunted by the same doubts as mine: Who is the person who performed the art of being tired of victory on Shen Junlin? Does he & # x2F; only want to harm me as a concubine, or does she really want to kill Shen Junlin?
5.
I got away with being tired of the art of winning.
But since then, my body has become very poor, the spirit is also bad, do anything is not interesting.
But after the big childe woke up, the body was much better.
I would visit him in the east wing from time to time, and the two of us gradually got along well.
Mei Ruohua was also very happy for me when he saw it.
This day she saw me listless and asked me what was wrong.
I told her the truth and said, “I often have hallucinations recently. I always feel that the ghosts of wintersweet are calling me every night. Do you think I have been killed by the ghosts?”
As it happened, our conversation was overheard by Su Hsiao-hsiao, who was passing by in the garden. She sneered and said, “If Lamei really wants to ask for her life, she should go to the person who killed her. What’s the point of looking for you?”
Mei Ruohua pulled me away from her and said with a sigh, “What this person is good at is a thief crying out to stop a thief. Ignore her.”
I answered.
She went on to say, “It’s just that you haven’t been in good spirits all the time. I’ve heard that the Bodhisattvas at Puji Temple are particularly spiritual. Why don’t I accompany you to burn incense and pray for blessings tomorrow?”? No matter what kind of ghosts they are, they are always afraid of the Bodhisattva.
I used to believe in Buddhism, but she said this to my heart and quickly answered.
The next day, we went to the Puji Temple with our maids and servants to burn incense. On the way back
from Puji Temple, I passed a sparsely populated mountain road. Unexpectedly, a robber with strong martial arts jumped out with a knife. After beating away the servants and servants, he kidnapped me and my grandmother into a dilapidated temple nearby.
Mei Ruohua had never seen such a situation. After being tied up, she was so frightened that she shivered and could not speak. She was different from her usual elegant image.
I was calm, but I thought the robber was very strange. What did
he mean by robbing us single-handedly, neither for money nor for sex?
That night, he brought us two bowls of water from somewhere and said to us, “Don’t be afraid. Tomorrow morning I will let you go back to the Shen family.” After listening to his words,
I was more sure of my own ideas.
I asked him, “I’m afraid the man who sent you to kidnap us only wants you to leave us here in the wilderness for a night and ruin my honor and that of the eldest young lady.”
He was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and said, “You are very clever.”
Seeing that he was honest, I began to chat with him. I learned that his name was Pan Yueming. He was forty-one years old. He was a hunter in the surrounding mountains. He practiced martial arts very well.
He didn’t usually do anything harmful, but because his father was ill and needed a large sum of money to cure him, he had no choice but to promise his behind-the-scenes people to ruin my reputation and that of the young lady.
In our Dynasty, women’s honor is very important, especially the daughter-in-law and daughter of such a big family as the Shen family, if their honor is defiled, they can only die to apologize.
I patiently advised him, Brother Pan, if you really want to keep us two women in prison until dawn, you might as well kill us now. What’s the difference between this and murder for money?
“I..” It was a long time before he said, “I can’t help it. I can’t watch my father die.”
“If you send me and the eldest young lady back to testify against the people who ordered you to do bad things, we are willing to pay you double the silver, so that you don’t have to be condemned by your conscience, and you still have money to cure your father.” I talked to him for a long time and persuaded him slowly.
Finally, he agreed to our request and sent me and the eldest young lady back. After
returning to the Shen family, Mei Ruohua and I, who had narrowly escaped death, reported the incident to the old lady.
The old lady asked Pan Yueming who ordered him to harm us. After Pan Yueming described it, we knew that the person in his mouth was Su Xiaoxiao.
The old lady immediately called Su Xiaoxiao over and asked her to confront Pan Yueming.
She panicked, but refused to admit it.
Pan Yue-ming thought for a moment and said, “When this young lady was instructing me to harm people, she accidentally left a fan pendant in my house. I thought it was made of pure gold, and I thought it was worth some money, so I kept it.”
With these words, he took out the fan pendant, which was the pendant on Su Xiaoxiao’s commonly used fan.
Su Xiaoxiao turned pale with fright and said, “The pendant was stolen..”
Mei Ruohua said in a low voice, “What a coincidence that the second brother and sister lost it. It happened to be stolen by the stranger who murdered us.” Then he smiled.
Su Xiaoxiao had a palpitation and suddenly burst into tears.
Because she knew that this time she had all the human and material evidence, and no matter how she tried to defend herself, it was useless.
The old lady looked sullen and said angrily, “Su Xiaoxiao, if it weren’t for the fact that you are the daughter of the prefect of Kaifeng, the old man would certainly hand you over to the government for investigation today.”. I don’t want your life today, but a woman with a heart like yours doesn’t deserve to be the daughter-in-law of the Shen family. Then
she said to her second son, Shen Changqing, “Write her a letter of divorce right away and tell her to go back to Kaifeng.” When
Shen Changqing heard this, he knelt down with his wife in his arms and said to the old lady, “Mother, even if you make a small mistake, please let her go for the sake of your son and granddaughter. My son can’t live without his wife, and my son can’t live without his mother.”
“Do you dare to disobey me?” The old lady’s eyes are like a knife.
My son doesn’t dare. My son knew that my mother was not my biological mother, so for so many years, he was cautious in his words and deeds and tried his best to please her. Although you still don’t like your son, I really think of you as the dearest person in my heart, but Xiaoxiao is also the dearest person in me, and I can’t lose her either. Shen Changqing said with true feelings. What did
you say? Am I not your real mother? When the old lady heard this, she was obviously shocked.
“When I was a child, my mother only liked my eldest brother and didn’t like me. At first I thought it was because I was too stupid. Later, when I overheard my father talking in his sleep about a servant girl, I realized that I was the son of him and that servant girl.” Shen Changqing said truthfully.
“You know everything?” The old lady was livid and asked him.
Shen Changqing shook his head and said, “That’s all I know. I’ve never asked for anything, because in my heart, there’s only one mother, and that’s you.” When
the old lady heard this, her expression softened.
Shen Changqing took out the seal of the distillery and the title deed from his bosom. He raised his hand and swore to heaven: I, Shen Changqing, am willing to hand over the management of the Shen family distillery and the title deed of the distillery left to me by my father, and swear that I will never set foot in the distillery again in my life. I only hope that my mother, for the sake of the affection between mother and son, will forgive me for once.
He spoke with tears and was very moved.
The old lady thought for a long time. Then she stood up and took the seal and the deed. Then she helped him up and said, “If you say so, how can your mother not agree with you?”. Even if the Shen family winery has nothing to do with you in the future, your mother won’t be short of your husband and wife and Meier’s food and clothing expenses. After all, I treat you like my own son.
Shen Changqing hugged the old lady and burst into tears. After
crying sincerely for a while, he took Su Xiaoxiao to salute and left.
The first lady looked at the deed and seal in her hand, her face was dark and unclear, and no one could see through her mind.
6.
After the storm, my spirit became worse and worse, and Mei Ruohua vomited from time to time.
That day she vomited badly, and after the doctor came to feel her pulse, she knew it was a happy pulse.
The old lady was overjoyed when she heard this. After all, her son was so immortal. How could she not be overjoyed to have a grandson now? After
she rewarded the doctor, she ordered someone to take good care of Mei Ruohua and never let her fetus have any mistakes.
However, the joy lasted only one day, and the next day, something big happened to the Shen family.
The eldest son Shen Junlin is dead.
His face turned blue and he was bleeding from seven orifices. He died of poisoning. On the day of
his death, there were only two people who had come into contact with him, one was Mei Ruohua, the eldest young grandmother, and the other was Feng Junyan, the youngest young grandmother, that is, me.
I was taken to the ancestral temple with the eldest young lady, and Shen Junlin’s body was carried in.
The old lady sat on the chair with a pale face. Her body looked fragile and ready to fall down at any moment. Her face was full of fatigue and pain.
After all, her only spiritual support, her most beloved son, was dead.
Next to them, Shen Changqing and Su Xiaoxiao stood beside them, saying nothing and trying to make a sad look. As soon as
Mei Ruohua changed her usual gentleness, she stared at me mercilessly. Without saying a word, she reached out and gave me a slap.
She hit me so hard that my cheeks turned red and swollen.
She cried herself hoarse and pointed at me and said, “Juanyan, I’ve always treated you like my own sister. Why did you poison my husband?”
I looked at her calmly, shook my head and said, “It wasn’t me.” You and I are the only ones who have come into
contact with my husband. Now that I am pregnant, will I kill my husband? How dare you say it wasn’t you? After all, I was wrong about you. She said with grief. As I
looked at her face, which was contorted with grief and indignation, I suddenly chuckled and said, “This is the end of the play, madam. Should it be over?”
“What are you saying?” She looked at me strangely, like she was looking at a madman.
The old lady also recovered from the pain and looked at us without speaking.
“I said, who killed my husband? Why don’t you let him tell you himself?” I thought about it, and it was almost time, so I went up and took out the silk and dipped it in water and slowly wiped off the bruises and blood-red paint on Shen Junlin’s face.
When he opened his eyes, he helped him up.
Seeing Shen Jun coming back from the dead, all the people present were startled.
Some timid women even cried out in a trembling voice, “Ghost, ghost..”
I smiled and said, “Don’t be alarmed. My husband is a man, not a ghost. He didn’t die. He just took some medicine to hold his breath and feigned death.” When
everyone was in shock, Su Hsiao-hsiao was the first to ask, “Sister-in-law, what’s going on?”? Why did the eldest brother fake his death? Only then did
I tell the truth of the matter slowly: “Because someone has been poisoning Xianggong for the past few years, and recently someone has increased the weight of the poison.”. He even poisoned him yesterday and tried to kill him.
“You say Lin’er hasn’t been sick these past few years, but has been poisoned?” Surprised, the old lady said, “Then why can’t a doctor find out?”
“Because money can communicate with the gods, all the doctors who treat my husband have been bribed.” The corners of my mouth opened slightly and I said unhurriedly.
“Who poisoned it?” The old lady continued to ask.
“Yes.” My eyes wandered over the old lady’s face, and then fell on Su Hsiao-hsiao’s face. She looked very nervous, and then fell on Shen Chang-ching’s face, but he looked indifferent.
Finally, my eyes fell on Mei Ruohua’s face. I pointed to her and said, “It’s the eldest young lady.”
“Me?” Mei Ruohua suddenly laughed, still smiling with bright eyes and white teeth, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
She stepped forward and tugged at Shen Junlin’s sleeve and said, “My husband, my heart for you is the same as your heart for me.”. You should know what I’ve done to you all these years.
Shen Junlin sighed faintly, his eyes full of pain, and said, “I should have understood, but I was confused when you poisoned me last night.” How could
I poison you? Have you been dreaming? She continued to smile.
“I was sober at that moment, and Juanyan gave me the antidote ahead of time.” He closed his eyes with a sad look on his face.
Mei Ruohua’s face became very ugly. Her elegant face showed a trace of sadness. She said bitterly, “When did you suspect me and set a trap for me to jump?”
Shen Junlin said slowly, “I have always been in good health. Not long after I married you, I began to linger in bed. In fact, I also had doubts.”. But I love you, and I soon gave up the idea. With a smile on my lips,
I glanced at her and said, “Madam, it was the first day I married into the Shen family that I suspected you.” Surprised,
Mei asked, “Why?”
I explained to her in detail, “The Shen family has lost six of their concubines in a row. They can’t really be killed by Xianggong, can they?”? It must have been killed by someone. The servants of the Shen family had no quarrel with these six women and would never harm them. The old lady loved her son so much that she was happy for her son, and naturally she would not harm them. Then there are only three suspects, Shen Changqing, Su Xiaoxiao, and you.
I went on to say, “The death of these six concubines didn’t do much good to Shen Changqing and Su Xiaoxiao. They didn’t foolishly think that Chongxi could save their husband and kill the six of them, did they?”? Instead, isn’t it simpler to kill Xianggong directly? So now that the six of them are dead, the only one who benefits is you, the eldest young lady.
Mei Ruohua’s eyes dimmed for a moment. She asked me, “Is that why you suspect me?”
I shook my head slowly. “I just have some guesses. What really makes me suspect you is that you deliberately designed me to meet you and Su Xiaoxiao quarreling in the garden.”. Su Hsiao-hsiao really has a bad heart, and she is arrogant and domineering, throwing her weight around. But she is a mother who loves her daughter, and she will never be willing to hurt her infant daughter to wrong you.
What a wise woman! In fact, she did cut my daughter’s face on purpose that day to provoke me, so I cursed her and hit her! It’s just that I’m used to being bossy, and no one will believe me. Su Xiaoxiao spread out his hands and said helplessly.
I sneered and said, “It’s true. You’re stupid, but you’re far from scheming. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have burned my face with boiling water while I was offering tea.”
Su Xiaoxiao gave me a white look and ignored me. “What else did you guess?” Asked
Mei Ruohua.
I also guessed that there must be some agreement between you and the old lady, for example.. To deal with the second wife together? I looked at the old lady, and there was no expression on her face.
I had no choice but to go on to say, “You should have colluded with the old lady to catch you in bed. You just wanted to use this incident to frame the Second Young Lady as the instigator, so that you could take the opportunity to suppress the Second Young Lady.”. But after all, she was the daughter of the prefect of Kaifeng, and such a thing could not bring her down. “Don’t slander the old lady, young lady,” said Mam
my Liu in a shrill voice. Smiling,
I shook my head and said, “I have no slander. I can accuse Li Xi, the son of the housekeeper, of making him willing to lose half his life to frame others. There is no one but the old lady.”
Shen Junlin’s pale face was bloodless. “Yes,” he said, “because my mother has shown great kindness to Uncle An’s family.” “Well,”
I said, “at that time, my husband and I were just two pawns of the old lady and the young lady, but afterwards we all became suspicious, and we discussed this matter in private.”
“Go on, I’d like to hear how many more stories you can come up with.” Mei Ruohua gently brushed her hair, looking more and more lovely.
I sighed softly, “Madam, you originally wanted to win me over and use me to harm Su Hsiao-hsiao, but after you came into contact with me, you thought I was smarter than you thought, so you had a murderous intention towards me.”
She took one look at my snowy arm and said, “I even gave you my favorite southern red agate octagonal bracelet. How could I want to kill you?”
“The bracelet is poisonous.” I spit out these words softly.
“The bracelet was given to me by my husband. Are you saying that my husband wants to poison me?” She asked softly.
That’s not true. You ordered someone to hollow out the heart of the agate, put a special spice in it, and restore the beads. Then you gave it to me. This spice is nothing, but when it comes to orchids, it can produce hallucinogenic effects and damage people’s bodies. Am I right? I asked, staring at her.
She did not deny it, but said, “When did you find out?”
I rubbed my bracelet and said, “You found out when you gave it to me, because my mother happened to be a woman doctor when she was alive, and I learned some medical skills from her.”
“So after you took out the incense, you kept on wearing the bracelet to confuse me?” She asked with a smile.
I nodded yes and said, “Yes.”
Mei Ruohua gasped, “You’re really smart. I was right when I gave you a bracelet to confuse your mind, and at the same time I forced Lamei to frame you. It’s a pity that I didn’t kill you.”
I looked away and said shallowly, “Lamei is the person who lives beside me and serves me. She suddenly behaves strangely and looks different. I naturally guessed that she had something wrong.”. I stared at her day and night, and I found one of her two suicide notes. After I got the suicide note, I immediately gave it to my husband for safekeeping, because he was the only person I could trust in the Shen family.
“Did you know I was behind the scenes?” Mei Ruohua asked.
I took one look at Shen Junlin and said, “I didn’t find the second suicide note, but I guessed it was you.”. So after I dodged a bullet this time, I deliberately told you that I often had hallucinations, which made you think that I was poisoned by the incense in your hand string. Sure enough, you and the old lady started plotting to use me against Su Hsiao-hsiao.
Mei Ruohua felt a little surprised and said, “Since you knew at that time that I had hired Pan Yueming to act and deliberately framed Su Xiaoxiao, why did you cooperate?”
Because I want to see what your ultimate goal is. Although the old lady joined hands with you, her purpose should be to force Shen Changqing to hand over the title deed, promise never to interfere in the affairs of the distillery again, and clear the way for her own son. But you did a lot of things behind the old lady’s back, even poisoning her husband. She probably didn’t know that. With that, I looked at the old lady.
The old lady answered. She really didn’t know.
Shen Junlin’s body was shaking gently, and his eyes were still full of emotion. “Ruohua, we’ve been married for so many years. Why do you have to kill me?” He asked. When
Mei Ruohua heard this, two lines of tears flowed down. She said, “My husband, I really love you, but I have no choice.”. My identity is false. My surname is Hua, and my first name is Hua Qingmei.
Shen Junlin continued to listen to her.
She said, “The distillery of your Shen family was originally the property of our Hua family, but it was later cheated by Shen Wanshan with a vicious trick.”. My mother couldn’t stand the blow and soon died. My father was poor and sick. He took me to wander around at the age of six and died soon after. Before he died, he refused to die for a long time, telling me that when I grew up, I must seek revenge from the Shen family!
Shen Junlin was greatly surprised and asked the old lady, “Is that so, mother?”
The old lady shook her head blankly and said, “At the beginning, I didn’t go out of the house. I helped your father take care of the house. I didn’t know he was out there.”
Mei Ruohua continued to bite his silver teeth and said, “Shen Wanshan ruined my family. Why did his wife and children enjoy all the splendor and wealth, while I suffered all the torture and humiliation?”? After I managed to marry into the Shen family, I had only one purpose: to kill the Shen family and take back the property of the Hua family. When I heard what
she had said, I said, “So after you cheated Shen Changqing out of the title deed, you bribed the doctor, pretended to be pregnant, poisoned my husband, and framed me, right?”
She looked a little disappointed and said, “That’s the plan. After you die, I’ll poison the old lady, drive Su Xiaoxiao and Shen Changqing away, and take back my family property.”. It’s a pity that my plan for revenge came to nothing when I met you. On
her face, there was a vicious look. Suddenly, she pulled out a long hairpin from her head and stabbed me in the heart. I was
about to be stabbed to death,
but I didn’t expect that I would raise my foot and kick her hairpin to the ground.
I smiled and said, “Madam, I seem to have forgotten to tell you that when my mother was alive, she taught me how to use her fists and feet.”
“You..” She pointed at me, and her beautiful face was so ferocious that she could see that she hated me deeply.
I went on to say to her, “Hua Qingmei, you have tried your best, but you have missed one point.”. That is, from the beginning, your father lied to you.
She sneered and disdained.
I went on to say, “I found your father’s old housekeeper, Uncle Jian. This is a letter he wrote. You can have a look.”
I handed her the letter and said, When Master Shen first founded the distillery, he needed ten taels of silver, but he only had five taels, so your father lent him five taels. Later, the Shen family winery became bigger and even became an imperial merchant. Your father lost all his family business because of his addiction to gambling. He wanted to sell your mother into a brothel. Your mother was so desperate that she committed suicide.
As I spoke, she was reading the letter, and her hands were trembling.
I went on to say, “Not only did your father not repent, but he also blamed Master Shen. Master Shen gave your father ten thousand taels of silver, all of which he lost.”. He went to court to take away half of the Shen family’s distillery, but Master Shen naturally refused, and the government ruled that he lost the lawsuit. At that time he happened to be seriously ill, and Master Shen privately gave Uncle Chien money to hire a doctor for him. I didn’t expect that he would die unrepentant and let you avenge him and ruin your life.
“Originally, you and your husband could be a pair of immortals for the rest of their lives.” After reading the letter,
Mei Ruohua’s face was as pale as thin paper. She said in a trembling voice, “This is Uncle Jian’s handwriting. Why?”? Why is this happening?
“Uncle Chien was very loyal to your father. After your father died, he looked for you everywhere and couldn’t find you. When he was dying, he was still saying your name.” I sighed softly.
“Is Uncle Chien dead, too?” Mei Ruohua held his head and asked.
“Well, when I looked for him a few days ago, he was already dying, but he still struggled to write down the truth of that year, fearing that you would avenge the wrong.” I couldn’t help sighing.
Mei Ruohua’s body trembled like a butterfly in the north wind. Her eyes were empty and she said in extreme despair, “You’re right. I could have been happy with my husband all my life. I was pregnant with his two children, but I killed them.”. Why is this happening? Why? With a shrill cry,
she picked up the hairpin from the ground, inserted it into her heart, and died in an instant.
“Ruohua!” With a loud cry, Shen Junlin stumbled forward and held her in his arms.
Unfortunately, she closed her eyes forever, let him call, never call back.
I took an indifferent look, straightened up and walked out.
I don’t know when the old lady came to my side. Her face was full of disgust and fear that could not be concealed. She said, “Mei Ruohua poisoned my son and deserved to die, but you can kill people by making up a story. You are really terrible.”
I looked askance at her with a half-smile and said crisply, “Thank the old lady for not exposing it. You are also an accomplice.”
“What is the purpose of your visit to the Shen family?” She asked me warily.
Naturally, a woman of my mind, if I am not willing, who can force me to marry as a concubine?
I looked at the willow catkins flying all over the sky, and my voice was as gentle as a spring raindrop: When I was eight years old, I was almost sold as a child prostitute, and my eldest son came to my rescue. When I grew up, even though I didn’t love him, I always had to repay him.
“Really?” The old lady asked me.
Seriously. My sweetheart died on the battlefield, and my eldest son is the only one I need to protect. I said solemnly.
The old lady’s eyes, gradually become soft, she should believe me after all.
Grass and trees know that spring will soon return, and all kinds of red and purple are fragrant.
I breathed the breath of spring. It’s so sweet. It’s a good spring again.
Author: Hua and
Meng Record No.: YX01VmYJ9oaMgq9rR
Published on 2022-05-26 19:33. Forbidden to Reprint
Prince Forced to Marry My
Fanghua Complaint: Fireworks Are Easy to Be Cold, For Whom to Bend the Waist
, Fat Da Feifei, etc.
