Chapter 116 Chapter 116

The second master Shen never thought that he would be sued so soon after he had done what he thought was perfect. The first thing was that both Mrs. Shen and Wang had lent money at high interest rates, causing dozens of families to be ruined. The second thing was that when the second master Shen was promoted to the position of the Imperial College, his family took over the lawsuit and interfered with the local judicial system. the palace.

The Shen family actually had a Concubine Chang in the palace, but since Madam Shen and others left the capital, Shen Linfeng's position became low, and Yao Niang did not want to enter the palace, so she had no contact with the palace.

In Yao Niang's opinion, her husband was a Hanlin scholar and was among the best in academics. He had a great chance of being selected as the prince's teacher in the future. However, it would be a taboo to establish good relationships with the princes in advance. After all, the selection of teachers was still up to the emperor.

The people the emperor wanted to choose happened to be those who had no connection with the concubines and princes on a daily basis, so it would be inconvenient to connect them.

The first two things didn't bother Master Shen Er, but the third thing clearly offended him. He immediately went to the eldest son, Shen Linfeng, and said, "Da Lang, please help me. I really didn't bribe the third prince. They slandered me."

"Uncle, don't worry. The Jinyiwei will definitely investigate this matter. If I meet Commander Liu, I will definitely help you." Shen Linfeng was not helping Uncle Shen, but he was afraid that it would escalate into a matter of usurping the throne, and the entire Shen family would be in trouble. However, he was unwilling to act rashly.

After hearing this, Mr. Shen Er recalled that Shen Linfeng and his wife had a close relationship with Commander Liu, and that the two families were close friends, so he felt relieved.

However, Wang's involvement in the lawsuit, writing letters to her relatives in her own name, and lending money at high interest rates were all serious crimes. Shen Linfeng naturally knew that the family would rise and fall together, and he said to Yao Niang, "I suspect the person behind this is Zhou Lingguang."

"But you have no evidence?" Yao Niang said.

Zhou Lingguang was really caught off guard. Yao Niang said, "You have to think about how to get out of this matter first. We are completely unaware of the fact that Second Uncle is secretly in contact with the palace. If you get involved, it would be a conspiracy to seize the throne. I advise you to ask my father for advice on how to get out of this matter."

"Is that so?" Shen Linfeng felt that he had never been selfish.

Yao Niang said, "Think about it yourself. If it was you who encountered this kind of thing, would the second and third wives get involved to save you?"

Shen Linfeng knew, of course, that his second and third uncles were good to him, otherwise his marriage to Yao Niang would not have been so smooth. In addition, his second uncle also helped him with arrangements in the Hanlin Academy.

But these were matters that had nothing to do with personal gain, and there were many people who added to the icing on the cake. He himself also lent money to Shen Linqing and had taken good care of Shen Bangyan.

"Then what do you tell me to do?" Shen Linfeng asked.

Yao Niang glanced at him and said, "You didn't mean to ask me to give you advice so that you can turn the tables and say that I didn't let you take care of your family. I won't be stupid. Anyway, if something happens to you, I will stay in Beijing and won't go back to Wuxing with you to raise the children."

Shen Linfeng always knew that Yao Niang was different from other women. She always kept her word, and his character was not as strong as his wife's, so he asked her. He didn't expect her to say that. Shen Linfeng laughed and said, "You are pregnant, and I know about the rift between the second house and us. How can I really help? I just want to ask you for a solution."

Yao Niang looked into Shen Linfeng's eyes, hugged his arm and said, "In fact, you know in your heart what is the right thing to do. It's just that you are too kind-hearted."

"No, I'm actually not as good as you think." Shen Linfeng felt a little uncomfortable.

After entering officialdom for so many years, he no longer looks like a complete scholar. Only his wife always praises him for his good heart, but he is not like that at all.

Yao Niang shook her head: "No, you are the best person."

The first wife's life was peaceful and quiet. Firstly, it was because Shen Linfeng's family had never sent anything to Concubine Chang and the empresses. Secondly, they had a good relationship with the Liu family. Yan Yingqi was his father-in-law, so naturally he would not be affected.

Besides, Concubine Chang in the palace has a very good relationship with the first wife, so with her around, the first wife will not be affected.

Second Master Shen was impeached and could no longer go to the government office. Second Madam Shen and Wang were like frightened birds. This was a blow that Second Madam Shen had never experienced before. Since she married Second Master Shen, Second Master Shen was extremely knowledgeable. Although she was angry with Madam Shen, she also boasted that she could play Madam Shen around.

It just so happened that Shen Bangyan went to Lujiang Mansion and was not at home at all.

Mr. Shen II complained to Mrs. Shen II: "Why would you lend money at high interest? Normally you would say you were collecting rent, but lending money at high interest is not something that people would punish, but if it is discovered, both you and I will be in big trouble."

"I'm just thinking about you, old man. How can your salary be enough to support your family? The new daughter-in-law has brought so many people as a dowry, and the rent money for the entire mansion is not enough for one month's food expenses." Mrs. Shen was also very good at making excuses.

She would not regret at all that what she did was wrong, she just felt that she was unlucky and was caught.

"You guys have killed me." Old Master Shen shook his head.

Mrs. Shen Er started talking about her daughter-in-law instead: "I never thought that Brother Yan's daughter-in-law would take over the lawsuit."

Wang also felt that she was unlucky. She felt that what she did was very secretive. She didn't even tell Shen Bangyan and only hired her trusted people. She didn't expect that this matter would be spread out.

"Who on earth informed on this? No one knows about this. Anyone in the capital with a little extra money would do it secretly. I think our family must have offended someone." Wang said as she packed up her things.

Chunluo recalled that Zezhi once wanted to climb into bed and was sold out. She was the one who asked someone to sell her out. Zezhi told her that Wang was so cruel and would not be good to her in the future. She once heard that when the Ma family was confiscated, they gave all the money to the servants and ran away.

And now that the Shen family is in trouble, the master seems to have never thought about her. Is she going to be sold again?

No matter how loyal a servant is, he still has to consider his own situation.

"Chunluo, take out this money and deposit it in the bank for me. If nothing happens in the future, I can take it out. If something happens, it will be a way out in the future." Wang and Shen Bangyan did not have a deep relationship. Their daughter was raised by her parents-in-law. She was the daughter of Marquis Xinning. Her mother and sister loved her. When the time came, she would just take her daughter home. The one from the Lan family did the same.

Chunluo nodded: "I will go over now."

"Well, after you take care of these things, I will go back to my parents' home as well." Wang was very worried.

But in the end they were still calm. The Shen family was prosperous and even Kechen had people from the Shen family. Also, their in-laws were all either rich or noble. At most they would just return to Wu Xing's hometown and nothing serious would happen.

But that's how the officialdom is. If you don't step down, others can't step up, especially since the Shen family holds several official positions, including the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, the vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites, and Shen Linfeng's position as a Hanlin.

When Shen Linfeng came to the Yan family, he was not panicking at all. It was hard for him to be affected. This was not because of any other reason, but because he was actually a trusted son of the Prime Minister Zhao family. Even his father-in-law would ask him to pass on the message when he wanted to reach an agreement with the Prime Minister.

The Yan family's gate was always crowded with people, many of whom were waiting to see Yan Yingqi, and these people paid a lot of money to the Yan family. Look at Lian Da, who used to rush to the gate, now he is the second in command, and many officials are still fawning on him.

As the son-in-law of the Yan family, he came directly without any notice. Yan Yingqi seemed to have expected him to come and asked him to sit down: "Are you here to talk about Xiang?"

Shen Linfeng immediately shook his head at the directness of the question: "I was thinking about the recent events in our house, and I need to ask my father-in-law how to solve them."

Yan Yingqi glanced at Shen Linfeng and said, "It's just a tiger that will cause trouble."

At first, Second Master Shen knew that Zhou Lingguang had come to Beijing, but he did nothing. He only cried out for injustice when Zhou Lingguang started to fight back. Second Master Shen was a person who liked to do dirty work behind the scenes.

Having said that, this son-in-law is definitely not the kind-hearted, pushy man that his daughter describes him as, as if her husband is the kindest person in the world.

Shen Linfeng is a completely different person internally and externally. He is quite resourceful externally and has great appeal among his peers. He is not only good at writing, but the first assistant trusts him as a person and the second assistant also appreciates his writing style.

He is a very sensible official. Apart from the Yan Ningxin scandal, he has almost no scandals.

Shen Linfeng understood immediately. His second uncle was indeed like that. He had already told him about Zhou Lingguang's matter, but he acted as if he knew nothing about it. His father retired cleanly and gave up his official position to protect himself.

"You're right. Actually, I came to you today just to seek peace of mind." Shen Linfeng shook his head.

Yan Yingqi said: "This matter is big, but not small either. Your second uncle has someone he trusts, so he can definitely find a way to solve it."

In fact, Yan Yingqi already knew from Xie what Madam Shen Er had done, so how could he possibly help? Madam Shen Er had a good relationship with Assistant Prime Minister Zhao, so it was not impossible for him to follow Assistant Prime Minister Zhao's path.

Here Shen Linfeng still had to put forward the conditions, but Shen Linfeng made his attitude clear without even mentioning them.

Shen Linfeng nodded, but he was afraid that if he went back too early, people would say he didn't do his best, so he stayed at Yan's house until the evening and had a meal. Xie was very enthusiastic and picked up dishes for him. Shen Linfeng treated Xie like his own mother and said, "Yao Niang is pregnant now and always says that she needs to nourish her bone marrow. She should drink soy milk with a tablespoon of black sesame, a small tablespoon of brown sugar and a tablespoon of oatmeal in the morning. When I was learning to do the folding, I drank this and my joints didn't hurt at all."

Xie looked at Shen Linfeng and saw that he was indeed very energetic and full of vigor. She said blankly, "Then I have to try it myself."

"Mother-in-law, I have picked a lot of black sesame seeds and candies at home. I will have someone deliver them to you when the time comes." Shen Linfeng said with a smile.

Yan Yingqi thought that Jing Zhao and he used to get along very well, but unfortunately when he was in Pengze, Shen Linfeng and Jie were more like mother and son. The two got along very well and had similar personalities. One looked gentle on the outside but was actually very stubborn, and the other looked cool and gentle on the outside but was also stubborn on the inside.

The two of them were particularly focused on small things. If it was his daughter, she would definitely not be like this.

When Shen Linfeng returned from Yan's house in the evening, Yao Niang was walking in the yard. When she saw him coming back, the couple smiled at each other and nothing was bothered.

Little did she know that just as Shen Linfeng arrived, the second Shen Laoye and his wife came over. Yao Niang had no choice but to say, "I'm going to go back first. You can handle it yourself."

Shen Linfeng nodded slightly.

Holding Gu's mother's hand, Yao Niang went in and asked, "I wonder how the people in the third room are doing?"

Mother Gu sneered: "The people in the third room ask a lot of questions, and the others can't help at all."

"I really can't help you at all. I remember that Jiang Er's sister-in-law's uncle is Xiao Jiuqing. He used to brag every day that she was the closest to the second house, but now she just stands by and watches." Yao Niang sneered.

Mother Gu helped Yao Niang sit down and took off her hairpins: "Look at what you said, there are many who are just adding icing on the cake, but there are also a few who are helping in times of need. If you ask me, it's because the eldest lady has spoiled their habits before..."

"It's no use saying these anymore. They are always hiding behind others and stabbing them in the back. They are used to doing things that offend people. My father-in-law saw through it a long time ago. My husband went back to work as an official, so he retired quietly. But my second uncle hesitated at the time and didn't dare to really take action against Zhou Lingguang. Now that they are being retaliated against, it's their own fault. I don't know what they want so much money for?" Yao Niang shook her head.

Forget about being greedy. They are used to avoiding things on weekdays. Now it’s time for them to suffer.

Isn't it true that Grandma Wen Qing is worried that she will be betrayed by the Second Wife, and she is urging the Second Wife to ask the First Wife for help. She also has another threat: Aunt Chu gave birth to a son this month, and the child is very good. Her husband has always treated Aunt Chu very well, and now he flatters her so much that she doesn't know who she is.

Unfortunately, she is now old and her family is impoverished, so she is unable to fight back.

Just as she was thinking, she saw Shao coming over again. She raised her eyes and said, "It's so late, is there something that your second brother's wife wants to do?"

"What could happen? Isn't it the Second House's business? I don't know if this will cause any big trouble. I'm really worried." Shao had not expected that such a situation would occur in the Shen family.

Grandma Qingda shook her head and said, "There's nothing we can do."

Shao said: "I think so too. I heard that it also involves seizing the heir..."

"I don't know about that." Grandma Qingda didn't even dare to talk about this topic.

In this case, Shao knew that he couldn't come up with anything. Thinking of his third brother's sister-in-law, Han, who would shake her head and say she knew nothing, he didn't want to go anymore.

She was able to talk to Shen Linjiang about the affairs of the Second House. Shen Linjiang said, "Didn't you write to Dad about this? We commoners can't interfere in the affairs of the court. However, I am very curious about who is so brave to collect so many things about my second uncle."

"Didn't they say he was impeached by Statue of Lieutenant Colonel Shu?" Shao said.

"These are just the people on the stage." Shen Linjiang said.

When everyone was panicking, Second Master Shen was soon convicted. All the money that the Second House had lent at high interest was pushed onto the servants, but Second Master Shen had never been involved. He was only convicted of negligence, but had to pay 20,000 taels of silver in compensation.

Master Shen II bribed the eunuchs around the Third Prince and was suspected of having an affair with a concubine. Not only was he dismissed from office, he was never employed again, and even his descendants were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. This was already a mercy from the Emperor for the sake of the Shen family and Concubine Chang.

The palace gate copy was quickly brought out. Yao Niang was holding her belly in the second room and saw Madam Shen sitting aside without saying a word. The baby in Wang's arms seemed to sense that the atmosphere was not good and was crying loudly.

In fact, Yao Niang felt that the emperor had been very lenient, probably because Master Shen had also gone to plead for her.

"It's all empty, everything is empty." Mrs. Shen looked at Yao Niang with despair.

Yao Niang said, "Second Aunt, you are going home soon, and everything will be fine when you get home."

She knew very well that after Mrs. Shen Er returned, Mr. Shen and his wife would be waiting for her. They had been waiting for an opportunity, and they didn't expect that this opportunity had finally come.

Mr. Shen used to look glamorous wherever he went, but now he returns with his group, looking dejected.

The person who finally escorted them out of the city was Shen Linfeng. Shen Linfeng said to the second master Shen: "I have also written to Bangyan, so let him return to Wuxing as well."

"Linfeng, don't worry about my affairs. They won't involve you. Thank you for your hard work these days." Elder Shen smiled.

Shen Linfeng said: "Uncle, what are you talking about? The emperor has shown mercy to you. I hope that after you return home, you will remember the emperor's kindness, do more good things for your hometown, and don't harbor any resentment."

Second Master Shen was now frustrated. Seeing Shen Linfeng's high-sounding words, he could not help but say, "I just saw that the people around the Third Prince were the eunuchs I taught in the inner study, so I took care of them. But you put such a hat on me. Now I have no way to defend myself. Linfeng, the reason you can still do this is because you are a lowly official now."

Shen Linfeng pursed his lips and said nothing more. Second Master Shen suddenly lowered the curtain. He watched them leave the city and then looked not far away. He knew that there must be Jinyiwei guarding them, so he took the opportunity to show his loyalty. However, Second Uncle was too impatient. He criticized the officialdom as soon as he was frustrated and had a lot of resentment towards the emperor.

It's really useless even if we give him a chance!

When Shen Linfeng came back, Yao Niang complained: "No one who is so close to the second room usually goes to see him off, but you go to see him off. You are such a soft-hearted person."

"If I weren't like this, my wife would never like me." Shen Linfeng said with a smile.

Yao Niang frowned again: "I'm worried that Zhou Lingguang might deal with you, so you'd better be careful."

Shen Linfeng nodded: "Don't worry, I won't let him deal with me. By the way, I may be promoted to a lecturer soon."

"Really? This is great news. You are only 24 years old now, and you are already a lecturer. Since ancient times, the honor of a husband makes his wife more honored. Sister Fu, I and the baby in my belly also feel extremely honored." Yao Niang said with a smile.

Shen Linfeng hugged Yao Niang and said, "Once Second Aunt goes back, my parents will not let her go. Bang Yan will never be able to make a name for himself in his life. He who does evil will eventually perish."

After such a big incident in the second house, Shen Linfeng was not only not implicated, but was even promoted to imperial lecturer.

Everyone admired the talented people of Wuxing Shen family more and more. Even the emperor had to give them some face. Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng hung Shen Linyi's portrait in the ancestral hall and smiled at each other.

Shen Linfeng secretly said to Shen Linyi in the painting: "Brother, your great hatred has been avenged, you can rest assured and go to reincarnation."

Yao Niang glanced at Shen Linfeng and felt very strange again: "You said that the second uncle bribed the eunuchs around the third prince. These are secrets. Maybe the people around him would not know about it. How could Zhou Lingguang know about it?"

Shen Linfeng's eyes flashed.

**

Madam Shen Er followed Master Shen Er all the way back. She had never been so desperate before, so she complained to Shen Linfeng on the way: "If he really wanted to make an effort, he would let the Yan family, the Zhao family, and even Commander Liu say that this was a misunderstanding. How could we suffer such an unprovoked disaster?"

Elder Shen Er scolded: "Okay, you should also say less."

As the saying goes, a poor couple has many sorrows. The old man and his wife of the second branch of the Shen family were certainly not poor, but the second old man lost his official position, and his descendants were not allowed to enter the officialdom. Their own Bangyan would never have a chance to rise. How could Mrs. Shen not blame herself?

She even said, "When he first entered the Imperial Academy, the old man treated him better than his own son. What's the situation now? He talks nicely but doesn't really help. If we go back now, we still have to see what my eldest brother and his wife think. I have been humble to my eldest sister-in-law all my life, but now that I am old, I still have to beg for mercy."

Madam Shen was not convinced. What was so great about Han? She was brainless, stupid as a pig, and not kind-hearted. But she was just a little more fortunate than her. Other than that, she was nothing.

Compared to her, Wang was even more resentful. She had never thought that her father-in-law had suffered such a heavy crime only four years after she got married. Her husband would never achieve anything in his life, and she had to be tied to the sinking ship of the Shen family's second branch.

"Chunluo, I have to find an opportunity to leave." Wang said.

Chunluo said: "But the Marquis and his wife——"

Wang had originally listened to her mother and always put her husband first in everything. But now that she was in real trouble, no one from her natal family came to her aid. Instead, they took advantage of the situation and took away most of her dowry under the pretext of keeping it.

It can be seen that the reputation of being virtuous is all fake.

"We wait for the right opportunity, there is always a way out." Wang said, and then she looked at Chunluo and said, "Chunluo, I have something I want you to do for me."

Chunluo immediately said, "Please don't bother me. I don't know what's going on."

Wang smiled and said, "When we came here just now, the county magistrate of Wuxing didn't know what was going on in the capital, and he met us at the post house. I heard that he has no son. You are young and beautiful, and there are not many people in our house who are as pretty as you. If you go to serve him, I will personally arrange your marriage and prepare your dowry. I just hope you can help me get a divorce."

Chunluo stood on the ground in a daze.

Several people were complaining when they got home. After getting off the carriage, Mrs. Shen wanted to find Mrs. Shen to cry to, but she didn't expect to see Mr. and Mrs. Shen when she saw them. The couple looked at her viciously.

"Brother, sister-in-law, what are you doing..."

Madam Shen could no longer hold back and rushed forward: "Bi, you killed my brother Yi. I have waited so long for you."