Chapter 17
Ever since Shen Qingnian started embroidering, Shen Zheng has frequently visited her, and he always marvels at her embroidery.
Once this embroidery is sent out, the position of Crown Princess will be a sure thing!
Shen Zheng was thrilled and became even more attentive to Shen Qingnian, sending exquisite jewelry and luxurious clothes to her boudoir in a continuous stream.
The food was also very exquisite, with bird's nest every day and abalone at every meal. As a result, Shen Qingnian's complexion improved, and her skin looked as if it could be squeezed to release water.
They were just waiting for the Crown Prince's birthday to arrive in ten days.
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On the fifth day after Shen Qingnian began embroidering, Madam Shen arrived with her entourage.
The room was filled with gold thread. The girl was dressed in plain clothes, her slender fingers flying as she was intently embroidering a scroll. Her delicate white fingertips were wrapped in a layer of white cloth, through which one could vaguely see specks of crimson.
A faint jasmine fragrance filled the room, and Madam Shen felt that the girl embroidering seemed to be surrounded by a halo, making her look like a fairy.
Shen Qingnian noticed Madam Shen's arrival, but she did not stop what she was doing. She continued to embroider with her head down. The scroll was already half completed, and the skill of the embroiderer was evident.
Madam Shen's face was filled with amazement, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "It truly is double-sided embroidery..."
This is the highest level of embroidery, and even the palace embroiderers cannot embroider it. She never expected that Shen Qingnian would have such skill.
Shen Qingnian looked up from the embroidery and said in a calm tone, "Madam."
The two had a deep friendship in public, but they kept to themselves at home. This was the first time Madam Shen had come over in several months.
There weren't many women in the Shen family's inner quarters, partly because Shen Zheng wasn't interested in women, and partly because of this Madam Shen.
Madam Shen looked at the embroidery that Shen Qingnian had put down, her eyes bright and sharp: "Qingnian's skills are truly excellent. I've heard that Her Majesty the Empress loves double-sided embroidery the most, but this skill has been lost for a long time. I didn't know that Qingnian was so skilled."
Aunt Liu was Madam Shen's foot-washing maid. When Aunt Liu caught the eye of Shen Zheng, Madam Shen smashed quite a few things in the room.
Shen Zheng did not pay much attention to the affairs of the inner quarters. Although Aunt Liu was promoted to the rank of concubine, she still had to wash Madam Shen's feet every day and suffered a lot of torment.
It wasn't until Aunt Liu became pregnant that Shen Zheng spoke up, allowing Aunt Liu to move to another courtyard so that she wouldn't have to contact Madam Shen.
After Shen Qingnian was born, Shen Zheng stepped in to make Madam Shen behave herself, and Aunt Liu was much better off. However, she had suffered too much hardship before, and her body was ruined, making her very weak.
"You flatter me, Madam," Shen Qingnian said in a calm tone, without even getting up to bow.
A hint of displeasure flashed in Madam Shen's eyes. The old nanny beside her stepped forward and scolded, "Although our madam dotes on Miss, Miss should not take advantage of this favor and act arrogantly. She doesn't even show any courtesy to Madam."
“Qingnian, although the master has high hopes for you, you must still respect the mistress of the Shen family and come to my room to pay your respects every day,” Madam Shen said with a cold look in her eyes.
These days, the master's gifts have been flowing in like a river, and they are even better than the things in her room, which makes her very unhappy.
As long as Shen Qingnian is not married, she must abide by the rules of the Shen family. Although the master had previously told her to cooperate with Shen Qingnian.
But the other party is becoming increasingly arrogant, so she should step forward and exercise appropriate restraint.
With few male heirs remaining in the Shen family, only Shen Qingnian and her son were left. If there hadn't been no other choice, the master wouldn't have chosen Shen Qingnian, his illegitimate daughter...
Shen Qingnian glanced at the spot where Xiaoju had just stood, which was now empty. She smiled and said, "Father said that I only need to do what I should do, and Mother should cooperate with me."
"How dare you! Who gave you permission to speak to the madam like that!" the nanny shouted angrily.
After she finished speaking, the maidservant beside Madam Shen stepped forward and lifted Shen Qingnian up.
Madam Shen sneered: "You are a daughter of the Shen family, and now you are raised under my name. Concubine Liu comes from a lowly background, so I should teach you properly."
If it weren't for the master, not only would Shen Qingnian be gone, but even Aunt Liu wouldn't be alive today.
However, Aunt Liu soon passed away as well...
Even though she was being held down by the maid, Shen Qingnian's expression remained indifferent: "Madam, you should think this through. The Crown Prince's birthday is not far off. If you punish me now, it may delay Father's grand plan."
"Heh, don't try to pressure me with the Crown Prince's birthday. You still have ten days or so. Ten days is enough for you to reflect on your actions," Madam Shen sneered, unable to bear Shen Qingnian's behavior.
She came today to teach Shen Qingnian a lesson.
Madam Shen raised her hand and slapped Shen Qingnian hard across the face, the crisp sound echoing in the room.
Shen Qingnian felt her face burning. Her expression didn't change, but her eyes were filled with coldness.
The maid holding her down tried to force her to kneel, but she pursed her lips and struggled fiercely. In the struggle, the maid fell onto the embroidery next to her.
Seeing that things were going badly, Madam Shen quickly told the maid beside her to move the embroidery aside, but it was too late. The unfinished embroidery was pushed to the ground by the maids and became a mess.
Amidst Madam Shen's exclamation, Xiao Ju led Shen Zheng in.
"Master..." Madam Shen looked at Shen Zheng who ran in, and her legs went weak with fright, and she could hardly stand up.
Looking at the mess on the ground, Shen Zheng was momentarily stunned.
"Father, the Crown Prince's birthday is in ten days, what should we do..." Shen Qingnian, who was lying on the ground, seemed to be in great grief, with bright red finger marks on his face.
Her plain white clothes were stained with dust, and her hair was disheveled, making her look quite pitiful. Madam Shen, on the other hand, was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had exquisite makeup.
"You bitch, how dare you ruin my plans!" Shen Zheng's eyes were bloodshot as he raised his foot and kicked Madam Shen hard in the abdomen.
Madam Shen was kicked to the ground, clutching her throbbing stomach in shock.
"Lock this slut back in the courtyard and confine her to her quarters!"
Madam Shen was dragged away, and the servants she brought with her also knelt on the ground.
Shen Qingnian was helped up by Xiaoju.
Xiaoju's tone was extremely anxious: "The Crown Prince's birthday is in a few days, and now the embroidery has been destroyed by the Madam. What are we going to do? We don't even know if Miss's face will ever recover..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zheng became even angrier.
He looked at the servants kneeling on the ground and asked coldly, "Who were the ones who attacked just now?"
Madam Shen's personal maids, as well as the old nanny from earlier, kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Master, spare our lives! Master, spare our lives!"
"Drag them all away and sell them off, and give the rest twenty lashes each!" Shen Zheng gritted his teeth.
He had planned for so long, but that bitch ruined it all. He wanted nothing more than to tear her to pieces.
Upon hearing Shen Zheng's verdict, the room erupted in wails, but the servants quickly gagged them and dragged them away.
Shen Qingnian sat on the stool, her eyes lowered the entire time, and only after all the servants had been cleared away did she obediently speak:
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