Chapter 78 Harmony
Shen Wan finished speaking viciously and prepared to leave. When she reached the screen, she was still unwilling to give up and turned around to continue looking, as if Xie Jingyu didn't exist.
Xie Jingyu just soaked in the bathtub, watching Chen Wan rummaging around, searching very seriously.
She even dared to threaten her elder brother to help her ruin the marriage. If she had any questions, she couldn't ask her elder brother, but came here to look for it secretly.
The more carefully Shen Wan searched, the more curious Xie Jingyu became.
Even the places they were looking for were not satisfactory to Xie Jingyu. It was obvious that they were not looking for things in places where they could hide things, but were looking back and forth in places where they could not hide things. It would be strange if they could find anything.
Xie Jingyu couldn't help but said, "See if there is anything under the bed."
How could there be something under the bed?
Shen Wan glanced at Xie Jingyu, squatted down, and looked under the bed, almost sticking his head in.
Xie Jingyu, “…”
Raise your hand to support your forehead.
Xie Jingyu said weakly, "Lift up the quilt and see if there is any interlayer on the bed."
Shen Wan, “…”
Chen Wan, lying on the ground, felt his face burning hot.
Can't this bastard just speak more clearly?
She quickly got up from the ground and lifted the quilt. Sure enough, there was a plywood on the bed, but it was located near the inner room and could not be seen unless you looked carefully.
Shen Wan had a hunch that there must be something she wanted inside.
Shen Wan couldn't wait to open the bed board, and sure enough, the painting she had been looking for for a long time was inside.
If Xie Jingyu hadn't taught her, she would never have found it.
Shen Wan picked up the painting and unfolded it.
It was the portrait in the previous life that caused such a huge quarrel between Qu Yan and her elder brother.
There is also no painted face.
But except for the face, everything else is there.
Shen Wan's eyes fell on the jewelry of the woman in the portrait. One of the hairpins looked very familiar to her.
She had definitely seen this hairpin before, but she just couldn't remember where it was at the moment.
But that's normal. The girl that my eldest brother likes must be a lady from a noble family in Kyoto. It's not surprising that she has met him before.
She will definitely remember it, and if she can't remember it, she can still find out.
Shen Wan looked at the portrait carefully, then put it back and restored the bed to its original state.
When she got off the bed, she saw Xie Jingyu staring at her without blinking. Shen Wan was really not used to being stared at like that, especially by someone who was naked in a bathtub.
Afraid that the servant would come back, Shen Wan hurried to leave, and Xie Jingyu said, "Pour me a cup of tea."
This man really treated her like a maid.
Considering that she was able to uncover her eldest brother's secret due to his help, she should pour him a cup of tea as a thank you gift.
Shen Wan went over and poured Xie Jingyu a cup of tea. Xie Jingyu took it and Shen Wan quickly left.
But because of the short delay of pouring tea, Shen Wan couldn't get out. As soon as she reached the door, she heard the voices of her elder brother and the servant talking. Shen Wan immediately turned around like a headless fly and finally hid under the bed.
Chen Li pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Xie Jingyu still soaking in the tub, he said, "He's not done yet. He just sweated a little. It shouldn't take that long."
"Do you want me, your uncle, to rub your back?"
Xie Jingyu, “…”
These two siblings are really enough.
Xie Jingyu said weakly, "You go out first, I'll get up right away."
Chen Li raised his eyebrows and said, "I didn't see you being so reserved when a group of people were taking a hot spring bath."
But despite saying this, Chen Li still went out.
Chen Wan lay under the bed, wanting to die. Why was he so unlucky? How long would he have to hide under the bed before he could get out?
Although he couldn't see anything, Shen Wan still closed his eyes tightly.
Xie Jingyu changed into his brocade robe and went out. After making sure they had left, Shen Wan quickly got up from under the bed and left in a hurry.
Shanhu was waiting anxiously under the tree. When she saw Chen Wan coming out, Shanhu said, "The girl is finally out."
Shen Wan said, "In the mansion, are you still worried about me getting into trouble?"
There is no need to worry about anything happening to the girl, but it would be unacceptable to be caught stealing the prince's things.
Fortunately, no one was discovered.
Back at Mingyue Garden, Chen Wan was very thirsty and went straight back to the house. Yinchuan poured tea for Chen Wan and said, "The fourth lady was punished by the second lady to kneel in the ancestral hall."
Before Shen Wan could speak, Shanhu asked, "What happened to the fourth lady?"
Yin Chuan said, "The fourth lady went to pay her respects to the Second Madam and accidentally bumped into a maid, breaking the Second Madam's favorite porcelain vase..."
Shen Ti was sent back to the second room. For so many days, everything was calm, and Shen Wan was quite disappointed. Now there is finally something exciting to watch.
Although Shen Ti often bumped into people before, got into trouble, and asked her parents to help clean up the mess, that was all instigated by Shen Wu behind the scenes. Shen Ti knew very well that the Second Madam disliked her, and going to pay her respects to the Second Madam would only make her more cautious. Shen Wan didn't believe that Shen Ti would make such a low-level mistake and bump into the Second Madam.
It would be easy for the Second Madam to control Shen Ti. There has been no movement for so many days, so it must be that the Old Madam is trying to warn her.
The action today should be about the betrothal gift. The public treasury only contributed 18,000 taels, leaving a shortfall of 12,000 taels. The Second Lady was unwilling to pay, as although it was for her daughter-in-law, it would be better to keep it in her own hands than to give it to anyone else.
The Second Master had a concubine and an illegitimate child, which made her lose all face. The Old Lady also asked her to treat Chen Ti well. The Second Lady was holding back her anger. This happened to happen today. It was obvious that she wanted to control Chen Ti in order to make the Second Master and the Old Lady pay the money.
As long as the money is not paid by the public, the rest of the money will be just for spectators.
In the end, the old lady still approached Shen Ji and asked him to pay more for the betrothal gifts, but she did not dare to ask for as much as Yun did and asked him to pay 20,000 taels. However, Shen Ji did not agree to the extra 2,000 taels.
The public treasury belongs to everyone. The second young master has an extra two thousand taels for his wedding. Shouldn't the other young masters in the mansion also have to pay the same amount when they get married? Family rules are not just for show. Once they are set, they should be followed without exception.
Shen Ti was punished, but the punishment didn't last long and she was released in the evening.
Yin Chuan reported to Chen Wan, "Aunt Mei compensated the Second Madam for the loss of the porcelain vase..."
But it’s impossible for Shen Ti to receive the compensation so quickly.
The old lady must have said something.
As expected, news soon spread that the old lady had given the second lady three thousand taels, but could three thousand taels be enough to get rid of the second lady? Shen Wan expressed doubts.
Yinchuan whispered, "Fourth Madam is very unhappy..."
It's normal for the Fourth Lady to be unhappy.
The Fourth Lady was somewhat dissatisfied with the public funds, but was suppressed by the Old Lady and dared not speak out. Her reputation was ruined and her son was implicated. The Fourth Lady already had some complaints.
If the second wife feels that the eldest daughter has been wronged, she will have no say in any matter of compensation. The old lady should not use her own money to make up for it. It is only right for the old lady to give something to her grandson as he gets married and starts a family, but it is obvious that these three thousand taels are extra and are not included in the gift list.
But Yinchuan didn't understand, "The old lady can give it to the second lady secretly."
Chen Wan laughed. The three thousand taels were for the Fourth Madam to see. After living under the same roof for so many years, how could the Fourth Madam not understand the Second Madam? She could see that the Second Madam was controlling Shen Ti because she was targeting the Old Madam, let alone the Fourth Madam.
The old lady didn't say that the second lady would not let Shen Ti off easily.
If I give it privately, the Fourth Lady might guess how much I gave.
The palms and backs of the hands are all made of flesh and blood, and one must treat everything equally. The old lady should give the same amount to the fourth wife as she gives to the second wife, otherwise there will be conflicts between the sisters-in-law and discord between the brothers.
The old lady gave three thousand taels to the second wife openly, and then gave three thousand taels to the fourth wife in private. In the eyes of the fourth wife, even if the old lady was not partial to the fourth wife, at least she treated them equally and would not make a fuss again.
The old lady gave another one to the second lady. The second lady knew that she had taken advantage of her, so she would stop while she was ahead and let Shen Ti go.
It is really not easy to maintain harmony among brothers.
After Shen Wan was moved, he turned around and told the Fourth Madam about this.
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