Chapter 43 Please receive the imperial decree, Lord Marquis and General's wife.
Shen Qingci agreed and waited for the servant who came to inform her to leave before changing her clothes and applying powder to make her face look a little paler. Then she and Wanqing headed towards the main courtyard.
"Regarding what happened before, Liu Ruolan was in the wrong. The Marquis brought her back and immediately summoned you, Miss, so that Liu Ruolan would apologize to you, right?"
"Perhaps," Shen Qingci replied casually, but her mind was on something else: "Do you think Liu Ruolan's period has ended?"
Wan Qing was taken aback, but quickly understood what Shen Qingci meant.
She quickly calculated the time: "It should be past that time, right? The day I discovered her maid taking the soiled clothes to the laundry room, it must have been seven or eight days ago."
"Logically speaking, it should have been over in seven or eight days."
Shen Qingci nodded, her eyes sparkling: "That would be great!"
"Liu Ruolan's period had just ended, and she had just had a fight and went back to her parents' home. After they made up, she was brought back."
"Logically speaking, tonight should be a night of thunder and fire."
She lowered her voice slightly: "If Huo Yunzhan still can't deliver tonight..."
Wanqing immediately realized what was going on and laughed, "Then tonight will be quite a show."
Isn't this going to be a good show?
Shen Qingci's eyes curved into a smile. She had said it before, she would not let either Huo Yunzhan or Liu Ruolan go.
Shen Qingci entered the main courtyard, and before even reaching the main hall, she saw Huo Yunzhan sitting beside Liu Ruolan, speaking softly to her. Liu Ruolan pouted, seemingly still somewhat unwilling.
Shen Qingci raised an eyebrow; it seemed Wan Qing had indeed guessed correctly.
Huo Yunzhan probably managed to coax Liu Ruolan into apologizing to her.
Thinking this, Shen Qingci stepped inside.
Huo Yunzhan and Liu Ruolan heard footsteps and looked up at Shen Qingci.
That one glance made Shen Qingci notice something amiss; there was a hint of... smugness in Liu Ruolan's eyes.
Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes. What was she so smug about?
As she was thinking, Huo Yunzhan spoke up: "Sister-in-law is here?"
"I have a clear understanding of the entire cause and process of what happened in the past two days."
"There's no need to discuss the matter of you and your sister-in-law falling into the lake. You both have your own version of events, but neither of you has any concrete evidence to prove that the other was the one who did it."
"We can talk about what happened the next day."
"It must be that you deliberately said some ambiguous things to cause your sister-in-law to misunderstand and think that you and I have a secret relationship, which is why your sister-in-law suddenly made a move."
"This matter did indeed originate from you."
Huo Yunzhan avoided eye contact, barely daring to look at Shen Qingci: "But after all, we're family, and your sister-in-law isn't an unreasonable person. You just need to... apologize to her, and you can let it all go, as if nothing ever happened."
Shen Qingci couldn't help but laugh out of disgust. She finally understood why Liu Ruolan had that smug look on her face when she saw her earlier.
"It started because of me? In what way did it start because of me?"
Huo Yunzhan frowned, feeling a bit irritated. Why did Shen Qingci insist on getting to the bottom of things when an apology could have resolved everything?
What's the point of getting to the bottom of this?
"That morning, when I woke up, there were two handprints on my face. It was because your sister-in-law was sleeping and was bothered by mosquitoes. She tried to swat them but accidentally hit my face."
"I had already explained it to her at the time."
"But as soon as I went to my mother's, I heard you mention that dream."
"It just so happens to match the slap mark on my face. Your sister-in-law suspects that the person you saw that night wasn't Yun Zhan at all, but me. She suspects that I was standing by your bedside and that you hit me. She suspects that you and I were having an affair..."
"That's why she reacted so strongly and attacked you."
Huo Yunzhan frowned: "If you hadn't said that, if you hadn't brought up that dream, your sister-in-law wouldn't have misunderstood. Isn't that your fault? Shouldn't you apologize to your sister-in-law?"
Shen Qingci stared intently at Huo Yunzhan, unable to describe her feelings at that moment.
She never imagined that one day she would hear such words from Huo Yunzhan's mouth.
"Does Your Excellency find what you just said fair and just? Does it make sense?"
"It seems that this Marquis's mansion really can't tolerate me anymore. Just because I have no family to rely on and my husband has died, they can trample on and bully me at will."
Huo Yunzhan frowned: "How is what I said unreasonable? How is it unfair and unjust?"
Shen Qingci turned and left.
"Where are you going? You haven't apologized to your sister-in-law yet!" Huo Yunzhan immediately called out to her.
Shen Qingci stopped in her tracks, her face full of sarcasm: "This Marquis's mansion now belongs to the Marquis and his wife. The fact that the Marquis and his wife are here is the only right thing to do. Whether I am right or wrong, I am wrong here."
"So, I need to find a place where I can reason things out."
"I want to leave the mansion and enter the palace, knock on the Dengwen Drum at the palace gate, go up to the Golden Hall, and ask His Majesty and all the civil and military officials whether this is the truth of the matter."
Huo Yunzhan's expression grew increasingly grim: "Striking the petition drum? Are you crazy?"
"Do you know that if you strike the petition drum without asking why, you will first be given thirty strokes of the cane?"
"Besides, this is just a small family matter, why are you making a scene in the imperial palace?"
Shen Qingci turned to look at him: "I don't think this is a trivial matter."
"Today, I must apologize to someone who is clearly the perpetrator for a fabricated charge."
"If I give in, tomorrow, she might kill me, and you'll have to make me get up and thank her for killing me."
"As for thirty strokes of the cane?"
Shen Qingci scoffed: "Compared to being slandered, framed, or killed without a clear reason, what are thirty strokes of the cane?"
After Shen Qingci finished speaking, he lifted his foot and continued walking out.
"Stop right there!"
Huo Yunzhan shouted sharply, took two quick steps, and was about to pull Shen Qingci away, but Shen Qingci dodged him.
"My lord, men and women should not touch each other. Please have some self-respect."
"I only had a dream, and I mentioned it casually to my mother. My sister-in-law is already misunderstanding it. If the Marquis were to touch the hem of my clothes now, wouldn't she think we've already done something intimate?"
Enraged, Huo Yunzhan shouted, "Stop her!"
He could never let her leave the manor, let alone enter the palace!
Prime Minister Liu has agreed and will do everything he can to secure the position of Grand Master of the Palace for him. News should be forthcoming soon. He will not allow the Marquis's mansion or his reputation to suffer any damage at this crucial time.
Shen Qingci can't go anywhere. At worst, he can just have her tied up and locked up!
He did all of this for the sake of the Marquis's mansion.
At the same time, it was also for her future wealth and glory.
Presumably, she will understand in time.
It's just a matter of suffering some injustice. Who can get everything without suffering some injustice?
Once you've achieved wealth and status, looking back at all those grievances, you'll realize they were nothing to worry about.
Just as the servants were about to take action, the steward rushed in: "My lord! My lady! An imperial edict has arrived from the palace! You are summoned to the front courtyard immediately to receive the edict!"
Liu Ruolan's expression changed, and her brows furrowed: "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Who should receive the imperial decree?"
"The Marquis and the General's wife! That's right, that's what the eunuch from the palace said."
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