Grandma Pei rushed to Pei Wuwang's bedside, slapping her thigh and wailing, "My dear grandson! It's all Grandma's fault for not protecting you properly, causing you so much suffering! Grandma's heart aches!"
She cried with tears and snot streaming down her face, looking deeply moved. An unsuspecting person might actually be fooled by her.
Shen Qingtang stood aside with her arms crossed and said coldly, "Since you care so much about him, why don't you take care of him yourself? Serving him water and medicine, washing his body, that would show your love as his grandmother."
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Old Lady Pei, who was fair and plump, clearly well-cared for and pampered throughout the journey, showing no trace of the hardship of exile.
Grandma Pei was taken aback by these words, her crying stopped abruptly, and she stood there stunned, her eyes filled with panic.
Shen Qingtang's eyes narrowed slightly, the killer's aura she had sensed earlier becoming increasingly obvious.
It was vaguely visible near the ruined temple.
While Old Lady Pei appeared to be crying, she kept glancing out of the corner of her eye towards the outside of the temple.
The malice hidden in her eyes was impossible to conceal; she wasn't showing any affection for her grandson, she was clearly waiting for the assassin to make his move!
"I...I really feel sorry for Wuwang!"
Grandma Pei realized what was happening and started crying again, trying to hide her panic, "But I'm old and my hands and feet aren't as nimble as they used to be, how can I take care of people..."
"Exactly! Shen Qingtang, you're too wicked!" Father Pei immediately chimed in, "Mother is so old, how can you force her to serve others?"
Uncle Pei also chimed in, criticizing Shen Qingtang for being heartless.
"Shut up, all of you!" the head constable roared impatiently, slamming his whip on the ground. "What's all the noise about? If you keep making noise, get out of here!"
Having been intimidated by Shen Qingtang before and having benefited from the bear meat, the head constable is now clearly biased towards Shen Qingtang.
How could we allow the Pei family to cause trouble again?
Mr. Pei and his second uncle were so frightened that they immediately shut up, and even Old Mrs. Pei dared not cry out anymore.
Shen Qingtang ignored them and turned to leave the dilapidated temple. She surveyed the nearby snowfield and soon found a patch of taro leaves protruding from a sheltered earthen slope.
There were many plump taro roots hidden in the snow. She dug up more than a dozen taro roots, and then set a trap in the woods, catching two pheasants and a wild rabbit.
Back at the dilapidated temple, Shen Qingtang first peeled the taro, cut it into chunks, and stewed it with the remaining bear meat soup. Then she set up a grill over the fire.
Skewer the cleaned pheasant and rabbit on top and brush them with a sauce made of honey and spices.
As the heat intensifies, the aroma of stewed taro wafts out first. The soft and glutinous taro absorbs the savory flavor of the bear meat and melts in your mouth.
The golden-brown roasted pheasants and rabbits had crispy skins, and the sizzling fat dripped onto the fire, releasing a meaty aroma mixed with the sweet scent of honey.
The aroma permeated the entire dilapidated temple, making everyone's mouth water.
Pei Nian'an leaned close to the grill, sniffing incessantly with her little nose, her eyes sparkling: "Auntie, it smells so good!"
Shen Qingtang smiled and gave him a freshly roasted rabbit leg: "Be careful, it's hot, eat slowly."
They then distributed some to Shen's parents, Qin Xian and his daughter, and Su Xiuniang's family, before finally handing the rest to the officials.
Lu Jin, Lin Peirou, and the Pei family looked at the dry rations in their hands.
The aroma wafting from the dilapidated temple made his face turn extremely pale.
But they didn't even have the courage to complain.
They dared not provoke Shen Qingtang again, much less offend the officials protecting her.
Grandpa Shen sat in the corner, holding a bowl of warm taro soup in his hands.
His gaze never left Old Lady Pei.
He'd lived most of his life; what kind of people hadn't he seen? Look at Old Lady Pei's hypocritical act.
In his eyes, he was no different from a clown, clearly harboring evil intentions while pretending to be kind and benevolent.
Just as Old Lady Pei was about to get close to Pei Wuwang and pretend to be something she didn't know, she was about to leave.
Old Master Shen suddenly let out a heavy, cold snort. The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire dilapidated temple.
“Old Madam Wu,” he looked up at Old Madam Pei, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm, “Back in the capital, who didn’t praise your virtue, Old Madam Pei? They said you treated Madam Qin and Madam Qin like mother and daughter, and were kind to the servants in the mansion. But do you really think no one knows about the sordid things hidden inside?”
The smile on Grandma Pei's face froze instantly.
Her eyes darted nervously to Old Master Shen: "Old Master Shen, what...what do you mean? I don't understand..."
"Don't understand?" Old Master Shen put down his bowl and sneered, "Back then, to secure your position as the principal wife, you mistreated the concubines in the mansion, secretly drowning Concubine Li's newborn son in the lotus pond, only to tell Master Pei that the child had died young. When Concubine Wang was pregnant, you gave her a bowl of 'pregnancy-stabilizing medicine,' causing her to miscarry and suffer from lifelong infertility. Do you dare say you didn't do all these things?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the pale-faced Madam Qin and Madam Qin.
She continued, "You pretend to be virtuous in front of your husband and loving in front of your children, but everyone in the capital with even a little influence knows about the wicked things you do behind the scenes. Now that he's fallen on hard times, instead of protecting him, you're colluding with outsiders, hoping for his death. Your reputation for 'virtue' is truly built on the blood of others!"
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing through Old Lady Pei's disguise.
She staggered back two steps, pointed at Old Master Shen, and said in a trembling voice, "You...you're talking nonsense! You're slandering me!"
But her panic and paleness had already betrayed her. Those around her were watching Old Lady Pei.
Her eyes were filled with shock and disdain. Who would have thought that this seemingly kind old woman was actually a vicious woman with blood on her hands!
The elder and younger Qin women kept their heads down, their fingers clenched tightly, clearly knowing some inside information but daring not to speak.
Pei's father and second uncle turned ashen-faced. They wanted to defend Pei's mother, but were silenced by a sharp glare from Old Master Shen.
Grandpa Shen picked up the taro soup.
He took a sip, his tone calm yet authoritative: "Stop pretending in front of me. I don't mind exposing all the dirty deeds of your Pei family, so everyone can see the true character of your Pei family!"
Grandma Pei trembled all over, losing all her previous confidence, and could only bite her lip tightly.
She dared not speak again. What she feared most was that these old stories would be brought up again, ruining the virtuous reputation she had cultivated her whole life.
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