The whole family was stunned, especially Grandpa Shen.
My eyes widened as I stared at the bubbling red oil in the pot and the novel ingredients.
"What...what kind of way is this to eat it?" Mother Shen asked curiously.
"This is called hot pot, it's delicious." Shen Qingtang picked up a slice of mutton roll.
After swishing it in the pot a few times, I rolled it up with the dipping sauce and held it to Grandpa's lips. "Grandpa, please try it."
Grandpa Shen opened his mouth and ate it; the scalding hot and spicy flavor exploded on his tongue.
He immediately beamed with joy: "Great! Great! What kind of hot pot is this? It's absolutely amazing! My granddaughter is truly incredible!"
He ate with great relish, praising the food as he ate, just like a child who had received candy.
Shen's father, mother, and two older brothers also learned to eat hot pot.
They were quickly won over by the novel flavor. The whole family gathered around the pot, the steam rising, the warm atmosphere almost bringing Shen Qingtang to tears.
After finishing the hot pot.
Shen Qingtang stood up to leave. Old Master Shen watched her.
He suddenly smiled, his eyes filled with knowing understanding: "Go do whatever you want. Your grandfather, your parents, and your brothers are all here waiting for you."
Shen Qingtang felt a surge of warmth in her heart, nodded, and turned to disappear into the night.
Not long after she left, Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen, and her two older brothers surrounded Mr. Shen, their faces full of anxiety.
"Father, what exactly is going on?" Father Shen frowned. "Qingtang suddenly came back, said she wanted to disband the manor, and took out so many things... Also, I've already reported to the authorities that valuables were stolen from the house, but now it seems..."
Old Master Shen sighed, and the smile on his face faded.
His eyes darkened: "Reporting to the authorities is useless. Our Duke of Dingguo's mansion has long since offended that dog of an emperor."
His tone was full of gloom: "Back then, I followed the late emperor to conquer the country, and my achievements overshadowed the emperor. After the dog emperor ascended the throne, he never trusted our family. Now he favors Consort Chen, whose family has a grudge against us. They have long wanted to find a reason to deal with us. Qing Tang's actions today are probably something she had already anticipated."
"Then...then what do we do?" Mother Shen's voice trembled.
What else can we do?
Looking at his children, tears welled up in Old Master Shen's eyes. "It's my fault. I couldn't protect you, I couldn't protect the Shen family..."
"Father! Please don't say that!" Shen Mingzhao quickly interrupted him, "We are family, we share happiness and hardship! Even if that day really comes, we will be with you!"
Shen Minglan nodded in agreement: "That's right! Big brother is right! When has our Shen family ever been afraid of trouble? If Grandpa was able to build this family business back then, we can protect it!"
Father Shen also said in a deep voice, "Father, the children are right. Our family is of one mind, and there is no obstacle we cannot overcome."
Grandpa Shen looked at his united family.
Her eyes welled up with tears, but she forced them back and straightened her back again: "Good! What a family! It seems that the fate of our Shen family is not yet over!"
The news that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion had reported to the authorities spread quickly.
The Prefect of the Capital, who was in charge of maintaining order in the capital, personally led a group to investigate.
He had just arrived at the gate of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion when he heard that the Marquis of Yongning's mansion had also reported a case—not only had four maids died, but the mansion's storeroom had also been looted, and Marquis Lu Jin was so angry that he was smashing things in the mansion.
These two major cases occurred in succession.
This gave the Prefect of the Capital a real headache, and he was trying to figure out if there was any connection between them.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Shen Qingtang teleported to the shop of the Marquis of Yongning's residence once again.
Without any hesitation, she put everything into her spatial storage with a thought.
They even took the few jars of pickled vegetables in the corner.
After doing all this, she quietly returned to her Qingzhi Courtyard.
I had just sat down and taken a sip of tea when I heard a series of ghostly wails coming from outside.
"My lord! Something terrible has happened! All the grain shops, silk stores... all the shops outside the city are completely empty! Not even a single account book is left!"
"My God! What's going on? Have we been robbed or are we possessed by an evil spirit?"
Shen Qingtang looked through the window lattice.
One can imagine how distorted Lu Jin's handsome face must be right now.
Sure enough, the next second came his low growl, suppressing his anger, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Investigate! Investigate to the death! Dig three feet into the ground and find it!"
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