Chapter 216 Conscience
Shen Yuanzhu did not answer, but slowly walked into the room and looked Jiang Wansu up and down.
Upon seeing this, Luo walked to the official's hat chair inside the room and dusted it off.
Shen Yuanzhu sat down and quietly looked at Jiang Wansu.
In a short while, Jiang Wansu's face gradually flushed red, and she pursed her lips, stubbornly remaining silent.
Madam Luo said, "The eldest young mistress is probably forgetful due to her pregnancy and can't remember what happened a couple of days ago. That day, Young Master Xie gave our son-in-law a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver, and he then passed it on to our young lady."
"When the young lady saw the silver, she thanked the young master profusely, but she didn't lack the money to buy flowers, so she had the old servant return it to her."
"It was these two people in the courtyard that day..."
Luo gestured with her chin towards Zitang and Xueqing.
"These two young ladies led me into the courtyard; I suppose they still remember me."
After saying that, Madam Luo glanced at the two of them with a half-smile, and then said, "But it doesn't matter if you forget. The Xie family courtyard is so big, there should be quite a few people who saw me that day, carrying a wooden box to Tiqi Courtyard."
“We’ve questioned everyone in the Xie family, so there’s bound to be someone who can testify for me.”
Shen Yuanzhu sat in the chair and said calmly, "That makes sense. Nanny, I'd like to trouble you to go with Miss Zitang and Miss Xueqing to inquire about the various courtyards of the Xie family."
"Although I believe you, the excuse that the three of them—the mistress and servants of Tiqiyuan—forgot about something together doesn't hold water. It's better to ask them more carefully."
"I don't believe you would embezzle such a small amount of silver, but young mistress..."
Shen Yuanzhu paused, then looked up at Jiang Wansu, whose face was flushed.
"The eldest young mistress shouldn't be tempted by a few hundred taels of silver and keep it herself."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wansu's expression changed: "What do you mean by that?"
Shen Yuanzhu said, "It means that the eldest young mistress wouldn't be greedy for that little bit of money."
Xie Xuchuan could see through Jiang Wansu and Zitang's expressions and reactions; the silver had clearly been returned that very day, just as Yuanzhu had said.
Xie Xuchuan felt ashamed of his falling out with Jiang Wansu and the fact that he had dragged Shen Yuanzhu into it.
He himself had given Xie Qi a small amount of silver, and now that Xie Qi had returned it long ago, he was going to his door demanding it back...
For a moment, Xie Xuchuan felt dizzy and wondered what Yuanzhu was thinking about him.
"Yuanzhu, I'm sorry."
Xie Xuchuan said, "I've been busy with family matters these past few days. Wansu told me about Luo Mama returning the money that very day. It was me..."
He forced a smile, suppressing the sob in his voice, and said, "I was so busy that I forgot about it, which made you come all this way today."
Shen Yuanzhu asked, "So you've remembered now?"
"I remember now."
Shen Yuanzhu then turned to look at Jiang Wansu.
Jiang Wansu bit her lip and spoke after a long while: "This was originally a matter between my husband and me, but Caihuan took it upon herself to go to you."
"Is the young mistress remembering the wet nurse who personally handed you the silver that day?"
Unexpectedly, Shen Yuanzhu was so persistent, so Jiang Wansu could only nod in agreement, even though she was unwilling.
"Since it was all a misunderstanding, it's best to talk it out and explain it."
After saying this, Shen Yuanzhu got up and walked out, with Caihuan following behind to see her off.
From afar, Shen Yuanzhu heard Jiang Wansu sobbing, "We are husband and wife, why can't I accept your money..."
Upon hearing this, Luo clicked her tongue twice and then left.
Looking at that familiar figure, Xie Xuchuan realized that he and Yuanzhu had become so estranged that they would probably never cross paths again in this lifetime.
For some reason, the image of Yuanzhu waiting for him under the eaves of the Shen family's house on the day he returned from Huizhou flashed into his mind.
At that time, she was wearing a peach-colored short jacket and dress, which attracted a lot of attention even from afar.
Worried that he might have a long and tiring journey, Yuanzhu prepared some snacks for him.
After that day, he and Yuanzhu drifted further and further apart, but only now does he belatedly realize just how wrong everything he did was.
Behind her, Jiang Wansu was still sobbing softly, while Shen Yuanzhu's figure completely disappeared from sight.
Xie Xuchuan suddenly spoke up: "Wan Su..."
Jiang Wansu looked up, and Xie Xuchuan turned around and said, "We were never husband and wife, so you know why we got married."
"When I sent Yulin to sea, my intention was for him to make a name for himself abroad, so that he would have the confidence to marry you..."
Hearing this, Jiang Wansu felt a chill run down her spine.
"What do you mean?"
Xie Xuchuan said, “My intentions were good, but I did something wrong, causing Yulin to die tragically at sea. This was my recklessness, and I should bear the responsibility for taking a life.”
"When I said I would give half of the Xie family's assets to Yu Lin's son, I was sincere and never thought of going back on my word."
He tilted his head slightly, suppressing the bitterness in his heart: "I have already paid a lot for this, but the Xie family's misfortune was an accident, and the loss of their property was something no one could have predicted."
"I have done everything I can. If you ask for anything more, I can't do it."
Jiang Wansu's face was deathly pale, and Zitang and Xueqing's faces were also very unpleasant.
Xueqing glanced at Zitang furtively, her eyes filled with anxiety.
The Jiang family has completely declined and has even moved away from Suzhou Prefecture.
Even if the Jiang family still existed, her young lady would have no maternal clan to rely on.
If Xie Xuchuan abandons them now, what will become of these three frail women?
What's more, her daughter is pregnant.
Zi Tang's eyes were filled with disappointment.
She had advised Jiang Wansu many times that she must win over Xie Xuchuan.
Even though the Xie family declined, it was only because they lost their craftsmen; their previously accumulated wealth did not decrease.
As long as their young mistress secures her position as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xie family, they, mistress and servant, will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives.
But she didn't understand why her young mistress always regarded Xie Xuchuan as her husband's murderer.
Even if Jiang Wansu were short of money, she wouldn't care about a few hundred taels of silver. The reason she would do this is simply...
They just wanted to make Xie Xuchuan suffer and torment him little by little.
Now things are fine, her young lady has finally gotten what she wanted...
Zi Tang's jaw was clenched, her mind agitated.
Jiang Wansu never expected Xie Xuchuan to say such a thing.
After a long silence, she shed tears and sneered, "I knew you were just pretending. Saying you wanted to make it up to Yu Lin was just a way to comfort yourself."
"You keep saying how close you are to Yu Lin, but in reality, you still treat him like a servant?"
“If it weren’t for your meddling, how could Yu Lin have died so tragically? How could I have lost my husband and been forced to submit to you?”
"Back then, you patted your chest and promised to take care of my and Yulin's child for the rest of your life. It's only been less than half a year, and you can't keep up the act anymore?"
Jiang Wansu laughed and cried at the same time: "It's all thanks to Yu Lin for treating you like a brother and doing so many things for you. Xie Xuchuan, do you have any conscience at all?"
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