Unexpectedly, Shen Youying, who looked so gentle and weak, was actually quite sharp-tongued. Xu Shi was speechless for a long time before she finally found the words to say: "A vixen like you dares to shout like that? I am the wife of the governor of Xizhou. You see me and do not bow, yet you dare to offend me with your words. Do you want to go to jail?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Youying frowned even more. It was one thing for Madam Xu to be arrogant and domineering, but for her to keep talking about going to jail meant that she clearly had powerful backers.
"Which article of the Great Wei law stipulates that not recognizing an official's family member or failing to pay respects to them should result in imprisonment? And you say that Xizhou doesn't follow the law of the land, but only the 'family law' of the governor?"
Xu Shi's face was contorted with rage after being repeatedly contradicted by her. She grinned through her teeth and laughed, "You really are asking for trouble." She turned to her strong and powerful mother beside her and ordered, "Go, take her back to the governor's mansion! I'll teach her a lesson."
Madam Xu was used to being domineering and would act recklessly when she got angry. But the matron wasn't stupid. She hesitated and whispered a reminder: "The master only ordered us to keep an eye on her and find out more. She is, after all, the King of Qin's woman and is pregnant. If we take her back, we might offend the King of Qin, and the master will be angry too."
No matter how arrogant Xu was, she still cared about her husband. After hearing her reminder, she hesitated for a long time before saying, "Let that person go. Just take back the three bolts of celestial silk brocade. If I don't get my revenge today, I'll be unworthy of the surname Xu!"
Upon hearing this, the mother had no choice but to signal one of her maids to close the door. She then led two other maids forward and said aggressively, "Please hand over the fabric, Madam, or we're afraid we won't let you leave this room."
Shen Youying had learned a lot about Xu's arrogance, and she was no longer angry, but just found it absurd.
She ignored Madam Xu and said to the guards who were following her, "Let's go back to the manor. We'll come back another day."
Seeing that her enjoyment of the outing had been ruined, Bai Luo glared at Xu Shi fiercely and said, "What bad luck!"
Seeing that they were about to leave as if no one else was there, Xu became even more furious and shouted, "Stop them!"
Knowing her temper, the mother and maid rushed forward to stop her, but before they could even get close, three long swords were drawn and placed against their necks.
The guards were all elites selected by Xue Shen, ordered to protect Shen Youying closely. No matter who the other party was, anyone who dared to threaten Shen Youying's safety would be killed without exception.
The three long, gleaming, and cold blades were held against the three men's necks, drawing blood instantly. Crimson blood dripped from the blades, and the elderly mother, seeing the blood dripping onto the ground, was so frightened that her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
The two maids knelt down tremblingly, like quails.
Only Xu, though outwardly fierce, shouted defiantly, "How dare you lay a hand on the families of officials!"
Shen Youying ignored her. The guard opened the door, and she calmly left with Bai Luo and Liu Yun.
Seeing this, Madam Xu was so angry that her chest heaved. When she saw the two maids still slumped on the ground, she kicked them and yelled, "What are you still lying there for? Get up! What good are you useless things to me? You only embarrass me in public!"
After saying that, she ignored her mother who had fainted and the maid who was scrambling to her feet, and stormed off to the Xu family home.
So what if she has a few guards? She'll go ask her brother for a few more, and next time she'll make that vixen pay dearly!
*
She bumped into Madam Xu as soon as she stepped out, and Shen Youying lost all interest in continuing her shopping, so she returned to the mansion first. Since she had already bought the fabric, she could call a tailor to come to the mansion to take her measurements and make a few sets of clothes.
When Xue Shen returned at noon, he heard from the guards about the conflict that happened that morning.
Xue Shen's face darkened after hearing this, and he scoffed, "I was thinking I wouldn't have a chance to deal with Cai Wenxuan, but I didn't expect his wife to come and offer me a pillow."
He quickly made up his mind, sent the guards away to calm himself down, and then went to find Shen Youying.
Shen Youying was discussing with Bai Luoliuyun what style of clothing to make from Tencel brocade when Xue Shen returned from outside. Shen Youying smiled at him and said in surprise, "Why are you back so soon? I thought you wouldn't be back until tonight."
Upon arriving in Xizhou, Shen Youying thought he would be busy for several days because the remnants of the Northern Rong army in the other prefectures had not yet been completely wiped out.
Xue Shen was indeed busy, but he was worried about Shen Youying, so he specially moved his important official business to the morning to finish it, and then made time at noon to go back to the mansion to accompany her.
He examined Shen Youying's face and, seeing that her expression was not gloomy, asked, "Did you run into Cai Wenxuan's family today?"
Shen Youying paused for a moment, then remembered that Cai Wenxuan was the name of the governor of Xizhou. She nodded and said, "I met his wife."
Having vented her anger at the fabric shop, she had no intention of complaining this time. Instead, she truthfully expressed her concerns: "The governor's wife has been acting arrogantly and domineeringly for quite some time. The fact that she dares to act this way suggests that the governor is probably the sole ruler of Xizhou City."
Otherwise, Xu would not have dared to be so arrogant.
Xue Shen confirmed her guess: "Cai Wenxuan is from Qinzhou and has been an official in the Northwest for more than ten years. Until six years ago, he was promoted to governor of Xizhou. During this time, he married the daughter of Xu Zecai, the local garrison commander of Xizhou, who is the Xu family you met today. With these two families working together, they can be said to have absolute power in Xizhou."
Shen Youying understood his unspoken meaning: "Then wouldn't you be hindered in every way?"
Xue Shen said, "It's alright. Only by uprooting them can the root of the problem be completely eradicated, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. Moreover, according to the information our spies have gathered these past few days, neither Cai Wenxuan nor the Xu family were as arrogant as they are now three years ago. Back then, there were still a few local strongmen in Xizhou who could rival them, and their actions were not as rampant as they are now; they were still within reason. But starting around three years ago, these forces in Xizhou suddenly united as one and followed Cai Wenxuan and the Xu family's lead. I suspect there's something fishy going on here, which is why I haven't rushed to take action against them and want to wait for them to reveal their true colors."
"What happened to Zhaozhao today has given me a perfectly reasonable opportunity to launch an attack."
Shen Youying understood: "You should take this opportunity to lash out and see how Cai Wenxuan and the Xu family respond?"
"Smart." Xue Shen tapped her nose and said, "Cai Wenxuan is cautious in his actions. Since I arrived in Xizhou, he has been careful and obedient in everything he does. Obviously, he doesn't want to offend anyone and just wants to send me away. If I take this opportunity to make trouble, he will definitely want to settle things peacefully. Then we can see how he quells the situation. We should be able to see the tricks that these people in Xizhou are trying to hide."
"I'll have to trouble Zhaozhao to act out a play with me these next two days."
Shen Youying glanced at him sideways, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Anyway, it's not the first time. Practice makes perfect."
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