"Madam, the ear-reporting god just sent back a message saying..." Dong Shuang came to the bed and whispered to Yang Zhao's ear after entering the room.
Hearing this, Yang Zhao smiled: “This Shen Li really didn’t disappoint me!”
Look, he really didn't need her to add fuel to the fire; he had already made the choice that was most beneficial to him. He didn't care about whether he was an elder or not, or whether he had grudges or not! !
Anyway, it wasn't him who showed up.
"Go ahead and tell the old ladies that the old lady went to the master's courtyard to discuss things, so that they can know about the master's private 'filial piety' towards them."
"yes."
"Now that the stage is set up, we need to invite some actors. Dong Shuang, send someone back to the mansion to invite my stepmother over. Just follow the plan."
"yes."
A smile flashed in Dong Shuang's eyes. "That stepmother always loves to play the good guy. This time, I think she will be able to indulge in her acting addiction. But it will be difficult for you, Madam, so bear with it."
Yang Zhao thought of his stepmother, a sneer flashing across his lips: "Seeing that I'm so unhappy, she will be happy. However, if it can achieve my goal, why not let her be happy for a while!"
Yang Zhao thought of another thing: "Has Xia Ying's wound been treated?"
"Should be soon..."
"Madam, I'm fine." Xia Ying came in hurriedly at this time, wearing a plain white coat that looked like a funeral garment, and the white cloth wrapped around her forehead made her pale face look even paler.
But her steps were brisk.
Fearing that her cold would pass on to her mistress, she didn't dare get too close to the bedside. Instead, she stood by the screen door and grinned, "Madam, after the commotion in the old lady's yard, I deliberately had the news spread secretly. Now everyone in the mansion knows about it. Even the remote households should have heard the news."
Looking at Xia Ying's expression, Yang Zhao smiled helplessly: "You did a good job, but don't be so stupid as to hurt yourself for show in the future, it's not worth it!"
"I'll remember it." Xia Ying smiled foolishly, but in her heart she thought that it was all worth it as long as it was for the lady.
"Xia Ying, you have one more thing to do next."
"Madam, your orders!"
Yang Zhao glanced at her coat and the wound on her head, then laughed and said, "Never mind, you look good dressed like this. You can ride a horse, so go to the palace gate and ask for a doctor."
"Remember, you must portray the anxious helplessness of your master who is about to die..."
…
An hour later.
At the gate of the Shen Family Ancestral Hall.
The servants carried out tables, incense burners and other things one after another, making quite a big noise and soon attracted many people.
"Isn't this the Shen family ancestral hall? Why are the desks placed right by the door?"
"Could it be that the Shen family is going to worship their ancestors?"
"It's impossible to offer sacrifices to the ancestors at the door. Besides, didn't the men of the Shen family say that they were all injured?"
"I heard that the Empress Dowager bestowed a plaque of chastity and martyrdom not long ago. I guess the Shen family wants to comfort their ancestors?"
"To comfort the ancestors?"
"Tsk! The Shen family is quite shameless! The Empress Dowager bestowed the chastity plaque on Madam Shen, but Madam Shen was almost forced to death by their Shen family. How dare the Shen family use a plaque to comfort their ancestors? Aren't they afraid that the ancestors of the Shen family will crawl out of shame."
"Yes, I heard that all the doctors in the south of the city were invited to the Shen family to treat Madam Shen. The maids and servants were all crying, saying that she was about to die, and the Shen family still had the mood to come and comfort their ancestors. How shameless!"
"I'm really unworthy of being a scholar."
The people were talking and pointing, and their contemptuous looks made it impossible for the servants of the Shen family to raise their heads.
At this time, the Shen family's steward came out and said, "Everyone, please be quiet. The old ladies of our Shen family are about to come out. Please make way and don't hinder the old ladies from apologizing to the ancestors of the Shen family."
The surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Apologize to your ancestors?
The next moment, a loud voice was heard from the crowd: "What do you mean by confession? Why does your Shen family's old lady want to confess her sins to the ancestors?"
"Yeah, did your old lady from the Shen family do something wrong?"
Different voices were heard from all directions in the crowd, generally asking why they were confessing their crimes. It was obvious that someone was specially arranged to draw the attention of the people.
The steward took the opportunity to explain, "When our Madam returned that day, I don't know who spread the rumor that she had been kidnapped by bandits... The old ladies in each courtyard of our Shen family have spent their entire lives strictly adhering to the Shen family's ancestral precepts and rules, and they also strictly follow the sage's words about 'womanly virtues,' so they wanted to help Madam escape."
"But who knew it was all a misunderstanding."
"After the old ladies of each courtyard learned about the situation, they were filled with remorse and grief. They felt ashamed of the Shen family's ancestors and also felt sorry for the lady. They wanted to come before the ancestors to confess their sins, hoping to seek their forgiveness."
After the steward finished speaking, he heard a voice from the crowd: "The Shen family is indeed worthy of being a century-old family. They are responsible in doing things!"
"Yes, knowing one's mistakes is the best way to improve oneself."
"Actually, the Shen family didn't seem to have done anything wrong. Women should have observed women's virtues and followed etiquette. If they were truly raped by bandits, a piece of white silk would have been the best outcome."
"Yes, the old ladies of the Shen family can actually come out and apologize to their ancestors. This shows how upright the Shen family is."
"It really is worthy of the Shen family, who have the spirit of scholars."
As people talked about it more and more, some people gradually began to think that it made sense.
"At first, I thought the Shen family was an ungrateful wretch who would burn his bridges after crossing them. I was waiting for them to come up with an excuse, but I didn't expect them to express it directly through their actions. This doesn't really disgrace the Shen family's integrity."
"That's right. I'm not afraid of making mistakes, but I'm afraid of not repenting!"
The people's attitude began to change.
When the Shen family's steward saw this situation, he immediately went to invite out those old ladies who were deliberately dressed in simple and unadorned clothes.
The women cleared a path.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the old ladies walked to the table with blushing faces, gritted their teeth and knelt on the mat, picked up three incense sticks, and were about to recite their prepared words when...
"etc!"
A weak and rapid hoarse voice came hurriedly.
Everyone turned around when they heard the sound.
"hiss……"
There was a sound of people sucking in a breath of cold air.
"Is this Madam Shen? How did she become like this? Her neck..."
"Oh my god, are those black and purple marks on her neck from being strangled?"
"It's even black. How hard was he strangled?"
"No wonder they said she was going to die. Looking at the situation, she's lucky to be alive!"
Many people in the crowd were shocked by Yang Zhao's appearance.
Her pale face, the shocking scars on her neck, and her frail appearance, as if she couldn't even lift a foot despite being supported by a maid, made people suspect that she might die in the next second.
However, her next words surprised everyone.
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