The old lady shouted, frightening Chen so much that she stopped dead in her tracks. She had no idea what was happening, and she was brought here like that.
"Mother……"
Chen called out hesitantly, and then under the old lady's sharp gaze, she slowly knelt on the ground.
"Mother, please tell me what my daughter-in-law did wrong."
Chen obviously didn't realize the seriousness of the problem and was wondering if someone was gossiping again.
Second Madam Yang sat down next to Su Qingyu, tactfully didn't say anything, and nodded at Su Qingyu.
Su Qingyu was surprised. Why did her second sister-in-law seem to have changed her personality?
The last time Chen drugged Concubine Xiang and framed Su Qingyu, Yang did not step forward to get involved, and she did not say anything afterwards.
Yang originally wanted to ask Su Qingyu what happened, but when she remembered the instructions of her husband and son, she swallowed the words back.
During this period, Shen Zhishu and Shen Hong had been giving Yang Shi constant warnings. They told her not to interfere in the dispute between the First and Third Houses, and not to stab them in the back. Especially for the Third House, she was told not to make things difficult for the Third Madam regarding mundane matters in the inner chambers.
In Shen Zhishu's words, if Shen Zhixiu hadn't been around, he and the first wife could still compete. But with Shen Zhixiu around, the second wife could only live a stable life.
Shen Hong also said that the Shen family had produced such a pillar of the country, and everyone else benefited from it. If they were not satisfied, their good days would come to an end.
She may not listen to others, but she cannot help but take her husband and son's words to heart.
After Chen knelt down, Shen Zhiheng also sat on the chair. Shen Zhao and Li Chaoyun stood aside. Their mother was still kneeling, so it was not easy for them to sit down.
As soon as Shen Zhao entered the room, he looked at Su Qingyu with a sinister look. What was she up to? Was she determined to kill his mother?
The old lady looked at Chen, who was kneeling in the middle of the hall, with a sullen face, and wished she could stand up and slap her twice.
Seeing that everyone was seated, he said, "Since everyone who should be here is here, let's all listen."
"Chen Pinghui has been the steward for many years. He has enriched himself and colluded with various officials. He has been dishonest in his accounting and deceived his superiors and subordinates."
Shen Zhao blurted out: "Impossible."
Shen Zhiheng squeezed his eyes shut, then reluctantly opened them again. It wasn't that he was completely unaware of these things, he just hadn't taken them to heart.
He habitually enjoyed the convenience brought by Chen's embezzlement, but when it was exposed, he regretted it and regretted not stopping her earlier.
Yang was astonished. She had been managing the household for several months and hadn't noticed anything wrong with the accounts. She turned to look at Su Qingyu, thinking that she had underestimated her in the past.
Chen knelt on the ground and cried out, "Mother, I am innocent. Someone is deliberately trying to harm me, and I am not satisfied with confining her."
She turned to look at Su Qingyu, "Third sister-in-law, you told mother all this, right? What on earth do you have in mind that you must kill me?"
"The Shen family married such a vicious woman, and they are not far from being wiped out."
The old lady slammed the table. "What are you talking about? Your third brother's wife was afraid of unrest in the family, so she didn't want to tell me. It was only because I noticed something and kept asking."
"Are you going to call me a vicious woman too?"
Chen said hurriedly, "My daughter-in-law doesn't dare. Please calm down, mother."
The old lady threw the confessions of several kitchen and purchasing managers at Chen's feet and said, "Look for yourself, these people have confessed, why don't you tell the truth?"
Chen picked up the confession scattered at her feet and read it with fear.
The pages she read were all Mrs. Yan's confession.
Chen pinched the confession tightly, revealing the veins on the back of her hand, and argued through gritted teeth.
"Mother, you are very clear-sighted. This old woman Yan must have been instructed by someone to frame me."
"Did she commit corruption herself and finally put the blame on me?"
Chen was not too panicked. Mr. Qian from the accounting office was already dead. No matter what Mrs. Yan said, as long as the accounting office had no actual evidence, it would be nothing but empty slander.
Aunt Hua, who was beside the old lady, lowered her head, her eyes filled with deep resentment.
Her sister had been with the First Lady for so many years, doing things for her. In the end, she was made a scapegoat by the First Lady. Fortunately, there was the Third Lady, otherwise her sister wouldn't even know how she died.
Seeing that Chen still refused to admit it, the old lady picked up Mr. Qian's confession next to her and threw it over.
"Take a closer look. Mr. Qian, the accountant, has explained it clearly. Over the years, it has been under your instruction that we have been colluding with those merchants."
"Those merchants have also been explained, and the extra money has been given to you."
"So many people have admitted it, do you think it's okay if you don't admit it?"
Chen looked at Mr. Qian's confession and felt a chill run down her spine. Wasn't Mr. Qian burned to death? How could he still have written a confession?
Could it be that he wasn't dead? If he wasn't burned to death, who saved him? Was it a premeditated plan, or was it just a coincidence?
She was under house arrest and was still unaware of many of the things that had happened in the mansion today. For a moment, Chen was in a panic, not knowing how to respond to the old lady's words.
Before Chen could find a response, the old lady spoke again, and her words made Chen fall into despair.
"Mr. Qian also said that before the old man passed away, you had your eyes on the medicinal herbs in the mansion."
"When the old man passed away, the ginseng slices he held in his mouth were fake. Chen Pinghui, Chen Pinghui, the old man treated you well when he was alive. How dare you treat him like this?"
When the old lady said this, Shen Zhiheng, Shen Zhao and his wife, and Shen Zhishu and his wife were all shocked.
If this matter involves the death of the old man, it would be a huge matter for the Shen family.
Shen Zhiheng glared at Chen with his eyes wide open. He could tolerate anything else, but if Chen was related to the old man's death, he would never forgive her.
Chen's lowered eyes were full of panic, but when she heard the old lady's last words, the panic turned into resentment.
The hand under the sleeve unconsciously clenched into a fist.
Looking up at the old lady's cold gaze, Chen forced herself to calm down. The more times like this, the more you can't panic.
Embezzling a little money is not a big deal, but if it kills the old man, then the crime is serious.
Chen thought about it and made a decision in his heart.
"Mother, you can see clearly that this is indeed my fault. I cannot escape the blame for my father's death. For so many years, it has been a heavy burden on my heart."
"But please give your daughter-in-law a chance to defend herself. This matter is not what you think."
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