The old lady dislikes people with bad character, who are unrighteous and unfilial the most.
She had no choice but to let Cheng Ruijin in, and it didn't mean she approved of Cheng Ruijin. Now that she understood the reason behind it, she was even more angry.
In a deep voice, he ordered Aunt Hua, "From now on, Aunt Cheng's room will be treated as the lowest-ranking concubine."
"Without my permission, Aunt Cheng is not allowed to leave the house."
"Also, give her a bowl of sterilizing medicine to stop her from having children."
Cheng Ruijin fell to the ground, her face pale. The sterilizing drug... then what hope did she have for the rest of her life?
The lowest-ranking concubine? She was going to be the young mistress of the Shen family, how could she be the lowest-ranking concubine?
"Please spare my life, old lady. I won't dare to do it again."
"Madam, please be merciful. Madam, please be merciful."
Cheng Ruijin came to her senses and knelt on the ground, begging the old lady desperately.
The old lady frowned and looked at Shen Zhao, and asked in a cold voice: "What do you say?"
Shen Zhao hurriedly bowed and replied, "Everything is up to Grandmother."
If my grandmother were to deal with a concubine and he begged for mercy, how would my grandmother save face?
Besides, she was just a concubine, so he didn't care much.
Cheng Rujin looked up at Chen Zhao, her heart chilled. This was the man she had tried so hard to marry, and this was how he treated her.
Shen Yue and Shen Ying had never seen such a scene before and were stunned.
Su Qingyu's expression remained unchanged, but a faint light flickered in her eyes. This must be more painful for Cheng Ruijin than being executed by slow slicing, right?
Cheng Ruijin, who was kneeling on the ground, wanted to say something else, but was taken away before he could open his mouth.
"You should go down too, and let us have a few private words." The old lady said to Shen Zhao again.
Shen Zhao bowed and left, but met Shen Zhixiu at the door.
He was afraid that Shen Zhixiu would ask about what happened yesterday, so he bowed and left in a hurry.
Shen Zhixiu didn't know what was going on. A maid lifted the brocade curtain and he walked in.
After entering the door, he took off his fur coat and handed it to Han Cui.
When Old Madam Shen saw Shen Zhixiu come in, she was slightly stunned and asked, "I remember you were going to the Duke of Wei's mansion for a banquet today. Why did you come back?"
Shen Zhixiu remained calm, sat down and said, "The banquet has been rescheduled. I came to see my mother."
Su Qingyu, Shen Yue and Shen Ying all stood up and saluted Shen Zhixiu. Shen Zhixiu's eyes fell on Su Qingyu, then looked away calmly.
Madam Shen looked at Shen Zhixiu with a smile, "Then you will stay for lunch too?"
Shen Zhixiu nodded and said, "That's fine. It's been a while since I've eaten food from my mother's small kitchen."
Then he said, "You guys chat about yourselves, don't pay attention to me."
He said so, but except for the old lady, the others were still quite restrained.
Su Qingyu is not married yet. Although she is not too reserved, she is not as casual as she is at home.
Shen Ying had always been afraid of her third uncle, and would only speak after glancing at Shen Zhixiu's expression. Shen Yue was often by the old lady's side, and was closer to Shen Zhixiu, but she didn't dare to be too presumptuous.
So even though the old lady was constantly chatting and laughing with everyone, the atmosphere was not as relaxed and casual as before.
The old lady looked at the time and it was still early for lunch. She glanced at Shen Zhixiu again and gave him a wink.
But today, Shen Zhixiu no longer had the foresight he once had, and he didn't understand what the old lady meant at all.
Seeing this, the old lady could only cough lightly and said, "Zhixiu, please go to my small storehouse in person and choose a set of headgear suitable for the emperor to wear when he enters the palace on his birthday. I want to give it to Qingyu."
Shen Zhixiu recalled the look his mother had given him just now, and immediately understood what was going on. She was disgusted with him being an eyesore and wanted to send him away.
Looking for head ornaments and jewelry is just an excuse. Mother must have chosen them long ago.
Shen Zhixiu stood up and walked out of the banquet hall. Not long after he walked out, he heard the laughter of Shen Yue and Su Qingyu coming from the room behind him.
He shook his head with a smile on his face and walked towards the small warehouse of Qingyuanju.
The people in the banquet hall chatted until lunchtime, when the old lady took them to the side hall for lunch. There, she saw Shen Zhixiu already sitting there, looking as if he had been there for a long time.
The old lady was a little surprised. She thought he would just leave. After all, she usually couldn't find him when she wanted to have a meal with him.
"My mother asked me to choose a set of headwear, and I chose this set with Dongzhu. What do you think, mother?" Shen Zhixiu said as he opened the golden nanmu box with peony patterns carved on it.
Madam Shen frowned slightly, then returned to normal in an instant. She smiled and said, "Your vision is naturally good."
Su Qingyu looked at the set of Dongzhu headdress and couldn't take her eyes away for a moment. She was used to seeing good things and could tell at a glance that this set of Dongzhu headdress was the best of the best.
Any of the Dongzhu beads above are high-quality beads that are hard to find on the market. This set of headpieces is inlaid with dozens of Dongzhu beads of various sizes, and the workmanship is exquisite, which can be seen at a glance that it is the work of a master craftsman.
Chen Ying took a few steps forward, taking a closer look at the set of Dongzhu headdresses. She was deeply attracted to it. She recognized the jewelry; it was a gift from the late Empress Dowager to her grandmother when she got married. She hadn't worn it much over the years, but she had kept it like a treasure.
How could I give something like this to Su Qingyu?
Su Qingyu's marriage into the Shen family was nothing but luck. If it weren't for the false news of her uncle's death, she wouldn't have become the third wife of the Shen family.
Not only Shen Ying thought so, now the whole capital was saying that the eldest daughter of the Su family was lucky enough to get such a wealthy and prosperous marriage.
The more Shen Ying thought about it, the angrier she became, and she was trying to figure out how to get her grandmother to change her mind.
Madam Shen didn't notice anything unusual about Shen Ying. She took Su Qingyu's hand and walked forward, saying, "Take a look. Do you like it? I was thinking about you going to the palace to attend the Emperor's birthday celebration. This headdress... is just right."
While speaking, the old lady glanced at Shen Zhixiu calmly.
Shen Zhixiu pretended not to understand the deep meaning in the old lady's eyes, and turned his face away, not looking at the old lady.
Su Qingyu quickly said, "Madam, this is too expensive. My family will prepare the jewelry for you when you enter the palace."
Madam Shen smiled and said, "A gift from an elder should not be refused. Just keep what I give you. No matter how valuable the jewelry is, it is meant to be worn by people."
If Shen Ying didn't speak up, Su Qingyu would take the things.
She gathered herself together, walked over to the old lady, and said, "Grandma, this headdress was given to you by the late Empress Dowager. It's the only one of its kind in the world."
She turned to Su Qingyu and said, "Sister Su, it's not appropriate for you to wear such expensive jewelry from the Shen family into the palace before you get married."
"Sister Su, please don't think I'm nosy. I'm doing this for your own good. After all, the rumors in the capital are really bad right now, and I'm afraid it will hurt Sister Su's reputation."
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