Chapter 315 Dealing with Zhang Zifen!
Zhang Zifen kept begging for mercy: "Miss, I'm innocent. I didn't scheme against my own family."
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "Spreading rumors, scheming against your own people, you'll have your tongue pulled out, your mouth sewn shut, and your face peeled off."
Chunxue pulled a dagger from her boot and was about to slash Zhang Zifen's face.
Madam Shen came to her senses and screamed.
"Wait...wait a minute!" Old Madam Shen shouted, her voice cracking.
The Shen family was terrified. There had been no conflict at all, so why was such a severe punishment imposed right off the bat?
Could the "stripping off the face" she just mentioned be the same "stripping off the face" they're thinking of?
Thinking about this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
"Lanxi, what do you want to do?" Old Madam Shen subconsciously wanted to beg for mercy, but then she thought, this is no longer Dongchuan. She is an old lady with an imperial title. What can Shen Lanxi do to her?
"This is home, not your military camp. Besides, you are no longer a military officer, so don't even think about showing off your power at home!" Old Madam Shen reprimanded sternly.
Shen Lanxi remained silent.
Zhang Zifen's scream suddenly rang out.
Chunxue had already made one cut on her face and was now preparing to make a second one.
"Stop! Tell your men to stop! You wretched child, how dare you disobey your elders? Aren't you afraid I'll complain to the Emperor?"
Shen Lanxi sat calmly and said, "If I dare to do it, I dare to take responsibility. The Shen family's prosperity and decline are intertwined. Go ahead and try to sue us."
She is never threatened!
Madam Shen felt dizzy and her vision blurred. This wretched child, his heart is black, he doesn't care about the lives and future of his family members at all.
How could such a jinx have come from their family!
Shen Lanxi: "It's not that I was ruthless, it's that Zhang Zifen went too far!"
Shen Conglian quickly tried to smooth things over: "Lanxi, Zhang Zifen really didn't mean to take away your mother's power to manage the household. It was really your father who instructed her to do so."
Upon hearing the screams and rushing to the scene, Shen Congwen saw Zhang Zifen lying unconscious on the ground with a bloody face, and his eyes immediately turned red with anger.
"Shen Lanxi, what do you want to do?"
Shen Lanxi coldly looked at her father, whose anger was rising: "Since you returned to the capital, Zhang Zifen has been taking advantage of her position in charge of the main branch's household affairs to amass wealth on a large scale. She has also been using the Shen family's name to lend money at exorbitant interest rates and has even been in contact with princes. I won't say which prince it is, you can investigate it yourselves!"
Shen Congwen's expression changed instantly.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Zhang Zifen doesn't have that kind of ability!"
Shen Lanxi: "I don't know how capable she is, but I do know that when she's being investigated, these will be the evidence!"
Madam Shen's expression also changed.
"Oh dear, old woman, my head hurts..."
Shen Congwen and the others rushed forward, showing concern and calling for a doctor.
"I'm leaving the capital tomorrow on business, and I don't know when I'll be back. In the meantime, if any of you commit a crime and get caught, don't blame me for being too far away to help you in your immediate situation."
After saying that, she got up and left.
After she left, Madam Shen gradually recovered.
"Eldest son, quickly lock Zhang Zifen up and interrogate her thoroughly. From now on, don't leave the affairs of your room to your concubine anymore; I'll handle them for you!" Old Madam Shen felt a little better thinking about the things that had been added to the eldest son's house over the past few years.
Shen Congwen asked with concern, "Mother, aren't you overworking yourself?"
Old Madam Shen looked at Shen Congwen with loving eyes: "My son, you have to serve as an official in the court and also oversee the children's studies at home. I'm worried you'll be overworked."
Shen Congwen was so moved after hearing this that he wished he could immediately give his mother the key to the main house and storeroom.
As for Zhang Zifen, the old lady had always disliked her. If it weren't for the fact that she had been pregnant for years and had been producing offspring for the Shen family, she would have sent her back to her hometown long ago.
"Lock her in the woodshed and deal with her after we have investigated what she did. If what Lanxi said is true, we will not let her off lightly!"
One sentence determined Zhang Zifen's future fate.
Shen Lanxi had already received news of the martial arts examination. When she returned to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, she immediately summoned everyone to discuss the next steps.
"I will be back in three to ten days at the latest when I go to the imperial mausoleum. The martial arts examination is just around the corner. Arrange for our people to take the stage."
Wei Dongzhu: "We will compile a list before you depart tomorrow."
Shen Lanxi: "Okay."
Besides the martial arts exam, Wei Dongzhu and others were also very concerned about Shen Lanxi's safety.
If something happens to Shen Lanxi, all of them will instantly fall apart.
“The imperial court will definitely send people with you when you go to the imperial mausoleum this time. Just in case, I suggest we have more people secretly protecting you,” Liu Yan replied.
Shen Lanxi: "Ban Sicao will accompany me. As for guards, in addition to the people close to me, I will choose twenty more from the hidden positions."
Che Mingyuan: "Isn't that a bit too little?" There are quite a few people in the court who are wary of them.
Shen Lanxi: "It's not about the quantity of soldiers, but their quality. The imperial mausoleum isn't far, and there are many villages along the way, so there shouldn't be any problems."
This is the only arrangement we can make right now. If we mobilize too many people, it will be bad if we get caught!
Che Mingyuan volunteered to go along, but Shen Lanxi rejected him.
"You are in charge of the overall situation in the capital, responding to all changes with constancy."
Being entrusted with such a great responsibility, Che Mingyuan was happy but also felt somewhat unworthy of the position.
He didn't make any outstanding contributions when he came to Shen Lanxi's side. In terms of combat strategy, he was not as good as generals like Wei Dongzhu, but in terms of devising strategies, she could do it herself.
Sometimes he even doubted his own worth.
Hearing Shen Lanxi say this now, Che Mingyuan felt incredibly at ease. Before joining Shen Lanxi's service, he had held some contempt for women, but after joining her, his contempt was repeatedly shattered by Shen Lanxi's strength and wisdom. Regardless of his initial intentions when he joined, he now had absolutely no ulterior motives.
Everyone left one after another, leaving only Wei Dongzhu behind.
“Lanxi…”
Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth: "Why don't you stay and have dinner with me!"
Wei Dongzhu replied cheerfully, "Okay!"
...
She had already anticipated that Emperor Renxiao would send Zhou Ruyuan to accompany him, but she did not expect that Zhou Ruyuan would also be accompanied by people from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Personnel, and there were many unfamiliar faces among the guards.
Zhou Ruyuan noticed Shen Lanxi's gaze sweeping around behind him and explained, "They are all generals who have fought alongside me through thick and thin."
Regardless of their identities or who assigned them, these people were all government officials.
Shen Lanxi nodded: "Time is of the essence, let's go!"
Zhou Ruyuan: "Will you be traveling by carriage or on horseback?"
Shen Lanxi: "Riding a horse, what about you?"
Zhou Ruyuan paused for a moment, then said, "Naturally, it's also by horseback!"
After running for a while, during a rest, someone came to report to her.
“A carriage followed behind the Prince of Zhennan’s procession.”
Shen Lanxi's eyes flashed, and she said, "I understand. You can continue keeping an eye on things!"
The latest news arrived here shortly afterward.
"Although the person in the carriage did not show their face, it should be a woman. The Prince of Zhennan brought the food into the carriage."
Shen Lanxi found it amusing. They were inseparable when she went out on business, yet she still had the nerve to talk about their friendship?
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