Chapter 21 You and your daughter get out of here!
Wen Lanting's heart nearly jumped into his throat.
Shouldn't that fat woman have been sold off long ago?
After Shen Shu was arrested by the Imperial Observatory, Shen Xiao mentioned the fat woman, saying that the day she was pushed into the pond, the fat woman was watching from the side.
Even Zhao's mother said that she saw this old woman passing on messages to Shen Shu.
Wen Lanting then remembered the death of Liu Mama earlier. The old woman had also done everything she could to protect Shen Shu and completely absolve Shen Shu of any responsibility.
Now it seems they might be in cahoots.
So after dealing with Shen Shu, Wen Lanting instructed Zhao Mama to sell her off as soon as possible without thinking.
But where did she come from now?
Shen Xiao's face turned pale, and she didn't know what to do.
Wen Lanting noticed that Shen Xiao's expression was off: "Xiao'er?"
Shen Xiao lowered her voice: "That day, when Shen Shu humiliated me like that, this old woman was watching right there. I... I was just so angry that I wanted to have her beaten up and then sold off."
Lin Wei took in the mother and daughter's whispers: "Then why don't we go in and see who's lying, and punish them all at once?"
Upon hearing Lin Wei's words, Wen Lanting was thrown into a state of utter confusion.
But with Lin Wei and Eunuch Fu present, what could she possibly do to stop them now?
They could only let the fat woman, with tears streaming down her face, lead everyone to Shen Shu's courtyard.
"My lord, look, this is the courtyard that the madam assigned to our young lady."
This time, not only Lin Wei, but also Eunuch Fu was completely stunned.
The crooked door and broken window, covered with cobwebs, and with several puddles of water inside, make the saying that you can see the starry sky when you look up truly true.
There wasn't even a stool, let alone a bed!
Lin Weixin's heart stirred slightly as he looked down at the furry head.
Her life was actually quite difficult.
He thought she was just exaggerating, but wanted him to stand up for her and avenge her mother for sending her to the Imperial Observatory.
But to my surprise, what she said was all true.
"Even dogs would avoid this place, how can anyone live here?" Grandpa Fu was also surprised.
Shen Shu looked at the dilapidated house without saying a word, only nodding helplessly.
“My mother said there were no empty rooms in the mansion, only this one, so she told me to bear with it, but there was really no place to stand inside, so I had to sleep in the tree.”
Shen Qiushan was stunned, never expecting that Wen Lanting would disobey his orders to such an extent.
If it weren't for the fat old woman leading the way, he wouldn't have known there was such a house in the mansion.
"You wretch! How dare you mistreat my daughter like this!"
When Eunuch Fu saw that Shen Qiushan was about to make a move, he rushed to stop him.
"Please don't be angry, my lord."
Shen Qiushan didn't actually want to attack Wen Lanting, but he was restrained by the presence of the Marquis.
Since Grandpa Fu came to stop him, he now had a reason to ride the donkey downhill.
"Your Lady has committed more than one crime. Why not let the Marquis handle the matter by combining all the charges?"
Grandpa Fu's words were so shocking they would never rest until he died.
Shen Qiushan was stunned and almost fainted.
What other crime is there?!
Before he could ask, Lin Wei spoke up: "Madam Wen, the wife of the patriarch, has been guilty of bribing court officials to frame her own daughter and deserves to die. She is also guilty of mismanaging her household and mistreating her children. She is hereby stripped of her title as a fourth-rank imperial lady and confined to her home for three years."
Wen Lanting's face turned ashen.
She felt as if the sky had fallen; the imperial title she had worked so hard to obtain was gone just like that.
They'll be confined for three years. Once they get out, won't they never be able to integrate into the social circles of the capital's wealthy ladies again?
How will she ever be able to go out and face people again?
After Lin Wei finished speaking, he gave Shen Shu a deep look and then led his men away.
Shen Shu caught up with him and said with a smile, "Thank you, Lord Marquis."
She knew that Lin Wei's order was very meaningful; otherwise, sending him out of the capital would be the least of his worries, given these charges.
But Wen Lanting was confined to his home.
Lin Wei still gave her the chance to deal with her personally.
Lin Wei looked at Shen Shu, who was smiling like a fox, and said, "Don't pretend to be innocent after getting the benefit. I'm just doing my job."
"Yes, Your Excellency is selfless and impartial, I know that."
Shen Xiao watched Lin Wei and Shen Shu singing in unison, so jealous she couldn't speak.
As soon as Lin Wei left, Shen Xiao rushed forward, wanting to slap Shen Shu, but after thinking about it, she reluctantly lowered her hand.
"You've ruined your mother like this, don't you have any conscience?"
Shen Shu narrowed her eyes.
There was no physical contact, and no filthy words were spoken.
It seems her slap did have an effect.
Shen Qiushan stepped forward and angrily rebuked Shen Xiao, "How dare you yell at your sister here? Do you know that your sister is the future Lady of Dingyuan Marquis? How dare you be so insolent!"
"You and your daughter, get out of here right now!"
Shen Qiushan was furious; the future of their Bogong Mansion was almost ruined by this mother and daughter.
One outwardly complies while inwardly defying, the other merely echoes and feigns agreement.
They have completely disgraced the Bo Gong family.
"But... Father..." Shen Xiao was extremely aggrieved.
Throughout her life, Shen Qiushan had always treated her like a precious gem, and this was the first time he had ever reprimanded her so harshly.
"Get out of here! You're making a fool of yourself!"
Shen Qiushan was so angry that he was about to turn around and leave.
But then something else occurred to me.
"Xiao'er, you must move out of Zhuxiao Courtyard right now and let Shu'er live there."
Shen Xiao looked surprised. What had she done wrong to deserve such punishment?
Even the Zhuxiao Courtyard won't let her stay there anymore?
She nearly ground her back teeth to powder. "Father, this is my yard!"
"Xiao'er! Shut up!"
Wen Lanting stood up with bloodshot eyes. "Give her whatever she wants. We don't care."
Wen Lanting now hates Shen Shu completely. If she still had a trace of motherly affection before, it is completely gone now.
Looking at Wen Lanting, who still showed no remorse, Shen Qiushan felt dizzy and disoriented.
He left angrily, saying "hopeless," and turned to leave.
Shen Shu gave Shen Xiao a cold smile, "In that case, I'll gladly accept Zhu Xiao Courtyard as my sister."
With that, he left Wen Lanting and Shen Xiao behind and turned to go to Zhuxiao Courtyard.
The fat woman quickly followed.
…
Zhuxiao Courtyard is a courtyard carved out against the wall of the Bogong Mansion. Although it is not large, it has everything you need, including a small bamboo grove, making it exceptionally elegant.
Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard, the fat woman knelt down before Shen Shu, saying, "Please, Second Miss, leave me here."
She looked at Shen Shu as if she were grasping at a straw. She had completely offended the madam, and if Shen Shu didn't want her anymore, she would have no choice but to wait to be sold off.
Shen Shu helped the fat woman up.
"From now on, if you follow me, you'll be mine. If you dare to have any disloyal thoughts..."
The plump old woman was overjoyed and rushed to express her gratitude before Shen Shu could even finish speaking. "Thank you so much for taking me in, Second Miss. I will be loyal to you from now on, even unto death!"
Shen Shu sighed, unsure whether what she was doing was right or wrong.
What if this fat old woman was just using a self-inflicted injury as a ruse? Wouldn't that leave behind a potential source of trouble?
"But I can't fully trust you yet. After all, you used to be someone who worked for my mother. If you're really sure you want to stay by my side, then you can only stay here and do some manual labor."
The plump woman wasn't angry at these words. She knew her current situation was awkward, and she was already grateful that she was allowed to stay.
"Time will tell. I don't expect to gain your trust immediately, Miss. However, I will be loyal and do my best to manage Zhuxiao Courtyard well and take good care of you."
"May I have your name?"
Shen Shu had met this fat old woman several times, but she still didn't know her name.
"My surname is Fang. You can call me Mama Fang, Miss."
Mother Fang's eyes were filled with joy, and she secretly vowed that from this day forward, her life belonged to the second young lady.
Shen Shu nodded.
So the two of them began to take stock of Shen Xiao's belongings.
Now that the courtyard belongs to Shen Shu, Shen Xiao's belongings must all be moved away.
A short while later,
Shen Shu threw Shen Xiao's clothes, jewelry, bedding, and other belongings out.
Shen Xiao, who came with a group of servants to pack up his things, was stunned into silence.
She ordered her servants to push open the gates of Zhuxiao Courtyard, so angry she was almost in tears.
"Shen Shu, what are you doing!"
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