Chapter 13 Deputy Commissioner of the Imperial Observatory
When Shen Xiao learned that her brother was in trouble, she was extremely worried and hurriedly went to the Shen family's courtyard.
Unexpectedly, he bumped into Shen Shu on her way home and overheard her mercilessly mocking her brother.
I simply cannot accept this!
"You jinx, you freak! How dare you stroll around the garden after ruining your brother like this! Get out of the Shen mansion right now... Ah!!!"
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Shu reached out and slapped her twice.
The force was so great that it slapped her directly into a small pond nearby.
The fat old woman was completely stunned; their second young lady was getting bolder and bolder!
"Help!!"
A sharp cry for help came from the pond.
"Hey sis, this pond is only knee-high, what are you pretending for!"
Shen Shu picked at her ear: "Why can't you learn your lesson? Is this the kind of attitude you should have when you talk to me?"
She casually broke off a branch from a nearby tree and began poking it into the pond.
"Shut up! Shut up!"
Shen Xiao was dumbfounded; she had never seen anything like this before in her life.
Shen Xiao was still too thick-skinned: "How dare you treat me like this! I must tell my mother and have her punish you severely!"
Shen Shu got excited when she heard that: "Okay, then you go quickly. If I'm afraid of her, I'll write my name Shen Shu backwards!"
So they poked even harder.
For a moment, the water in the pond rose and fell, and the scene was chaotic!
She's gone mad! Shen Shu has truly gone mad!
Shen Xiao was now completely soaked, half-squatting in the pond, no longer daring to shout.
She was truly terrified; she never imagined that Shen Shu would genuinely treat her like she wasn't human!
Seeing that she had become obedient, Shen Shu threw the wooden stick in her hand aside, turned around and left, talking as she went.
"If you had done this earlier, it would have been fine. When you learn to speak properly, then come back to me. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you."
Seeing Shen Shu leave, the fat woman hurriedly followed.
Shen Xiao's head maid, Qing'er, had already gone to inform Wen Lanting. She ran away as fast as she could, afraid that if she delayed even for a second, she would be the next one to be beaten.
Wen Lanting had just seen off the doctor who treated Chen Lian when Qing'er came to report.
Her face turned pale upon hearing this, and she quickly went over with Qing'er.
When they arrived at the pond, Shen Shu was nowhere to be seen, while Shen Xiao was half-huddled in the pond, as if he had been terrified.
"My Xiao'er!"
Wen Lanting ordered his servants to quickly pull Shen Xiao out of the water.
Shen Xiao's face was pale: "Mother, I want Shen Shu dead!"
Wen Lanting felt a pang of heartache looking at Shen Xiao, who was soaking wet.
"Do you think Mother doesn't want to stand up for you and your siblings? But this brat has somehow learned some kind of bewitching magic, which has actually made the Marquis of Dingyuan stand up for her."
Shen Xiao thought she had misheard. "Mother said, Marquis Dingyuan, Lin Wei?"
That incomparably handsome and accomplished Marquis Lin?
Wen Lanting said helplessly, "It's absolutely true."
"It was still one of the guards from the Marquis of Dingyuan who brought your brother back today, and they even said..."
Wen Lanting couldn't help but shed a few tears.
“Once your brother’s leg injury heals, he’ll get fifty lashes for allegedly attempting to assault Shen Shu in the street. If that brat hadn’t gotten away with it, who knows how he would have been punished.”
Shen Xiao looked on in disbelief. "How is this possible!"
Wen Lanting wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. "But don't worry, Mother already has a plan."
Shen Xiao was extremely jealous: "Now that things have come to this, Mother, what good ideas do you have?"
"Have you forgotten what your aunt's family does?"
"He's just a deputy envoy of the Imperial Observatory..." Shen Xiao said with a look of disdain.
Suddenly… she realized!
Wen Lanting and Shen Xiao looked at each other and smiled.
…
Two hours later, after Wen Lanting and Shen Xiao had finished planning everything, Zhao Mama came to announce their arrival.
She bowed respectfully, her tone humble.
"Second Miss, today is the Ghost Festival. Tonight, the manor will hold a prayer ceremony. The Deputy Commissioner of the Imperial Observatory will also come to pray for the safety of the whole family. Madam said that you must come."
Zhao's mother thought to herself, "Now that I've followed all the rules, Shen Shu won't hit me for no reason anymore!"
Just now, Wen Lanting called several people to deliver a message to Shen Shu, but they all made excuses and were afraid of Shen Shu's slap.
Left with no other choice, Zhao's mother took the initiative to go, so as not to embarrass Wen Lanting.
Shen Shu snorted coldly, thinking to herself, "They've finally arrived."
Shen Lian broke her leg today, and Shen Xiao was pushed into the pond by her. How could her good mother not come to cause trouble for her?
In the previous life, there was no such thing as a blessing ceremony. It seems that Wen Lanting has come up with some new tricks.
She silently planned in her heart that no matter what tricks Wen Lanting and the others played, she would never again be bullied like she had been in her previous life.
She smiled meaningfully: "Please tell Mother that I will definitely go."
Zhao's mother was somewhat surprised that Shen Shu agreed so readily.
This second young lady didn't cause a scene or hit anyone?
She was overjoyed: "Yes, then this servant will go back and report immediately."
As Shen Shu watched Zhao's mother's departing figure, a cold smile flashed across her lips.
She looked at the fat woman who had been sneaking around following her: "Stop hiding, come out."
Since we've decided to play along, we need to find out some things first.
She wasn't unaware that the old woman had been secretly following her; Shen Shu simply didn't expose her because she wanted to see what she was up to.
The fat old woman seemed to be trying to curry favor. She hadn't implicated Shen Shu when Liu Mama died, but now she came to tell her about Shen Lian's broken leg and punishment. Then she watched as Shen Xiao was beaten without her doing anything.
It seems she intends to help Shen Shu. In that case, wouldn't it be a waste not to ask her for some information?
"Tell me, today is the Ghost Festival, according to usual practice, is there anyone from the Imperial Observatory here tonight?"
Upon hearing this, the fat woman's previously fearful eyes suddenly lit up.
There was a reason why she was following Shen Shu like this. She had made up her mind to rely on the second young lady and was just wondering how to bring it up when this opportunity came knocking on her door.
So he told everything he knew: "According to custom, the Imperial Observatory will pray for the royal family all night tonight, and even the Imperial Preceptor, who rarely shows himself, will be there!"
The Imperial Advisor is also here?
Shen Shu's heart stirred. If the Imperial Advisor was here, then this matter would be much easier to handle.
...
When Shen Shu arrived at the prayer site, apart from Chen Lian, who had a broken leg, her uncle and aunt and Shen Xiao were all there.
Seeing that Shen Shu arrived so late, Shen Qiushan couldn't help but feel annoyed, while Wen Lanting and Shen Xiao stared at each other with eyes like black-eyed chickens.
This doesn't look like a blessing ceremony; it looks more like a joint trial.
Shen Shu ignored everyone and sat down on an empty chair on the side.
Seeing her disregard for her elders, Shen Qiushan felt a surge of anger.
He wondered if Shen Shu was just taking the Marquis's favor for granted and dared to look down on them like that!
However, with outsiders present, he couldn't lash out on the spot, though his expression turned quite unpleasant.
Shen Xiao was secretly pleased to see Shen Shu being so "unreasonable".
She deliberately raised her voice and said with feigned concern, "Second sister, today is an important day for praying for blessings. How can you be so ill-mannered? You've even forgotten to pay your respects to our parents?"
Seeing that Shen Xiao had forgotten the pain once the wound healed, Shen Shu started to make her uncomfortable again.
He didn't say anything, but instead rolled up his sleeves.
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