Chapter 20 Framed
The housekeeper was terrified and uneasy. How could he have imagined that something might happen to Madam Shen's confidant?
Madam Shen’s face turned blue, revealing a fierceness.
The housekeeper didn't dare to look up: "I will go check it out."
Shen Mingzhu stared blankly at Mother Wei, her eyes and mouth wide open, her hands clenched, mud and water seeping through her clothes. Her belly was slightly swollen, and foam was pouring out of her mouth and nose.
It was the first time she had seen a dead person, and this person had just smiled at her and said, "Miss, you are a precious jewel, and Shen Qingtan is just a piece of rubble that hurts your feet. She is not even worthy of carrying your shoes, and it is not worth your keeping her in your heart. This old servant and the madam will protect what belongs to you and will not let those cats and dogs take it away."
Shen Mingzhu's mind was blank and her legs were so weak that she could hardly stand. It was Wandong who supported her.
Aunt Liu and Aunt Hu were also surprised. They secretly looked at Madam Shen, and then at Shen Qingtan who lowered her head and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. There was an undercurrent between the two of them.
They guessed that there was something fishy about Shen Qingtan's identity, and they also knew that Mrs. Shen had set a trap for Shen Qingtan to fall into.
But she never expected that when the mother and daughter clashed, Madam Shen would be defeated miserably.
Their eyes fell on Shen Qingtan's slender white fingers, which were as pure and flawless as a piece of jade, without a drop of blood, but they had cut off one of Mrs. Shen's strong arms.
"Is it you! Is it you who let Liu Yue and Ting Xue kill Mother Wei?" Shen Mingzhu came to her senses and turned to accuse Shen Qingtan, tears welling up in her eyes: "Big sister, you have such a cruel heart. Mother Wei just gave you a reminder and asked you to keep two maids with you. Not only did you slap her to teach her a lesson, you even wanted to kill her!"
Madam Shen was shocked, as if she couldn't believe it: "No way... Tan'er is kind and weak, how could she kill Mother Wei who raised her?"
"Mother, if she remembered the kindness that Mother Wei had shown her, how could she have slapped Mother Wei?" Shen Mingzhu insisted that it was Shen Qingtan who did it, her voice tinged with tears: "Blame me, it's all my fault. If I hadn't come back, Mother Wei wouldn't have been so heartbroken about me suffering that she focused so much on me and neglected my elder sister. If I hadn't come back, my elder sister wouldn't have gotten into the wrong bridal sedan and married my sickly second uncle. If I were your elder sister, I would definitely be resentful... It's my fault, it's all my fault..."
Madam Shen's maid Lu Yin sobbed, "You can't take someone's life just because you're angry. Madam Wei was not only the madam's wet nurse, but she also took care of the young lady meticulously. But she ended up with such a miserable end."
Shen Qingtan saw that they set up the stage and threw dirty water on her. It would be unreasonable for her not to cooperate and perform.
She raised her pale little face and said tearfully, "Mother, I took everyone around me to the Zhao residence. When Mother Wei was in trouble, I was having dinner with you. How could I have had the chance to do anything to her?"
Shen Mingzhu said aggressively, "You still refuse to admit it. Liu Yue and Ting Xue left midway, and then something happened to Mother Wei. These two wicked slaves haven't come back yet. I think they were the ones who did it!"
"Tan'er, Mother Wei is an elderly person close to me. Although she is a servant, she has long been a family member in my heart." Madam Shen showed an extremely disappointed expression: "She usually acts steadily and abides by the rules. Everyone in the mansion can see it. I believe that she gave you advice because she truly treated you as her own child. I didn't expect that someone would harbor hatred and do such a cruel thing to her..."
At this point, Mrs. Shen burst into tears and was choked with sobs and couldn't speak for a while: "You slapped her and hurt her, but she never blamed you at all, and even spoke well of you in front of me. She broke the rules, so she deserved the punishment. Please give her a favor and let her go to the kitchen to make you a sweet cake to make amends for your sin."
"Mother, a person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear. I didn't do it, so I won't plead guilty." Facing their accusations, Shen Qingtan remained calm and fearless. "Liu Yue and Ting Xue would never kill anyone. If they weren't in my yard, they must have gone to get snacks for mother."
At this moment, Liu Yue and Ting Xue hurried over and said, "Miss, I've gone to the carriage to get some snacks." Liu Yue then handed the box to Lu Yin and said respectfully to Madam Shen, "Madam, Miss remembers that you loved Bai Xiang Zhai's Jade Bean Cake, so she bought some specially for you."
Madam Shen was startled and asked in confusion: “If that’s the case, why didn’t you take it out when you came to the mansion?”
Shen Qingtan glanced at Shen Mingzhu, pursed his lips and explained, "There were so many people at the gate that I couldn't take it down. I had originally planned to take it out for you when I returned home. Then I thought that my mother would be tired and should rest, so I took advantage of Liu Yue going out to change clothes and asked her to quietly take it back to you as a surprise. I never thought that something would happen to Mother Wei."
Mrs. Shen understood the meaning of Shen Qingtan's glance at Shen Mingzhu. It was simply that Shen Mingzhu forgot to bring her anything, so Shen Qingtan didn't want to show it and was just taking care of Shen Mingzhu.
She moved her lips and was about to say something.
The housekeeper came over and said, "Madam, Madam Wei smells of alcohol. It seems she fell into the water and drowned."
"Impossible!" Shen Qingtan was the first to deny it, deliberately using Madam Shen's words to block it out: "Mother Wei was clearly making sugar cakes for me, how could she be drunk? Mother Wei usually does things according to the rules and abides by her duties. She would never be sneaky and drink with others while on duty."
Mrs. Shen looked as if she had been slapped in the face, and her face was a little embarrassed.
"Mother, I've always treated Madam Wei as a relative. It's okay if she's disrespectful to me and acts like she's the master. I'm just worried that she'll mess up the hierarchy and provoke someone she shouldn't, risking her life. That's why I gave her a few words of advice, but you don't understand my good intentions. If she were an ordinary maid, I would have had her taken away and beaten with twenty boards and then sold off." Shen Qingtan was filled with grievances, but her expression was firm. "My injustice is secondary. I absolutely cannot let Madam Wei die unjustly. This matter will not be tolerated."
Then, she ordered the housekeeper: "Go and report to the police!"
Mrs. Shen's face suddenly changed. Shen Qingtan insisted that she did not do it and even wanted to report to the police. Could there really be something wrong?
Before she could figure it out, she saw Shen Shaoheng approaching with his hands clasped together. He said lazily, "Why report it to the authorities? A naughty and unruly servant is dead, so be it. On the day when the eldest and second sisters return home, someone dies in the mansion. Isn't that a joke? Others try to cover up their scandals, but we're going to publicize it."
Mrs. Shen’s face darkened.
Shen Shaoheng glanced at Mother Wei and sneered, "I saw it with my own eyes. This old thief stole the good wine and drank it in seclusion. The wine was strong, and she died of drunkenness in the pond."
He raised the corner of his lip and said with disdain, "Second Aunt, you are nothing but a slut who deceives her subordinates and deceives her superiors, and pretends to obey but actually disobeys. Do you want to make the precious master of the mansion pay for this worthless life?"
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