Chapter 29 The Lady Who Protects Her Child
Shen Qingtan seemed to not understand the Second Madam's insinuations and asked in surprise, "Second Aunt, didn't you know the dowry list a long time ago? Back then, Second Sister..."
Realizing she had let the cat out of the bag, she pursed her lips.
The Second Madam's smile froze. "Before your second sister got married, she never attended any banquets held by the various mansions. When she returned to her ancestral home, the Marquisate hosted a banquet for all the officials' wives. I just met her once, so how could she have told me the list of her dowry?"
Shen Qingtan pursed her lips and smiled, "Yes, Second Sister is not a fortune teller. She predicted that you would become mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, so she revealed the dowry list to you early."
She sighed softly: "Either my second sister was deliberately teasing me and deliberately lied to me about the dowry list, or I heard it wrongly."
"Your second sister is just teasing you." The second wife was frightened by these words. She was afraid that Shen Qingtan would say something shocking again. She quickly said, "I'm going to the pawnshop to check the dowry now."
"Thank you, Second Aunt."
"We are a family, there is no need to say such polite words."
Before leaving, the Second Madam asked again, "Which pawnshop?"
Shen Qingtan replied: "Dechang Pawn Shop."
The second lady's eyes flickered slightly, and she said goodbye to the old lady before leaving with her people.
Shen Qingtan did not leave, but came to the old lady, touched her kind and loving face, and could not help but said softly: "Grandma, the private affairs of your granddaughter-in-law have disturbed your peace."
The old lady's mind was as clear as a mirror. When Shen Qingtan and Luo Lingzhi were exchanging witty banter, she took in the expressions of both of them and knew who was right and who was wrong.
"Tan girl, it's not your fault. You don't have to feel guilty." The old lady held Shen Qingtan's hand and pulled her to sit on the stool beside her: "Our Duke's Mansion has wronged you. You suffered an injustice in your marriage, and your dowry was also embezzled."
Shen Qingtan knew that he couldn't hide this from the old lady, so he decided to be frank.
I thought the old lady would blame her, but I didn't expect the old lady to be so clear about right and wrong.
"A large and deep mansion has no place for the naive and straightforward. Either they grow up amidst numerous hardships, or their beauty dies young. Being scheming and cunning is not a bad thing, as long as they can clearly distinguish between good and evil."
The old lady was filled with emotion, a trace of pain flashing in her eyes. She said earnestly, "You are too docile. I often worried that you would be bullied. Now that I see that you can protect yourself and keep your things, I am relieved."
Shen Qingtan was deeply touched: "Grandma..."
"This person loves to nag when he gets old. Young people don't like to listen." The old lady raised her hand to smooth Shen Qingtan's messy hair and looked at her for a long time. "It's almost noon, so I won't keep you for dinner."
Shen Qingtan said sincerely, "My grandson likes to listen to the teachings of the elders. That is your half-life experience. If you can give me some pointers, I will avoid many wrong paths."
The old lady was stunned.
Shen Qingtan smiled faintly: "In a few days it will be the fifteenth day, and your granddaughter-in-law will come to pay her respects to you again."
The old lady watched Shen Qingtan's back gradually disappearing, and the light in her eyes dimmed little by little.
When Mother Wei saw the old lady's lonely expression, she knew that she had seen Shen Qingtan and remembered the eldest daughter who died in childbirth.
She couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you invite Second Madam to dinner?"
"Yier is frail and the imperial physician has determined he won't live long. He has an indifferent personality, no desires, and is indifferent to fame and fortune. Even so, the Second House remains concerned, viewing him as a stumbling block in their struggle for power and targeting him at every turn." The old lady's eyes grew colder. "If I were to treat Miss Tan any differently, the First House would never have a peaceful life."
When Mother Wei thought about the current situation in the mansion, she could understand the old lady's difficulties.
"What misfortune for our family." The old lady sighed softly, "I wonder how long this mansion's apparent peace can last."
——
Shen Qingtan came out of Shi'an Hall and on his way back to Lanxueyuan, he met the eldest lady who was rushing over.
"Tan'er, did Luo Lingzhi bully you?" The eldest lady came to Shen Qingtan and looked at her face carefully.
Seeing her gloomy expression, the eldest lady's eyes were filled with anger: "This woman is a difficult evil ghost, haunting her all day long.
I usually don't bother with her, but she's getting more and more arrogant, even bullying you. She really thinks our eldest wife is a soft persimmon."
After saying this, the eldest lady's face turned cold and she left with her maid.
Seeing that the eldest lady was heading towards the second house, as if she was going to settle accounts with the second lady, Shen Qingtan quickly grabbed her arm and said, "Mother, the second aunt can't bully me."
"Tan'er, you don't have to compromise." The eldest lady thought Shen Qingtan just wanted to keep things quiet and didn't want to make a big deal out of it. "I just look down on Luo Lingzhi's low-brow and despicable tactics. As long as she doesn't cross my bottom line, I don't take her seriously. It's not that we're afraid of trouble."
"I really haven't been wronged. Second Aunt is the real 'sufferer' now." Seeing that the eldest lady didn't believe him, Shen Qingtan thought for a moment and decided to take her to see the show together: "Did you bring the right cards? I'll take you to a place."
When the eldest lady saw Shen Qingtan's mysterious face and his bright eyes flashing with cunning light, she became curious for a moment and followed Shen Qingtan out of the house in a daze.
Shen Qingtan brought his first wife to Dechang Pawnshop. There were two veil hats in the carriage. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law put on the veil hats, and the veils hung down to cover their faces. They got off the carriage one after another and entered through the back door of the pawnshop.
Liu Yue came to the pawnshop first to take care of things, and the shopkeeper was waiting for them in the backyard.
The moment Shen Qingtan took over the pawnshop, she replaced everyone inside and out, and now all of them are hers.
"Miss, the 'distinguished guest' has arrived." The shopkeeper respectfully invited Shen Qingtan and the eldest lady to a room where fruits and tea were laid out on the table. "There's a small window in this room that lets you peek into the room where the transaction is taking place."
Shen Qingtan nodded and signaled the shopkeeper to leave.
The shopkeeper left the room and closed the door.
Only the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and their personal maid were left in the room, and the eldest lady finally took off her veil.
She looked around the spacious house, which was bright, clean, exquisite and gorgeous. "Tan'er, is this the shop under your name?"
"A pawn shop." Shen Qingtan looked at the eldest lady with a surprised expression, as if she didn't understand why he brought her to the pawn shop. He smiled and said, "You'll know in a moment."
The eldest lady suppressed her doubts, took a sip of tea from a cup, and her eyes fell on a small window on the wall. She remembered what the shopkeeper said and guessed that Shen Qingtan brought her to see the transaction.
As she expected, a familiar voice came from next door: "You are really going too far! We just pawned it last night, and in just one night, you are asking for a ransom several times more than the pawn money. Why don't you just rob it!"
The eldest lady’s eyebrows twitched. The person she was doing the deal with was her “victim” second brother’s wife?
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