Chapter 92 Shen Mingzhu's Collapse
When Lady Yongyi married into the mansion, her mother-in-law handed over the management of the household to her.
Only then did she realize how poor and destitute the Bo family was. They really wanted to spend every penny in half, which led her to become a very money-loving and snobbish person.
In her eyes, this pair of night pearls were like pure silver. She had even thought about how to spend the money from selling the night pearls.
Now some people say it is fake, and she simply cannot accept it.
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi looked at Shen Mingzhu and said, "Zhu'er, tell me, what's going on with this bead?"
"It can't be fake." Shen Mingzhu's mind was buzzing, and she was blank for a moment: "I spent a lot of money to buy this pair of beads, how could they be fake?"
This was the first time she officially appeared in front of the officials' wives. Because of her status, she was afraid that they would look down on her, so she could not act petty and spent a lot of money to buy a pair of night pearls.
This was one of the reasons, and another reason was that the lady told her that a distinguished person would come to attend the banquet.
If she could catch the eye of a noble, no matter what her status was, the officials' wives would look up to her and rush to make friends with her.
Then it was worth spending this money.
But now it has been pointed out to be fake.
Shen Mingzhu retorted, "The store owner said that night-shining pearls come in different colors. Mine is different from yours, so that's not surprising."
"Yes," Lady Yongyi said quickly, "Nothing in this world is the same. There are always differences."
The lady stopped talking, straightened her sleeves, and had an expression that said, "Whatever you say is what I mean."
The more she acted like this, the angrier Shen Mingzhu became. "When I bought the beads, the storekeeper locked the beads in a wooden box. I saw the light from the beads through a small hole, and it illuminated the entire box. How could they be fake?"
If she cannot prove today that the Night Pearl is real, her reputation will be ruined.
Shen Mingzhu gritted her teeth and said, "Big sister's embroidery can only be seen under the light, and my beads only glow at night. Let's use a wooden box to verify whether it is real!"
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi was more anxious than anyone else and immediately ordered her maid to get the box.
The second wife stared at the night pearl for a long time, unable to tell whether it was real or fake.
Her mind was full of the "high price" Shen Mingzhu mentioned, and how much silver she spent to buy this pair of night pearls.
There was no night-shining pearl in the Marquis' Mansion, and Madam Shen couldn't tell whether it was real or fake. She could only look at Shen Mingzhu with worry, hoping that the night-shining pearl was real.
Otherwise, she would become a laughing stock among the officials' wives in the capital, and no one would be willing to be friends with her anymore.
Shen Mingzhu's heart felt like it was frying in a frying pan. She looked towards the door, hoping that the maid would come back with the box as soon as possible.
Today's plan was to make Shen Qingtan look bad for sending birthday gifts, and then arrange other plans so that she would have no chance of turning things around.
But unexpectedly, Shen Qingtan resolved the crisis, but she herself fell into crisis.
The guests learned their lesson and did not dare to gossip again until it was clear that the night pearl was fake.
The quieter the room became, the more restless Shen Mingzhu became, and she subconsciously looked at Shen Qingtan.
Shen Qingtan just looked at her with a smile on his face.
Shen Mingzhu felt scared when she saw Shen Qingtan's smile.
Because every time Shen Qingtan showed this expression, she would be in big trouble.
At this time, the maid came back carrying a box.
In order to verify the night pearl, the copper sheet on the box was pried off, leaving two holes.
"Put the beads in." Lady Yongyi instructed.
The maid carefully placed the night pearl into the box and then closed the lid.
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi was the first to go over and take a look.
Shen Mingzhu clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and her palms were sweating from nervousness.
"aunt……"
As soon as she opened her mouth, she saw the wife of the Earl of Yongyi stagger. The maids quickly supported her and prevented her from falling to the ground.
Shen Mingzhu's face turned pale, and she had a vague answer in her heart.
She leaned over to take a look, unconvinced. The box was completely dark, without any light at all.
“How could it be…”
Shen Mingzhu was struck by lightning and froze in place.
Mrs. Shen saw it and immediately understood: "Where did you buy it? The store cheated you and sold you a fake product. This is a violation of the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty and you can be arrested and thrown into prison!"
"Mother, I...I..." Shen Mingzhu's mind was in a mess, her hands and feet were cold, and she cried, "I..."
Mrs. Shen sensed something was wrong, pulled her into the inner room, and asked in a low voice, "Where did you buy it?"
Shen Mingzhu said helplessly, "Mother, I want to buy something more expensive for my aunt, but I only have the 20,000 taels of silver notes you gave me privately. I heard that Yong'an Lane sells all the precious items, and the prices are half of what you can get in the shops, so I... I went there and picked out this pair of beads."
Madam Shen was so angry that her eyes turned black. Yong'an Lane was a well-known ghost market. Nine out of ten people who went there without good sense would be cheated.
She gritted her teeth and asked, "How much silver did it cost?"
Shen Mingzhu raised a finger: "One... ten thousand taels."
Mrs. Shen was so angry that she was confused. She raised her hand to slap the stupid guy, but she stopped abruptly the moment she hit him.
Shen Mingzhu was so frightened that she was shaking all over, tears streaming down her face. "It's no use beating me to death. I'm not a lady from a noble family who grew up in front of you. I'm a wild girl who grew up in the countryside, with no brains and no experience.
Not only do you look down on me, but who else in the world looks up to me? If I had grown up beside you like Shen Qingtan, would I have needed to humble myself and curry favor with others in order to integrate into the circle that should have belonged to me?
From the moment you lost me, you completely ruined my life!"
Mrs. Shen looked at Shen Mingzhu's collapsed appearance, her heart softened, and most of her anger subsided: "You know that you are ignorant, so you should say and do less, then you won't make mistakes."
Because of what happened today, Shen Mingzhu can no longer hold her head up in front of the official’s wife.
Shen Mingzhu was at a loss: "Mother, what should I do?"
Mrs. Shen looked at Shen Mingzhu's face, which was about 50% similar to hers, and suddenly made a decision in her heart.
Shen Qingtan hated the Marquis' Mansion and would never reconcile with them, so there was no need to maintain face anymore.
Shen Qingtan's background was not revealed before because they were afraid that if her background was revealed, it would confirm that they had deliberately changed the marriage.
Now that Zhao Jue has lost the title, there is really no need for him to continue to flatter Shen Qingtan.
"Don't be afraid, mother has a plan in mind." Madam Shen decided to use Shen Qingtan's life experience to highlight Shen Mingzhu's pitifulness, so as to gain everyone's sympathy and suppress her embarrassment today.
Shen Mingzhu felt relieved. She took out her handkerchief and wiped away her tears. Just as she walked out of the inner room with Madam Shen, she heard everyone laughing at her.
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