Chapter 67: The Coffin (Thanks to the main character, Gao Mei, for +8)
"Shen Lang, no, Madam Shen, do you have anything else to say?"
Shen Tang stood there, stunned.
Completely empty your mind and body.
I never expected that Mr. Gu would be the one to notice first.
but--
She felt she could still struggle.
"Madam Shen? Mr. Gu thinks I'm a woman? A woman with a literary monogram? Don't you think this story is too absurd? Even folk tales wouldn't dare to make up something like this!"
Before accumulating sufficient strength, for a woman generally considered incapable of possessing both literary and martial prowess to suddenly acquire literary talent—whether seen as a tale of the bizarre or an ominous sign—is a curse upon her. It wouldn't matter if Qi Shan and the others knew, since she hadn't tried to hide it, and even wondered when they would discover the truth. But this Mr. Gu before her was different.
If he knew—
Shen Tang could only give him one sword, the sooner he dies, the sooner he can be reborn!
Mr. Gu smiled calmly, stroking his fan, and took a sip of Lanling wine: "Absurd? Before the thief star descended upon the world, who knew that there would be literary talent and martial courage, and that verbal attacks would become reality? In this absurd world, no matter what strange events happen, they are not absurd."
Shen Tang said coldly, "Mr. Gu, you've made a mistake."
Mr. Gu pointed at the dancer who was still recovering from the kick: "You know this person, so why does she only have one ear?"
"I'm not interested in knowing."
"She attempted to murder you during your exile, but you used your magic to escape successfully. The escorting officers then mistook her for your accomplice. Since they couldn't explain the missing person to those in Xiaocheng, they cut off one of her ears to impersonate you. That's why we received news of Madam Shen's death during the previous investigation. Tell me, am I right or wrong?"
Shen Tang remained expressionless: "Nonsense."
Mr. Gu's expression softened, and he gently coaxed, "There's no need to be so wary. I mean no harm. You are the most interesting person I've met in all these years. If you are Madam Shen, we have no conflict of interest, so why would I want to harm you?"
Shen Tang sneered, "I know that scheming people are often suspicious. The more they consider themselves clever, the more suspicious and dramatic they become. You're just making a judgment that I'm the eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen family based on what you call 'dowry'? Why go through all this trouble? Just take off your clothes and everyone will know. All this guessing is so boring and a waste of time."
The blade of the sword in his hand was close to his neck.
"Mr. Gu, do you have the guts to make a bet with me?"
"What are we betting on?"
Before revealing the details of the bet, Shen Tang stated the stakes first, her face radiating a chilling coldness. She spoke each word with the deliberate utterance of a judge whispering in one's ear: "If I win this bet, I will take your head."
"What if I win?"
“If Mr. Gu wins, then you have the guts to take my life. However, that seems unlikely, since it is you, sir, who has a sword hanging over your neck, not me.” Shen Tang smiled slightly. “I have a question that I do not understand. I wonder if you could enlighten me?”
Mr. Gu's eyelids twitched slightly: "Ask away."
"Actually, your mind-reading isn't some kind of spiritual power at all, but rather your 'scholarly way,' isn't it? Does that old man know that?"
The art of using words to eavesdrop on thoughts and the "way of the scholar" to read minds are two completely different concepts. The former is merely a required course that every strategist must learn, while the latter is a malignant tumor that everyone fears.
Mr. Gu: "..."
Even with a sword hanging over his neck, his expression remained unchanged, but now it turned ashen, and red veins started from the corners of his eyes and almost covered his entire eye sockets. Judging from this expression, Shen Tang had hit the nail on the head.
"Before we make a bet, I need to settle some old scores."
Without turning her head, she flung the sword behind her.
With a thud, the longsword sank into the wooden floor.
They managed to stop the dancer who was clutching her shoulder and trying to sneak away, while the other musicians had already scattered and fled in fright from the earlier turn of events.
"where did you go?"
Shen Tang stood up, turned around, and approached the dancer with a faint smile.
With each step she took closer, Wu Ling retreated, bracing herself on the ground. The hatred that had previously ignited in her desire to tear Shen Tang's face apart had been replaced by fear. The grudges from their journey to exile resurfaced in her mind, and she shook her head, trembling, begging for mercy: "You...you spare me, I was wrong—"
Shen Tang tilted her head: "You're saying you're wrong?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes—" he nodded vigorously.
"An apology offered after harm has been done is more foul than maggots in a latrine. Are you part of the dowry of Madam Shen? How laughable! How could you bring yourself to hurt someone?"
Upon hearing this, the dancer's anger momentarily overwhelmed her fear.
She raised her voice and said, "Why not? What makes you think you can question me? Do you really think you're from a noble family? You're not the eldest daughter-in-law! You're just a fool, a madman of unknown origin! You... you can use magic words, and you're actually a man?"
She paused, then shook off her guilty conscience and said confidently, "So what if I was part of the dowry? If Madam Shen hadn't married into the Gong family, I wouldn't have been implicated and sold off, becoming a subservient person..."
The experience of being exiled for more than a month was a nightmare!
She clutched her head in anguish, memories flashing through her mind.
What followed was a roar filled with hatred.
In her midnight dreams, she wished she could tear off the flesh and blood of that Madam Shen and swallow it whole. The Shen family was exterminated, nine generations of the Shen clan were wiped out—what did that have to do with a servant like her?
If she hadn't married into the Gong family, she wouldn't have suffered all of this!
Why can't she take revenge?
Besides, she was only taking revenge on a fool.
She's not the real Madam Shen.
Did she do anything wrong?
Shen Tang: "...???"
Mr. Gu, who thought victory was assured: "...???"
The private room was quiet, with only the dancers' frightened, heavy breathing remaining.
Shen Tang rubbed her throbbing temples, sighed, and asked Mr. Gu, "Sir, are you still going to participate in the bet we just made?"
Mr. Gu replied listlessly, "No thanks."
Shen Tang: "I think so too, then let's just forget about it."
What a mess! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Mr. Gu stood up, pointed at Shen Tang, and asked the dancer, "Since the person you framed on the way to exile was this Shen Lang, and he escaped successfully, then where did the real Madam Shen go?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Good heavens!
She's become a sullen man again; a scholar's face changes faster than turning the pages of a book.
Following the servant's orders, Mr. Gu conducted a thorough investigation into Shen Tang's identity. In addition to necessary surveillance, he also sought to trace the origins of the matter. He personally went to the brothel, enduring a headache, and listened to the dancers' innermost thoughts amidst countless conflicting voices, extracting much information from them.
However, a misunderstanding still occurred.
Shen Tang was indeed in the Gong family's exile team, and he was also using the title of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen family. However, he was actually a man dressed as a woman, and it was suspected that he was playing a person with mental problems. Therefore, he was targeted and retaliated against by the dowry dancers. In the end, Shen Lang seized the opportunity and successfully escaped to Xiaocheng.
The logic is indeed sound.
The dancer refused to answer.
Shen Tang thrust his sword into her throat, drawing out a thin line of blood.
"explain!"
Under the oppressive aura of murderous intent, the dancer broke down and revealed what she knew.
Before her wedding, Madam Shen disappeared and her whereabouts were unknown. Later, Shen Tang appeared. Everyone said that Madam Shen had accidentally fallen into the water and hit her head, and that she was now in a daze and confused.
With the wedding date approaching, the matter was put on hold.
Outsiders might not know, but how could those who serve them personally not recognize them?
As for Shen Tang—
The dancer stammered, "The coffin..."
Mr. Gu didn't hear clearly: "What?"
"I heard from the servants who guard the side gate in the backyard that one night, a very strange coffin was brought back. The person lying inside looked six or seven parts like Madam Shen. With a little dressing up, she could look exactly like her."
Chapter Three, hehe (#^.^#)
Thank you everyone. I've checked the data, and it seems like we've met the initial subscription requirements for monthly tickets and the donations.
However, in the first month after the new book's release, Mushroom (the author) will still try to compete for the top spot on the monthly new book ticket chart for better later performance. After writing for so many years, she's never even once achieved the number one spot on the new book chart.
(End of this chapter)
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