Chapter 101 This is what it means to be in the same boat.
Madam Shen looked at Shen Chu with a suspicious expression.
Shen Chu's lips curled into a mocking smile. "I slandered you? Since Madam says so, why don't you personally interrogate this fake master and see if you can find any evidence that I slandered you?"
Chen felt a pang of panic.
Chunyan was Wang Mama, the trusted confidante she had previously dealt with. She was her personal maid and was originally sent away to marry.
The house in the south of the city was her dowry to Chunyan.
Later, Chunyan's husband died young, and she had no children, so she went to the Marquis's mansion wanting to return to her side to serve him.
She had just become pregnant at that time and needed help, so she kept Chunyan and made her the head housekeeper in her courtyard.
Later, Aunt Qiao gave birth to Shen Chu. She was jealous and worried that Shen Chu, the eldest son born out of wedlock, would steal her child's favor and status.
One day, Chunyan gave her an idea: to find a master to deliberately predict that Shen Chu would be destined to be a lone star.
She tacitly approved of Chunyan's idea. When Madam Shen broke her leg, it was Chunyan who personally applied the lamp oil to the stairs.
The master they found was also arranged by Chunyan. After sending Shen Chu away that year, she instructed Chunyan to find a way to silence him.
Chunyan came back and said the matter was settled. Could it be that she was lying to her?
This master has actually been in the capital all along, and is even Chunyan's lover?
The more Chen thought about it, the more panicked she became, but she tried her best to maintain a calm expression and forced a smile.
"I misspoke in a moment of anger. I meant, Ah Chu, don't be fooled by this beggar."
Perhaps he's fabricating lies to sow discord between us and deliberately tarnish the reputation of our Changning Marquis's mansion.
"My lord, don't you think so?"
Marquis Changning's brows were furrowed deeply.
He and Chen had been married for many years, and seeing her like this, he vaguely guessed that Chen must have tampered with Shen Chu's fate back then.
This infuriated him.
If it weren't for Chen's actions, Shen Chu wouldn't have been sent to the Taoist temple, and he wouldn't have become so estranged from his father and son.
But Chen's words reminded him that he could not disregard the reputation of the Marquis's mansion.
Even if Mr. Chen was wrong, he should have resolved the matter privately.
Marquis Changning wanted to order his men to drag the beggar away, but before he could speak, he heard a faint cough behind him.
He shuddered and turned to see the Sixth Prince staring at Zhang Wang with great interest.
The words that Marquis Changning was about to say were silently swallowed back.
Seeing that the Marquis of Changning remained silent, Madam Chen harbored resentment and could only glare fiercely at Zhang Wang, saying, "This man dared to disrupt the disaster relief banquet and attempted to damage the reputation of the Marquis's mansion. Guards, drag him away and beat him to death immediately."
Shen Chu stepped forward. "Madam, are you going to kill me to silence me?"
Chen's expression was gloomy. "Holding the disaster relief banquet was the Empress Dowager and the Empress's idea. Just for him disrupting the disaster relief banquet, beating him to death in court would be too lenient for him."
Two guards stepped forward to drag Zhang Wang away, but were stopped by Hongxiu.
Chen Chu looked at Zhang Wang, "Without any evidence, no one will believe what you say. Do you have anything else to say?"
Zhang Wang turned pale with fright; the fear of impending death fueled his rage.
"You vicious woman, back then you made me say that the eldest son was a cursed loner. After the eldest son registered for the imperial examination, you learned that the Marquis wanted to bring the eldest son to the capital."
You repeatedly sent Chunyan to Huzhou to assassinate the eldest son, and the last time you even had someone set fire to the Taoist temple in an attempt to burn the eldest son to death.
Unfortunately, the eldest son was lucky; he didn't die in the fire and even went to the capital to pass the imperial examination with top honors.
"You harbor resentment and have repeatedly ordered Chunyan to harm the eldest son. Last time at Jingguo Temple, it was you who secretly drugged him, intending to throw him into General Li's daughter's room."
Chen's face changed drastically, and she shrieked, "Shut up! You're talking nonsense! Drag him away!"
“No, let him speak.” A woman with a heroic air stepped forward from the crowd; she was General Li’s wife.
Madam Li's eyes blazed with anger. "Madam Chen, I don't know where our Li family has offended your Marquis of Changning's mansion, that you would use my daughter as a tool to deal with your illegitimate son?"
Madam Chen's face turned pale. "Madam Li, don't listen to his nonsense. I have never done any of these things."
Madam Li gave her a cold look, gripped the sword she carried, and ordered Zhang Wang, "Continue on, I want to hear what dirty things the dignified Madam of Changning has done."
Zhang Wang pointed at Chen Shi and continued, "Later, the eldest young master didn't fall for the trap, so you had someone kill the maidservant next to you and throw her into the eldest young master's room, trying to frame the eldest young master for murder."
After the eldest son was selected as an official, the Marquis's mansion held a banquet. You used the same trick again, sending a servant to drug the eldest son and prepare to have the servant defile him.
Who knew that by a twist of fate, you would harm the Marquis and your own son? After the incident, in order to shirk responsibility, you even had Chunyan beaten to death.
Poor Chunyan served you her whole life, loyal and devoted, yet you were so heartless, showing her no mercy whatsoever.
"You wicked woman, it really is you!" Marquis Changning looked at Madam Chen with such hatred that he wanted to devour her.
At the banquet at the Marquis's residence that day, he flirted with a servant boy in front of everyone, making him the laughingstock of the entire capital. Aunt Qiao still cannot forgive him.
Although they suspected Chen at the time, Chen covered it up, and they believed that Chunyan really had ulterior motives.
Ms. Chen still vehemently denied it, saying, "I never did any of these things."
Zhang Wang smiled smugly, "You didn't expect this, did you? I coaxed Chunyan into telling me everything you've done, and I even wrote it all down in a book, including who you dealt with."
He pulled a booklet from his pocket and waved it at Chen.
Chen was caught off guard by Zhang Wang's hidden trick and panicked, rushing over to snatch the booklet.
Zhang Wang dodged and rushed to Pei Yuan's feet, weeping bitterly:
"Sixth Prince, everything I have said is true. Anyone who can verify the records in the book can find out exactly what this wicked woman has done."
"I beg the Sixth Prince to spare my life. I... I am willing to be a witness and testify against Chen for her crimes."
Pei Yuan glanced at the booklet in Zhang Wang's hand, then looked up at Chen Chu.
While Zhang Wang was recounting Chen's crimes, Shen Chu stood by, seemingly an outsider detached from the matter.
Her expression was frighteningly calm.
But Pei Yuan could clearly sense a strong sadness, anger, and even murderous intent emanating from her.
It turns out that Shen Chu's childhood was just as difficult as his. At least he had his mother's love for him for a few years, but Shen Chu was unloved by his father, schemed against by his stepmother, and had a weak aunt.
In fact, she was even worse off than him.
A complex mix of emotions, hard to describe, welled up inside me. Perhaps this was what it meant to feel the pain of shared suffering?
He reached out and took the booklet, flipped through it, and gave the Marquis of Changning a cold look. "Tsk, framing a concubine's son, drugging, hiring a hitman... The mistress of the Marquis of Changning's mansion is so ruthless, yet the Marquis is completely unaware. If even family matters are so muddled, one can't help but doubt whether the Marquis can shoulder the heavy responsibility of court affairs."
Marquis Changning's expression changed drastically, and he raised his hand to slap Chen Shi across the face.
"You wicked woman! The facts are undeniable, do you still want to deny it? How can you be worthy of being the wife of a noblewoman after committing such a heinous act?"
Chen was slapped hard to the ground, her eyes flashing with deep resentment.
Just then, a eunuch's shrill voice rang out from outside, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
A strong sense of joy flashed in Chen's eyes.
The Empress is here! Let's see who dares to humiliate her now!
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