Liu: “…”
She shuddered, her panic was beyond words. At this moment, her defenses almost collapsed, and she blurted out without thinking: "Yes, it was her! She stole Sister Xu's jade pendant. I am innocent, none of my business!" She clutched Aunt Sun beside her tightly, her face pale and frightening.
The wife of Marquis Yongning never expected that Liu would betray her so easily. Before she could react, Liu rushed over, tugged at her sleeve, and said hatefully: "Take it out quickly! It's in your sleeve pocket. I saw you put it in with my own eyes." It was all the fault of the wife of Marquis Yongning. If it weren't for her, why would God blame her!
The wife of Marquis Yongning's face flushed and she looked extremely embarrassed. She tried desperately to push Liu away, but Liu was stronger than her, and the two started fighting.
They were both noble ladies who were used to being pampered. Even if they had a disagreement on weekdays, they would just quarrel with each other verbally at most. But now, they were fighting until her hair was disheveled and her clothes were torn. There was also a long bloody mark on Liu's delicate cheek caused by the armor of the wife of the Marquis of Yongning.
Jade pendant?
Sheng Xiyan frowned. Lady Yongning Marquis had gone to so much trouble just for a jade pendant?
Blah!
The heavy rain that had been brewing for a long time finally poured down.
Xigui raised the umbrella just in time to block Sheng Xiyan's head, but the others were not so lucky. Who could have thought that there would suddenly be a thunderstorm when the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly just now?
However, the cold rain did not calm the two people who were wrestling with each other. Instead, Sheng Xiyan was afraid that the jade pendant would be broken by them accidentally.
She winked at Xigui, who understood and shouted in panic, "Madam! Madam! Someone come quickly, don't you see someone is beating Madam? Hurry and grab her!"
Xi Gui kept shouting, but he had no intention of going forward. He just did his job and held the umbrella for Sheng Xiyan.
The wife of Marquis Yongning, who was having her hair pulled, was shocked. She had never seen anyone lie so brazenly. Who was hitting whom?
Nanny Sun and Amber were both stunned. After hearing what was said, they came to their senses and rushed forward to pull the wife of Marquis Yongning. Amber also called those burly servants over.
This was the Sheng Mansion's territory. Marquis Yongning's wife came as a guest, not to fight, and she only brought Nanny Xu with her.
In the pouring rain, several people rushed up and subdued her in a few moves, even subduing Nanny Xu who had come over to protect the wife of Marquis Yongning.
Liu didn't care about her image as a noble lady. She raised her sleeves to wipe the rain off her face and personally took out a jade pendant from the sleeve pocket of the wife of the Marquis of Yongning.
Liu gave the jade pendant to Sheng Xiyan in a flattering manner: "This is it. She stole it. It's none of my business." She was uneasy, her face full of fear and uneasiness, and she looked up at the sky from time to time.
Sheng Xiyan took the jade pendant and without taking a closer look, she slowly approached the wife of Yongning Marquis and asked in a low voice, "I wonder what you are going to do with my mother's jade pendant?"
The wife of Marquis Yongning's face turned pale and blue, and her chest kept heaving. She couldn't tell whether it was out of shame, fear, or anger. It was as if there was a breath stuck in her throat, making her unable to utter a word.
The rain got heavier. The wife of Marquis Yongning's hair was disheveled and she looked like she had just been pulled out of the water.
"say!"
Sheng Xiyan shouted loudly, and along with her voice, another bolt of lightning struck.
Boom!
The roaring thunder struck the wife of Marquis Yongning in the heart, again and again.
Her mind was buzzing, her rationality completely exploded, she glared at Liu and said, "She took my twenty thousand taels of silver and sold this jade pendant to me."
She kept telling herself in her heart: I didn't steal it, so this thunder shouldn't strike me.
Sheng Xiyan narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and looked at the jade pendant in her hand again. The jade pendant felt warm and smooth, and was flawless white. It was a piece of top-quality mutton-fat white jade. But, was it worth twenty thousand taels? Her brows furrowed even tighter.
Sheng Xiyan took a step forward, looked directly at the wife of the Marquis of Yongning, and asked, "What is the secret of this jade pendant?"
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the rain was falling with a crackling sound.
The sky was completely dark. It was clearly noon, but it seemed like the evening hour had already arrived.
Liu and the wife of Marquis Yongning were already soaked all over, but they were so frightened that they seemed to have forgotten to hide from the rain and just let themselves get soaked in the heavy rain.
No one would have thought that a casual oath would actually come true!
"say!"
Sheng Xiyan approached again, and the wife of the Marquis of Yongning shuddered. Her defenses were almost broken, but she finally gritted her teeth at the last moment and said in a tough voice: "I just like this jade pendant. Your mother coveted your mother's dowry and took the initiative to sell it to me to pay off her debts."
The wife of Marquis Yongning looked at Liu with hatred, and her eyes seemed to say: Come on, expose each other and see who will be the embarrassed one in the end!
She was determined to take it all. It had come to this point and she had already lost all the face she deserved. She could forget about getting the jade pendant.
The two of them glared at each other. They were so harmonious an hour ago, but now they both wanted to bite off a piece of flesh from each other.
The rain was getting heavier. Even if Sheng Xiyan had an umbrella, her clothes would still get wet in the rain. The only place she could hide was the warehouse. But the rain was so heavy that the moisture on her body would ruin her mother's herbs and calligraphy. Sheng Xiyan gave up the idea without a second thought.
"I don't care who is right or wrong between you, Madam Yongning, why do you want this jade pendant?"
Sheng Xiyan's voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was just loud enough to drown out the sound of the rain, allowing everyone present to hear it clearly.
"I like it." The wife of the Yongning Marquis raised her chin. She wanted to show her ruthlessness, but in the heavy rain, her movements only looked a little funny. She bit her back teeth and said bitterly, "I paid real money to buy it. It was the mistress of the Sheng family who sold it to me. Who is treacherous and who is slippery, you Sheng family should solve it yourselves, it's none of my business!"
Sheng Xi's face was expressionless.
It is difficult to deal with the case since the wife of Marquis Yongning insisted that she bought it from Liu. Even if we take the case to the government, we can still say that she "bought" it from Liu.
This was the wife of a marquis, and the Yongning Marquisate had always been very favored. It was impossible for the government to torture her for a few words. Moreover, the government of the Great Rong Dynasty was not so fair and just.
The thunderstorm is about to stop, and I don't think it will be any use to threaten me with lightning.
Sheng Xiyan pinched the jade pendant in her hand, her eyes moved, and she snorted coldly: "Come here, report to Jingzhao Prefecture and tell them that the Marquis's wife came to our house to steal things and wrongly accused my mother." She glanced at Liu with a half-smile and said, "Mother, what do you say?"
The wife of the Marquis of Yongning felt a pang in her heart. How could a girl from a respectable family go to the government office for no reason? She couldn't afford to lose face like this!
"Miss Shengda." The wife of Marquis Yongning swallowed and her tough attitude softened.
In the heavy rain, her hair was in disarray, and her wet dress clung to her body. She no longer had the elegance and grace of a marquis' wife, but only embarrassment. She had never suffered such a great crime in her life, and she spoke in a humble manner: "This is your mother's jade pendant. I didn't ask you for your opinion, but instead went to Madam Sheng to buy it. It's my fault. The twenty thousand taels of silver will be my compensation. This matter will be written off. Do you think it's okay?"
When she heard the words "wipe the slate clean," Lady Yongning felt as if a thorn was stuck in her heart, unable to swallow it, nor spit it out.
This jade pendant! This great opportunity was enough to make their Yongning Marquisate ever rich and powerful, and to make her son a high-ranking official. She really didn't want to give it up.
However, the jade pendant is already in Sheng Xiyan's hands. If it were her, she would never give the jade pendant to anyone else.
Now, not only could she not get the jade pendant, she also had to give away twenty thousand taels of silver for nothing.
At this point, she could only comfort herself. Sheng Xiyan didn't know what the jade pendant represented anyway. Maybe there would be another chance in the future.
The wife of the Marquis of Yongning was unwilling to accept it, and Liu was even more unwilling to accept it. Taking the silver in her hand and taking it out again was like digging out her heart and liver. However, under the gaze of the wife of the Marquis of Yongning, she could only slowly take out the purse containing the silver bills.
The two of them didn't realize until this moment that they were soaked. Even though it was midsummer, standing in the rain soaking wet, they would still shiver with cold when the wind blew.
Nanny Sun gave all the banknotes and purse to Sheng Xiyan.
Mrs. Liu put it away very well, and Nanny Sun wrapped it in several layers of handkerchief before taking it, so the purse was only a little wet.
The wife of Marquis Yongning looked at Sheng Xiyan nervously, and was almost on her knees begging Sheng Xiyan to accept it.
Finally, Sheng Xiyan raised her hand lightly and accepted it. She opened her purse and took a look. It was a banknote from Datong Bank, a total of 20,000 taels.
The wife of Yonghou felt relieved. She straightened her messy clothes and said, "Miss Shengda, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."
This time, Sheng Xiyan didn't stop her.
Lady Yongning Marquis did not care that it was still raining and ran away with unsteady steps. She had never run so fast in her entire life.
The rain has gradually subsided.
A-choo!
Liu sneezed in the rain, then came up with a dry smile: "Sister Yan, then..."
She wanted to ask if she could leave. The banknotes had been returned to Sheng Xiyan, and the jade pendant had also been returned. In fact, Sheng Xiyan had not suffered any loss, and had earned 20,000 taels of silver for free. She was envious just thinking about it. If it were her, she would have been so happy.
"Mother, do you know what the Marquis of Yongning wants this jade pendant for?" Sheng Xiyan asked tentatively. Although she felt that the Marquis of Yongning's wife would definitely not let Liu know, she still held out a glimmer of hope.
Liu wanted to cry but had no tears. She shook her head. How could she know what had happened to the wife of the Marquis of Yongning that she had set her eyes on the jade pendant and brought disaster to herself?
Sheng Xiyan glanced at her and stopped asking questions. Instead, she smiled and said, "Father should be back soon. Mother, why don't you wait with me? I don't know what father would do if he saw the ancestral hall being struck by lightning. Oh, I'm a little scared."
Liu shuddered again. Seeing Sheng Xiyan's smiling face, she was not afraid of her, but herself!
The ancestral hall was struck by lightning.
When Sheng Xingan comes back and asks, he will definitely be in trouble.
Liu's heart seemed to have fallen into an abyss, like the rain, sinking down and down...
Liu really regretted it. She shouldn't have agreed to a deal with the wife of the Marquis of Yongning for such a small sum of money. She never thought that things would turn out like this.
The rain gradually stopped and the sky became brighter. It was a thunderstorm that came quickly and went away quickly.
While Liu was in a state of panic, Sheng Xingan quickly came back.
It was not yet time to leave the government office, but the fire in the ancestral hall was no small matter. Upon hearing the report from the steward of the mansion, he could not care about anything else, put down the work at hand, and hurriedly asked for leave.
This time, he saw Liu kneeling in front of the ancestral temple, soaking wet.
The Sheng family ancestral hall is in their hometown, and now only the tablets of their branch are enshrined in this hall.
Half of the roof of the family ancestral hall with white walls and red tiles collapsed. The inside of the hall was in a mess, with broken wood and tiles scattered on the ground. A pine tree in front of the door was broken at the waist, and the trunk was charred black. The air was filled with a strong smell of burning.
The white walls of the ancestral hall were gray and black, with obvious signs of burning, which showed that it had caught fire. Fortunately, there was heavy rain and the fire was put out. Otherwise, if the ancestral hall had been burned down, the ancestral tablets would not have been preserved, and I would have really become an unfilial son.
Thinking of this, Sheng Xingan felt a little scared.
Seeing Sheng Xingan's gloomy face, Liu's heart trembled, and she instinctively wanted to play weak and pretend to faint.
As a result, before she fainted, she caught a glimpse of Sheng Xiyan looking at her with a half-smile. Liu's heart was beating wildly, almost to the point of palpitations. She told herself: I can't faint. If I faint, Sheng Xiyan might catch me and make things worse, fanning the flames!
Sheng Xingan frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
"Grandpa..." Liu's voice was full of twists and turns, like singing an opera. But the accent was too strong. Before she finished reading the word "Grandpa", Sheng Xiyan had already said it for her slowly, "Father, mother secretly sold my mother's dowry, and was struck by lightning."
Sheng Xingan: “…”
What a mess! He really couldn't understand.
Liu gritted her teeth and did not dare to put on airs this time. She rushed to tell the whole story in detail. Perhaps because she was afraid of being struck by lightning again, she did not dare to hide a single thing.
The more she spoke, the lower her head lowered.
Finally, she said, "Master, I know I was wrong..." and tears began to flow.
She cried pitifully, her slender white jade fingers holding the handkerchief and wiping the corners of her eyes, just like a willow in the wind.
But her hair was disheveled, her clothes were untidy, and her makeup was all washed away by the rain. This hypocritical look did not win Sheng Xingan any sympathy.
Sheng Xingan was almost shocked.
Not only did his wife embezzle the original wife's dowry, she even colluded with the wife of Marquis Yongning and secretly sold the original wife's dowry. She was caught red-handed by Sheng Xiyan, and his face was burning!
There is also the family ancestral hall, which was actually struck by lightning and shattered into this state!
Sheng Xingan felt that she was not the kind of country woman who believed everything she heard, but this matter was just too coincidental, so coincidental that even he couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Originally, the Sheng family was just an ordinary scholarly family. It was only after his father entered the official career that their status gradually rose. Sheng Xingan was ambitious and wanted to make the Sheng family prosper under his leadership so that by the time his son and grandson came to power, they could also become a prominent family of the Great Rong Dynasty.
But now, thunder actually struck the ancestral hall!
Although it was Liu's fault for being greedy, others would not think so. If this matter were to be spread, wouldn't everyone be discussing whether he was a corrupt official or an unfilial son, which caused the thunderbolt warning? !
The Minister of Rites will retire next year, and he originally had hopes of competing for this position, but now that this incident has happened, it is inevitable that someone will use it to attack him and accuse him of misconduct.
When Sheng Xing'an thought about how his future would be affected, his heart ached like a knife. He looked at Liu with more and more hatred, and he wished he could skin her alive.
"Master, Master." Liu shrank her neck and said carefully, "I know I was wrong. It was the wife of Marquis Yongning who insisted on buying the jade pendant. I was greedy for a moment."
Stupid! Sheng Xingan clenched his fists and almost wanted to slap him.
Why would he marry this stupid woman just because the Liu family is a family of scholars?! A bad wife brings disaster to three generations, wouldn't even the descendants of his Sheng family be led astray by this stupid woman?! Sheng Xingan thought in a mess.
"Father," Sheng Xiyan said calmly, "Don't you think you should explain this matter to the ancestors in front of the ancestral tablets? Otherwise, they will be confused as to why they were struck by lightning when they were fine. Sigh, I feel sad for them just thinking about it."
Sheng Xingan: “…”
He always felt that she was mocking him, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. Even if his ancestors were not upset, he would be upset.
He endured it again and again, but his gentle face was full of bloodshot eyes.
After the Sheng family moved to the capital, Old Master Sheng moved the ancestral hall there as well. Later, Sheng Xing'an's official position gradually rose, and he renovated the ancestral hall a few years ago. But now it has become dilapidated.
Sheng Xing'an was originally somewhat thankful that the tablets were still intact, but now, looking at them like this, the dark tablets were like a pair of eyes staring at him, accusing him of being an unfilial son, which made him shudder.
He felt more and more uncomfortable, a fire was burning in his chest, about to burn him to ashes.
Sheng Xingan clenched his fists tightly and asked, "Liu, how much did you embezzle?"
"Ten thousand... twelve thousand taels of silver." Liu sniffed and stammered. Now she couldn't hide it anymore. She could only admit it honestly.
Sheng Xiyan estimated in her mind that the annual income from her mother's shops and farms was at most a little over a thousand taels, and that would be about the same amount in eight years.
"Heh." Sheng Xing'an sneered from his throat, and Liu lowered her head even lower.
Sheng Xingan took a deep breath and said to Sheng Xiyan, "This sum of money will be paid from the public treasury, and this matter ends here. When you go out, you are not allowed to tell anyone about it. Do you understand?"
Sheng Xiyan asked: "Do you want to repair it as it is?"
Sheng Xingan nodded: "Yes."
Sheng Xiyan shook her head lightly and said slowly, "My daughter thinks it's inappropriate."
Sheng Xingan looked at her deeply and asked, "What's wrong with that?"
"Twelve thousand taels, if I put it in a money house, how much interest would I have earned in the past eight years?" Sheng Xiyan smiled, "The Datong Money House in the capital pays 3% interest a year, so if I do the math, it should be more than fifteen thousand taels. If I don't put it in a money house, I can use the money to buy a farm, which can generate interest, and then I can use the interest to buy a shop, which can also generate interest, and then I can buy another..."
"That's enough." Sheng Xing'an interrupted her, his forehead throbbing with pain.
If she continues to "buy" endlessly like this, she can even buy Darong!
"Father, don't think I'm asking for too much. I'm doing this for your own good." Sheng Xiyan explained to him seriously, "Look, our ancestors are watching us. If you're too stingy, I don't mind. I'm just afraid that our ancestors will be dissatisfied. What will we do if we get struck by lightning?"
As she spoke, she sighed slowly.
Sheng Xingan felt as if she had slapped him hard in the face. His cheeks ached and his throat tasted fishy and sweet.
Sheng Xiyan stopped talking, she just looked at Sheng Xingan with a smile.
Having lived two lives, she knew Sheng Xingan too well. Liu's misappropriation of her mother's dowry was a trivial matter in Sheng Xingan's eyes. But if Liu not only misappropriated the dowry, but also colluded with the wife of the Marquis of Yongning and sold it privately, and even caused a thunderbolt to strike the ancestral temple, this would be a naked slap in his face. He was so proud that he couldn't stand it.
Sheng Xingan nodded and uttered a word with difficulty: "Okay."
His face was sullen as he said, "I'll have the outer court give you this money directly, 20,000 taels, and this matter will be written off from now on."
Sheng Xiyan met his gaze, unbiased, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were so bright that one dared not look directly at them.
Sheng Xingan turned his head away subconsciously, with a cold face, trying to get her to stop. Sheng Xiyan responded with a smile: "Then don't forget your father."
Sheng Xiyan glanced at the two of them and said caringly, "My daughter will take her leave now. By the way, mother, if you can't sort out the account books, you don't have to give them to me."
Anyway, she was too lazy to look at that messy account.
Liu: “…”
If it were an hour ago, she would have liked Sheng Xiyan to say this, but now, she glanced at Sheng Xingan's increasingly embarrassed face and lowered her head even more.
Feeling satisfied, Sheng Xiyan took Xigui back home.
The sky gradually brightened, and the sunlight flickered under the clouds. If it weren't for the water on the ground, it wouldn't look like a heavy rain just now.
This rainstorm came and went quickly, just like the previous life.
To ordinary people, this might just be an ordinary rainstorm in summer, but Sheng Xiyan remembered it because in the previous life, the Sheng family's ancestral hall was damaged by lightning in this rainstorm, which happened to be five days before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later, Sheng Xing'an found several craftsmen to come to the mansion and hurriedly repair it to avoid missing the Mid-Autumn Festival ancestor worship.
Even though a lifetime had passed, Sheng Xiyan still clearly remembered that the rainstorm started at 1:15 p.m. and lasted until 3:15 p.m.
For Sheng Xiyan, it didn't matter whether the wife of the Marquis of Yongning would go to the storehouse or not. She just had to act accordingly. The only thing she had to pay attention to was the time.
Sheng Xiyan smiled at Xigui and praised him, "Well done." She meant that Xigui had delayed the time just right when he went to look for Liu.
Xigui blushed at the compliment and smiled awkwardly.
When she returned to Cailing Courtyard, E Rui had already prepared hot water for washing and boiled two bowls of ginger soup.
After drinking the ginger soup, Sheng Xiyan went to the bathroom and told Xigui to go back quickly to wash up and change clothes to avoid getting sick.
Xigui came back in less than half an hour. He took the ebony comb from E Rui and combed the half-dry black hair of Sheng Xiyan who was sitting in front of the dressing table.
Sheng Xiyan held the jade pendant in her hand and played with it carefully.
Xigui asked curiously, "Miss, could this be the priceless gem mentioned in the opera?"
Sheng Xiyan smiled and shook her head: "Probably not."
This jade pendant is indeed a piece of top-quality mutton-fat jade, delicate and moist, like solidified fat, and flawless. The kirin and auspicious clouds on the jade are ingeniously carved, obviously from the hands of a famous artist, but it is not priceless, at most it is just rare jade and exquisite carving.
Such a jade pendant might be considered rare in the eyes of ordinary people, but the Yongning Marquisate should not be short of such a good piece of jade.
Xigui was puzzled and asked, "Why did the wife of the Marquis of Yongning spend so much time on this?"
Even Xigui could see that the wife of Marquis Yongning was definitely not thinking about the jade itself...
Sheng Xiyan certainly understood this, and she also knew that the wife of the Marquis of Yongning had kept her mouth shut and would never say anything.
Therefore, she did not continue to press the issue, but accepted the 20,000 taels. After all, the wife of the Marquis of Yongning was not dead yet, so there was no rush, but 20,000 taels of silver were not always available.
That’s right!
Sheng Xiyan's hand holding the jade pendant suddenly paused. No wonder she felt it looked familiar. In her previous life, when she was in the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, she had occasionally met the Yongning Marquis's wife a few times. The wife of the Yongning Marquis wore this jade pendant around her waist.
She remembered it because one time, the jade pendant of the wife of Marquis Yongning disappeared, but later it appeared under her pillow, so she said she had stolen it.
Sheng Xiyan knew at that time that it was Zhou Jingxun who colluded with Fang Fei to make room for Zhao Yuanrou...
Sheng Xiyan smiled lightly, with a hint of sadness flashing across her eyes.
Since she has lived a new life, there is no need for her to feel uncomfortable about her past life.
"Girl." Xigui's eyes lit up, and he said, "Could this be the key written in the storybook that can be used to open some treasure house?"
Sheng Xiyan laughed out loud, then she thought of something, lowered her eyes slightly, and held the jade pendant in her palm. After thinking for a moment, she turned around and tapped her forehead, smiling and said, "You are so smart."
This jade pendant was obtained by the wife of the Yongning Marquis in her previous life. Before her death, the Yongning Marquisate, which had always been stable in the court, suddenly rose to prominence. Zhou Jingxun even rose to prominence in just one year, from an assistant general in the Five Armies Palace to a lieutenant general.
The idea of a treasure house is too mysterious, but maybe this jade pendant actually represents something else...
Sheng Xiyan smiled and said, "Xigui, please bring me the needle and thread basket."
Xigui handed the comb to Erui and went to get the needle and thread basket.
Sheng Xiyan picked up a red silk rope, woven it into a rope with her deft hands, and strung the jade pendant on it.
She planned to carry the jade pendant with her, just like the wife of Marquis Yongning in her previous life. Maybe someone would take the initiative to tell her the answer.
After finishing the braid, Sheng Xiyan put away the twenty thousand taels of silver note and said in a very good mood: "Xigui, go and listen to the call. What's going on in the main courtyard?"
Xigui responded and left.
Liu had not yet returned to the main courtyard. She was kneeling in front of the ancestral temple. She did not dare to stand up without Sheng Xing'an's permission.
The sunlight after the thunderstorm was even more scorching. In just one hour, Liu's clothes were almost dry. She no longer felt the uncomfortable feeling of being wet, but was replaced by an unbearable thirst. She felt dizzy from the sun.
"Madam, please get up and rest first." Nanny Sun said in a low voice, "The master is still in the front yard."
The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and it's time to worship the ancestors. The ancestral temple has been damaged like this, and Sheng Xingan is busy asking the housekeeper to find someone to repair it.
"Madame Sun." Liu was still frightened and her voice was trembling. "What on earth was that thunder just now?"
She thought about it over and over again, and her heart began to panic when she thought of the shock just now.
Grandma Sun swallowed her saliva, prayed in her heart, and said, "Could it be that the eldest girl... played some tricks?"
Liu had thought so too, but it was impossible. Unless Sheng Xiyan could really foresee the future, even if she could, the wife of the Marquis of Yongning had invited herself to come! Could it be that she could call the wind and rain and have the power of ghosts and gods?
Amber's eyes dodged for a moment, and she said nonchalantly, "Madam, this is clearly the trouble caused by the wife of Marquis Yongning."
"Yes, yes." Liu felt that Amber's words touched her heart.
It was all the fault of the wife of Marquis Yongning. She would never have any contact with her again.
Liu moved her numb knees. Sheng Xingan had just been so angry that he had said that if she did it again, he would give her a letter of divorce and they would never be together again.
She didn't dare to touch his mold anymore, so she just knelt for a while.
She consoled herself in her heart: After all, the matter was settled. Even if she didn't get the 20,000 taels, at least the bill was paid, so she wasn't too disappointed...
Liu knelt until the sun set and then fell down in a daze. Soon she had a high fever. The main courtyard was in chaos and people hurriedly went to call a doctor and boil medicine.
After the news reached Cailuyuan, Sheng Xiyan also went to take a look.
Sheng Xingan's concubines and children were all waiting in the main hall. When they saw Sheng Xiyan come in, they all stood up. Some called her "young lady" and some called her "big sister".
Sheng Xiyan sat down in her seat, and Aunt Zheng took the initiative to say, "Miss, the doctor said that Madam has caught a cold and now has a high fever and has not woken up yet. The medicine is already boiling on the stove."
Aunt Zheng was in her twenties, with delicate features, and had given birth to the third daughter and the fourth son, so she enjoyed considerable respect in the mansion.
She pressed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and her eyes suddenly turned red. She said, "Miss, what do you think we should do?"
Aunt Zheng also heard a little bit about what happened today. It seemed that Liu and Sheng Xiyan had a quarrel, and Liu was sick because of Sheng Xiyan. But she didn't know the details. She wanted to ask someone to find out, but she heard that Sheng Xingan had issued a death order that no one was allowed to tell anyone. Aunt Zheng wanted to test Sheng Xiyan's attitude.
"What should I do?" Sheng Xiyan straightened her sleeves and said slowly, "Didn't the doctor say it was a cold? Did I hear it wrong? Could it be that mother has some fatal disease?"
Aunt Zheng choked and said, "Yes, it's a cold."
Sheng Xiyan glanced at her and sneered, "It's just a cold. Madam Zheng doesn't need to make a fuss. Madams should just take good care of mother."
It is only natural for a concubine to take care of her mistress when she is ill.
Aunt Zheng's face froze, and she asked subconsciously, "What about the eldest girl?"
She thought Sheng Xiyan would stay with Liu to take care of her.
Being a sick attendant is not an easy job. One has to stay by Liu's side day and night, serving her tea and water. Moreover, Liu has a bad temper. Once she gets angry, she will either beat or scold her. She doesn't want to do such a thankless job.
Besides, Mrs. Liu is ill, and someone has to take care of the household expenses in this mansion. If the eldest daughter is busy taking care of the sick and has no time to manage the household, then she might have the opportunity.
Aunt Zheng's eyes were full of greed, and she was eager to try and said, "Young lady, you are very filial and true. I have always admired you. I heard that Princess Jingle also praised you for your filial piety."
Sheng Xiyan stroked the jade pendant on her waist and said lightly without answering her words, "Isn't Aunt Zheng just heartbroken about mother's cold? It's just right for you to stay here and serve mother, so that Aunt Zheng won't worry about her day and night and can't sleep well."
Aunt Wang and Aunt Chen looked at each other in surprise. They had not expected that the usually good-tempered young lady would become like a different person, arrogant and domineering, especially the way she sat there, with a dignified demeanor.
Aunt Zheng: “…”
She moved her lips, not knowing what to say. Should she say that she was not worried about Liu, or that she did not want to serve Liu? Neither seemed right... She had just mentioned Princess Jingle on purpose. Shouldn't a young lady show some expression?
Without waiting for her to agree, Sheng Xiyan said, "Then I'll have to trouble Aunt Zheng for the next few days. Aunt Wang, Aunt Chen, you should take care of our younger brothers and sisters more." What she meant was that there was no need to take turns, and Aunt Zheng would take care of the sick.
Aunt Wang and Aunt Chen were delighted and quickly responded, "Yes, young lady."
Then he said to Aunt Zheng repeatedly, "Thank you for your hard work, sister. You are wholeheartedly doing this for Madam, which really touches us." His tone was as sincere as it could be, and Aunt Zheng was simply speechless.
Sheng Xiyan is the eldest daughter of the family. She would never let her concubines bully her in the past, no matter how soft-hearted she was. Now, she certainly would not do that. There are only three concubines in the family. If you combine the interests of two of them, they will suppress the other one. She doesn't need to do anything.
Aunt Zheng's eyes wandered, and she winked at the third lady, Sheng Xiyun, who asked worriedly, "Big sister, with mother's illness, what should we do with all the big and small matters in the mansion?"
Sheng Xiyan said in a good-tempered manner: "The housekeeper is here, so you don't have to worry. If you are free, you can stay and help mother with Aunt Zheng."
Sheng Xiyun: "..."
Her face turned pale and she said hurriedly, "The teacher has assigned a lot of homework these days, and my mother has a cold. The doctor also said that it's not good to have too many people around."
Sheng Xiyan just smiled and didn't expose her.
She stood up, smoothed the hem of her skirt, and said, "Since Third Sister has also said that it's not good to have too many people around, let's just go if there's nothing else to do."
Sheng Xiyun: “…” It was obviously Sheng Xiyan who wanted to leave, but she dragged herself into this!
Sheng Xiyan said this, and everyone left one after another except Aunt Zheng who stayed behind to take care of her.
Sheng Yan went out with Sheng Xiyan. From an angle where no one else could see, he gave her a thumbs up and said admiringly, "Sis, when did you become so amazing?"
He had only been away from home for half a year, but his sister had already changed into a completely different person. In the past, she would only stand up for him when he was bullied, but otherwise, she would just muddle through.
Not to say it was bad before, but it’s more stylish now!
It must be because he was not around, she was isolated and helpless, and felt wronged, which forced her to become tough.
Thinking of this, Sheng Yan quickly said: "Sister, don't worry, I'm here for you in the future, and I won't let anyone bully you." He held his head high and his eyes were burning.
Sheng Xiyan knew that this boy must have thought too much, so she explained the whole thing herself. It was good this way, as she didn't have to bother making up stories.
Sheng Xiyan touched his soft head and said, "Okay, I'll wait."
Sheng Yan smiled foolishly and said with more enthusiasm: "Sister, I will go to register for the military exam tomorrow. Just wait for me to become the top martial arts champion and ride a horse through the streets to make you proud!"
Sheng Xiyan gave him an encouragement: "When you come back, I'll take you to buy a horse."
Sheng Yan was overjoyed, and almost jumped up with joy: "Really? Sister, I want a horse! I want a horse! I want a horse! Sister, I love you the most!"
No one can resist this guy's sweet talk.
"Really? I'll wait for you to come back tomorrow and we can go pick them together."
Sheng Xiyan made the promise with certainty. She had earned tens of thousands of taels of silver today. She was so rich that she could even afford a precious horse!
Sheng Yan was satisfied and returned to the front yard happily.
It was not until after midnight that news came from the main courtyard that Liu had woken up, but the fever had not yet subsided and she was in a daze.
At the time of morning and evening visits, Sheng Xiyan went to take a look. Liu had already gone to bed. Aunt Zheng had big dark circles under her eyes and said listlessly, "Madam just took medicine and went to bed." She hadn't slept all night.