Chapter 57 The Person Who Hidden the Deepest Shen Qinglu also looked at her, those tears…
*
For a moment, Shen Linlang was somewhat dazed.
She felt as if she had returned to many years ago, when her mother was still alive.
My mother came from a prominent family and was a renowned woman of talent. She and my father were a scholar and a warrior, respectively. They should have been a couple with the least compatible interests, but they were extremely loving.
At first, she thought that since she and Yu Zhiheng were both scholars, and she herself was a martial artist and a scholar, the person least likely to object to their marriage would be her mother. But unexpectedly, her mother was the one who most strongly disapproved. She was truly puzzled and made up her mind to marry him.
In the end, even her family couldn't persuade her otherwise, including her mother.
She remembered that the day before the engagement, her mother repeatedly tried to persuade her, but she confidently said that she had not chosen the wrong person and that they would definitely have a happy life together in the future.
The mother sighed and said, "I hope so."
Looking back now, I wonder if my mother didn't believe it at the time?
So, do you believe it yourself right now?
Madam Xie also saw her, and her voice was trembling with tears as she spoke, “Linlang, Heng’er absolutely did not have such feelings for Miss Fang. It was all Miss Fang’s wishful thinking. I can swear to God on this.”
Anything that can be uttered with a mere flick of the tongue is even less believable.
Shen Qinglu's eyes darkened as she quietly watched her.
She walked step by step until she stood in front of Madam Xie. "According to you, Miss Fang is deeply in love with her husband. You knew her feelings, yet you still accepted her gifts. What exactly do you mean by that?"
"...It was my mistake." Madam Xie said with shame, not daring to look at anyone.
This statement seems to be a universal solution; it can be used for child swapping, and it can be used right now.
"It's not that you're confused, it's that I'm confused." Her face was full of bitterness.
The weather was excellent today, much warmer than the past few days, but her heart was cold, as if it had sunk into a frozen wasteland, frozen stiff, and even her grief and pain seemed numb.
She felt someone hug her and was instantly enveloped in warmth.
Shen Qinglu hugged her from behind, her voice trembling, "Mother, I'm so sad, why did they treat us like this?"
“Ali…” Her heart was revived by the warmth, but she was also filled with grief. “It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry.”
"It's not Mother, it's them. They live in Mother's big house, eat your food and use your things, and they even switched your child. They are all bad people."
The words "bad person" struck Xie's heart like a heavy blow.
Madam Xie couldn't bear it any longer and swayed a few times. "Ali, Grandmother isn't..."
She wanted to say that she wasn't a bad person, but those two words were hard to say, especially when she met Shen Qinglu's pitiful, aggrieved, and sad gaze. It was like a fishbone stuck in her throat, and she just couldn't utter it.
"It's Grandmother's fault, Grandmother will leave now..."
Want to leave?
It's not that easy!
"Grandmother, are you really leaving like this?" Shen Qinglu cried out, "You haven't told my mother what exactly happened between my father and that Miss Fang?"
“As I just said, it was all her wishful thinking; your father knows nothing about it.”
“She was on good terms with your daughter and often visited your home. She even brought gifts and money to your family. My father didn’t find it strange at all and accepted it without question. He dressed well and used good things, but never asked any questions. It was really strange.”
This is not just strange, it's downright unbelievable.
He's either an idiot or he's pretending to be an idiot.
Shen Qinglu's eyes darkened, an eerie blackness. "Could it be that Father, like me before, was also a fool?"
Her eyes were slanted at the corners, her eyelids half-closed, as if showing disdain or sarcasm. "When my soul hadn't returned to its place, everyone said I was a fool, but I knew that they didn't let me eat well or have enough to eat, not because they didn't have money, but because they were doing it on purpose. My father isn't a fool. Why wouldn't he be suspicious if he suddenly started eating and using the best things in life?"
These words were a questioning of Yu Zhiheng, but she herself was the one playing the victim. She was firing two arrows at once, one aimed at the Xie family and the other at Shen Linlang.
The confusion between past and present lives, the original owner or she, and she or the original owner, the fusion of body and soul, made them completely become one person.
Those years of eternal darkness and suffering belonged to the original owner, and also to her!
“Mother.” She wept silently, looking at Shen Linlang with teary eyes, “They are so cruel. They are all bad people. I am not stupid, but they made me stupid. You are not stupid either, but they treated you as a fool. In their eyes, we, mother and daughter, are all fools.”
Shen Linlang felt as if her heart had been squeezed hard, and the pain made her curl up into a ball.
Unlike many young ladies from secluded families, she did not learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, or flower arranging from a young age, but rather swords, spears, clubs, horseback riding, archery, and hunting.
In her youth, she least wanted to be a woman scheming and plotting in the inner quarters of the house; all that intrigue and backstabbing seemed foolish to her.
And now, she's trapped in the inner quarters, being treated like a fool.
What's even more ridiculous is that this house is her own!
"Linlang, why...why are you looking at me like that?" Xie was stunned by the sudden change in Linlang's demeanor.
That sudden awakening of pride and confidence was an innate honor she possessed as the legitimate daughter of a general's family. She looked down at him, her heroic features losing the gentleness she had shown over the years, as if she had suddenly gained sharp edges.
She stared at Madam Xie for a long while before turning to instruct Granny Yu, "Keep an eye on them as they pack their things. Let them leave today!"
When Yu Liuzhu arrived, that was the first thing she heard, and her expression immediately changed drastically.
“Aunt, please think it over. Filial piety is of paramount importance. To be unfilial to one’s mother-in-law and even drive her out of the house will make one a target of gossip. Public opinion can be devastating. You cannot disregard your own dignity and allow the world to criticize you, which will also implicate your maternal grandfather and uncle.”
The "Chen" in Shen Linlang's name is the same as the "Chen" in "General's Mansion".
With his military power and influence, and being stationed far on the border, Shen's father was highly susceptible to the emperor's suspicion. If someone with ulterior motives were to seize the opportunity to stir up trouble, not only Shen himself, but also Shen Kunyao, who was closer to the capital, would be affected.
It must be said that the mother and daughter have not only developed feelings for each other over the past ten years, but also a deep understanding of one another.
Because of Yu Liuzhu's words, Shen Linlang clearly hesitated for a moment.
"Sister Tang'er, do you want Mother to suffer in silence? Her surname is Shen, and her father and brothers are both generals. As the legitimate daughter of a general's family, if she is bullied like this and still swallows her anger, wouldn't she become even more of a laughingstock? What will become of the Shen family's reputation?"
Shen Qinglu grasped Shen Linlang's hand, clearly feeling the coldness of her fingertips. "Mother, last time we went out, that Madam Jiang, a mere merchant, dared to mock you to your face and even said she felt sorry for you. I don't want to hear those words again, I don't want you to be looked down upon by others anymore."
Her heart was filled with sorrow. "Ali, Mother was wrong."
Yu Liu's eyes were red and swollen. "Aunt, I've called you 'Mom' for over ten years. In my heart, you are my own mother..."
“You’re a bad person too!” Shen Qinglu was still crying. “You’ve taken my mother for sixteen years and still want to keep her. You’re just as greedy and ungrateful as your mother.”
After saying that, she asked Shen Linlang, "Mother, do you want her or me?"
Her expression was pitiful, her tone pleading, yet the depths of her tearful eyes were strangely calm, like two pools of dark, bottomless stagnant water.
She can fight and snatch, but if her fighting and snatching are meaningless, she will let go without hesitation.
Shen Linlang felt a sudden panic, as if she would lose something extremely important in the next moment if she didn't do something. "You are my daughter, of course I want you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Liuzhu dug her nails into her flesh.
She resented and hated, the grievances accumulated over two lifetimes made her hate everyone, especially Shen Linlang.
Birth is only ten months of pregnancy, but raising a child takes a full sixteen years. Can the bond between mother and daughter for sixteen years be less than that of a mere ten months?
“Mother, look at the way Sister Tang’er looks at you. She seems to hate you.”
Upon hearing Shen Qinglu's whisper, Shen Linlang subconsciously looked towards Yu Liuzhu and was astonished to see the resentment that had not yet been withdrawn.
"Tang'er, do you hate me?"
Yu Liuzhu would never admit it, shaking her head desperately, "Mother, I hate myself... Why am I not your biological daughter? Why am I not?"
"You weren't born that way, so why?" Shen Qinglu seemed to be murmuring. "I don't know why either. I'm clearly my mother's daughter, but I was switched and turned into an idiot?"
Stung by these words, Shen Linlang hardened her heart and said to Yu Liuzhu, "You are Yu Qingxue's daughter. I cannot let you live. You shall go with them!"
After saying that, he turned and left without looking at her again.
The resentment she had just suppressed resurfaced in her eyes as she looked at Shen Qinglu, "Ali, have you ever thought about how Father will feel if we just leave like this?"
You and your father never had any father-daughter relationship. He's a filial son, and the thought that this family fell apart because of you being brought back into the family makes you wonder if he would like you. What...what are you laughing at?
"I'm laughing at you for overthinking it."
Shen Qinglu glanced at her with a half-smile, her gaze cold and dark, like an ice cave in an extremely cold place.
She felt a chill run down her spine and inexplicably panicked.
What exactly does this cousin want to do?
*
"I'm not going back to Pingyang!"
When Yu Qingxue heard that Xie wanted to take her back to her hometown, her voice was sharp and shrill in rebuttal.
Exhausted and utterly defeated, Madam Xie said, "Things have come to this point. If we stay any longer, it will only make things worse. Qingxue, listen to your mother, let's go back, okay?"
"I've ended up like this because I listened to you," Yu Qingxue said irritably. "I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving no matter what you say. What's so great about Shen Linlang? Sister Fang is a hundred times better than her, and her father even got close to a powerful person..."
"Are you trying to make things chaotic enough? Say less!" Madam Xie wished she could cover her mouth.
She reluctantly shut her mouth, her eyes darting around as she looked at Yu Liuzhu, who hadn't said a word.
Yu Liuzhu was even more unwilling than she was, and there was no way she would return to Pingyang.
The thought that she was the one who caused all of this made him curse her as an idiot.
After a long pause, he said, "If you hadn't summoned that Miss Fang, things wouldn't have come to this. The best way to appease my mother now is to start with that Miss Fang. You two are quite close, so why not appeal to her emotions and reason with her, and get her to take back the rumors herself?"
"Will this work?" Xie asked hesitantly.
“I know my mother. She values my father the most, and the reason she got so angry is because of him. If you can persuade that girl, she will calm down.”
Yu Qingxue muttered in dissatisfaction, "If you ask me, she's just jealous..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was suddenly glared at by Yu Liuzhu's gloomy eyes, and immediately stopped talking and hurriedly went to write a letter.
After the letter was written, Yu Liuzhu called Qiu Lu in and gave her some instructions.
In order to be transferred to Liufang Xiaozhu, Qiu Lu had tried to curry favor with Yu Liuzhu and had done a lot for this former eldest daughter.
Of course, there were also unavoidable reasons why Yu Liuzhu chose her.
Qin Mama can't go out, Dengzhi is a servant of the Shen family, and it's hard to say what will happen right now. Li Mama is old and has to take care of Xie Shi, so she's the only one who can be used.
However, no matter how much some people planned, they would never have imagined that she had already surrendered to Shen Qinglu.
The two letters were quickly placed in front of Shen Qinglu, and their words were also relayed to Shen Qinglu's ears through her mouth.
Shen Qinglu told her to find a place to hide and not to show herself for the time being.
"Young lady, how long am I supposed to hide?"
"When the time comes, you will know. Maybe this will be the last time."
Overjoyed, she retreated with anticipation and met Xia Chan, who was waiting outside the door. Her joy was hard to hide, and she said with a hint of pride, "I've always thought that it would be wonderful if we, as sisters, could stay together forever."
Xia Chan smiled but didn't say anything.
As soon as the others left, he immediately turned around and went back into the house.
Shen Qinglu was reading the letter, her dark eyes showing no joy or anger, only an increasingly chilling coldness.
After reading the letter twice, she pondered for a long time before whispering something to Xia Chan.
Xia Chan accepted the order and headed straight for the horse market, avoiding people along the way.
The round trip took nearly an hour and a half. After returning home, he still avoided people. Before he even got close to the main courtyard, he sensed that something was wrong. Following his mistress's instructions, he hung the red ribbon on the mimosa tree.
The door to the main house was tightly closed, and Gu Ruxu's angry voice came from inside, "You really have some tricks up your sleeves, managing to fool the entire Shen family."
It was a rare occasion for the Shen and Yu families to gather together in the house. Even Yu Jingxian, who had been using the excuse of staying home to read, was called back. But this time, it was not a reunion, but a confrontation and a settlement.
“It has nothing to do with Heng’er, it was my fault for being confused. Sister-in-law, if you want to hit or scold me, just do it to me. I’ll take it all.” Xie choked up, almost unable to stand.
Yu Qingxue and Yu Liuzhu were beside her, but neither of them helped her.
Yu Zhiheng wanted to go over, but under Shen Kunyao's sharp gaze, he found it difficult to move and dared not even move.
Shen Kunyao was still wearing his general's armor, looking exceptionally imposing. He placed his sword on the table in a seemingly ordinary manner, yet it exuded a strong sense of killing intent.
"Do you really think I wouldn't dare to hit or scold you?" Gu Ruxu sneered, showing no respect whatsoever when speaking to Xie Shi. "You're just relying on your seniority, confident that we won't do anything to you, and you keep being annoying."
Madam Xie said sadly, "Sister-in-law... I know you're angry. I told you, I won't stay in the capital and get in your way. I'll take Qingxue and Tang'er back to Pingyang right now..."
“Mother…” Yu Qingxue dared not speak loudly, “I am a married woman, there is no need for you to worry about me, I have my own place to go.”
If she doesn't leave, then her daughter Yu Liuzhu can't leave either.
Yu Liuzhu lowered her head and didn't say a word.
"You have somewhere to go now? Why didn't you say you had somewhere to go after the Su family's incident?" Gu Ruxu laughed angrily. Due to etiquette and rules, she couldn't do anything to Xie Shi, but she would show no mercy to Yu Qingxue.
As the loud, crisp sound of a slap echoed in the room, Shen Qinglu had already seen the red ribbon on the mimosa tree through the window. She quietly retreated to the window, where Xia Chan, who had been waiting, quickly handed her a letter.
She secretly opened the letter, quickly read it, returned it, and hurried back to her seat.
Apart from Madam Xie and Yu Qingxue, all the elders were seated. The younger generation were all standing, and she was positioned right next to Yu Jingliang and Shen Changting.
"Ah Li, are you feeling stuffy?" Yu Jingliang thought she went to the window to get some fresh air and assumed she couldn't stand the atmosphere.
She nodded gently.
Suddenly, he looked across the street and his eyes met Yu Liuzhu's.
Of all the people in the room, Yu Liuzhu paid the most attention to her. From the other person's surprised and uncertain eyes, she guessed that everything she had just done must have been seen.
At this moment, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Xu Mama slipped in, whispered something in Gu Ruxu's ear, and then handed something to her mistress.
Gu Ruxu, with a sullen face, opened the package and looked at it. After reading it, she slammed her hand on the table and pointed at Xie Shi's nose, "You really are something else, all talk and no action. No wonder you raised such a vicious daughter!"
Just as Xie was about to argue, she suddenly saw the letter in her hand and was shocked.
She handed the letter to Shen Linlang, saying, "Linlang, take a look at how these people lied to you."
Shen Linlang, her face pale, finished reading all the letters and looked at Yu Zhiheng with a gloomy expression, as if all her energy had been drained away.
Yu Zhiheng rushed over and snatched the letters away. After scanning them, his expression changed drastically. "Linlang, I don't know anything, I really don't know anything, you have to believe me..."
"You really don't know anything?" Shen Linlang's voice seemed to drift from a great distance, and she looked completely lost.
Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped herself.
"I was so stupid."
Just as Yu Zhiheng was about to approach, he felt a flash of light before his eyes, and the chilling tip of a sword was right in front of him.
She gripped Chen Kunyao's sword and walked towards him step by step, while the person pointed at by the sword retreated step by step.
"Linlang... I am sincere to you, I have never lied to you. If you can only relieve your hatred by killing me, then do it."
After saying this, Yu Zhiheng stopped retreating and closed his eyes.
Everyone was watching them, except for Yu Liuzhu.
Yu Liuzhu's gaze was fixed on Shen Qinglu.
In the eerie silence of the room, Xie was the first to speak. She cried, "Linlang, it's all my fault. Don't blame Heng'er. He is your husband and the father of your children. Swords have no eyes. You must not act impulsively."
“Mother, Father has only had you all these years, not even a concubine. How could you turn against Father with swords because of those rumors? If word gets out…”
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
Before Yu Jingxian could finish speaking, besides Shen Kunyao, Yu Jingliang was also among those who reprimanded him.
Yu Jingliang immediately declared, "Mother, whatever you want to do, I will support you!"
Standing next to him was Shen Qinglu.
Shen Qinglu was unaware that tears were streaming down her face.
Shen Linlang looked at her children with a strange expression on her face, unsure whether she wanted to cry or laugh.
After a long silence, he managed to say with difficulty, "Let's get a divorce."
Yu Liuzhu's heart skipped a beat. In her sharply narrowed gaze, she saw Shen Qinglu looking at her with eyes full of tears, but amidst those tears, there was a hint of a smile.
She suddenly understood something.
It turns out that this cousin was the one who was hiding the truth the most. Her real goal was not only to drive them all out, but also to sever ties with them!
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