Regardless of how much Mrs. Zhao publicized her love and care for Shen Qin'er, or the rumors that she was harsh on her daughter-in-law, making her eight-month-pregnant daughter-in-law pay her respects and serve her before dawn, and that she was exhausted.
Originally hoping to use his connections at the end of the year for a promotion, Lord Zhao returned home furious and slapped his wife across the face, yelling, "How dare you!"
"Before, the Shen family was in the wrong, so you could do whatever you wanted! But things are different now!"
"I warned you, she's pregnant. If anything happens to the Zhao family's child in her womb, I won't let you off the hook!"
"I've turned a blind eye to everything you do all the time, but you let her cause trouble at this crucial moment! Is this how you manage a household!"
"Go and comfort her properly, don't make a fool of yourself again!"
Mrs. Zhao covered her face, looking aggrieved, but inwardly she was seething with hatred. That Shen Qin'er, she really gave her too much face!
How dare you scheme against her behind her back like that!
After that, whenever someone came to visit the family and mentioned her as their daughter-in-law, she would cry a few times, blaming herself and saying that she hadn't done well enough and was not as good as Madam Shen. No matter what, there was always a distance between them.
Shen Qin'er stood to the side, speaking sarcastically, implying that Mrs. Zhao was bullying her.
The Zhao family was thrown into chaos for a time.
Of course, Shen Ajiao knew all this, since it was her idea.
Because conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are always a big deal!
She wouldn't pry into Shen Ajiao's parents' affairs; every effect has a cause. But what happened to Shen Ajiao, she naturally wouldn't let them get away with it.
When Lin Ruhai learned of this, he naturally had no reason to stand idly by. In addition to creating problems for Lord Shen, he also helped other officials seize the official position that Lord Zhao had been working on for six months in advance.
This caused the Zhao family to make an even bigger fuss.
Madam Shen also went to the Zhao family to make a round of sarcastic remarks. Now that the Zhao family had not obtained the official position they wanted, they naturally dared not offend the Shen family too much, since the Shen family was under the protection of the retired emperor.
The Zhao family needs a promotion, and they also need the help of their in-laws.
Shen Qin'er thought that Shen Ajiao had helped her, so she sent Shen Ajiao a lot of nice things.
Upon seeing this, the Zhao family believed that Shen Ajiao was secretly helping Shen Qin'er, and that someone was opportunistic and deliberately gave the official position that the Zhao family had their eye on to someone else. The Zhao family was both angry and annoyed, but they were powerless to do anything about Shen Ajiao.
He grew even more disgusted with Shen Qin'er and vented all his anger on her.
Since Shen Ajiao gave her some "guidance", Shen Qin'er has become fearless and refuses to suffer any grievances. The Zhao family's jokes have been circulating in the capital from time to time.
Lord Shen was also in a bind, facing much criticism. He not only had to deal with his daughter's reputation, but also had to withstand the pressure to prove that his title was not as rumored.
In the end, it was proven that the title was legitimate, but it brought to light a case from nineteen years ago.
Someone accused the head of the Zhang family of poisoning Shen Huaiyuan, and the old master of murdering the Zhang family's illegitimate daughter, which caused a great uproar.
Lord Shen and Madam Shen knelt in the main hall of the retired emperor.
The Emperor and the Retired Emperor presided over the trial.
The Emperor Emeritus asked, "Shen Shinan, are you aware of the things your father did?"
Shen Shinan said, "Your Majesty, I know nothing about this. My father was also truly wronged!"
"My brother committed a grave crime by defiling a respectable young woman, but my father couldn't bear it. He discussed with the Zhang family that after the child was born, he would take the Zhang family's illegitimate daughter as a concubine. Unfortunately, my brother knew he had made a mistake and was unable to find peace of mind. He soon fell ill and died. When the Zhang family's illegitimate daughter learned of my brother's death, she was greatly shocked, suffered a miscarriage, and died in childbirth! How could there be any story about my father-in-law poisoning my brother!"
"Your Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus, please make this clear!"
The Emperor Emeritus smiled slightly, “I have said before that this matter has nothing to do with Shen Shinan. Now that everything has been made clear, and given that Shen Shinan’s father and father-in-law have already passed away, let’s just leave it at that.”
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have witnesses who can prove that the Zhang family's illegitimate daughter did not die in childbirth, but was poisoned."
The Emperor sat firmly on the high platform and said, "Bring him up."
An old woman was brought in, knelt down, and tremblingly greeted His Majesty, saying, "This old woman, Li, greets Your Majesty."
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said, "Li, please recount what you saw and did that day."
“I deserve to die. I’m really desperate. My son is seriously ill and needs money. The old man came to me and said that as long as I agree to do something for him, he will treat my son and there will be a large sum of money later.”
"I had just boiled a large dose of safflower and fed it to the woman, who was already weak after childbirth. After drinking a bowl, she bled uncontrollably and... died!"
"Your Majesty, please spare my life! This humble woman was forced into this situation."
Uncle Shen knelt down, "My father has been dead for many years, but he was an upright man throughout his life and would never do such a thing!"
"This woman said my father gave him a large sum of money to do that kind of thing, how can that be true!"
The young woman quickly shook her head, "No, after I did that thing back then, I lived in constant remorse. I dared not touch a single penny of the money that Master Shen gave me! Your Excellency is wise!"
As he spoke, he shakily took a box out of his pocket and placed it in front of everyone.
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review brought it and presented it to His Majesty, saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look."
Lord Shen frowned, looking at the old woman. "My father would never have done such a thing! This is a frame-up!"
But no one saw Madam Shen, who was also kneeling on the ground with her eyes darting around.
The Emperor took the silver note, which was quite old and bore the old clerk's personal seal. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Shen Shinan, this has your father's personal seal on it. Tell me about it."
He then ordered the papers to be placed in front of Master Shen. Shen Shinan looked incredulous as he examined them one by one, muttering, "Impossible! Impossible! My father would never do such a thing! It's definitely a frame-up! A frame-up!"
The Emperor Emeritus frowned. "Now that the dead are gone, there is no way to verify the facts. The evidence to suggest that Shen Shinan's father was responsible is insufficient. Do you have any other evidence, my dear minister?"
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review bowed and said, "Your Majesty, of course there is one. This person is the maid who served the concubine Zhang. After the concubine Zhang was murdered, this maid originally wanted to stay in the Shen family to serve the young master. However, on the day the concubine Zhang died, this maid was also murdered. Fortunately, she was rescued by a passerby. Fearing that she would be murdered again, she went into hiding. It was through extensive investigation that I was able to find this person."
The retired emperor snorted coldly, exchanged a glance with Shen Shinan, and said, "Bring him up."
The guard brought along an old woman in a wheelchair, who was helped to kneel down. When she saw Lord Shen and Madam Shen, she trembled uncontrollably and burst into tears of fear.
"How dare you! What grievance do you have? Tell me the truth!"
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