When Old Madam Liu arrived, Liu Zhaoniang was sobbing to her mother.
"I wanted to teach her a lesson, but she wasn't the least bit afraid. Mother, someone like her absolutely cannot enter the Rui Wang Residence." The hatred in Liu Zhaoniang's eyes was undisguised. "The position of Prince Rui's Consort can only be mine."
More importantly, Brother Prince Rui was still protecting her.
She had heard that at the start of the banquet, Brother Prince Rui had specifically gone to support her.
She tugged at Liu Furen's hand. "Mother, please go speak with the Empress quickly and arrange the marriage soon."
"Don't be afraid, Mother won't let her enter the Rui Wang Residence." Liu Furen comforted her daughter. "The Empress has long intended for you to be the principal consort. Now that Prince Rui has just returned to Great Zhou, we must not rush."
Today, she had publicly challenged Shen Mingtang to test her. If she could be intimidated, she wouldn't be a threat.
But the girl wasn't afraid at all.
Whether she relied on Prince Rui's influence or something else, for someone so young to remain so calm in the face of trouble was extraordinary.
"Mother, go complain about her to Aunt Empress. I don't believe we can't deal with her." Liu Zhaoniang pushed her mother.
Liu Furen grew angrier the more she thought about it. "Alright, Mother will go now."
She stood up and hurried out but suddenly stopped, seeing Old Madam Liu standing at the door, unsure how long she had been there.
"Mother-in-law." Liu Furen forced a smile. "When did you arrive?"
Old Madam Liu, supported by her maid, entered the room and found a chair to sit in.
She looked sternly at her granddaughter crying on the bed.
"Let today's matter end here. Your grandmother has already apologized to Second Daughter Shen on your behalf. You should behave yourself."
"Grandmother!" Liu Zhaoniang sat up abruptly. "She was the one who seduced Cousin first. I heard she was also acting improperly with Cousin in the guest room."
Old Madam Liu's face darkened instantly. "Shut your mouth."
She raised her cane as if to strike Liu Zhaoniang. "A proper young lady from a good family, spouting such nonsense. What if someone else hears you?"
Liu Furen couldn't let her daughter be hit and immediately rushed over to protect her.
"Mother, what Zhaoniang said isn't wrong." Liu Furen whispered. "Moreover, I heard something else. Eldest Daughter Shen led a group of people into the room where Madam Shen was resting. From what I gathered, it seemed they were trying to catch Madam Shen in an affair with the Yuchang Marquis Heir…"
Hearing this, Old Madam Liu was shocked. "What?"
She thought about how the guest rooms for the women were in the inner quarters—how could a man be allowed in there?
Besides, the Yuchang Marquis Heir was utterly without virtue. If word got out that he could enter the inner quarters, where would the Liu family's reputation be?
"Mother, what happened then?" Liu Zhaoniang even forgot her own troubles. "What happened then?"
She was thinking:
Isn't Eldest Daughter Shen legitimate?
What kind of situation is it when a biological daughter tries to lead people to catch her own mother in an affair?
"…"
Shen Mingtang and Qin Shi rode in the same carriage back to Shen Jia.
Along the way, Qin Shi seemed to want to say something several times, but whenever Shen Mingtang met her gaze, she awkwardly looked away.
Since she didn't speak, Shen Mingtang didn't ask.
However, Qin Shi's face was much paler than when they had left in the morning. It seemed the day's events had left her anxious and frightened.
Shen Mingtang escorted her back to her room. After returning to her own quarters, she sent a young maid to check if Shen Mingyue had returned home.
Soon, the little maid returned.
"The Eldest Daughter hasn't come back yet."
Shen Mingtang was puzzled. Hadn't she asked Prince Rui's guards to help escort her back to the Shen residence?
Where exactly had they taken her?
Another question lingered in her mind: Shen Mingyue and the Yuchang Marquis Heir had no connection whatsoever, so how had she managed to attract his attention?
The maid then recalled something else and mentioned, "When I was returning from Xiaoxiang Courtyard, I saw a physician leaving Zhou Yiniang's quarters. I specifically asked around and found out that the physician has visited several times recently."
Shen Mingtang was startled, and a memory suddenly flashed through her mind.
The physician frequently visiting Zhou Yiniang for treatment.
No wonder Zhou Yiniang had been so quiet these past few days. Even though Shen Yuanshan had placed her under house arrest, Zhou Yiniang had never been one to fear such restrictions.
The only thing that could keep Zhou Yiniang from causing trouble for her was one possibility:
She was pregnant.
At this same time in her previous life, Zhou Yiniang had also been with child, and from then on, she had swaggered arrogantly around the Shen residence.
Coinciding with Qin Shi's severe illness, people had begun referring to Zhou Yiniang as Madam in private.
When Zhou Yiniang was six months pregnant, Qin Shi had passed away. Later, Zhou Yiniang gave birth to a son, and even before the mourning period for Qin Shi had ended, she had been improperly elevated to the position of principal wife.
Shen Mingtang pursed her lips. It seemed some events were still following the same course as in her previous life.
However, the course of events could also be altered.
In this life, she would not allow Zhou Yiniang's son to be born, nor would she let Qin Shi die.
"You've been thoughtful." Shen Mingtang handed her some silver.
The little maid visibly relaxed.
She had privately speculated that, although the Second Daughter and Zhou Yiniang were at odds, they were still mother and daughter by blood, so certain news might still be of interest to her.
Shen Mingtang's thoughts returned to the matter of the Yuchang Marquis Heir. She looked at the little maid before her and said, "You're quite clever. I'll give you more silver. Would you dare to help me with another task?"
The little maid nodded without hesitation. "I dare."
Shen Mingtang whispered a few instructions in her ear, and soon the maid nodded and turned to leave.
Shen Mingtang's gaze lingered on the disappearing figure of the maid at the doorway for a long while.
She currently had no one trustworthy at her disposal.
This was a matter of utmost importance.
The people her mother had sent were not entirely unreliable, but she still wanted her own confidants.
She needed to find an opportunity to request Hua Sui from Zhou Yiniang's side.
She didn't trust others, but Hua Sui was trustworthy.
Meanwhile.
Qin Shi lay listlessly on her bed, coughing until her face was flushed red, as if she were about to cough up her lungs.
Qiuyue patted her back to help her breathe while feeding her medicine with warm water.
Qin Shi abruptly pushed the medicine away and smiled bitterly. "What sin have I committed for her to scheme against her own mother like this?"
"Perhaps…" Qiuyue hesitated, "Perhaps the Eldest Daughter is upset because she sees you doting on the Second Daughter."
Even as she said this, she lacked conviction.
No matter how upset she was, the Eldest Daughter shouldn't have…
Qin Shi closed her eyes in anguish, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. She fell silent.
For some reason.
She had raised this daughter herself, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
She had never spoken of it to anyone, but there always seemed to be a barrier between her and her daughter. Over the years, she had tried her best to be a good mother, but she could never break through that strange sense of distance.
"Go see if she has returned," Qin Shi added. "If she has, send her to me."
Qiuyue responded and rose to her feet.
But Qin Shi quickly added, "Never mind, let it be."
Let it be as it may.
However, by evening, Shen Mingtang received news that Shen Mingyue had not yet returned.
"I heard that Zhou Yiniang is beside herself with worry and has sent people out to search for her," a young maid came to report to Shen Mingtang.
Just as Shen Mingtang was about to speak, hurried footsteps were heard from outside.
Zhou Yiniang appeared in a fury.
"Shen Mingtang, where have you taken your legitimate elder sister?"