By evening, the carriage of the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis had stopped at the entrance of Shen Jia.
The accompanying maid was fierce. "Hurry up and go inside to announce us! We are from Yuchang Marquis Manor. This is our Young Madam. Tell your Eldest Daughter to come out and meet our Young Madam."
Hearing they were from Yuchang Marquis Manor and seeing their aggressive demeanor, the servant immediately ordered someone to invite them inside while he went to report.
Everyone knew that Yuchang Marquis was the current Empress Dowager’s younger brother. Thanks to the influence of Consort Yu and Prince Hong, his household operated with unchecked arrogance in the capital.
From the looks of it, it seemed the Eldest Daughter had offended the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis.
As Qin Shi had been in poor health these years, all household affairs were handled by Zhou Yiniang. The servant thought for a moment and went straight to find Zhou Yiniang.
The maid in the courtyard received the message and promptly helped him relay it inside.
"The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis?" Zhou Yiniang, who had been drinking tea, trembled upon hearing this, causing the teacup in her hand to shake.
Tea spilled onto her hand, but she paid it no mind. "The Young Madam wants to see Mingyue?"
"Yes, the servant said the maid by the Young Madam’s side looked cold-faced, as if it were no good news," the maid replied.
Zhou Yiniang, already uneasy over the failed scheme involving Liu Jia, felt her heart sink further.
"Where is Mingyue?" Zhou Yiniang asked.
The maid hurriedly replied, "The Eldest Daughter is staying in Xiaoxiang House."
Zhou Yiniang did not dare to actually bring her to meet the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis. She had dared to use the Yuchang Marquis Heir to plot against Qin Shi only because her younger sister was the heir’s concubine and she understood his temperament well.
At the same time, she had heard a thing or two about the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis.
She was an extremely fierce and formidable woman.
Zhou Yiniang hesitated for a while but finally gritted her teeth and stood up. "I’ll go and see."
If the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis truly believed the matter was related to Mingyue, she would simply shift the blame onto Ming Tang.
Having made up her mind, Zhou Yiniang changed her clothes and leisurely brought her maid to the reception hall of Shen Jia.
When Zhou Yiniang arrived, the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis was drinking tea.
Zhou Yiniang stepped forward with a smile. "This humble one pays respects to the Young Madam."
The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis looked up at her and frowned slightly. "Madam Shen?"
"This humble one’s surname is Zhou. I am… an honored concubine." As Zhou Yiniang introduced herself, she felt a hint of shame.
In recent years, Shen Jia had little interaction with other households’ madams, so they rarely received female guests. On the rare occasions they did, it was always Zhou Yiniang who handled them.
But each time she introduced herself, her status as a concubine felt somewhat embarrassing.
"A concubine?" The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis’s frown deepened. "A mere concubine?"
"Young Madam, our Madam is in poor health, so all matters in Shen Jia are handled by this humble one," Zhou Yiniang hurriedly explained. "I hope…"
She raised a smiling face, but before she could finish her polite remark, a flash of white light swept before her eyes.
Thud!
Zhou Yiniang felt something strike her forehead, causing her whole body to sway. Something seemed to be trickling down from her forehead.
She instinctively sniffed—it smelled of tea leaves, mixed with the scent of blood.
The maid beside her rushed forward to support Zhou Yiniang, who was swaying unsteadily from the blow.
The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis had already stood up. Tall and imposing, she looked down at Zhou Yiniang with contempt.
"You, a mere concubine, dare to receive me, the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis?" she sneered coldly. "Even if Madam Shen is ill, the Shen family's daughters should be the ones to appear. At the very least, the Shen family's sons could step forward. What standing does a concubine like you have?"
She instructed her maid, "Go personally to invite Madam Shen and the Eldest Daughter of the Shen family. That Eldest Daughter used my husband to scheme against her own mother. Her mother may not hold it against her, but I must question her on behalf of my husband."
The maid acknowledged and hurried out.
Zhou Yiniang touched the blood on her forehead, forcing herself to endure the dizziness and discomfort, wanting to explain a few more words to the Young Madam before her.
But the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis had come today specifically to pick a fight and had no intention of listening to her.
With a sharp glare from the Young Madam, Zhou Yiniang's words caught in her throat.
Yet some things still had to be said!
Zhou Yiniang heard her own trembling voice, "Young Madam, you've mistaken the person. It was my daughter, Ming Tang, who framed Madam, not the Eldest Daughter of the Shen family."
She forced a smile, "The Eldest Daughter of the Shen family is Madam's own flesh and blood—how could she possibly scheme against her mother?"
"Then have both the Eldest and Second Daughters of the Shen family come here to confront this," the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis said, a hint of amusement in her gaze.
Perfect—she also wanted to meet this Second Daughter of the Shen family who dared to borrow her influence.
Seeing that she couldn't stop it, Zhou Yiniang immediately signaled to the maid she had brought along.
The maid scurried away in a flash.
The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis couldn't be bothered to care who was sending word. She set aside her earlier anger and began leisurely, yet disdainfully, sizing up Zhou Yiniang.
Soon, commotion spread throughout the Shen residence.
"The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis is here?" Qiuyue was startled and looked at Shen Mingzhou beside her.
The only incident connected to the Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis was the matter at Liu Jia, but Madam had instructed her not to tell the young master.
The maid who had come to report said, "Zhou Yiniang went to receive the guest first, but the Young Madam has such a temper. As soon as she heard it was a concubine, she threw a teacup right at Zhou Yiniang's head."
Qiuyue's heart sank further.
This was truly a visit meant to cause trouble.
"The Young Madam specifically asked to see the Eldest and Second Daughters," the maid added.
Shen Mingzhou, standing nearby, was utterly confused. However, Qin Shi had just taken her medicine and fallen asleep. She was too weak to get out of bed, and there was no way she could be roused to receive guests.
"I'll go take a look," Shen Mingzhou said after a moment's thought.
Qiuyue wanted to stop him, but then reconsidered. Some things couldn't be kept hidden forever, so she simply nodded. "This servant will accompany you."
A short while later, the three Shen siblings, each with their own thoughts, set out together for the front courtyard of the Shen residence.
Shen Mingyue and Shen Mingtang arrived at the same time.
As soon as Shen Mingyue entered, she eagerly repeated what Zhou Yiniang's maid had told her on the way.
"Young Madam, that day's incident has nothing to do with me. It was all my younger sister by a concubine, who, out of jealousy toward my mother and me, staged this entire drama herself."
Shen Mingtang lowered her head and sighed silently.
The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis had come today "fully prepared." Upon hearing Shen Mingyue's words, she laughed outright.
"Eldest Daughter Shen, you immediately accuse your sister—do you have any evidence?" she said lightly. "If you're slandering her without proof, I'll take you back to serve my husband as a concubine."
It was indeed a threat meant to intimidate.
But Shen Mingyue's eyes widened in shock, and she genuinely took a step back in fear.
"My… my mother dotes on me endlessly, how could I possibly harm her." Shen Mingyue's smile was uglier than a crying expression.
There was no evidence, but…
Shen Mingyue instinctively glanced at Zhou Yiniang and said, "Heir's Wife, the concubine Zhou Shi has a poor relationship with my mother and resents her, which is why her daughter would do such a thing."
Zhou Yiniang's heart skipped a beat, clearly not expecting her to explain it this way.
Yet… it seemed plausible.
"Oh?" The Young Madam of Yuchang Marquis nodded with feigned seriousness. "That makes sense. What does Second Daughter Shen have to say?"