It was already dark, past the time for retiring, and Shen Shi had not yet returned to the manor.
Song Jinyao grew worried. After pacing around the room several times, she summoned Baishuang.
“Take some people to the Shen family’s old residence immediately. Shen Shi went to pick up Wan Yuetao, and I’m concerned something might have gone wrong.”
As she spoke, Song Jinyao called out into the air, “Ying Qi, you go as well. Ensure Shen Shi’s safety at all costs.”
Before Baishuang could grasp whom Song Jinyao was addressing, a man in dark, close-fitting attire materialized silently before them.
His expression was stern and unsmiling, yet he bore a surprisingly boyish face.
Baishuang rubbed her eyes, staring in disbelief.
When—when had this person arrived??
While Baishuang’s wide-eyed astonishment looked somewhat comically naive, Song Jinyao had no time for amusement. Her tone remained cold as she explained, “This is Ying Qi. Gather a few strong servants from the manor to lead the way. He will stay hidden in the shadows and intervene if necessary.”
Hearing this, Baishuang’s expression turned serious. If Madam was this anxious, Shen Shi must truly be in trouble.
Without delay, Baishuang swiftly led the group out of the manor.
Meanwhile, at the Shen family’s old residence.
Shen Qingmo had been locked in the woodshed by two matrons.
A three- or four-year-old boy was arrogantly ordering the matrons to punish Shen Qingmo.
“Our Madam is the rightful wife! Wan Yuetao, you’re just a mistress—how dare you have someone lay hands on the Madam? This is sheer defiance of heaven’s order—”
Nearby, the maid Chunzhi wept bitterly, her cheeks swollen and red, clearly having been slapped earlier.
Despite her own pain, her loyalty drove her to leap up and shield Shen Qingmo.
The boy dismissed Chunzhi’s scolding with a curl of his lip, his face full of insolence. “Who do you think you are? Beat her! Beat her hard!”
“I am the only grandson of the Lu family! Mother says the entire Lu family will be mine someday. Hmph! So what if I cause havoc? What can anyone do?”
“Why are you standing there? Drag this wretched maid away. If she dares interfere again, cut out her tongue.”
Neither Chunzhi nor Shen Qingmo had expected such vicious cruelty from a young child.
His voice still carried a childish lilt, yet his words echoed like a demon from hell.
“It’s all your fault, you vile woman! If not for you, Father wouldn’t have left Mother!”
“Father loves my mother! Don’t you dare try to steal him away!”
They say every unruly child has an irresponsible parent behind them.
Shen Qingmo didn’t believe Wan Yuetao was unaware of her son’s actions. She spoke coldly toward the shadow cast by the western window’s paper pane.
“Wan Yuetao, I know you’re out there. I came in good faith to bring you into the manor, yet not only do you refuse to show yourself, you incite your son to attack me, the Madam. Do you think behaving this way will earn you any favor once you’re in the manor?”
Shen Qingmo’s guess was correct—Wan Yuetao was indeed standing just outside the door.
Her red lips curled in a mocking smile, utterly disregarding Shen Qingmo’s warning.
She did want to enter the manor—to do so legitimately.
But she also wanted to crush Shen Qingmo’s spirit, to deliver a sharp warning first.
This way, even without the status of the official wife, no one would dare underestimate her once she entered.
As for whether there would be any favor…
Hmph!
Lu Xiao, that foolish man, was utterly infatuated with her. At worst, she could just say, “She knew nothing about this; the child is too young to understand.”
After all, an innocent child bears no guilt!
With Lu Xiao’s doting on Zhou’er, she refused to believe Shen Qingmo could impose any punishment on her!
Frankly speaking, she was relying on Lu Xiao’s affection for her—so what if she acted lawlessly?
A venomous glint flashed in Wan Yuetao’s eyes.
If it weren’t for Shen Shi and that old woman Song Jinyao in the residence, Lu Xiao would surely have married her as his official wife, and her son Lu Mingzhou would have been the legitimate heir.
Suddenly, a thought surged into her mind.
Wan Yuetao’s pupils trembled violently.
If Shen Shi were beaten to death today, could she also seize Shen Shi’s dowry for herself?
After all, Lu Xiao had already severed ties with that old woman Song Jinyao, so he wouldn’t be able to interfere in the affairs of Lu Xiao’s inner courtyard.
And with Shen Shi dead—
Thinking this, Wan Yuetao, who had originally only intended to teach Shen Shi a lesson before letting her go, found herself harboring murderous intent midway.
The Shen family’s old residence was located in a remote area, and it was unlikely that many people had seen Shen Qingmo on her way here.
She could kill her, then dump the body halfway along the route she came—
Make it look like an accident?
Wan Yuetao’s greed had been nurtured by Lu Xiao. Ever since she forcibly occupied the Shen family’s old residence, the luxurious decorations and furnishings inside had constantly stimulated her nerves.
Why was Shen Qingmo born into such a wealthy family?
While she had been sold into a brothel by her parents like a piece of goods?
Then forcibly taken by that bandit leader, and after becoming pregnant, forced by the madam to drink an abortion potion?
If she hadn’t been clever enough to scheme and use Lu Xiao as a fool to redeem her, she might have already been killed by that bowl of abortion potion, resulting in two lives lost—
Boundless jealousy twisted Wan Yuetao’s beautiful, flower-like face.
She beckoned to the maid behind her and whispered a few words into her ear.
Shortly after, the maid turned and left.
A moment later, she returned, followed by three burly men. All three were dressed as servants, but their demeanor didn’t seem respectable—their bandit-like aura was unmistakable.
Two of them even had ferocious knife scars on their faces.
How would Wan Yuetao, a mistress, know such a group of people?
On the roof, Ying Qi narrowed his sharp eyes slightly in the darkness.
From his observation, these three were most likely former bandits.
Seeing that these men were about to enter the woodshed, Ying Qi had no time to ponder further. He slipped through the window into the room, took advantage of the moment to knock out two old women and Lu Mingzhou, and carried Shen Qingmo away.
“Where… where is she?”
Wan Yuetao led the men into the woodshed and was instantly dumbfounded.
She had been guarding outside the entire time—why hadn’t she heard the slightest commotion from inside?
“Zhou’er?” Wan Yuetao anxiously picked up the unconscious Lu Mingzhou from the ground, then glared viciously at the only person still conscious at the scene—Chunzhi.
“Speak! Where is that bitch Shen Qingmo?”
Chunzhi hadn’t yet regained her composure and was equally bewildered.
However, it was certain that the young lady had been rescued.
This thought brought her immense relief.
She figured that the person who had just taken them might have found it difficult to carry two people, which was why she had been left behind.
But it didn’t matter. As long as the young lady was safe, her own worthless life was of little consequence.
“I don’t know anything! Do whatever you want, kill me or cut me to pieces!” Chunzhi was stubborn too. Though her legs turned to jelly at the sight of the three fierce-looking strong men following Wanyue Tao, she still stiffened her neck and shouted.
“Ungrateful wretch!” Wanyue Tao cursed bitterly, then turned to order the men behind her: “This lowly maid may not be a mistress, but she’s been raised with delicate skin. Consider her your reward.”
As the words fell, a lecherous glint flashed in the three strong men’s eyes as they advanced step by step toward Chunzhi.
Just then, Baishuang arrived with her people.
The estate gate was locked from inside, so she had someone break it open with a wooden log and charged in.
The woodshed was lit, and Chunzhi’s screams made it easy to locate.
In an instant, the courtyard descended into chaos.
Ying Qi settled Shen Qingmo on a tree branch, concealed by dense leaves and the darkness of night, making it quite safe.
“Second Madam, Old Madam sent me to rescue you. Please wait here for a moment while I go assist them.”
Having never climbed a tree in her life, Shen Qingmo swallowed hard in fear.
But not wanting to be a burden, she forced calm and nodded: “Alright, go ahead. I won’t move recklessly.”
Before she finished speaking, Ying Qi had vanished without a trace.
If those three strong men were truly former bandits, the servants Baishuang brought would be no match for them.
With Ying Qi joining the fray, the outcome was unquestionable.
Within half the time it takes to drink tea, the courtyard was littered with fallen men.
Ying Qi captured two, intending to bring them back for Song Jinyao to interrogate.
That Wanyue Tao, an outer chamber woman, had connections with bandits—and could even command them—was utterly bewildering and completely unreasonable!
Without interrogation, it would be hard to feel at ease.
After tying up the captives and arranging matters, he was about to retrieve Shen Qingmo.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yuan had received word and rushed over.
Seeing the fight was over, he stopped and didn’t proceed further.
Coincidentally, he halted right under the tree where Shen Qingmo was hiding.
Sensing someone below, from her height she could only see the top of their head, not their face. Shen Qingmo’s heart raced wildly, thinking Wanyue Tao had called for reinforcements. In her panic, her foot slipped, and she fell from the tree.
Lu Yuan only had time to hear a startled cry before looking up to see a figure plummeting down.
Without thinking, he instinctively reached out to catch her.
Due to gravity’s pull, he was knocked to the ground along with her.
“Second sister-in-law?”
“Elder brother?”
Recognizing each other, they exclaimed simultaneously, scrambling to their feet and separating in fluster.
By midnight, Song Jinyao sat with an angry expression in the main hall, the three strong men bound by Ying Qi below her.
“Speak! Who are you?”
“We don’t understand what you mean, Madam. We’re just servants Second Master assigned to Lady Wan.”
The three men remained tight-lipped. Song Jinyao sneered coldly: “Won’t talk? Fine! Ying Qi, take them away for rigorous interrogation. I don’t care if they live or die!”
Their faces stiffened at the words, but before they could speak, Ying Qi appeared and dragged them away.
Baishuang brought over a cup of tea, which Song Jinyao accepted and drank a few sips.
Torture and interrogation were Ying Qi’s expertise; there was no need for her to exhaust herself overseeing it.
Tonight, Shen Shi had been badly frightened, and Chunzhi’s face in particular looked too awful to bear.
Song Jinyao’s heart ached at the sight, ordering Baishuang to fetch swelling-reducing ointment to apply to both mistress and maid.
After the wounds on both of them were properly treated, Song Jinyao asked softly, “Shen Shi, how do you plan to resolve this matter? Do you intend to tell Lu Xiao the truth?”
Shen Shi shook her head.
She had no intention of using this incident to complain to Lu Xiao.
To put it bluntly, the reason Wanyue Tao, a mistress, dared to be so arrogant was precisely because she had Lu Xiao backing her.
What good would it do if she went to complain?
When had she ever received justice?
“Then do you need me to help you deal with them?” By “them,” Song Jinyao naturally meant the mistress Wanyue Tao and the illegitimate child Lu Mingzhou.
“No, I plan to let them have their way and bring Wanyue Tao into the residence as usual.” As she spoke, Shen Shi’s eyes held a trace of determination and a hint of relief.
Seeing this, Song Jinyao raised an eyebrow.
How remarkable!
Had her second daughter-in-law finally come to her senses?
Was she giving up on that scoundrel Lu Xiao?