Luo Xue and Luo Qing were originally low-ranking maids in the general’s mansion, doing the dirtiest and most chaotic work in the household.
After the Second Miss was recognized and brought back to the family, Madam casually assigned them to serve by the Second Miss’s side, instructing them to keep a close watch on her and report any movements immediately.
Luo Qing was much more proactive than Luo Xue, visiting frequently and reporting every detail, no matter how trivial.
Even though Madam grew increasingly impatient and told her not to bother with every minor matter, Luo Qing remained vigilant, waiting for the day when the Second Miss would make a grave mistake so she could claim credit.
Thus, while Luo Xue and the other maids and servants in the mansion were busy preparing for the wedding banquet, Luo Qing still kept her attention on the Second Miss.
“This servant saw the Second Miss happily holding a letter. She returned to her room briefly before sneaking out again. I intended to stop her, but a kitchen maid called me away to help. I thought the Second Miss had rarely left the mansion before and was timid, so she surely wouldn’t go far. But when I returned after finishing my tasks, the Second Miss still hadn’t come back.”
“I went to report to Madam, but she was too busy to see me. Then I went to find the Young Master, but as soon as he heard it concerned the Second Miss, he had his servant drive me away.”
As for why she didn’t go to the Eldest Miss? Originally, it was the Eldest Miss who was supposed to marry Lord Cen, but now it was the Second Miss. No one in the mansion dared to mention the Second Miss in front of the Eldest Miss.
Shen Qingrui narrowed her eyes. “So you don’t know why she went out?”
Luo Qing nodded.
“What about the letter?” Cen Liangxuan asked. “Did she take it with her?” He had panicked at the time and forgotten to search Shen Yiren’s person.
He hadn’t intended to kill Shen Yiren from the start, only to kidnap her to carry out the marriage substitution.
Luo Qing shook her head. “I don’t know. Does the Consort need this servant to search the Second Miss’s side courtyard?”
“Go search.” Cen Liangxuan felt uneasy. “Be careful and return before Shen Yiren comes back to the mansion.”
“Yes.” Luo Qing accepted the order and left.
When it was Luo Xue’s turn, Shen Qingrui instructed her to quietly dig up a dark blue bundle hidden under the rockery, also reminding her to return before Shen Yiren came back to the mansion.
Shen Qingrui and Cen Liangxuan were responsible for diverting everyone’s attention, while Lady Shen and Shen Zhi’ang were still lamenting the injustice done to Shen Qingrui.
Shen Zhi’ang urged his brother-in-law to teach Shen Yiren a proper lesson, while Lady Shen discussed the dowry. The original dowry had gone missing, and she planned to prepare another one for her children.
Shen Qingrui was delighted—her mother truly cared only for her.
The Elderly Lady, however, was not pleased. Where would the mansion find the money to prepare another dowry?
With Lord Cen still present, she couldn’t ask this outright, but she gave her daughter-in-law a warning look.
No matter how much she doted on Qingrui, she couldn’t deplete the general’s mansion’s assets.
Lady Shen’s gaze flickered away, and she hastily called for the kitchen to serve the meal, whispering to her daughter, “Don’t worry, Mother will find a way to handle the dowry.”
Since the Elderly Lady forbade her from using the mansion’s funds, she still had some of her own. As for the rest, she would find a way to get it back from Shen Yiren.
“Thank you, Mother.” Shen Qingrui’s face still ached faintly, and she hoped Luo Qing and Luo Xue could find and destroy the evidence. Only then could she and the Lord truly rest easy.
Luo Qing searched the side courtyard thoroughly but found no trace of any letter. Returning to the main hall, she shook her head slightly at the Lord and the Consort.
The two exchanged a glance, their unease growing.
The letter must either be in the side courtyard or on Shen Yiren’s person. What puzzled Cen Liangxuan was, if the letter was indeed on Shen Yiren, why hadn’t she produced it on the day she disrupted the wedding ceremony?
If the letter had initially been in the side courtyard and Shen Yiren only retrieved it after returning, that would mean she had been secretly gathering evidence… This was troublesome.
They could stubbornly deny everything, but Shen Yiren’s relentless pursuit was like dirty water—even if it didn’t splash directly on them, the stench would linger. What if it affected his upcoming appointment at the Ministry of Personnel?
Duke Anguo was a military officer, while Cen Liangxuan had pursued a civil career. Thanks to his father’s meritorious service in suppressing bandits a few years earlier and the fact that his father already held the rank of duke, the rewards had fallen upon Cen Liangxuan, who was enfeoffed as the heir.
Lord Cen was no idle nobleman. He had already passed the official examinations and was only waiting to complete his marriage before assuming his post at the Ministry of Personnel. Even if it was merely a ninth-rank clerk position, it was still the Ministry of Personnel—the ministry in charge of official promotions and the foremost of the Six Ministries.
Moreover, the ninth-rank clerk position was merely a stepping stone for him.
He had assumed that with Shen Yiren’s temperament, bullying her would be a simple matter. How could it have escalated into such a nuisance?
…
Behind the rockery.
Luo Xue arrived at the location specified by the consort and found signs of disturbed soil. But why were there two spots?
Never mind, she would dig both.
She could only dig with her bare hands, unable to fetch tools. If someone questioned her, she feared she wouldn’t be able to explain it away.
Fortunately, the rockery was near water, and the soil was damp and soft, making digging by hand not too strenuous. However, after digging for a long time, she still found nothing. Was it on the other side?
Luo Xue moved to the other spot and focused intently on digging, unaware of a figure in green crouching beside her.
“I found it!” Luo Xue exclaimed softly, clutching the bundle the consort had mentioned.
“Found it, are you happy?” Shen Yiren asked, resting her chin on her hand.
“Ha…” Luo Xue’s words trailed off as her body suddenly stiffened. Not only had she been discovered, but the voice was also all too familiar.
She turned her head in a daze. Shen Yiren smiled and blinked at her, holding a bundle up before her eyes. “Did that imposter send you to dig this up?”
“Ah!” Luo Xue was so frightened she fell backward, a chilling dampness quickly seeping through her clothes. “S-second Miss, this servant doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then let someone who does know explain.” Shen Yiren held the dirty bundle and signaled Cang Ming to gag Luo Xue and escort her to the main hall.
Fei Yun, who had completed his task, was still there. The large dog, about eight or nine years old, was as big as a youth and walked proudly beside Shen Yiren, looking imposing.
Maids and servants along the way quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Mammy Lü, spotting the “dog in human skin” she had spoken of from afar, immediately shielded the Elderly Lady. The Elderly Lady, however, was unafraid, confident that even if Shen Yiren were utterly rebellious, she wouldn’t dare unleash a dog to harm anyone.
Lady Shen rose and said, “Yiren, come and greet the heir and the consort.”
“I was just looking for them.” Shen Yiren entered with her entourage. Shen Qingrui immediately noticed Luo Xue, whose mouth was gagged. How had she been caught?
Cen Liangxuan’s attention, however, was more focused on Shen Yiren.
Clad in emerald-green silk robes, light and flowing like the tender leaves of early spring, her hair was styled simply without any adornments, exuding a fresh and lively charm.
Though she didn’t have the oval face so favored by the world, she had perfectly inherited General Shen’s handsome nose and lips and Lady Shen’s beautiful eyes and brows. Her round, lively features resembled a mountain sprite.
Cen Liangxuan knew she was beautiful, but she had always seemed somewhat dull and unremarkable before. Now, calm and smiling, flanked by a cold, dark-clad guard on one side and a fierce, imposing dog on the other, she shone brilliantly.
For a moment, he even felt that compared to Qing Rui, who constantly boasted about being a descendant of a military family, Shen Yiren possessed a more captivating military bearing that was truly hard to look away from.
“Your Highness?” Shen Qingrui noticed that Cen Liangxuan’s gaze toward Shen Yiren seemed off—somewhat reminiscent of the way he had looked at her when they first met.
Shen Qingrui frowned.
Hearing Shen Qingrui’s voice, Cen Liangxuan withdrew his gaze.
“Imposter, did you send her to dig this up?” Shen Yiren opened the bundle, and items clattered to the ground. “How strange. You advocated for me to elope and escape the marriage, yet my valuables were buried behind the rockery—something even I didn’t know about, yet you managed to have someone dig them up.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. If you’re determined to accuse me, you’ll find a way regardless of the truth!” Shen Qingrui remained as haughty as ever.
Lady Shen also chimed in, “Yiren, even if you refuse to acknowledge Qingrui as your elder sister, she is now the Crown Princess Consort. How dare you not pay your respects to her and instead turn around to slander her?”
“Exactly!” Shen Zhi’ang also defended Shen Qingrui. “You ran away from the marriage yourself—what does it have to do with our elder sister?”