Yet, she had not expected this.
The moment he spoke, Shen Qingyuan suddenly looked up.
The servant felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze.
Seeing this, Nanny Liu was secretly pleased, though she feigned a scolding expression.
"You dog of a servant, stop spouting nonsense! This is the Eldest Young Miss's biological mother; how dare you treat her like a servant."
Despite her words, there was not a hint of genuine reprimand in the Nanny's tone.
Shen Qingyuan was sharp-witted and sensed it immediately.
She simply reached out and gave Nanny Liu a light pat.
"Indeed, you are dressed better than my mother. It is no wonder they mistook you for her. Why don't you take off this outer garment?"
In the Great Yong Dynasty, for a woman to remove her outer garment was no different from being naked.
Even if Nanny Liu was already of such an advanced age.
Removing her outer garment in public was a tremendous humiliation for her.
Nanny Liu's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
"E... Eldest Young Miss, what do you mean by this? I have already disciplined this servant just now."
Although Nanny Liu was protesting, her posture was extremely submissive.
She knew that the person before her was not just speaking idly.
If provoked, she would truly make her strip in public.
The servant, who had guarded the gate for years, was also a shrewd one.
Seeing Nanny Liu, who was usually so high and mighty, being humiliated without daring to show anger.
He realized immediately that this Eldest Young Miss.
Was absolutely not what the rumors in the manor had suggested.
She was not merely a country bumpkin brought back from the countryside by the master for a Wedding for Luck.
The servant hurriedly knelt on the ground.
"Eldest Young Miss, this lowly one was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. I beg the Eldest Young Miss not to hold this against me."
Shen Qingyuan looked at the servant's qi.
It was a faint, grayish-white.
While he was not a good person, he was not exactly a villain either.
Forget it.
Compared to that servant.
Nanny Liu, a person who had taken lives.
If she were to let her off, she would be failing the Dao she cultivated.
Shen Qingyuan placed her hand on Nanny Liu's shoulder.
"Nanny Liu, do you need my help?"
Terrified, Nanny Liu had no choice but to slowly reach out to undo the buttons of her outer garment.
The surrounding servants could not help but whisper to one another.
Some looked on with pity, but most were gloating.
After all, Nanny Liu had relied on the Madam.
She had often used her position to bully others in the manor.
Just as Nanny Liu was about to take off her outer garment.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"What are you all doing, gathered here?"
Everyone turned to look.
They saw a middle-aged man dressed in official robes walking from afar.
It was Shen Shiqian, returning from the morning court.
Today, after his shift ended, Shen Shiqian had been kept behind by the Emperor for a private lecture.
They had even set the date for the Wedding for Luck.
Although Prince Jing did not seem as favored as the other Imperial Princes.
Regardless, he was still the Emperor's son.
Naturally, the Emperor could not simply ignore him.
Even for a Wedding for Luck, the one matched with Prince Jing could not be a commoner.
However, first and second-rank officials were the pillars of the imperial court.
The Emperor naturally could not afford to offend these people for the sake of a dying Prince.
And the third and fourth-rank officials had no daughters of the appropriate age.
After much picking and choosing, the Emperor had settled on him.
The Eldest Legitimate Daughter of a Fifth-Rank Official.
She had just reached her Coming of Age this year and was unmarried; she was suitable.
In truth, Shen Shiqian had delayed setting a marriage contract for Shen Qingyao.
He had been planning to betroth Shen Qingyao to the Crown Prince as a Secondary consort.
However.
At present, His Majesty was in his prime and had yet to appoint a Crown Prince.
Shen Shiqian did not dare to place his bets recklessly.
After all, if he bet on the wrong side and lost, his entire clan could be implicated.
Now, his carefully nurtured Yao'er.
Was being betrothed by His Majesty to that dying Prince, and he was naturally unwilling.
He then remembered that 'Eldest Legitimate Daughter' in the countryside.
The imperial decree only stated the Eldest Legitimate Daughter, without mentioning a name.
But Shen Shiqian did not dare to tell the Emperor about this clever scheme of his.
After receiving his lecture in the Imperial Study.
Shen Shiqian had gone to the Imperial Board of Astronomy to retrieve the auspicious date for the Wedding for Luck.
He had just returned.
And saw a crowd gathered at the manor gate.
That was when he spoke.
"What are you all doing, gathered here?"
Hearing the master's voice, Nanny Liu felt as if she had been granted a reprieve.
She hurriedly straightened her clothes and hid to the side.
Shen Qingyuan did not stop her; she had known from the start that the clothes would not come off.
Her original intention was never to make Nanny Liu strip.
But rather, the hand that had followed through to pat her shoulder.
With that touch, Shen Qingyuan had extinguished the fire on Nanny Liu's shoulder.
It is well known that a living person has three flames.
One on each shoulder, and one atop the head.
These three flames are where a person's yang energy resides.
They protect the living from the intrusion of evil spirits.
Naturally, they are not so easily extinguished.
But who was Shen Qingyuan?
Naturally, she had extinguished it for Nanny Liu with a casual touch.
Tonight, Nanny Liu would be able to see the Grievous Ghosts on her back.
If it weren't for the fact that the Resentful Qi of those Grievous Ghosts wasn't strong enough.
Perhaps she would have been able to see them even in broad daylight.
Shen Qingyuan withdrew her hand.
She was very law-abiding and had not used any spells on a mortal.
Shen Shiqian saw Nanny Liu retreat to the side.
Only then did he notice Shen Qingyuan.
Shen Shiqian was stunned for a moment.
The woman before him had a face like a lotus, a complexion like spring peach blossoms, and cold stars in her eyes.
Though she wore simple cloth garments, without makeup or jewelry adorning her.
With only a Wooden Hairpin holding her long hair loosely behind her head.
She was still three parts more beautiful than the Shen Qingyao he had carefully raised.
She resembled her late mother, yet was even more stunning.
He had not expected this girl, raised in the countryside, to be so beautiful.
If he were to dress her up and send her to win over the future Crown Prince, it might not be impossible.
Thinking this.
Shen Shiqian hesitated slightly between his two daughters.
"Are you, Qingyuan?"
Shen Qingyuan glanced at him, failing to see through his physiognomy.
She realized instantly that this man was her biological father.
But Shen Qingyuan had no intention of giving him much face.
"So you are that Scum Father who abandoned his wife and children to elevate a Mistress."
Hearing Shen Qingyuan's blunt accusation, Shen Shiqian's face turned incredibly ugly.
"Shen Qingyuan, how can you speak to your father like this!"
Shen Shiqian was both shocked and furious.
He had not expected that after years of separation, his daughter would be so merciless toward him.
Shen Qingyuan sneered.
"Why can I not speak like this? Is there anything wrong with what I said?
You abandoned your wife and children, drove your principal wife to the countryside, and elevated a Mistress to the position of Principal Wife.
For over ten years, you have ignored us.
Now, for the sake of your own career, you want to drag me back to be a pawn.
Do you really think you have done something honorable?"
The surrounding servants, hearing Shen Qingyuan boldly accuse the master.
Were all too terrified to breathe, lowering their heads and pretending to be deaf and blind.
Shen Shiqian was furious, but his first thought was.
As expected of someone raised in the countryside, she cannot compare to his Yao'er!
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