Holding an umbrella as she stood in the rain, Qianzhu continued, “The person who died was from Third Miss Shen’s courtyard. It has nothing to do with us. We’ll probably be allowed to return soon after answering a few questions.”
Now that she and Shen Xia were effectively on the same side, her attitude had become noticeably more polite.
Shen Xia wiped the remaining medicinal ointment from her fingers and replied calmly,
“I know you have trustworthy people in the residence. I need you to have someone deliver something to Father outside the estate as quickly as possible.”
…
In the spacious main hall, nearly every member of the Shen Family had gathered.
The Shen Family truly lived up to its reputation as a wealthy household. When Shen Xia arrived, she found there was barely any room to stand. There were simply too many people.
At the front, Shen Ying sat beside Old Madam Shen, her face filled with anger.
“Grandmother, someone actually dared to murder a servant from my courtyard so openly. You must find the culprit and grind them to dust!”
Shen Yi had gone to the mountains with her mother to pray for blessings and would not return for several days.
As a result, all matters within the residence were currently being handled by Old Madam Shen.
Being awakened in the middle of the night over the deaths of two servants had left her in a foul mood.
However, she had always doted on Shen Ying, so in the end, she relented.
Her cold gaze swept across the room.
“Two maids from Ying’er’s courtyard were killed and buried in the Peach Blossom Grove. Who was responsible?”
“Old Madam, we’re busy every day. Who has time to concern themselves with the lives or deaths of two servants?”
“Exactly! There are so many people in the Shen Family. Haven’t servants died before? A servant’s life is worthless anyway. If they’re dead, they’re dead. Why make such a fuss over investigating it?”
“When Master was still the chief of the pirate stronghold, killing slaves was nothing unusual. Even killing islanders wasn’t considered a problem.”
Several concubines began complaining in low voices.
Being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night was bad enough. Lack of sleep caused wrinkles, and wrinkles made it harder to keep Master interested in them.
Watching them grumble one after another, Old Madam Shen slammed her teacup onto the table.
“They may be worthless lives, and their deaths may not matter. But they belonged to Ying’er. If someone dares to kill a legitimate daughter’s servants today, then tomorrow they may set their sights on the legitimate daughter herself, or even on me!”
Her voice rang with fury.
The moment she lost her temper, the concubines immediately fell silent.
Still, some of them could not help grumbling inwardly.
In the end, Old Madam Shen was simply biased toward her legitimate granddaughter.
If Third Miss Shen was unhappy, everyone else had to suffer alongside her.
“Old Madam, please calm your anger.”
At that moment, a plainly dressed woman stepped forward to refill Old Madam Shen’s tea and soothe her temper.
Shen Ying glanced up and recognized her immediately.
It was Tang Wenying, Shen Duancheng’s Ninth Concubine. She was an orphan who had entered the household years ago. Though she had never borne any children, she was gentle and obedient, skilled at pleasing both Shen Duancheng’s mother and grandmother.
Shen Ying paid her little attention and quickly looked away.
“The physician examined the body and said the maid Tao’er died less than two days ago. Who was the last person to see her?”
Old Madam Shen’s warning gaze swept across the crowd as she waited for the culprit to confess.
Everyone lowered their heads and stared at their shoes in silence.
“Grandmother, I remember now!”
Suddenly, Shen Ying cried out.
“Yesterday, I punished Seventh Sister by making her kneel in the courtyard for four hours. Tao’er was the one I sent to watch her.”
In an instant, countless eyes turned toward the corner where Shen Xia stood.
“No way! Was the Seventh Miss the killer?”
“That sounds absurd. Shen Xia is a cowardly good for nothing. Where would she find the courage to kill someone?”
“Haven’t you heard? Our Seventh Miss isn’t what she used to be. She even dared to hit Ninth Young Master. What wouldn’t she dare do now?”
Everyone stared directly at Shen Xia and immediately began whispering among themselves.
Concubine Wang still deeply resented Shen Xia over Shen Pingjin’s beating.
She had gone to Shen Duancheng seeking justice, expecting him to punish Shen Xia. Instead, he had told her to stop causing trouble for Shen Xia for the time being.
How could she possibly swallow such humiliation?
Now that an opportunity to deal with Shen Xia had appeared, she eagerly seized it.
“Old Madam, it must have been Shen Xia! She dares to murder servants today. Tomorrow she may try to harm you. You absolutely cannot spare her!”
“Shen Xia, you again?”
Old Madam Shen narrowed her clouded eyes and stared at Shen Xia with a sinister expression.
Qianzhu felt anxious.
If something happened to Shen Xia, not only would she lose access to the antidote, but her dream of going to the capital would be destroyed as well.
That fool.
How had she managed to get herself involved in something like this?
Gritting her teeth, Qianzhu prepared to speak in Shen Xia’s defense.
But before she could, Shen Xia calmly wiped the rainwater from her face and said,
“Since Grandmother has already decided that I killed them, then let us say that I did.”
“You…”
Qianzhu’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Has she gone mad?
Why would she admit it?
“Good! Shen Xia, you’ve finally confessed!”
Shen Ying rose furiously to her feet and ordered a servant to bring her whip.
The moment everyone saw the barbed whip stained with dried blood, they instinctively stepped backward and sucked in sharp breaths.
Since childhood, Shen Ying had never cared for music, chess, calligraphy, or painting.
Her favorite pastime was wielding a whip.
Whenever she was bored, she practiced on living people.
Many of those present had personally experienced her whip.
They had even witnessed her torture servants to death with it.
With a single strike, the barbs could tear away a chunk of flesh.
It was brutally vicious.
However, realizing that the whip would soon fall upon Shen Xia instead, many people adopted expressions of eager anticipation.
“Third Miss Shen, someone as stubborn as Shen Xia will never learn her lesson without a harsh punishment.”
“Why don’t I carry out the punishment for you? I guarantee she’ll either die or be crippled.”
As she spoke, Concubine Wang’s eyes gleamed with both excitement and malice.
She had a son and a daughter.
If she could cripple or kill Shen Xia, not only could she avenge her son, but she could also clear the path for her daughter.
Although the Shen Family had many daughters, Shen Xia was by far the most beautiful among them.
As fellow daughters of concubines, the more stunning Shen Xia appeared, the harder it became for the others to stand out.
“It’s rare to see Concubine Wang so sensible. Fine, you do it.”
Shen Ying tossed the whip to her before sitting back down and leisurely popping grapes into her mouth.
“Shen Xia, don’t blame this concubine for being cruel. If you must blame someone, blame yourself.”
Gripping the whip tightly, Concubine Wang stared venomously at Shen Xia’s face and prepared to lash out.