vrcanaries Chapter 229 The Mystery and the Truth
Chapter 229 The Mystery and the Truth
“It was my sister’s words that inspired me that day. That scenery truly deserves to be depicted in a painting, and your presence would make the landscape even more beautiful,” Shen Li said. “If you don’t mind, please accept it.”
"You're giving it to me?" Cheng Ruojin was even more shocked.
Who in this world doesn't know the value of Shen Li's paintings? She was already valuable even before she died. If she were to be passed down to future generations, she would probably be priceless, or even an invaluable treasure.
“Yes, it’s more meaningful for your sister to keep it as a keepsake.” Shen Li said, handing the painting to Cheng Ruojin.
"This...this isn't appropriate..." Cheng Ruojin felt embarrassed to accept it, and awkwardly waved her hand, saying, "Sister Shen, this is too precious, I can't accept it."
"What's wrong with keeping a painting? Keep it." Shen Li forcefully rolled up the painting and stuffed it into her hands.
This painting is very precious to Cheng Ruojin, but Shen Li enjoys the process of painting even more, and she doesn't care much about where the painting is placed.
"Sister Shen, you're so good to me. Besides my parents, you're the best person to me." Cheng Ruojin's voice choked, and her eyes reddened. She pouted to stop herself from crying.
"How did you become such a crybaby?" Shen Li hadn't expected a painting to make the child cry, so she quickly comforted him, "Alright, at worst you can treat me to dinner or a show when you go back to Beijing."
"Then it's settled. I'll cover Sister Shen's theater tickets and meals from now on," Cheng Ruojin quickly expressed her gratitude.
"Okay," Shen Li replied.
Cheng Ruojin was even happier after receiving the painting than when she arrived. She kept calling Shen Li "sister" and insisted on treating Shen Li like her own sister, almost to the point of wanting Shen Li to become her sworn sister.
“Our residence will be far away when we return to the capital, but we should still visit each other often.” Cheng Ruojin clung to Shen Li’s arm with reluctance as she left.
Shen Li agreed before she left, turning back every few steps.
"I never imagined that Miss Cheng, who is known for her arrogance, would be so adorable in private." Lian Qiao was also surprised.
Shen Li deeply agreed: "I only found out now; she was so dignified and elegant just a few days ago."
As for Cheng Ruojin's reputation for arrogance, it is not without reason. She is the only daughter of the Cheng family and has been spoiled since birth. Her most recent fame came from a conflict with Princess Yi.
Princess Yi's younger brother, Xia Yuan, killed someone and stole his wife. He was handed over to the Ministry of Justice by Shuntian Prefecture. Xia Shiyin met Cheng Ruojin and wanted to cause trouble, but she did not gain any advantage.
Instead, this triggered a large-scale impeachment of the King of Go in the imperial court, who said that he could not control his wife and should return to his fiefdom.
This girl turned out to be an adorable little sister once we got to know her. Who would believe it?
As autumn arrives, it's time to change into thicker court robes. Caiyun had them ready beforehand. Besides the more beautiful embroidery on the chest, the whole garment fit perfectly, with every part neatly pressed and smooth. Even a layman could see the excellent craftsmanship.
On this day, Shen Li changed into this court dress and entered the palace with great satisfaction. She had been slacking off at the Hanlin Academy for half a month because of the kidnapping incident, and she felt that it was not good to continue to slack off, so she went to take up her post.
Moreover, it was time for him to go to the palace to teach Li Che, so after his roll call, he entered the inner palace. Before he even saw the Empress, he saw Zhou Qianqian in the corridor.
Zhou Qianqian sat there, seemingly without any other purpose, having come here specifically to wait for her.
Shen Li raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're very well-informed."
"Your subject greets the Consort." She stepped forward and performed the usual greetings, as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Qianqian looked at her, her gaze filled with venom.
Standing behind Shen Li, Lian Qiao took a step to the side and front, positioning herself in a position where she could make a move at any moment.
"Shen Li, how did you do that? Why would my Zhou family listen to you? And what's with that note?" Zhou Qianqian stood up and stared at Shen Li, her belly still flat and not showing.
Lian Qiao's gaze was equally cold. How could this villain accuse her first? It was clearly she who sent people to kill the young lady.
Shen Li looked bewildered: "What makes you say that, Consort? I'd also like to know why the Zhou family is making things difficult for me."
"Stop pretending in front of me. What good would it do me to kill you? You planned this all along, didn't you?" Zhou Qianqian approached her.
"Consort, please have some self-respect." Shen Li stepped back a distance, worried that Zhou Qianqian would use the child in her womb to frame her.
“Shen Li, you know perfectly well whether I’m going to kill you or not.” Zhou Qianqian continued to step forward: “It’s just you and me here. Why don’t you tell me how you did it? I’ll accept my defeat wholeheartedly.”
"I don't understand what you're saying, Consort. If there's nothing else, I'll be going to see Her Majesty the Empress." Shen Li walked past her sideways.
The palace maid beside Zhou Qianqian tried to stop her, but Lian Qiao gently pushed her aside, allowing her mistress to pass.
"Shen Li!" Zhou Qianqian turned around and called to her, "You win this round, but don't think you can defeat me now. Our feud isn't over!"
Shen Li ignored all such useless words and didn't even turn around, just kept walking forward.
Ultimately, she was still somewhat wary of Zhou Qianqian, after all, she was pregnant. If the two of them got entangled and something intentional or unintentional 'accident' happened, her situation would be very dangerous.
She wholeheartedly agreed that a wise person does not stand under a dangerous wall.
As for what Zhou Qianqian couldn't understand, it was actually very simple. She was able to get the note because Liu Yue had sent messages to Zhou Qianqian multiple times, and she only needed to steal one of them.
Thus, Liu Yue assumed that Zhou Qianqian hadn't replied to her, while Zhou Qianqian had no idea how many times Liu Yue had sent her messages.
The two did not communicate closely, which created an opportunity for them to exploit.
As for why the people from the Zhou family listened to her and helped Liu Yue, the reason was that the person who helped Liu Yue was not from the Zhou family, but one of Gu Chang'an's own people who was almost the same size as the Zhou family's soldiers.
The man approached Liu Yue, claiming that he was sent by Zhou Qianqian to help her, and contacted people from various gangs under the surname Zhou, so that both sides would believe that the Zhou family was behind it.
In fact, the man in blue never showed his face to them from beginning to end, and the dead guard was someone who did dirty work for the Zhou family. He was captured by Gu Chang'an's shadow.
All you need to do is dress the scapegoat in the same blue clothes, put on a black headscarf, and hide him behind the mountain.
When dozens of Gu family soldiers rushed up the mountain, the man in blue who had come forward immediately fled to the back of the mountain. The Gu family soldiers chased after him, stabbed him to death, and brought back the Zhou family soldiers who had been tied up there earlier.
This is why this person had to die. If he were alive, he wouldn't have confessed, but with his death and the presence of witnesses and evidence, the blame could be accurately placed on the Zhou family.
It's hard for outsiders to guess, but it's actually just a little trick.
While Liu Yue's evil deeds were real, the people behind the scenes were actually her and Gu Chang'an, all to force the Zhou family to offer their lives.