vrcanaries Chapter 259: Setting up a trap to enter the mansion
Chapter 259: Setting up a trap to enter the mansion
Although Shen Ruyi was young at the time, she clearly felt that there were loopholes everywhere in this matter.
If it was a robbery, the bandits were obviously numerous and had good skills. Madam Shen only brought two guards with her, so she had no chance of escape.
Later, when the bandits caught up with them, Madam Shen fainted from fright, and only found herself back in the city when she woke up.
She had no idea what was going to happen next, and even the old woman and maid who were accompanying her lost their lives.
According to Tang Qingmei, the old woman and the maid were killed by the bandits who caught up with them when they jumped out of the car and escaped.
She, Mother Wang, and Old Madam Shen managed to escape, only suffering some minor skin injuries.
Since those bandits were so brutal, it sounded like a fairy tale that Tang Qingmei and her servant were almost unscathed except for some minor injuries.
She secretly told her elder brother Shen Junxing about her concerns, but Shen Junxing said that she was overly suspicious and that Tang Qingmei did not seem like such a scheming person.
Shen Junxing had not yet entered the officialdom at that time, he was just a student, and he almost obeyed everything that Old Madam Shen said.
Shen Ruyi had no choice but to be cautious and suggested that Madam Shen wait for news from the government.
As for Tang Qingmei, giving her a large enough sum of money and arranging a house for her was considered as the Shen family's best intention.
However, Old Madam Shen insisted on keeping Tang Qingmei in the Shen Mansion.
Shen Ruyi's repeated opposition even aroused the displeasure of Old Madam Shen. She denounced Shen Ruyi for being ungrateful and lacking the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.
No matter how Shen Ruyi objected, Tang Qingmei finally stayed in the Wu'an Marquis Mansion.
Tang Qingmei, who lived in the Shen Mansion, was young but knew how to read people's expressions and was always able to please others, so she was quite liked by Old Madam Shen.
Tang Qingmei didn't even mind Shen Ruyi's estrangement at that time.
Instead, he always maintained a humble attitude and acted submissively in front of her, which made Shen Ruyi wonder if she was being too suspicious.
Although Shen Ruyi was somewhat wary of Tang Qingmei, she gradually relaxed her vigilance and softened her attitude in the face of such a Tang Qingmei.
Old Madam Shen was also sincere towards Tang Qingmei, a sensible and pleasing girl.
Although she was declared to be a cousin, in fact, the treatment she received in the mansion was no different from that of Shen Ruyi.
Old Madam Shen asked Tang Qingmei to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting from a teacher specially invited for Shen Ruyi, and also took her to attend banquets hosted by the ladies and young ladies of various noble families in the capital.
Sometimes, he even cares about her more than his biological daughter Shen Ruyi.
In this way, Tang Qingmei lived in Wu'an Marquis Mansion for more than a year.
Just as Shen Ruyi was gradually relaxing her guard, she inadvertently discovered that the coachman who had temporarily abandoned his carriage and fled alone on the day when Old Madam Shen encountered the bandits and later disappeared, actually appeared quietly.
The driver disguised himself as a rice delivery man and dressed up to sneak into the Wu'an Marquis Mansion.
It was only later that Shen Ruyi remembered that the man seemed to be the coachman from her home who had accompanied her mother to the temple.
Tang Qingmei and the coachman obviously knew each other, and they even had an argument in the garden of the mansion.
In order to avoid alerting the enemy and because she was far away, Shen Ruyi did not hear clearly what they were saying.
He just saw Tang Qingmei and handed the other party a stack of silver bills.
Shen Ruyi became suspicious of Tang Qingmei again, so she secretly asked someone to check the driver.
Unexpectedly, when the news came back again, it was the news that the coachman fell into the river and drowned because he was drunk.
According to the time calculation, the driver died on the second day after entering the Shen Mansion.
Shen Ruyi became suspicious of Tang Qingmei again and felt that the incident of the bandits must be related to Tang Qingmei.
Shen Ruyi, who was unable to keep his composure at the time, made some indirect remarks to Tang Qingmei.
Unexpectedly, the next day, Old Madam Shen called her over and scolded her, saying that she was too suspicious and could not tolerate Tang Qingmei.
Old Madam Shen told Shen Ruyi that she had already found out.
The coachman was in cahoots with the bandits. He recognized Tang Qingmei as the one who rescued Old Madam Shen and said that Tang Qingmei had ruined his good deeds, so he threatened to take revenge on Tang Qingmei.
Tang Qingmei was afraid and worried that the group of people would harm Old Madam Shen, so she wanted to give the driver money to get rid of him.
It was then that Shen Ruyi realized for the first time how scheming Tang Qingmei, who seemed pure and harmless, actually was.
Tang Qingmei even predicted her prediction and confessed to Old Madam Shen first about her entanglement with the coachman in the Shen Mansion Garden, thus gaining Old Madam Shen's trust.
Then she cried and begged Old Madam Shen to let her take Mother Wang away from the Shen Mansion.
This is to avoid embarrassing Madam Shen and causing a rift between her and her daughter.
Tang Qingmei's move put Old Madam Shen under complete control.
Old Madam Shen naturally did not allow Tang Qingmei and Mother Wang to leave.
Compared with Tang Qingmei's attentiveness and sensibleness, she was even more disappointed with her daughter's arrogance and ignorance.
After that, Tang Qingmei stopped pretending in front of Shen Ruyi, and even made some small moves from time to time, deliberately trying to distract from the relationship between Old Madam Shen and Shen Ruyi, but Old Madam Shen always stood on Tang Qingmei's side.
Shen Ruyi is the old marquis's treasure and her life has always been smooth.
Shen Ruyi was devastated by her mother's accusations and distrust, and her pride made the relationship between Shen Ruyi and Old Madam Shen even more strained.
When Shen Ruyi came of age, old Marquis Shen and Ling Junye's family returned to Beijing.
Shen Weishan naturally believed his daughter, and even Shen Junye stood on his sister's side, but he was troubled by the lack of conclusive evidence at the time.
After Shen Ruyi came of age, she forced Tang Qingmei and Wang Mama to move out of Wu'an Marquis Mansion, but also gave them a sum of money and a house to live in.
Although Old Madam Shen was unhappy at the time, she did not dare to resist after the old marquis spoke, and she only blamed her daughter.
Not long after, the old marquis and Shen Junye's family returned to the border.
Originally, I thought the matter would come to an end, but as soon as the old marquis left, Madam Shen turned around and took Tang Qingmei into the mansion.
At this time, Shen Ruyi also made a new discovery.
One day when she was out, a mother and daughter dressed in shabby clothes stopped her.
The other party claimed to be the driver's mother and sister, and told Shen Ruyi that Tang Qingmei was their cousin.
The story that Madam Shen would encounter bandits was all Tang Qingmei's doing. She bribed the coachman and staged the play herself.
As for the so-called bandits, they were all played by the killers she hired, whose purpose was to take the opportunity to enter the Shen Mansion and enjoy wealth and glory.
The mother and daughter cried and complained that the reason they wanted to expose Tang Qingmei was because Tang Qingmei not only did not give the driver money as promised, but instead bribed a killer to silence him.
The mother and daughter had only one request, which was to ask Shen Ruyi to take them to the Marquis' Mansion to confront Tang Qingmei in person.