Old Mrs. Chu had a sharp eye and a sensitive intuition. She seemed to sense the subtle atmosphere between Song Wanchu and Taoist Qingzhou.
How should one put it? It was as if the two were clearly familiar with each other, yet they deliberately pretended not to be in front of everyone.
Before she could think it through, Mrs. Qian walked forward with a beaming smile.
"Old madam, I have something to give to my sister - in - law. Can I show it to you first?"
She respectfully presented a statue of the Goddess of Mercy who Bestows Children.
Although it was a wooden carving, it was made of high - quality golden silk nanmu. It was about the length of an elbow, with a golden Buddha body looking down upon all sentient beings, wearing a compassionate expression.
Old Mrs. Chu took it and had a look. The carving was exquisite and lifelike, and it also had a very special fragrance.
"It's a wonderful treasure, and it has a good meaning. You've put a lot of thought into it."
Old Mrs. Chu was very pleased.
Since Mrs. Qian and her son had moved in, she had always worried that Mrs. Ning would be unhappy, and there had been some conflicts between the two over the years.
But Mrs. Qian's act of giving the statue of the Goddess of Mercy to bless the child in Mrs. Ning's womb showed that she wanted to improve the relationship between sisters - in - law.
Mrs. Ning was kind - hearted and gentle. She would surely give her this face.
Mrs. Qian's smile became even brighter. "If the old madam says it's good, then I can rest assured to give it."
Saying so, she handed it to Mrs. Ning. "Sister - in - law, this statue of the Goddess of Mercy who Bestows Children has also been consecrated. The master said that if you place it in your bedroom and chant scriptures and offer sacrifices to it every day, your wishes will come true."
Mrs. Ning smelled the scent of musk and felt a wave of nausea in her stomach.
Mrs. Qian's hypocrisy and viciousness made her even more nauseous!
Song Wanchu had been waiting for this moment.
Mrs. Qian was over - confident. She thought that her aunt was unaware of the mystery hidden in the red coral. She never changed her method when harming others.
She was going to expose Mrs. Qian's true face in front of everyone.
In front of Old Mrs. Chu and all the members of the Chu family, she wanted everyone to see Mrs. Qian's evil intentions clearly.
But before she could open her mouth, Liang Yuzhou suddenly spoke up. "Madam, don't move. This is an evil object!"
Song Wanchu was stunned.
Mrs. Ning was also dazed and looked at Liang Yuzhou in confusion.
Last time, Liang Yuzhou had detected the musk hidden in the red coral because of his sensitive sense of smell, and he had broken the coral to prove it.
But this time, he hadn't even touched the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. How did he know that there was a hidden mystery inside?
Could it be that he could really recognize evil objects with his discerning eyes?
Mrs. Qian felt a tightness in her chest. With a fierce look on her face, she scolded. "You little Taoist priest, what nonsense are you talking about? This is clearly a consecrated auspicious object. How could it be an evil object?"
She quickly looked at Old Mrs. Chu. "Old madam, this little Taoist priest is very cunning. He must be trying to get more rewards, so he deliberately says that an auspicious object is an evil object!"
Song Wanchu didn't want to listen to her sophistry. The more she said, the more things the others would have to distinguish. To catch such a vicious person, one had to strike with a single blow.
She wanted to take the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. The musk must be hidden in the base.
But before her fingers even moved, Liang Yuzhou snatched the statue.
Under everyone's gaze, he broke the base open with his bare hands.
The base was actually empty, and a pile of black stuff fell to the ground.
Many people curiously craned their necks to see what it was.
Old Mrs. Chu's face suddenly changed. She recognized that stuff. It was musk, which could cause a woman to have a miscarriage!
Liang Yuzhou coldly lifted his eyelids. Mrs. Qian felt as if her body had been pierced by a sharp sword.
That look was terrifying!
"Musk is cold in nature, with a strong smell. It promotes blood circulation and removes blood stasis. A pregnant woman must not even touch it. Even smelling too much of it can cause a miscarriage. Madam Qian hid such a large piece of musk in the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. Does she really hope that the madam will give birth to the child safely, or is she secretly trying to harm the child so that it won't be born?"
Liang Yuzhou's words were very straightforward, and there was an uproar among the Chu family members.
Those looks were as sharp as knives, as if they were going to torture Mrs. Qian to death.
Old Mrs. Chu was furious!
Old Mrs. Chu came from a scholarly family. Naturally, she wouldn't beat someone herself. It would be beneath her dignity to beat a poisonous woman.
The nanny beside her immediately stepped forward and gave Mrs. Qian two hard slaps.
"Old madam, I don't know why there's musk hidden in the good statue of the Goddess of Mercy. I'm innocent!"
Her face was distorted hideously. Pointing at Liang Yuzhou, she said, "Did you do something? You're trying to harm me. I have no grudge against you. Why are you targeting me?"
"Shut up!"
Old Mrs. Chu shouted sternly. "In front of everyone, how could Taoist Qingzhou frame you? Your evil intentions are obvious, and you still dare to bite an innocent person!"
She was the most respected and authoritative elder in the family. Once she spoke, the matter was basically decided.
This was why Song Wanchu had to expose Mrs. Qian in front of Old Mrs. Chu.
Her aunt didn't need to say a single word. As the victim, she didn't need to confront Mrs. Qian. It was a bloodless victory.
It's just... Song Wanchu didn't expect that Liang Yuzhou would expose Mrs. Qian twice before she could.
If she had done it herself, the result would have been the same.
But she was a newcomer. If she had taken the lead to stand up for her aunt aggressively, people would have gossiped about her overstepping her bounds.
Some people might even have been dissatisfied, thinking that a guest was bossing around in the Chu family.
Liang Yuzhou had helped her.
Given his status, it was reasonable for him to say that the statue of the Goddess of Mercy was an evil object.
She and her aunt had remained perfectly hidden throughout.
Chu Shangxu was the head of the family. He loved his wife. Since Mrs. Qian had tried to harm her twice, he wished he could cut her throat right away.
"Mother, this matter should be decided by you."
Old Mrs. Chu knew that she was to blame.
It was her decision to let Mrs. Qian and her son move in. If they were to be driven away, it would also be up to her to give the order.
"Someone, expel Mrs. Qian and her son from the Chu family. Still send them back to their old house. None of the things in their rooms that belong to our family are allowed to be taken away. From now on, this heartless mother - son pair is not allowed to step into the Chu family ever again!"
Mrs. Qian wailed and cried, but there was not a single ripple in Song Wanchu's eyes.
The punishment Old Mrs. Chu gave them was relatively light.
But that was all they could do.
If the matter were to be made public and blown out of proportion, it would affect the family's reputation and damage the fame of the imperial merchant.
There were many unmarried men and unmarried women in the Chu family. They couldn't be implicated by such sordid matters.
If Mrs. Qian and her son could understand Old Mrs. Chu's good intentions, they should behave themselves from now on.
Old Mrs. Chu wouldn't let them starve, but she wouldn't give them wealth and honor either.
Mrs. Qian was unceremoniously dragged away by several strong maids.
Mrs. Ning let out a long sigh of relief. "Serves her right!"
Song Wanchu was again stared at by those familiar eyes.
Liang Yuzhou's gaze was like a hook, hooking up many of her past memories, most of which were bitter and only a little bit sweet.
She should have said thank you to him.
The slight ripple in her heart was suppressed.
She chose to turn around and ignore him.
...
Liang Yuzhou was about to mount his horse.
"Taoist Qingzhou—"
A sweet and mellow voice stopped him.
Taking advantage of the large crowd, Chu Yueying secretly ran out from the side door and caught up with Liang Yuzhou.
She had run a bit too fast and was breathing slightly heavily, with two blushes on her small face.
It was that kind of bright - eyed look again. Liang Yuzhou felt annoyed in his heart.
He was about to ignore Chu Yueying and turn away when the little girl summoned up her courage and spread out her hands in front of him.
"Taoist priest, this pouch is for you!"
It was made of apricot - yellow brocade, with pink peach blossoms about to bloom.
Liang Yuzhou slightly squinted his phoenix eyes.
"Did you embroider this?"
Chu Yueying's heart started pounding. This was the first sentence Taoist Qingzhou had ever said to her...
"Yes, I embroidered it. Sister Wanchu helped me with a few stitches."
She lied. This pouch was actually Sister Wanchu's work.
She had embroidered several pouches over and over again, and each one was uglier than the last. She really couldn't bring herself to show them.
How could the gift for Taoist Qingzhou be so ugly and unappealing?
Anyway, Sister Wanchu had already given the pouch to her.
Liang Yuzhou's aura was so cold that Chu Yueying looked at him nervously.
She was worried in her heart, afraid that he wouldn't accept it.
"Okay, I'll take it." Liang Yuzhou took the pouch from her hand.