Hearing Shen Li's words just now, Mrs. Shen was so shocked that she couldn't even maintain the expression on her face.
In her heart, Shen Li was still the timid and weak girl she used to be. Every time she saw her, she was respectful and submissive, someone she could manipulate at will. Although her own daughter had repeatedly said that Shen Li had become smarter recently and was no longer as stupid as before, she didn't really believe it in her heart.
How could a girl who had been stupid for more than a decade change overnight?
But what had happened today greatly exceeded her expectations. Was the girl in front of her, who was articulate, well - behaved, and intelligent, really Shen Li?
"Sis... Sister, how could you talk to my mother like this? She's your elder! And Uncle and Aunt have been away for so many years. It's my mother who has been running the household and raising you all by herself!"
"How... How could you be so ungrateful?" Shen Miao cried and accused Shen Li of her misdeeds.
The on - looking villagers didn't know the real situation in the Shen Mansion. Seeing this scene, they believed the rumors that had spread in the capital about the eldest miss of the Shen family being disrespectful to her elders. Immediately, they started to whisper among themselves.
"I didn't expect the rumors to be true. The eldest miss of the Shen family is really going too far! Look at how she's bullying those mother and daughter!"
"Exactly! The second wife of the Shen family is at least her aunt and has raised her for so many years. Is this how she repays her kindness?"
"Such an unfilial person should be handed over to the government for punishment!"
...
Some even began to scold Shen Li loudly.
Jiao Yue glared angrily at the crowd. "Shut up! What do you people know! My miss is innocent!"
However, none of the on - looking villagers listened to her. They were all indignantly cursing Shen Li to show their so - called justice.
"Jiao Yue, stop it!" Shen Li motioned for Jiao Yue not to say any more.
"Miss, these people are going too far! I'll go and teach them a lesson!"
"No need! Just let them be! The truth will come out one day. By then, no one will say such things anymore!"
Jiao Yue had no choice but to pout angrily and say nothing more.
Seeing that the villagers had sided with her, Shen Miao smiled triumphantly at Shen Li.
The old man who had been there before saw this and was so angry that his beard trembled. If it weren't for Mu Ruchu being there, he might have rushed up to scold them already.
"Everyone, we're here today to solve the matter of my alleged tryst. Since the matter has not been resolved yet, please keep quiet!" Shen Li shouted loudly to the surroundings.
Mu Ruchu looked at her in surprise. It was the first time he had seen a girl be so bold as to talk about her own "tryst".
But the surrounding villagers were not receptive at all.
"What else is there to say? Isn't the adulterer already caught?"
"Exactly! Just take these two to the government!"
"Why take them to the government? For people like this, it's better to drown them in the pond directly. It'll save them from disgracing themselves!"
...
Those on - lookers were chattering away, trying to decide the fates of Shen Li and Mu Ruchu.
Seeing that the situation was now in her favor, Mrs. Shen turned around timidly, bowed to the villagers outside the door, and said, "Thanks to all of you today, my daughter and I have been spared humiliation. Although the matter is now clear, this is after all our family affair. Li'er is still young, and it's inevitable for her to make mistakes!"
"We'll definitely teach her a good lesson when we get back!"
Shen Li watched Mrs. Shen and Shen Miao acting like this with a sneer. Mrs. Shen looked aggrieved on the surface, while Shen Miao could hardly hide her pride.
Sure enough, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. Compared with Mrs. Shen, Shen Miao was still too young. But in any case, they had underestimated her today. Mrs. Shen and Shen Miao's plan was probably going to fail!
Just as Shen Li was about to speak, she heard a deep voice say, "Madam, please wait!"
Shen Li looked back in confusion and found that the person who had just spoken was Mu Ruchu. Seeing everyone looking at him, Mu Ruchu didn't seem flustered at all. Even in this situation, he still gave people a feeling of calmness.
"I think the matter hasn't been clarified yet! Madam, it's better not to jump to conclusions too early!" His words were addressed to Mrs. Shen, who had just said that the matter was already resolved.
"Just now that mammy said that I was with Miss Shen. I wonder if there's anyone else besides the mammy who saw it?"
Hearing this, Nanny Zheng shook her head and said, "I was walking in the front. Only I saw it. The others didn't."
"So it was only the mammy who saw it. Then, this mammy, I'd like to ask you, besides what you saw with your own eyes, do you have any other evidence? For example, is there any physical evidence?"
Nanny Zheng immediately thought of what Mrs. Shen had told her before coming, about the token of love. She quickly said, "Yes! I also saw you give our miss a piece of jade. It's on our miss now. Just search her and you'll know!"
Shen Li sneered. She had already guessed what Mrs. Shen was up to, but she still took out the mutton - fat jade from her body.
Seeing it, Nanny Zheng immediately shouted, "Yes! That's the piece of jade!"
"This piece of jade does belong to me! But it wasn't given to Miss Shen. It was just left with her as collateral! Half a month ago, Miss Shen asked me to treat these three pots of peonies, so I left this piece of jade with her as collateral!"
Shen Li then said, "That's right! I remember my sister was there that day too!"
Shen Miao looked up with a confused look on her face and said, "What are you talking about, sister? I don't know about this at all."
This was exactly what Shen Li had been waiting for. "It doesn't matter if my sister doesn't remember. It happened on Jiangyang Street that day. There must have been many people who saw it. As long as we send someone to inquire among the shopkeepers and peddlers on Jiangyang Street, I'm sure someone will remember it!"
As soon as Shen Li said this, a dark - skinned man outside scratched his head and said, "Hey? I remember. I was setting up a stall on Jiangyang Street that day, but my stall was knocked over by a carriage on the road. I still remember that I was compensated ten taels of silver! Oh, that carriage seemed to be from the Shen Mansion!"
This man was actually the peddler whose stall had been knocked over by Shen Miao's carriage that day. Who would have thought that he would be here today!
"Right! I remember that it was a carriage behind the Shen Mansion's that knocked me over. That carriage was also damaged, and the second miss today was sitting inside!"
"After the carriage broke down, the second miss went to the first carriage! After that, I remember... someone went to the carriage and carried away three pots of flowers!"
After hearing what this man said, a thin and short man in the crowd also spoke up. "Hearing him say this, I also remember! I saw the Shen family's carriage hit someone on Jiangyang Street that day too."
"Seemed like it was that young man who carried away the flowers." As he said this, he pointed at Shizhu.