Shen Junming simply turned a deaf ear to Shen Shi's sarcastic remarks. "My lady, what are you talking about? If you have something to say, please sit down and take your time. Someone, serve tea to the lady!"
Shen Junming personally helped Shen Shi to her seat. "My lady, how was your stay at your father's place these days?"
If he hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine. But as soon as Shen Junming brought it up, Shen Shi remembered the days she had endured in the past three days, and also thought of the Shen Mansion, which had been burned to a blackened and desolate ruin. However, she still cared about her dignity and held back her anger. "We'll talk about this when we get home."
Shen Junming smiled awkwardly. Just then, a maid brought in the tea. Aunt Liu personally picked up the tea and placed it on the table beside Shen Shi, saying obsequiously, "My lady, please have some tea."
Seeing Aunt Liu's submissive look, Shen Shi just gave a soft grunt and picked up the tea. Just as she was about to take a sip, she happened to look down and saw the large patches of ambiguous red marks of varying shades on Aunt Liu's bent neck and the skin exposed at her collar.
Looking up again at the smile on Aunt Liu's lips, Shen Shi felt that the smile was full of mockery towards her and Aunt Liu's overwhelming pride.
Shen Shi had been in charge of the household for so many years that she had long forgotten the days of swallowing her anger. And in the past few days, she had endured enough grievances and held back her anger countless times. Now seeing that Aunt Liu, a mere concubine, dared to show such disrespect to her, she immediately threw the cup of tea in her hand at Aunt Liu!
"You slut! Don't you even know your own place and still dare to show off in front of me!"
"Ah! Master!" Aunt Liu was splashed with a cup of tea by Shen Shi "out of the blue". She was so frightened that she took a step back and sat on the ground. She immediately called out to Shen Junming.
"Ye'er!" Shen Junming quickly went to check on Aunt Liu, Liu Ye'er. He saw that the area on her hand where the tea had splashed was already red, and her eyes were also filled with tears, looking extremely pitiful.
So, his heart was filled with pity. He looked at Shen Shi with a reproachful look in his eyes. "Ye'er didn't provoke you. Why are you bullying her like this for no reason?"
"Humph! Am I bullying her? She's just a lowly slut who uses her beauty to serve men. I can do whatever I want to her. Just splashing her with a cup of tea is already lenient!"
"You... You ignorant woman!" Shen Junming was never good at arguing, and he also disdained to quarrel with a woman like Shen Shi who lived in the inner chambers.
Seeing the two of them like this, Aunt Liu directly knelt on the ground and grabbed Shen Junming's arm, crying, "Woo! Master, my lady! It's all this lowly concubine's fault! It's all this lowly concubine's fault! Please don't be angry with each other because of this lowly concubine!"
"Ye'er! Ye'er!" Shen Junming hugged Aunt Liu tenderly.
"Humph!" Shen Shi watched them coldly with a straight face, but her hands under her sleeves were tightly clenched.
"A concubine should know her place and follow the rules. In the past, I was kind-hearted and excused you from the morning and evening greetings and serving me. But seeing your behavior today, you have no rules at all. Starting from tomorrow, you two will come and serve me!"
Aunt Liu lowered her head with tears in her eyes and replied, "Serving the lady is this lowly concubine's duty!"
"Ye'er!" Hearing this, Shen Junming hugged her even tighter.
Shen Shi found them an eyesore. She walked up in front of Aunt Liu and Shen Junming. "Since that's the case, there's no need for you to keep these things. They're just a burden!"
With that, she roughly took off all the hairpins and ornaments on Aunt Liu's head and threw them on the ground. She even stepped on them mercilessly, breaking them all.
"What are you doing!" Shen Junming watched as Aunt Liu's hair became loose and she looked like a weak and bullied woman. He was immediately angry and scolded.
"What am I doing? A concubine doesn't deserve to use these things. It's a waste to wear them on her. It's more satisfying for me to step on them and break them!"
"You... You're going too far!"
"Master! Don't!" Aunt Liu looked at Shen Junming, who was glaring angrily at Shen Shi, with a disapproving look on her face. "Master, don't do this for Ye'er. Ye'er is just a concubine. It's not worth it!"
"If losing these gold hairpins and ornaments can make the lady stop being angry, forgive Ye'er, and reconcile with the master! Ye'er is willing to make any sacrifice!"
"Ye'er! You're so obedient and sensible. How could I bear to let you be bullied!"
Shen Junming and Aunt Liu hugged each other tightly, and his heart was filled with even more pity for her.
Seeing that they completely ignored her, Shen Shi couldn't help it anymore. She raised her hand again, wanting to slap Aunt Liu, who was still kneeling on the ground. But unexpectedly, her slap didn't land, as it was blocked by Shen Junming.
"That's enough! Look at yourself. How are you any different from a shrew in the marketplace!"
Shen Junming shook off Shen Shi's hand and stood up to look at her. "You're jealous and can't tolerate others. You've been married into my Shen Mansion for so many years, and I've only taken in two concubines. Yet you're acting like this! Look around. Is there anyone in the whole capital who, after so many years of marriage without giving birth to a son, still tries to stop her husband from taking concubines?"
"I'm still willing to treat you well now. You should be content and stay obediently. If you keep making such a ruckus, be careful... be careful..."
"Be careful of what? Shen Junming, do you still want to divorce me?" Shen Shi pushed Shen Junming hard with both hands and took a step back herself. "I've been married to you for so many years, taking care of the household chores and raising our daughter. Now you want to divorce me for this lowly slut?"
Shen Junming was just about to say that he never said he wanted to divorce his wife. It was all just Shen Shi's own imagination. But the words died in his throat. He just gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and sat down on the chair without saying a word.
"Good! Good! Good!" Shen Shi watched Shen Junming like this and said "good" three times in a row. Then she angrily turned around and left.
Shen Li didn't know about the farce in the East Courtyard yet. At this moment, she was standing in front of the desk with a worried look on her face, staring at a large character written on the paper spread out on the table.
Jiao Yue came closer and took a look at Shen Li. Seeing that she had been staring at the words on the paper for a quarter of an hour, she also curiously glanced at the paper.
She saw that there were only a few words on the white paper and nothing else. She couldn't help but start thinking: She knew about both Panhu Village and the Fourth Prince's Mansion, but what was the relationship between the ledger and the black-clothed men?
Shen Li's mind was also racing. What was the relationship between the black-clothed men she saw in Panhu Village that night and the black-clothed men who tried to assassinate Xiao Hanzhi in Pufa Temple and the Fourth Prince's Mansion?
The "old debts" that Xuan Yuanjue mentioned should undoubtedly be the ledger.
Was the thing that the black-clothed men in Pufa Temple wanted Xiao Hanzhi to hand over the very same ledger?
Panhu Village, the black-clothed men, the ledger!
Was there an intricate relationship between them?
Shen Li felt that the truth was about to be revealed, but at the same time, she also felt that all the events were still shrouded in a thick fog.