"Is the situation about to change?" Shen Zhen repeated her words with some confusion, not understanding what she meant.
"Auntie, what's wrong? You look so strange! Is there something going on?"
Facing Shen Zhen's concerned face, Aunt Su could only shake her head.
She didn't know what was wrong with herself. Just after seeing Shen Li, she felt a sense of uneasiness in her heart.
Listening to what Shen Li had just said, from the time the news of Zhang'er's injury reached the Shen Mansion to their return to the mansion today, it had already been four or five days. Yet, Mrs. Shen still knew nothing about their return.
It was evident that Shen Li's power to manage the mansion was not in name only. Mrs. Shen couldn't get any useful information.
Shen Li was quite respectful to them in both speech and behavior, and the arrangements were appropriate. She even promised to ensure Shen Zhang's safety, which showed that she had put in a great deal of effort.
Aunt Su even felt that Shen Li must have spent a lot of time and energy on their return to the mansion.
She knew in her heart that no one would be so kind to you for no reason, putting in so much effort and asking for nothing in return. What was Shen Li after by wasting so much thought and energy on them? Or rather, what was her intention?
Aunt Su thought for a while. However, her understanding of Shen Li still remained at the time when she left the Shen Mansion. At that time, Shen Li was just a little girl of seven or eight years old. Her knowledge of Shen Li was really insufficient, so she couldn't figure out what Shen Li's purpose was.
On the other side, in Mrs. Shen's courtyard in the East Courtyard.
"Are you sure it was that bitch?" Mrs. Shen nervously grasped the armrests of her chair. Her body leaned forward slightly due to uneasiness.
Nanny Hu, a plump and fair - skinned woman standing a few steps in front of her, said affirmatively, "At first, this servant didn't dare to believe it. It was only after getting closer and hiding that I could see clearly. It was definitely Aunt Su!"
"Su Fengchun! That little bitch. How could she come back? Why didn't she die on the estate?" The veins on the back of Mrs. Shen's hands that were gripping the armrests bulged.
Hearing this, Nanny Hu also showed a look of hatred and scolded, "That Aunt Su is a vixen. She must have entangled the master again to get back to the mansion. Moreover, she even brought back the pair of children she gave birth to!"
"Humph! That shameless slut! How dare she come back? Shen Junming is also such a fool. After what Su Fengchun did to him, he still forgave her and let her back into the mansion?"
In her anger, Mrs. Shen directly called Shen Junming by his name.
On the chair, Mrs. Shen took a few deep breaths to calm herself down a bit. Then her mind began to think again. "Did you see clearly who led them into the mansion?"
"I saw clearly. The master sent two of Aunt Liu's servants. From the West Courtyard, there were two favored maids beside the eldest miss, Jiao Yue and Ming Yue. However, from afar, this old servant saw that the second young master seemed to be carried into the mansion. It seemed that his legs were not convenient."
Hearing this, Mrs. Shen's voice showed a hint of surprise. "Could it be that his legs are crippled?"
"This old servant doesn't know either. I just saw a few servants carry the second young master down from the carriage. He never got off the ground to move. As for whether his legs are crippled, this old servant doesn't know!"
Hearing this, Mrs. Shen was not discouraged by the uncertain tone in her words. Instead, she excitedly slapped her thigh. "Carried by others and never walked. It seems that there must be something wrong with his legs!"
"May the Buddha bless! I hope that little brat Shen Zhang will be just like the lame Shen Yuan and sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life!"
After saying that, Mrs. Shen piously said, "Amitabha", and even went to the back hall to offer a stick of incense to the Bodhisattva.
On Shen Li's side, Han Yue had been busy outside doing what Shen Li had told her to do in the past few days. Only Jiao Yue and Ming Yue had been in the Shen Mansion.
After Shen Zhen and Aunt Su left, Jiao Yue couldn't hold back and said, "Miss, this servant just saw that the third miss always looked timid. And that Aunt Su didn't seem to be as scheming as the miss said!"
Ming Yue continued her words, "Miss, they both look like this, which is quite different from what the miss had originally envisioned. With this appearance, how can they be a match for the second madam?"
"We're afraid that they'll mess up the miss's business. Then all our efforts will be in vain!"
Seeing that they both looked anxious, Shen Li couldn't help but comfort them, "You two are thinking too simply. Think about it. Aunt Su is just a concubine, but she was able to give birth to the second - branch's eldest bastard son first. Even when Mrs. Shen was around, she couldn't stop her from giving birth to a daughter!"
"Just because she was able to give birth to two children one after another under Mrs. Shen's nose and raise them up, we can't underestimate her."
Jiao Yue and Ming Yue both looked as if they had learned something. Then Jiao Yue suddenly remembered Aunt Su's submissive look just now and asked, "Miss, but what if Aunt Su is just timid and only knows how to endure? What should we do?"
Shen Li tapped Jiao Yue's head. Seeing Jiao Yue shake her head in a daze, a smile appeared on her face. "Do you know the phrase 'a mother becomes strong for her children'? For a mother, her children are both her weakness and her armor. She can be submissive for the sake of her son, and naturally, she can also kill her enemies for the sake of her son!"
Shen Li spoke with certainty, and Jiao Yue and Ming Yue understood and chose to believe.
At this time, Han Yue came back from outside. As soon as she entered the door, Shen Li waved her hand to let the little maids in the room retreat.
"How's it going? Do you have any clues?" Shen Li walked up to Han Yue and looked at her.
Hearing this, Han Yue took out three pieces of paper from her bosom and handed them to Shen Li.
"Miss, these are the records of the people who bought that kind of cloth from the three silk shops in the past year!"
After receiving them, Shen Li quickly scanned the three pieces of paper. She saw that most of the records were about people who bought in small quantities. Only a few families bought a relatively large amount of fabric, but after a careful look, she didn't find any problems.
Seeing Shen Li frowning, Han Yue said again, "I secretly sneaked into a few of these families, but I didn't find any problems either."
"Which families did you go to?" Shen Li was still looking at the paper in her hand.
"I've been to several wealthy families in the south of the city!"
According to her words, Shen Li looked at the families circled in red cinnabar on the paper and knew that these were the places Han Yue had investigated.
Following the places circled in cinnabar, Shen Li shifted her gaze and pointed to a name below. "Lianyuan Opera Troupe? Why does it sound so familiar? Lianyuan Opera Troupe?"
Shen Li repeated the name again. The more she said it, the more familiar it sounded. She was sure that she must have heard this name before, but for a moment, she just couldn't remember.
"Oh! Miss, this Lianyuan Opera Troupe is the one from last time in Lvyi Alley. The actor bribed by the second madam said he was from the Lianyuan Opera Troupe." Jiao Yue suddenly remembered and said loudly.