Chapter 16: Deception

In the early morning, Shen Tang woke from a deep sleep and stretched on her bed.

Yin Xing brought in a copper basin to help Shen Tang get up. After washing up, a little maid also brought in breakfast. Shen Tang had a good appetite; she enjoyed a bowl of nourishing millet porridge and ate a meat bun.

After finishing her breakfast, Shen Tang stepped outside. Yin Xing assumed she was finally going to see Shen Juan, but Shen Tang walked straight out of the courtyard. Even the maids from Qinglan Garden glanced at her, but they said nothing. After all, the Eldest Miss bought off the Second Miss’s maid to frame the Second Miss. If the Second Miss didn’t get angry, she might as well be a statue in a temple.

Arriving at Songhe Hall, Shen Tang signaled Yin Xing with her eyes, and Yin Xing left while she entered the courtyard alone.

When Shen Tang had paid her respects to the matriarch yesterday, Shen Ran and Shen Luo hadn’t been present, but today they were all there, chatting and laughing with the matriarch.

The Second Madam and the Third Madam were also present. Upon seeing Shen Tang enter, the Second Madam’s expression instantly turned cold but quickly resumed its previous demeanor.

Shen Tang approached and bowed to the matriarch. Before she could speak, the Second Madam interjected, “The physician advised the Second Miss to rest. What was so urgent that you needed to leave the manor yesterday?”

The Second Madam was in charge of the household, and no detail escaped her notice.

Shen Tang didn’t believe that the Second Madam was unaware of her visit to the Jiang Family yesterday.

The matriarch, still oblivious to Shen Tang’s trip, looked at her, and Shen Tang said, “I went to the Jiang Family yesterday.”

The matriarch frowned slightly. “You didn’t need to rush to the Jiang Family.”

After all, the Jiang Family was Shen Tang’s maternal family, and the matriarch couldn’t say anything too obvious to prevent her from going.

Shen Tang replied, “In my dream, Mother asked me to pay my respects to Grandfather and Grandmother on her behalf. I didn’t dare delay, and since my arm wasn’t seriously injured, I hurried to take care of it.”

The matriarch suspected it had something to do with Jiang Shi, who had always been filial. It was a pity that she had a short life. If Yan’er hadn’t gone missing, Jiang Shi wouldn’t have suffered such grief that she lost her mind and passed away early.

The matriarch said nothing, but the Second Madam added, “Eldest Sister spoils the Second Miss, always thinking of the Jiang Family, yet she never cares for Juan’er. If it had been Juan’er receiving a message from their mother, our engagement with Prince Jingyang’s family wouldn’t have been broken…”

In all her life, Shen Tang had seen people sow discord among the living, but she had never seen anyone blame a deceased person for their dissatisfaction.

Shen Tang would not allow such slander, “They say that thoughts during the day lead to dreams at night. Eldest Sister never thinks of Mother; if she did, Mother would have no way to send her a dream.”

“If Mother truly sent a dream to Eldest Sister, would the Second Madam advise her to listen to Mother or suspect that Mother, even in death, wanted to harm Eldest Sister?”

Her voice was sharp and carried an undeniable momentum.

The Second Madam was left speechless, her teeth nearly cracking from the pressure.

When had the Second Miss become so eloquent? She had truly underestimated her in the past.

Shen Tang sat down, looking for Yin Xing when a maid remarked, “Does the Second Madam have any instructions?”

Shen Luo added, “Second Sister came to pay her respects to Grandmother but didn’t bring any maids?”

Shen Tang replied, “I did bring a maid, but when I got to the courtyard gate, I realized I lost my gold hairpin, so Yin Xing went back to help me look for it.”

The Second Madam sipped her tea and said, “It’s fine to search for the hairpin, but to come without a maid? If guests see that the legitimate daughter of the Pingyuan Marquis Manor has no maids to serve her, what will they think?”

Shen Tang immediately turned to the matriarch and said, “I have enough maids in my courtyard. It’s just that Doukou is gone, leaving a vacancy for a senior maid. The remaining second-tier maids each have their pros and cons, so I intended to have the Second Madam choose for me. I found a maid I like; may I request Grandmother to grant her to me?”

Shen Tang was referring to the maid who had just spoken.

She would not give the Second Madam a chance to place her own people around her. Instead, she wanted to get a trustworthy maid from the matriarch to help manage the disloyal maids in her courtyard. The Second Madam wouldn’t dare to oppose her.

The matriarch hadn’t expected Shen Tang to ask her for a maid, but the Second Madam quickly tried to intervene, “Qiu Tong is a maid that the matriarch has always relied on. You shouldn’t be thinking about her. I will arrange a few capable maids for you who will work well.”

The Second Madam was unwilling to let Shen Tang have Qiu Tong, which meant that the maid was now Shen Tang’s.

Shen Tang looked eagerly at the matriarch, her expression full of desire and hesitation. The matriarch had never seen Shen Tang look at her like this before, and she couldn’t help but smile. “One maid? Grandmother wouldn’t be stingy.”

“Qiu Tong, you will follow the Second Miss from now on.”

Qiu Tong agreed.

Shen Tang joyfully said, “Thank you, Grandmother.”

Seeing Shen Tang’s shining eyes, the Second Madam suddenly felt a sense of losing control. Perhaps she was overthinking it; even if the matriarch gave a maid to Shen Tang, it was still Nanny Jiang who had the final say in Qingyi Garden. Qiu Tong wouldn’t dare openly oppose her or report her wrongdoings to the matriarch.

Thinking this way, the Second Madam relaxed. Just then, Yin Xing rushed in.

Yin Xing entered, covering her face, her eyes filled with tears. Upon seeing her, Shen Tang quickly stood up and pulled Yin Xing’s hand away from her face, revealing clear handprints. Shen Tang was furious, “Who hit you?!”

Yin Xing cried, “It was Nanny Jiang! I was looking for the gold hairpin, and a little maid told me that she saw Nanny Jiang pick up a gold hairpin on a small path yesterday. I went to ask Nanny Jiang about it.”

Nanny Jiang denied it, saying she hadn’t found it, and then she demanded that I tell her which little maid had seen her pick it up. She threatened to tear that maid’s mouth apart. I was afraid of getting that little maid in trouble, so I didn’t dare say anything, and Nanny Jiang, in a fit of rage, slapped me…”

Before Yin Xing could finish speaking, Nanny Jiang entered, saying, “I knew this little wretch would come to complain about me to the young lady. I didn’t pick up the young lady’s gold hairpin. If you don’t believe me, you can send someone to search my room.”

Nanny Jiang stood tall, and anyone who saw her would believe that she hadn’t taken the gold hairpin. She exuded confidence, unafraid of a search.

Shen Tang turned to Yin Xing, who looked wronged as she said, “I didn’t doubt Nanny Jiang. It’s true that little maid said she saw Nanny Jiang pick it up. The timing coincides with when Nanny Jiang went to persuade the Eldest Miss, so I didn’t suspect anything and went to ask Nanny Jiang for the hairpin…”

Nanny Jiang said, “Then please have the young lady send someone to investigate and clear my name.”

Shen Tang frowned, then turned to Qiu Tong and said, “You take someone to search.”

Qiu Tong was startled. Although the matriarch had assigned her to the Second Madam, she hadn’t even entered Qingyi Garden yet. It would be inappropriate to search Nanny Jiang’s room.

But the Second Miss had already spoken, and she had no choice.

Qiu Tong bowed and left to handle it.

Shen Tang sat down, while Yin Xing stood behind her, still covering her face. Nanny Jiang’s slap had left five clear fingerprints, and it was swollen.

Nanny Jiang stood nearby, her expression calm but with anger at being wronged.

Qiu Tong was efficient, and in just a short while, she returned. Mother Wang asked, “Did you find the gold hairpin?”

Qiu Tong shook her head. “I took people to search Nanny Jiang’s room several times, but we didn’t find the hairpin.”

Nanny Jiang immediately knelt down and said, “Yin Xing believed a little maid and suspected that I had stolen the Second Madam’s gold hairpin. Please, matriarch, help me!”

Mother Wang turned to Qiu Tong. “Is there anything else you haven’t reported?”

Qiu Tong said, “I didn’t find the gold hairpin in Nanny Jiang’s room, but I did find a pawn ticket…”

Nanny Jiang, kneeling on the ground, stiffened and exclaimed, “A pawn ticket? How could I have a pawn ticket in my room?!”

She had thrown away any pawn tickets she received from the pawn shop!

Qiu Tong produced the wrinkled pawn ticket. Seeing it, Nanny Jiang’s face turned pale, and her heart raced in fear.

Mother Wang took the pawn ticket, glanced at it, and then frowned. She reported to the matriarch, “The pawn ticket states that a gold hairpin was pawned, and it matches the one lost by the Second Madam…”

Nanny Jiang cried out, “Someone must have deliberately placed this pawn ticket in my room! I am being wronged!”

The pawn ticket was indeed not placed there by her, but no one was wronging her.

Nanny Jiang was cautious in her actions and didn’t dare to keep the gold hairpin she found. So, when she picked it up yesterday, she had immediately gone out to pawn it, receiving twenty taels of silver in return. She had bought quite a few things and even consulted a doctor.

Nanny Jiang had left the manor without Yin Xing, but Yin Xing had found a servant from the front courtyard to keep an eye on her. Shen Tang knew exactly where Nanny Jiang went and what she bought.

The servant had picked up the pawn ticket immediately after Nanny Jiang threw it away.

Shen Tang glanced at the pawn ticket, and Mother Wang handed it to her. Shen Tang gave it a quick look. “A little maid saw you pick up the gold hairpin, and now there’s a pawn ticket for the gold hairpin in your room. Isn’t this a bit too coincidental? Are you confessing, or should I send someone to the pawn shop to inquire?”

Nanny Jiang’s face turned pale, and she fell silent.

The evidence was too solid; there was no way to argue her way out of it.

Shen Tang, furious, threw the pawn ticket to the ground. “I’ve treated you well. If you need money, you can tell me. I wouldn’t be stingy. You’ve served me for ten years; you should know that this is my favorite gold hairpin. You just pawned it off like that? If it falls into the hands of some other young lady, then I will be accused of collusion!”

Shen Tang’s eyes turned red with anger as she turned her face away.

Having a managing maid betray her master was already a serious crime. With Shen Tang’s words, the matriarch’s expression darkened, and she ordered Mother Wang, “Take the pawn ticket and redeem the gold hairpin.”

Mother Wang said, “But it’s a dead pawn…”

“Even a dead pawn must be redeemed!”

There was nothing that couldn’t be redeemed; it just required spending a bit more money.

Mother Wang hurriedly sent someone to take care of it.

Nanny Jiang realized that the matriarch was angry and pleaded, “I was momentarily confused, and I realize my mistake…”

The matriarch replied, “Drag her away and give her forty strikes. Sell her off.”

Nanny Jiang’s face lost all color, and she pleaded repeatedly as she was dragged away, shouting, “Second Madam, save me!”

The Second Madam might want to save her, but how could she help someone who picked up their master’s belongings and didn’t report them, secretly leaving the manor to sell them?

Nanny Jiang was dragged away, and soon the sounds of strikes echoed through the hall.

Along with it came Nanny Jiang’s desperate screams, “Second Madam, you plotted against me!”

“It’s you who plotted against me…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her mouth was covered.

Shen Tang sat in her chair, her expression cold.

It was indeed Shen Tang who had plotted against Nanny Jiang. The managing maid who had served her for ten years couldn’t be dealt with without solid evidence.

The gold hairpin was something Shen Tang had instructed Yin Xing to drop on the small path where Nanny Jiang would walk to Qinglan Garden. But she hadn’t forced Nanny Jiang to hand it over to her, nor had she instructed her to leave the manor and pawn it for money.

Did she think that by pawning the gold hairpin and discarding the pawn ticket, she could escape notice? Today, Nanny Jiang was reaping what she had sown.