“As for hiring a killer, we need to investigate. Maybe someone around Jin’er did it in the name of the master, or maybe someone acted on their own, persuading Xu Xiang to betray the master and put on a show. Otherwise, how could our escort agency happen to find someone committing murder and only one person died? This needs investigation. We can’t blame everything on Ruojin just because she is not our daughter. What do you think, madam?”

Madam Guan quickly grasped what Madam Shen said: “Though you didn’t do right, it’s understandable. But why do you insist on not recognizing Tao Sheng in the Marquis’ Mansion? Is there a hidden reason?”

“It’s just the youngest daughter’s feelings. She thinks she is not as good as Ruojin, and she sees how much we like Ruojin. So she is angry and doesn’t want to come back.” Old Madam Shen found this explanation easy to say, and it seemed natural.

“How can this be possible?” Madam Guan replied angrily. “You’re upset enough to stay away over a small matter? I heard that the Marquis’s wife is not well and doesn’t know how to be a good daughter. How can this be a way to act?”

Tao Sheng frowned at the two women. They seemed to think similarly. They quickly traded statements. One said she willingly gave up returning due to her weird temper, and the other said she didn’t fulfill her duties as a daughter well.

Just as Tao Sheng was about to speak up, someone interrupted: “Since both granddaughters of the same grandmother, why are you so unfair? You only blame Tao Sheng? Even if Ruojin was raised by our grandmother and they have a deep bond, you can’t ignore the facts and put all the blame on Tao Sheng.”

It was Luo Xin.

Seeing her daughter-in-law stand up against her, Old Madam Shen was furious: “As the mistress of the Marquis’s Mansion, you should speak more sensibly. In the beginning, I wanted Ruojin to come back home later because she was sick, but your anger has gone too far. Do you have any respect for me as your elder?”

“I have heard about this,” a lady in the crowd suddenly interrupted. “My husband mentioned a case to me.”

It was Mrs. Liu, the wife of Jingzhao Yin Bao.

The situation was getting more serious. It was one thing if it involved the Shen and Guan families, but now it even included the Jingzhao Yin Mansion. Princess He’en, tired of standing, sat down and poured herself a cup of tea, fanning herself and waiting for what happened next.

Not only the spectators were shocked, but even Tao Sheng was confused about how this connected to the Jingzhao prefect.

Mrs. Liu was brief in her explanation. In just a few words, she shared a case her husband had handled.

There was a doctor named Pan, known in the capital, who had been reported for giving too much medicine to make a patient sick. Later, Mr. Bao discovered that this doctor had not followed the proper rules in treating patients, including a case where he colluded with local pharmacies to profit and prescribed too much medicine for the second Miss Shen of the Wenyuan Marquis’s Mansion.

Mr. Bao usually kept such cases private but decided to help inquire about Miss Shen’s health since it involved the privacy of a marquis’s daughter.

Mrs. Liu learned from Shen Ruojin that she hadn’t taken much of the medicine prescribed by Doctor Pan and her health was fine. Later, Doctor Pan admitted that he had indeed worked with the pharmacy to prescribe fake medicine for a patient, but it was the daughter of the Wenyuan Marquis’s Mansion who requested the medicine to pretend to be sick. He claimed he was just doing his job, so if anyone should be blamed, it shouldn’t be him.

This meant that Doctor Pan hadn’t harmed the patient. Mr. Bao felt it was a minor issue and let it go.

Xu Xiang also mentioned Shen Ruojin’s illness in his confession. The timeline of Doctor Pan’s involvement matched when the Shen family wanted to bring Tao Sheng back.

This confirmed that Shen Ruojin pretended to be sick to gain sympathy from the elders and prevent Tao Sheng from returning to the Marquis’s Mansion.

Mrs. Liu was from the Qinghe Liu clan, a family of seven Jinshi scholars. Her family was very upright and wouldn’t joke about serious matters without solid evidence. Since she wasn’t connected to the Guan, Shen, or Luo families and had no conflicts of interest, everyone believed her words.

Even Old Madam Shen was unaware that Shen Ruojin was pretending to be sick. While she processed this information, she lost the upper hand.

Tang Yizi saw Luo Xin stepping up and challenging the old lady, and she felt torn inside.

On one hand, she wanted to eliminate Shen Ruojin to protect her family; on the other hand, she didn’t want to upset Shen Yue, who had a decent relationship with Shen Ruojin. If Shen Yue found out that she sabotaged his sister’s plans, he might side with her.

Tang Yizi was fed up with this kind of life and suddenly felt a surge of courage.

If Shen Yue still supported his sister after learning that Shen Ruojin had hired a killer, she would accept the divorce. She had enough of this life.

Just as Tang Yizi was about to confront Old Madam Shen, her elder sister Tang Yile pulled her sleeve, signaling her to be patient.

Tang Yile had been listening to her younger sister criticize the Shen family’s actions every time she returned home. She had memorized everything. Speaking for her sister now would allow some room for Yizi in her husband’s family.

Tang Yile stepped forward and said slowly, “Ever since my sister married into this family, our father, grandmother, and brothers have favored Shen Ruojin excessively. No matter the situation, they only support her. For instance, because the family didn’t provide enough dowry, the prince of the Wenyuan Marquis’s Mansion traveled far to purchase a dowry for the second girl. When Shen Ruojin needed help, he almost took away my sister’s dowry. It’s truly remarkable.”

Many present were already married, and when they heard Tang Yile’s words, they put themselves in the role of sister-in-law. Their opinions of Shen Ruojin diminished further.

If even the first wife had to be inferior to Shen Ruojin, then Tao Sheng, the younger sister, would have no standing at all.

Zhang Xinyue added, “Ah Sheng asked me to find a special accountant to help manage her property last month. While registering with the accountant, I discovered that the Shen family had never given Tao Sheng anything. Apart from gifts from Madam Luo and two shops, her father, grandmother, and brothers never provided her with any private property, not even a red envelope during the Chinese New Year. How could there be any affection at all?”

“Miss Zhang, what you said is true,” Luo Xin’s sister-in-law Xiao also chimed in, “It’s obvious whether a family cares for their child. My father thinks highly of Tao Sheng. He praises her for being filial and polite at home, and dedicated to her work outside. He often talks about how she excels in both public and private matters.”

“The Wenyuan Marquis’s Mansion acted unfairly. My father resented the Shen family for not recognizing Tao Sheng. He provided her with a house early on and treated her like his own child. Additionally, when my sister was sick over the years, it was Tao Sheng who visited the manor to keep her company. I saw her several times during those visits. The old lady of the Shen family is truly unfair.” 

Xiao’s husband, Lord Luo, is now in the cabinet and is the eldest son of Grand Master Luo. His wife, Xiao, is the daughter of the late Prince Renyi and was also the Princess of Wen’an, given the title by the emperor. Together, they are a powerful and noble couple, so their opinions matter more than those of Old Madam Shen.

Grand Master Luo mentioned that Tao Sheng is very respectful and treats her like his own child, even giving her a house. Xiao has seen Tao Sheng caring for her mother, Luo Xin, many times, which shows how much Luo Xin protects her.

This makes Mrs. Shen’s comments even less believable.