Chapter 74 – The Bias Reached the Armpits

When Shen Nian entered, he saw Xia Tian propping her cheek, sitting dumbfounded on the kang in the warm room, unsure of what she was thinking.

It wasn’t until he entered and said, “I’m back,” that Xia Tian snapped out of her daze. She quickly put on her shoes, got off the kang, and glanced outside. Seeing that only Ning Xiang was there, she quietly asked, “Is everything alright, Shen Dage? Has Lord Hou suspected anything?”

“No, don’t worry,” Shen Nian said, taking off his cloak and placing it on the kang.

Upon hearing that there was no immediate issue, she felt relieved and called Ning Xiang to serve the meal.

After they had finished eating and exchanged some information, Xia Tian finally let Shen Nian leave.

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At Huai Rui Tang, Shen Ke woke up in the middle of the night. After Lord Wu Anhou slammed the door and left last night, he never returned, and the whole night, it had been Liu Shi and a few maids keeping watch.

In the middle of the night, Shen Ke started running a high fever. The family doctor had been summoned in the early hours, and only by morning did Shen Ke’s fever subside. However, he had not regained consciousness until now.

When he finally woke up, Liu Shi, disheveled and looking utterly exhausted, was by his side. Yet, within moments of him waking up, he fell back asleep again.

Liu Shi could no longer hold on and was persuaded by Qiu Yue to rest for a while.

It wasn’t until the next morning, after breakfast, that Shen Ke woke up again. He opened his eyes to find himself lying in bed with Qiu Yue dozing off beside him, realizing that he had narrowly escaped death.

Shen Ke touched Qiu Yue’s hand, causing her to startle. She looked up and saw Fourth Young Master staring at her.

Overcome with joy, she quickly got up and ran to tell Liu Shi, “Madam, Madam, Young Master has woken up!”

Liu Shi, who had been sitting on a soft couch with a maid massaging her temples, immediately rushed over to Shen Ke’s bed upon hearing that he had woken up.

Looking at her son’s pale lips, Liu Shi couldn’t help but feel distressed. She grabbed Shen Ke’s hand and began to weep uncontrollably.

After crying for a while, she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, forcing a smile and asking, “Ke’er, how do you feel now? If anything hurts, tell your mother.”

“Mother, my whole-body hurts,” Shen Ke said weakly, with a pained expression on his face.

“Don’t move, you’re injured. The doctor says you need to stay in bed and rest. My son will recover,” Liu Shi gently coaxed, running her hand through Shen Ke’s hair.

Seeing that Shen Ke’s condition wasn’t too critical, but worried that Lord Hou might come to inquire, Liu Shi quickly dismissed the maids and quietly asked, “Ke’er, what exactly happened? Who hurt my son like this?”

Upon hearing his mother’s question, Shen Ke’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and said, “It must have been Big Brother’s doing. Otherwise, how would those people mistakenly target the wrong person?”

Liu Shi quickly told him about the words the bodyguard had said that day.

Shen Ke realized that his mother understood and didn’t hide anything, telling her how he had hired people to assassinate Shen Nian but they had killed the wrong person.

Liu Shi was both shocked and furious. She wanted to scold Shen Ke, but when she saw his pale face, she couldn’t bear to do so. Instead, she transferred her anger onto Shen Nian.

“Didn’t I tell you before? You should stay out of it, let everything be handled by me.”

“But I noticed that when Big Brother came back, his attitude towards Mother and me has changed a lot. I’m afraid he knows about the assassination attempt. If he finds out, we’ll be finished,” Shen Ke said anxiously.

Liu Shi’s face also darkened upon hearing Shen Ke mention Lord Wu Anhou. After a pause, she finally spoke, “Your father already knows about this incident.”

Shen Ke was shocked. “How could that be?”

Liu Shi, with a bitter expression, repeated the bodyguard’s words and said with self-reproach, “It’s my fault for being careless. I was so anxious about your injuries that I didn’t think of these things.”

Thinking about how the bodyguard was dead, Liu Shi quickly told Shen Ke, “That bodyguard is dead, so there are no witnesses. If your father asks about it, just deny everything. He won’t be able to do anything. Just don’t act rashly from now on. If you have any issues, make sure to discuss them with me first.”

Just as they were talking, Qiu Yue came in to report that Lord Hou had arrived.

Liu Shi quickly changed her expression to one of sorrow, exchanging a glance with Shen Ke. Then she began her performance, “My Ke’er, you’ve really suffered a lot. If something were to happen to you, it would be the end of me.”

“Mother, I’ve caused you worry. I won’t sneak out to play from the academy again,” Shen Ke said, following Liu Shi’s lead.

When Lord Wu Anhou entered and saw the two of them holding hands, crying, he felt his heart soften. Especially when he saw Shen Ke’s pale face, he couldn’t bring himself to ask any questions.

After all, this was the child he had raised since childhood. Shen Ke was especially good at winning people over with his sweet words and his tendency to cling to him, so compared to his other children, Shen Ke had always been his favorite.

In the end, Lord Wu Anhou didn’t ask anything. He sat for a while, then said, “Rest well and don’t run around,” before sighing and leaving.

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Here, Xia Tian heard that Shen Ke had woken up and that Lord Wu Anhou had visited. Since nothing had been said, she knew that the assassination attempt on Shen Nian had been covered up for now.

The two of them might not have said much, but their actions spoke volumes. However, Lord Wu Anhou’s bias was obvious, and they couldn’t do anything about it.

If they wanted to take down Liu Shi, they would have to come up with another plan.

What they hadn’t anticipated was that while Shen Ke was recovering, Liu Shi had fallen ill, and it was said that she was seriously ill and couldn’t even get out of bed.

---

The year was coming to a close, and many matters within the house were being handled. The young maid in charge had fallen ill, and the house couldn’t go without someone managing things.

It was said that the old madam had spoken, instructing that Liu Shi should rest and that the household duties would temporarily be handled by Fifth Madam Zheng.

Fifth Madam took over the management duties without any fuss. She followed Liu Shi’s usual practices, which made everyone look at her in a new light.

However, Third Madam didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t in charge of managing the household, and all she did was sulk. When she saw Xia Tian, she couldn’t help but taunt, “Oh, isn’t this the young lady of the heir’s family? Why isn’t your mother-in-law managing the house since she’s sick? Instead, they let your Fifth Aunt do it? Is Big Sister-in-law afraid you can’t handle it? Hahaha!”

“Then I suppose Third Aunt isn’t fit to manage either, otherwise, why didn’t they let you do it? I bet Old Madam doesn’t trust you with managing things, thinking you can’t keep anything straight,” Xia Tian retorted with a mocking smile.

“Who are you calling a dog?” Third Madam shouted, raising her hand, clearly angered.

Xia Tian snorted and rolled up her sleeves. “What, Third Aunt wants to fight?”

Seeing that this wild girl might actually dare to fight, Third Madam was momentarily hesitant but didn’t press the matter further. Instead, she continued to berate, “Hmph, you country bumpkin, with no manners, daring to lay hands on elders.”

Xia Tian didn’t let it slide, dismissively saying, “If all elders were like you, your ancestors would be turning in their graves.”

“You uncivilized little thing, do you really think no one can handle you?” Third Madam snapped, her anger boiling over as she tried to slap Xia Tian.