"Baozhu, big brother is hungry. Go to the small kitchen and see what dishes are being prepared today for big brother, okay?" Shen Heqing coaxed softly.
Thinking that her big brother hadn't eaten in the morning, Shen Baozhu readily agreed and even couldn't wait to drag Baizhi out.
Big brother was hungry. She had to bring back delicious food quickly!
After Shen Baozhu left the main courtyard, Shen Heqing shielded Princess Jingning behind him and angrily scolded Shen Yunfeng, "You lusted after that woman's beauty but shifted all the blame onto her. You're so shameless!"
"You said you met Bai Xinrou in the suburbs. When exactly and where? She's a weak woman who has to drink several big bowls of bitter medicine every day. How could she have escaped from the yamen runners and just happened to be found by you? Who would believe such a story!"
Bai Xinrou was in poor health and had to take medicine every day. A gust of wind would make her cough non - stop.
Princess Jingning had taken her in out of pity for her pitiful state.
Shen Heqing had failed to see Shen Yunfeng's true colors because for the past ten - odd years, their father - son relationship had seemed harmonious, and he had never suspected otherwise.
Now that he had seen the real Shen Yunfeng, he didn't hold back in his retorts.
His words were powerful, as if he were stomping on Shen Yunfeng's face.
Shen Yunfeng could no longer keep up the pretense. He was so angry that he reached out his hand, wanting to slap Shen Heqing.
Seeing this, Shen Heqing stepped forward directly. "Go ahead and hit me. If you dare to lay a hand on me, I'll immediately find someone to publicize this for you."
Shen Heqing was highly regarded by great scholars, was upright, and had many friends in the capital. If he went out with a slap mark on his face, within half a day, everyone in the capital would know that Shen Yunfeng had beaten his son.
"You, you unfilial son! I'm your father. If this gets out, people will only laugh at us, and your reputation will also be affected..." Shen Yunfeng was forced to take step after step backward.
Shen Heqing smiled. "And then?"
"What?" Shen Yunfeng was taken aback.
Shen Heqing continued, "I said, my reputation is damaged. And then?"
"At most, I'll go from being the top scholar to a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. It's just a title of the top scholar. I don't care."
"But you guys do, right? Grandfather questioned me about my studies today and hoped that I could get a good ranking to set an example for the brothers of the Shen family. If they knew that you asked Bai Xinrou to drug me..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Shen Yunfeng understood the implied meaning.
He gritted his teeth and said, "This matter must never be told to your grandfather and grandmother."
Helplessly, Shen Yunfeng had no choice but to leave.
Watching Shen Yunfeng's departing back, Shen Heqing felt extremely tired. He didn't understand what Shen Yunfeng was up to.
Shen Heqing asked softly, "Mother, have you considered a divorce?"
"Let's wait a while."
Princess Jingning sighed softly. She hadn't thought about a divorce yet. She just hoped that Shen Yunfeng would behave himself.
If she divorced, the Shen family would surely not let her take the children away. Heqing was naive, Haiyan was inexperienced, and Baozhu was too young. Princess Jingning was worried about all of them. Besides, there were also Concubine Yun and her son.
Concubine Yun was a former dancer. She had been bought by Shen Yunfeng. She got pregnant just a few months after entering the mansion.
But Shen Yunfeng didn't like this child and asked Concubine Yun to have an abortion.
The weak Concubine Yun showed rare strength. She begged in front of Princess Jingning's door all night just to keep the child in her womb.
Princess Jingning was touched and helped her keep the child.
But since then, Shen Yunfeng had rarely visited Concubine Yun and disliked Shen Danqing very much.
Under Princess Jingning's protection, Concubine Yun's life was still quite good. If it were only up to Shen Yunfeng, Concubine Yun would probably have starved to death long ago.
Shen Heqing didn't understand Princess Jingning's concerns. He simply said, "He has been working so hard to get a divorce. We might as well let him have his wish, so that he won't cause more trouble in the future."
"It's also strange. With Bai Xinrou's status, even if mother divorced Shen Yunfeng, she still couldn't marry into the Shen family. I used to think that Shen Yunfeng was trying to deceive everyone and tell grandmother after she entered the mansion."
"But grandmother clearly knows about Bai Xinrou. Why does she indulge Shen Yunfeng?"
Princess Jingning's heart skipped a beat. This was also something she couldn't figure out.
"Could Bai Xinrou be a scapegoat?" Shen Heqing said casually. "Shen Yunfeng might have someone else he loves deeply. Bai Xinrou's status is not high enough, but his beloved has a good family background. He makes Bai Xinrou do all the dirty work."
"If Bai Xinrou succeeds, he can divorce mother successfully and marry his beloved. If she fails, he can shift all the blame onto Bai Xinrou, and he can still stay innocent."
Shen Heqing was just making a casual guess, but Princess Jingning's expression gradually became solemn.
She remembered what Shen Yunfeng had said when he entered the door. Thinking carefully, what he said was indeed reasonable.
Pushing Baozhu into the water, poisoning, slandering Concubine Yun, drugging Heqing's tea... Thinking carefully, all these could only be traced back to Bai Xinrou. Shen Yunfeng could completely defend himself by saying that he was unaware, just as he had said earlier.
Thinking of this, Princess Jingning was shocked. Her eyes fell on Shen Heqing.
Among the children in the princess mansion, Shen Yunfeng was closest to Shen Heqing.
Princess Jingning thought for a long time and then asked, "You were the closest to him. Didn't you notice any signs between him and Bai Xinrou?"
"No. He usually stayed in the study in the front courtyard. I used to think that even his precious books were more important to him than Bai Xinrou. I never expected such things." Shen Heqing shook his head. He felt like he had been blind. The two younger brothers had noticed something, but he had been the only one who didn't know.
Seeing that Shen Heqing really knew nothing, Princess Jingning didn't press further, but she became suspicious in her heart. Maybe she should send someone to investigate?
...
Night fell. The back door of the princess mansion was opened. The steward carefully carried the silver notes in his arms, avoiding the guards on the way, and returned to his own room.
The steward had grown up with Shen Yunfeng. Because of this relationship, he had a separate room in the princess mansion. The room not only faced south but also had a front hall for receiving guests.
Putting the silver notes in his arms on the table, the steward finally let out a sigh of relief.
This was Shen Yunfeng's private savings over the years. It had been deposited in the bank before. Now it was Bai Xinrou's life - saving money. They were counting on this money to bribe the yamen and get Bai Xinrou out.
The steward was afraid of being discovered by Princess Jingning and had been on tenterhooks all the way. Now that he was back in his room, he could finally relax.
"Alas, the master is really generous. Fifty thousand taels of silver. He didn't even blink an eye when spending it on Bai Xinrou. If the old madam knew, she would surely be angry..." The steward casually sighed a few words and then turned around to take out a fire starter to light the candle in the room.
In the dim candlelight, the steward vaguely saw a figure. He was so scared that he trembled, and his hand shook violently. He almost knocked over the candle. "Who? Who's there!"
"Fifty thousand taels of silver notes... Over the years, while mother has been supporting the family, father has actually saved quite a bit of money." Shen Heqing, sitting in the dark, showed a sarcastic expression.
He had guessed that Shen Yunfeng would ask the steward to save Bai Xinrou, so he had come specifically to find the steward and had waited from evening until now.
The steward was startled by Shen Heqing. He still wanted to find an excuse to defend himself. "Young master, you've misunderstood. This money doesn't belong to the master..."
"What if I tell grandfather and grandmother that you've been delaying my studies?"
Shen Heqing's casual words scared the steward so much that his body couldn't stop shaking.
The entire Shen family attached great importance to Shen Heqing's imperial examination next year. If Shen Heqing complained, he would be in big trouble.
Should he betray Shen Yunfeng?