Under Shen Haiyan's surprised gaze, Old Lady Shen realized that her reaction had been too extreme. She forced a smile and said, "Is this really true? The Queen is the mother of the nation, dignified and generous. How could she burn someone's things before a case is even heard? It doesn't make sense."
"Exactly, Grandmother. Do you know why? It's because Concubine Li went too far. The Queen took good care of her son, but Concubine Li mistreated the Fourth Prince, starving him and letting the eunuchs beat him. It was just inhumane." Shen Haiyan lied without batting an eyelid. "Then the Cui family was burned to death. Concubine Li had nightmares after hearing the news and hanged herself that very day. Since the Queen had no one else to vent her anger on, she set her sights on the Shen family."
"I have to say, it's really tragic."
Madam Shen, the eldest, was dissatisfied with Shen Haiyan's gloating. She reminded him, "Haiyan, you seem very smug. Don't you forget your own surname. You're a Shen, just like the rest of us!"
Shen Haiyan's smile widened. Instead, he reminded Madam Shen, the eldest, "But my maternal grandfather's surname is Mu, and he's fighting bravely for the Great Yong. That's why I can stand outside while you're locked up here."
These proud words not only infuriated Madam Shen, the eldest, but also woke Old Lady Shen up.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Right! The Shen family was locked in prison, and the entire Cui family had died a tragic death. But Princess Jingning had divorced Shen Yunfeng, and Shen Haiyan and Shen Baozhu were still outside.
Normally, even if Princess Jingning divorced Shen Yunfeng, their children were still registered in the Shen family and were considered part of the Shen family. But Old Lady Shen regarded Shen Haiyan as a life - saving straw and didn't think it through.
Afraid that the Queen might burn the wooden hairpin in a fit of anger, Old Lady Shen said nervously, "Life here is hard. There's a bronze mirror on my dressing table with many precious stones in it. It's worth a fortune. You can sell it and bribe the jailers to make our lives easier. Then, take the remaining money and give it to..."
Old Lady Shen named several people in a row, all of whom were the Shen family's trusted allies in the court.
Shen Haiyan didn't know much about the court officials and showed no reaction, but the Prince of Rui did.
At this moment, the Prince of Rui, regardless of his dignity, was lying on the wall listening. He gasped and said, "So many people have a good relationship with the Shen family. I never noticed it before."
"Why isn't she saying the password yet!"
The Dragon King was also anxious: [Hurry up and say the password so we can buy a pastry shop for the cutie!]
After naming the people, Old Lady Shen also told Shen Haiyan to take out the wooden hairpin, saying that it was a token of love between her and Shen Qingshan when they were young.
But after that, no matter how much Shen Haiyan hinted, Old Lady Shen refused to say the password for withdrawing money from the bank.
The Dragon King: [She's still on guard against Shen Haiyan. How cunning!]
Lin Yu: [Can we use the truth - telling talisman? Old Lady Shen is in poor health. Will she suffer from a deficiency of qi and blood?]
The True Man Qingyun: [There's a possibility.]
The Dragon King: [Use it. A deficiency is a deficiency.]
Lin Yu: [Has the Dragon King forgotten? Old Lady Shen favors sons over daughters. She doesn't like Baozhu and has even caused trouble for her.]
The Dragon King: [She can't die. Let her live and suffer more.]
The Dragon King: [The side - effects of the fruit are small. Wait until I grow a fruit that can make people tell the truth!]
The True Man Qingyun: [Shen Haiyan has had a bad relationship with the Shen family since childhood. It's normal for Old Lady Shen not to trust him.]
The True Man Qingyun: [Baozhu misses Shen Heqing. Why don't we take Princess Jingning to see Shen Heqing tonight?]
The Dragon King: [Why are you suddenly bringing this up?]
The True Man Qingyun: [On the way back, we can pick up Shen Heqing and ask him to get the password from Old Lady Shen.]
Lin Yu: [That's a good idea!]
The Dragon King: [Then we need to call Shen Haiyan back now. If we keep hinting, the Shen family will realize something's wrong.]
Shen Baozhu was looking at the subtitles, thinking about how to call Third Brother back. She looked around, and her hesitant gaze fell on the Fourth Prince. Suddenly, she had an idea.
Over there, Shen Haiyan was still trying to hint to Old Lady Shen. Just as Old Lady Shen was about to get suspicious, Shen Baozhu ran over with a small bag in her hand and threw herself at Shen Haiyan's legs.
She hugged Shen Haiyan's thigh and said sweetly, "Third Brother, Baozhu has bought the pastries!"
Shen Haiyan recognized that the small bag in Shen Baozhu's hand belonged to the Fourth Prince. He was puzzled, but out of默契, he picked up Shen Baozhu and poked her soft cheek. "You bought them so quickly?"
"Yes! Thank you, Third Brother, for helping Baozhu stall for time." Shen Baozhu blinked at Shen Haiyan, hoping he would understand her meaning. Then she raised the small bag in her hand. "Grandmother, Baozhu bought you some delicious rice cakes."
The Dragon King: [Hahaha, so the food hanging around the Fourth Prince's neck can be used like this!]
Lin Yu: [Baozhu loves Grandmother and bought her pastries. Third Brother helped stall for time. The excuse is perfect.]
Lin Yu: [It just matches the time when Baozhu gave the magic fruit to Shen Qingshan. She ran out to buy pastries while Third Brother stayed in the prison.]
The Dragon King: [Shen Haiyan didn't go out with the cutie to buy pastries because if they went out and came back, they would have to bribe the jailers again, and Shen Haiyan didn't have the money.]
Looking at the pastries in Shen Baozhu's hand, Old Lady Shen felt a little warm in her heart. There was only leftover food in the prison, and she hadn't eaten much in the past few days. Although Baozhu was just a useless girl, she was more considerate than Haiyan. At such a young age, she knew to buy pastries for the elders.
Shen Haiyan went along with Shen Baozhu's words. "Good. Third Brother will give the rice cakes to Grandmother for you."
The rice cakes were originally prepared for the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince had a weak stomach and needed careful care. The rice cakes were soft and fluffy, melting in the mouth, which was also suitable for Old Lady Shen.
Even the picky Madam Shen, the eldest, couldn't find anything to complain about.
Afraid that the Fourth Prince would overeat, there weren't many rice cakes in the small bag, only six. They thought about dividing them equally among three people, two for each. Since Qiuqiu didn't like rice cakes, they could also be divided equally between two people, three for each.
Old Lady Shen didn't keep the rice cakes for herself. Instead, she divided them into two and four pieces. "Haiyan, pass these four rice cakes over there and let your uncles and cousins share them. We'll just eat two pieces."
Shen Baozhu looked at the two lonely rice cakes and then at the more than a dozen female members of the Shen family behind Old Lady Shen. A look of confusion appeared on her face. "Third Brother, my arithmetic is so bad. I can't figure out how many rice cakes each person can get."
The Dragon King: [Don't worry, cutie. You're not alone. I can't figure it out either!]
Lin Yu could figure it out, but each rice cake was only the size of a palm. One lick from each person and it would be gone.
The True Man Qingyun: [Does Baozhu want to give them the pastries? The Fourth Prince is about to change his food anyway. We can give them all.]
Shen Baozhu was a little hesitant. "But Third Brother doesn't like them."
The True Man Qingyun: [Follow your heart, Baozhu. You can also ask Shen Haiyan.]
Shen Haiyan also noticed Shen Baozhu's hesitation. He walked a few steps away and whispered, "What's wrong?"
"The two rice cakes are so few. Grandmother, Aunt, and the cousins and sisters - in - law have to share them. It's so pitiful. I want to give all the pastries around the Fourth Prince's neck to them." Shen Baozhu told him her thoughts. "But Third Brother doesn't like Grandmother. I'm afraid Third Brother will be sad."
"If Third Brother will be sad, Baozhu won't give them. Because Third Brother is more important than them. Baozhu likes Third Brother the most!"
Hearing that he was his sister's favorite brother, Shen Haiyan's face turned red at a visible speed. He couldn't control his excited tone. "Really? Third Brother also likes Baozhu the most."
"No matter what Baozhu does, Third Brother will support you!"
Shen Baozhu's eyes lit up. "Really? Then can the pastries I give only be for Grandmother, Aunt, and the cousins and sisters - in - law?"
Shen Haiyan instinctively replied, "Of course. Third Brother will figure out a way!"
"Wait, only for the female members?"