Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 182 - 180: Knocking on the Door

Chapter 182: Chapter 180: Knocking on the Door

"Mrs. Liu was eager to marry into a rich family and has always harbored large ambitions. Bao’er was raised like a pampered young mistress from a young age. It wouldn’t surprise me if they chose not to return after coming so close to the imperial capital!" Mrs. Lu felt it was more strange if they did return quietly.

"It’s not acceptable for them to irresponsibly abandon their husband and son at home!" Shen Chengzu had his grievances against his sister-in-law.

"Believe me, Uncle, he wouldn’t mind. The only thing he cares about is whether Bao’er can marry into a wealthy family, so he can rise with her. Besides, isn’t it more comfortable for them to lead a licentious life while she’s not here?" scoffed Mrs. Lu.

"Watch your language! There are children present." Shen Chengzu quickly interrupted.

Mrs. Lu abruptly stopped speaking.

"I heard that several houses on that street are residences for mistresses set up by certain individuals." Xiao’er shared what she knew.

If Bao’er truly became someone else’s mistress, it would harm the reputation of the Shen family’s daughters once the matter becomes public.

It was fortunate that they had severed ties with them, something that was now common knowledge throughout the imperial capital thanks to Mrs. Shen.

Mrs. Lu was startled: "A mistress?"

Shen Chengzu also found it hard to believe: "Is that really necessary?"

Would they be willing to give up all their decorum for wealth and glory?

"If they behave so shamelessly in the imperial capital, can our daughters Xiao’er and Xi’er ever hope to marry?!" Mrs. Liu was trembling with rage. What a family they had been lumped with!

"Mother, that’s her, and this is us. More so now than ever!" Jingrui tried to console her.

"We have already severed ties. What they do has nothing to do with us!" cried an angry Shen Chengyao.

Truly, you can’t whitewash a wolf!

"Indeed. Having severed ties signifies that those of different principles fail to work together. We are not birds of a feather." Jinghao earnestly nodded in agreement.

"Hao’er, you haven’t even been studying very long and already you’ve started talking in a way that is difficult for your aunt to understand!" commented Mrs. Lu, laughing at Jinghao’s scholarly demeanor.

"Aunt, you’re always teasing me!" Jinghao retorted in a playful manner, reverting to a childlike state.

"Ha-ha..." Everyone broke into laughter, and the atmosphere eased considerably.

"What if someone asks why they haven’t returned?" The question suddenly occurred to Mrs. Lu. If they were to meet with the villagers, it would certainly come up. She felt it was best if they all stuck to the same story.

"Perhaps we could say, given the cold weather and their old age, they believed it unwise to travel, and so decided to stay longer in the imperial capital," suggested Shen Chengzu.

The imperial capital was far from here and news of their imprisonment would likely not reach here. Moreover, once they returned, it would not become common knowledge that they had ever been imprisoned, and they could hold their heads high.

The Shen Chengyao family had no objections, and they nodded in agreement.

However, human plans are not as good as divine ones.

Early the next morning, as soon as Shen Chengyao stepped out of his house, Shen Chengguang rushed at him, aiming a punch at his face.

Shen Chengyao’s servant Zhao Yong stepped forward, catching his fist with one hand and pushing him away with the other.

Zhao Yong had served as Shen Chengyao’s servant in the imperial capital. As he was skilled in martial arts and was a strong swimmer, he had returned with them to Shengping County.

"You unfilial son, Chengyao! Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment? You had your parents and brother’s wife all thrown into prison!" exclaimed an enraged Shen Chengguang.

"Chengyao, you’ll die a horrible death! You abandoned my wife and your niece, two weak women, in the middle of the road!"

By this time, several villagers had come out of their houses. Many of them were heading to the market to buy goods for the new year.

Seeing this spectacle, their interest was piqued, and they flocked to the roadside to watch the commotion.

Shen Chengyao was no longer the submissive and meek man he once was. Particularly after experiencing the earthquake in Qinghe County, he had become much steadier in temperament.

Although Shen Chengguang told only the outcome of the events but omitted the reasons behind them, Chengyao could not let Shen Chengguang distort the facts and confuse right with wrong.

"My parents were imprisoned because my mother accidentally injured the Sixth Prince and left him bleeding profusely," he declared.

"What! You injured the Sixth Prince? The Sixth Prince? And he was bleeding heavily?" The village chief’s father was shocked.

"This is a capital offense!" cackled Aunt Wang, relishing in Shen Chengyao’s predicament.

"Execution is the least of the worries! Even exterminating their entire clan is justifiable!" interjected Aunt Wang’s son.

The villagers were all taken aback, particularly the members of the Shen family, whose faces turned pale.

"What should we do? Should we hide in the mountains?" A few timid individuals were already contemplating packing up and fleeing.

"Everyone, calm down. Let me finish. The Sixth Prince has recovered. Since it was an accident, no one will be executed," Chengyao reassured.

The villagers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You’re lying. It was clearly because your ungrateful mother went to the Government Office to denounce you for being unfilial, and she wanted to hit your ungrateful daughter, that’s why she was arrested!" Over the past few months, Shen Chengguang had tried several times to sabotage the third branch’s business, each attempt ending in failure. He had long been seething with anger.

Shen Chengyao closed his eyes. Since he couldn’t hide the truth, he decided to tell the whole story and let the villagers judge for themselves.

It was better to let it come from his mouth than to let Shen Chengguang disseminate a twisted version of the story. Who knows what his family would be accused of then.

"Why did my mother accuse me of being unfilial? Ever since we separated our households, they’ve never lacked food or drink for a single day! When we moved into our new house, we even built one for them! Have any of the villagers here ever seen me being unfilial?"

Everyone shook their heads. In terms of filial piety, Shen Chengyao was held up as an example in the village.

At this moment, Mrs. Liu also came out. Surely, with such a commotion taking place outside, one of the servants would’ve informed her.

She took over from Shen Chengyao, "I’m sure some of you have heard that we severed ties with them last year when we were building our new house! The reason was they were afraid that our house was being built with borrowed money and didn’t want to be dragged into it, so they severed ties with us when we weren’t around. Despite the separation, we never stopped supplying them with food and drink, yet Mrs. Shen still..."

Mrs. Liu vividly relayed the events that had unfolded in the imperial capital.

The villagers sighed after hearing her account.

"Mrs. Shen has always been a troublemaker, and now she seems to have caused an uproar in the imperial capital!"

"I have never seen someone so self-destructive in my life."

...

"Taking an unworthy wife brings disaster upon three generations," lamented the senior village chief.

"My husband has already taken several dozen corporal punishments on their behalf and nearly lost his life! We owe each other nothing now! From now on, as the saying goes, the water in the well doesn’t mix with the water in the river!" Mrs. Liu reasserted before the villagers.

"Those are just words from your mouth. How can we tell if they’re true or not? What about my wife and daughter that you abandoned halfway?"

"Uncle, since you know we left them behind halfway, do you know the reason? Do you know what the letter they sent back to you said?" Xiao’er interjected, crossing her arms over her chest.

How did this girl know that the letter was delivered by Mrs. Lan?

"It is because..."

"Because, halfway on our journey, we encountered a pack of wolves. At that time, all the men left to fight off the wolves, while the women hid in the carriage. When a wolf jumped onto the carriage, Mrs. Lan actually threw Xi’er out to feed the wolves! That’s why we decided not to take them with us to the imperial capital."