Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 658 - 656

Chapter 658: Chapter 656

From Mrs. Ji and the eldest grandmother, Xiao’er learned that the last few years for old Mr. Shen and the main family were nothing short of desolate and pitiful.

However, Xiao’er felt no sympathy. They had homes and lands, but still their life was tragic. Who could they really blame for this?

Their life was bleak, and that worthless and opportunistic people would apologize to her family was not surprising to Xiao’er. But that even Mrs. Shen could keep her temper in check enough to come and offer an apology, that went beyond Xiao’er’s understanding.

Mrs. Shen was not one to hold her tongue, and she always believed that no matter how she treated the child that crawled out of her belly, her child had to obey her without question. The slightest disagreement from her child was seen as great un-filial insolence. And she believed that everything that belonged to her son should also belong to her! Even her grandson should be exceedingly filial to her because without her, they wouldn’t exist at all.

So how could such a person feel in the wrong and come to apologize?

Her family had previously been engaged in a lawsuit with Mrs. Shen, resulting in her being imprisoned for about a year. As far as Xiao’er was concerned, Mrs. Shen acknowledging her wrongs was as unbelievable as summer snow, winter thunder, or the sun revolving around the earth.

The fact that Mrs. Shen was now willing to humble herself and apologize must have an ulterior motive.

Was it because life had become unbearably hard and she wanted to ingratiate herself with Xiao’er’s family again?

This reason was not sufficient to convince Xiao’er, as the elderly Mrs. Ji had stated that Mrs. Shen typically just sat on her kang bed, sewing clothes, not doing any housework at all.

She ate when it was time to eat, and slept when it was time to sleep. Her life could hardly be described as harsh.

So, what was Mrs. Shen’s true objective?

"Yang Liu, call Feng Yang and Zhao Yong to see me. I have a task for them."

Yang Liu nodded and went to summon them.

When Feng Yang and Zhao Yong arrived, Xiao’er told them, "Feng Yang, Zhao Yong, I want you two to go to the old Shen Manor and eavesdrop, especially on Mrs. Shen and the people of the main family. I want to know what they would say when they return home after leaving mine."

Eavesdrop? He was considered a general in the military camp, and yet he was now reduced to spying in corners?

Feng Yang felt his world collapsing!

Even if he had to eavesdrop, if it were the house of a minister in charge of military affairs or a powerful imperial official, he could bear it.

But having to listen to a bunch of good-for-nothings ranting or cursely swearing, was this activity really commensurate with his status? Feng Yang mused resentfully.

The coachman Zhao Yong had already accepted the reality, he proceeded on his task.

"Feng Yang, aren’t you going? Aren’t you here to protect me? Here in Lianxi Village, the people most likely to harm me are from the old Shen Manor! As the saying goes, ’Know your enemy and you will always win.’ If you don’t spy on them, how do you know how they planned to condemn me? If they slander me, it will make me unhappy, and that will be a wound to my heart! You know that harm is not just physical right, it can also be emotional! The harm done to the heart is often the most severe. Since Brother Shangguan sent you to protect me, you naturally have to ensure that I do not suffer emotional harm too! Quick, off you go!"

Feng Yang took a bow and left. He thought Lady Rui’an made a lot of sense, but something seemed out of place!

Yang Liu chuckled secretly at the puzzled Feng Yang: The master only hired Feng Yang to protect the lady’s physical safety! As for the lady’s heart, that was of course the master’s responsibility! It certainly wasn’t Feng Yang’s business! If the master knew that Feng Yang was also protecting the lady emotionally, wouldn’t he be digging into the master’s territory? This was like undermining the master’s foundation!

Of course, Feng Yang, who had a low EQ, wouldn’t be able to comprehend this.

Feng Yang and Zhao Yong arrived at the old Shen Manor.

They didn’t even need to eavesdrop. Both of them were sharp in hearing and vision, they could hear the abusive rants of an old lady from several meters away outside the house.

The vitriol of the language was as if they bore a deep grudge against Xiao’er and her family!

No wonder Lady Rui’an had them eavesdrop. If this old hag had the chance to say these words in front of Lady Rui’an, Feng Yang could easily imagine that Lady Rui’an might die from anger!

It seems she bore a deep hatred for Marquis Shengping and his family!

Such deep hatred, yet she was pretending to offer an apology, there must be more to it!

...

"Ah-Choo! That damned Mrs. Liu, made me wait in the freezing cold for over half a day! I curse her to die a horrible death...may her sons have no backside... Ah-choo!" Mrs. Shen, who usually lived a life of luxury on her kang bed, caught a cold.

"Alright, after half a day of ranting aren’t you tired?" Old Master Shen who was already annoyed, had little patience left after Mrs. Shen continued her ranting for over half a day.

"I’m not scolding you. You’re getting involved in things that don’t concern you! Ah-choo!" Mrs. Shen sneezed again, this time showering Old Master Shen’s face with spittle.

Feeling nauseated, Old Master Shen hurriedly wiped his face with his sleeve and left the room with a look of disgust.

Shen Jingwen listened to Mrs. Shen’s venomous curses about the third branch, and a faint sense of pleasure swirled within him.

Yet, the people of the third branch wouldn’t even let them get close. How then could he realize his dream of ruling the world?

"Grandmother, the people from third uncle’s family won’t let us in, what do we do?"

"That cheap woman, Mrs. Liu, probably wishes that I was dead. How could she possibly welcome us in? I told you an apology wouldn’t work!"

"But if they are on guard against us and we can’t get close to them, how could we kill that stinky girl, Xiao’er? Grandmother, how on earth are you going to become a noble lady and matriarch?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yong and Feng Yang looked at each other. The amount of information in these words was quite a lot!

Was Lady Rui’an really able to foresee this, that these people would want to harm her, was that why she had them come and listen?

With heightened alertness, the two men then hid to eavesdrop.

"About setting fire in the depths of the night when nobody is around, burning them all? Then when the Old Third returns, I’ll find him a new bride. That way, I would surely be the matriarch of the Marquis Mansion!"

"Such cruel ideas! Is this really Lady Rui’an’s biological grandmother?" Feng Yang turned to Zhao Yong as he heard this.

"No doubt about it! If not, they wouldn’t have severed the familial ties. Also, the moment the lady returned, she ordered the gatekeeper to keep them out of the house." The two men outside discussed in low voices.

"That won’t work. There should be night guards around the old third’s house. Even if we try to set a fire, it would be extinguished before it even bursts into flames! Instead, we would be startling the snake in the grass! And the main house is too far from the boundary wall, I couldn’t climb it." Shen Jingwen shook his head.

Hearing this, Zhao Yong and Feng Yang laughed: To be fair, he was quite self-aware!

"Then we have to resort to poisoning!" Mrs. Lan interjected.

"But someone said that the stinky girl has antidote pills. Poison won’t work on her!" Shen Jingwen shook his head.

Who was that someone? Feng Yang and Zhao Yong looked at each other.

"This won’t work, that won’t work, what on earth do we do?" Mrs. Shen fretted.

"We may not be able to approach them, but there are certainly others who can!" Shen Chengguang intervened.

"What do you mean, dear husband?"

The room’s occupants whispered in hushed voices.

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