novelaction Chapter 272 Dog bites dog
Chapter 272 Dog bites dog
After Old Marquis Shen spoke, Old Madam Shen could only shut her mouth in dismay, with a very ugly look on her face.
Not long after, Shen Junling came back, with the limping Shen Junxing following behind him.
Perhaps because he had kneeled in the ancestral hall for a whole night without eating or drinking, Shen Junxing's face was a little pale and his eyes were full of embarrassment.
He knelt down in front of Old Lord Shen with a dejected look on his face, and called out softly, "Father."
Old Lord Shen neither responded nor asked him to stand up. He sat on the chair and looked at his eldest son who was kneeling on the ground, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Old Marquis Shen had devoted countless efforts and placed high hopes on the first child born in the Wu'an Marquisate.
Most of the men in the Wu'an Marquis Mansion lost their lives on the battlefield.
Therefore, he painstakingly paved the way for his son to become a civil servant, hoping to preserve a bloodline for the Wu'an Marquisate.
When the eldest son Shen Junxing was young, he was clear-headed and had some talent.
At that time, Old Marquis Shen believed that even if he was not in the capital, his eldest son, with his calm character, would be able to manage the Marquisate well and would not disgrace the reputation of his ancestors.
But he didn't expect that after being immersed in the officialdom for so long, his son had already forgotten his original intention. He learned to judge the situation, became utilitarian, and even couldn't distinguish right from wrong!
After waiting for a long time without any response from his father, Shen Junxing became even more depressed. He did not stand up, but stubbornly maintained this posture.
"Xing'er, get up..." Old Madam Shen couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward to help Shen Junxing get up.
Lord Shen, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke slowly.
"Yesterday, I asked you how you managed the Wu'an Marquis Mansion over the years. Since you were unwilling to answer, I will change the way today and ask you again."
"Ms. Shen Chang, what did you do to Ruyi the night before she disappeared?"
As soon as Lord Shen said this, Shen Junxing quickly raised his head and looked at Madam Shen in astonishment.
Judging from my father’s tone, could Ruyi’s disappearance be related to my mother?
No useful information could be obtained from Tang Qingmei before. Even now, he still didn't know how his sister disappeared from the mansion.
"Shen Weishan, what do you mean? Do you suspect that I was the one who harmed Ruyi? I won't admit to anything I didn't do..." Cold sweat broke out on Old Madam Shen's forehead, her eyes were wandering, and she didn't dare to look at Old Marquis Shen at all.
Shen Junxing saw the reaction of Old Lady Shen at this time. What else did he not understand? This matter was most likely related to his mother.
"Ling'er, tell me. What did your elder sister say to you that day?" Old Marquis Shen glanced at Old Madam Shen, who still looked unrepentant until this moment, and there was no warmth in his eyes.
Shen Junling had an excellent memory and he repeated almost word for word what Shen Ruyi had confessed to Qin Ruo in the teahouse that day.
Old Madam Shen slumped in her chair, unable to utter a word, and Shen Junxing also had a dazed look on his face.
During the years when Shen Ruyi was missing, he hated himself for allowing his mother to bring Tang Qingmei back home again and again.
However, he has never reflected on, or has been deliberately avoiding the question of how much he has fulfilled his responsibilities as the eldest brother in dealing with his younger sister and third brother.
At that time, he almost obeyed his mother's words.
After Shen Ruyi disappeared, he even suspected at the first moment that his sister was sensitive and suspicious, and had really run away from home quietly as his mother said.
If he had been more careful and attentive at that time, Ruyi would not have been able to leave the city at all.
When the maid in Shen Ruyi's courtyard came to report at dawn that the young lady was missing, he was so angry that he was afraid that his father would hold him accountable after knowing the truth, so he didn't even dare to report it to the government office.
They just sent people to quietly intercept people leaving the city at the city gate.
I just heard Shen Junling's analysis. It should be the person who collected the swill when entering the mansion at dawn, who took advantage of that opportunity to hide the unconscious Shen Ruyi in the swill bucket and transfer her away.
Shen Junxing felt so uncomfortable in his chest that he couldn't breathe, and his tears couldn't stop flowing.
The night before Shen Ruyi disappeared, she pleaded with him again, saying that Tang Qingmei had ulterior motives and asked him to be careful.
At that time, he didn't take it seriously at all, and even felt annoyed.
I feel that my sister is always suspicious and becoming more and more ignorant.
He personally watched the people who collected the slop leave the Shen residence through the back door that day.
At that time, he originally wanted to ask someone to go forward and check it out, but when he saw that it was an old man, he gave up and even asked the servant to reward him with silver.
He seemed to understand a little bit why Shen Ruyi had been so cold towards him since she returned to Beijing, and even refused to say a word to him.
If it was me who was drugged with a muscle softener and hidden in a swill bucket by a bad guy, I would hate him for pushing me further away even though my loved ones were right next to me.
He missed the opportunity to rescue Shen Ruyi twice.
When he couldn't find Shen Ruyi in the mansion, he made another wrong decision and asked Tang Qingmei and his mother to take the mansion soldiers to search outside the city.
Tang Qingmei even stabbed Ruyi's heart again outside the city.
No wonder, when I found her that year, she would rather live a poor life than return to Wu'an Marquis Mansion.
It was not until later when his mother took advantage of him and made the relationship between him and Tang Qingmei a done deal that he finally understood the feelings of Shen Ruyi and Shen Junling.
Shen Junxing turned pale, raised his hand and slapped himself hard.
"I don't know. It was that woman named Tang who deceived me. She told me that the person in the car was not Ruyi, and I believed it at the time..." Mr. Shen looked panicked and tried to make excuses for himself.
"So, Shen Changshi, why did you drug Ruyi with the bowl of soup you served her? What was your purpose?"
Old Lord Shen stood up and approached Old Madam Shen step by step.
"I don't know. There's no drug. I..."
"It was the woman surnamed Tang! It was her who gave me a bottle of medicine. She told me at the time that this was a secret medicine that she had obtained with great difficulty. She said that Ruyi's personality had changed to this point, and she was afraid that she had been contaminated by something unclean. As long as she drinks the secret medicine, she will become as well-behaved and obedient as before..."
Tang Qingmei, who was quietly brought up by the palace soldiers, suddenly jumped out and laughed wildly.
"Old man, stop talking nonsense here! Hahaha, you dare not admit it? Back then, it was you who wanted me to play a trick with you. You said Shen Ruyi was becoming more and more disobedient, and I wanted to teach her a lesson. You drugged her, and you also arranged the people to transport the swill. Otherwise, how could she leave Wu'an Marquis's Mansion so easily?"
"You said you wanted to scare her and then let me rescue her. She would be grateful to me. Hahaha, I have wanted to get rid of her for a long time. I was just playing along with her. You are really stupid. You keep saying that you love your daughter, but when you were outside the city, you even thought it was dirty to confirm it in person..."