Chapter 833 You Dare to Do That, Second Sister?
“Fifth Sister, what did you want to tell me through your servant girl?” Shao Jie’er stepped close to Shao Wanru and said. No one else in the room was talking at this moment. Although her voice was very low, it immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Shao Wanru looked at Shao Jie’er in astonishment and said, “Second Sister, did I send someone to you?”
“You didn’t send anyone to me?” Shao Jie’er’s expression turned dreadful, and she said anxiously, “Impossible! That servant girl is indeed a servant girl of yours.”
“My servant girl?” Shao Wanru raised her eyebrows and repeated.
“Yes, she is the servant girl of your chamber. I don’t know her name, but I will definitely recognize her when I see her face,” Shao Jie’er said anxiously.
Shao Wanru pursed her lips, and an impa.s.sive smile appeared on her face after a long while. Shao Jie’er had full confidence in her promise as if she was going to go and point out such a servant girl in Shao Wanru’s chamber. It was without question that there was indeed a “someone” who had been secretly arranged in her house as a mole.
“Are you sure, Second Sister?” Shao Wanru asked.
“Of course. Fifth Sister, no sooner had I been led out by your girl to another place, than the house where I stayed was burned. Did you really know nothing about it, Fifth Sister?”
Seeing Shao Wanru’s expression, Shao Jie’er calmed down a little. It seemed that she could remedy the matter.
“Wanru, Jie’er, what are you talking about?” Old Madam, who was sitting in the main seat, coughed heavily. Except for the two girls, everyone else in the room had been seated properly.
Wen Xichi glanced at Shao Wanru, who was at a loss. He suddenly had the sense that Shao Wanru, standing in the room at the time, looked aggrieved and sad. His heart pounded several times. He, frowning, didn’t like this kind of feeling at all.
Inside his heart, there was a wave of uncontrollable anger, which was provoked by Shao Wanru, against other people in the room.
He looked down, took a deep breath, and suppressed the anxiety in his heart. When looking up again, he was clear-headed. As an official of the Ministry of Justice, he should calmly listen to everyone’s confessions at this moment.
Moreover, the thing happened in Duke Xing’s Mansion. Before the truth was dug out, it was inappropriate that he said anything about it. It was what he should do to maintain a detached att.i.tude.
“Grandmother, I was copying books in eldest brother’s bridal chamber. But later, Fifth Sister sent a servant girl to talk to me about what happened in the day. I thought that something in detail couldn’t be clearly pa.s.sed by a servant, so I went out to find Fifth Sister. But I didn’t expect that the room was on fire soon after I left.” Shao Jie’er looked at Old Madam and said. She was frightened.
Shao Wanru suddenly raised her head and threw an aggressive look at Shao Jie’er. What a crafty calumniation that instantly blamed the fire on her.
Shao Jie’er was suggesting that Shao Wanru had sent someone to lead her out on purpose so that her people could get the chance to set the fire.
“Nonsense! It should be that your Fifth Sister indeed had something to tell you!” Old Madam’s face darkened as she scolded Shao Jie’er. She glanced at Wen Xichi, who was sitting on the side.
Shao Jie’er was about to cry and lowered her head with grievance, pinching the handkerchief in her hand. She didn’t dare to say anything to defend herself, though she was eager to do so.
“How is the bridal chamber? Does anyone get hurt?” Old Madam turned to ask Shao Jing after she scolded Shao Jie’er.
“No one got injured, but the house was not usable anymore!” Shao Jing frowned and said with a headache. “Nothing is a problem, but the furniture sent from the Minister’s Mansion, which has been burned out. It’s hard for us to explain it to Minister Zhao!”
“They’re all burned out?” Old Madam straightened her body, feeling that was a very difficult problem to deal with.
“Almost all. Even if they were saved from the fire, they would have been half damaged and can’t be used anymore,” Shao Jing said helplessly, “I’m afraid that Minister and his family will… ”
Everyone in the room had understood before Duke Xing finished his words that it was indeed an undeniable fault of Duke Xing’s Mansion. So it was inevitable for Miss Zhao’s family to get angry. Now Duke Xing and his family had to try their best to suppress their anger.
“We will meet any demand they ask!” Old Madam said wearily. Truly it was difficult for an old woman to bear being abruptly wakened in the middle of the night, especially on such a cold one. Even though her room was warm inside, the warmth had been diluted by so many people’s arrival.
Nanny Yu brought another hand-warmer and handed it to Old Madam. She hugged it tightly and rolled her eyes slightly. She became a bit more energetic, which, however, was quite on the edge.
“That’s all we can do. No matter what they say, it’s always our Duke Xing’s Mansion’s fault!” Shao Jing also nodded. He glanced at the people present, stood up with his hand on the armrest, and was about to leave. Since that the matter couldn’t be tacked unless they had a negotiation with the Minister first, and that Old Madam was not energetic at this time, Duke Xing had to leave it to tomorrow.
As soon as he put his hand on the armrest, he heard Shao Wanru asking Shao Jie’er in a low voice, “Second Sister, did you really see a servant girl sent by me? Is she really the servant from my house? But I didn’t send a servant girl!”
Shao Wanru blinked her innocent eyes and looked at Shao Jie’er.
Unnoticed, she had approached Shao Jie’er. The two of them stood together. Shao Wanru’s voice was not loud, but it took a good opportunity to break in and start another discussion the moment Shao Jing stopped talking and was about to say goodbye to Old Madam.
Wen Xichi picked up the teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down. He knew the servant girl thing wouldn’t be let go like that.
“Second Sister, are you going to s.h.i.+rk your responsibility?” As Shao Jie’er didn’t reply to her just now, Shao Wanru asked her again. With her face right opposite to Shao Jie’er’s, she didn’t notice that everyone in the room had turned their eyes on them.
But Shao Jie’er did. She also saw Old Madam’s cold eyes, which caused her trembling and her instant defense for herself. “Fifth Sister, don’t deny it. It’s really a servant girl of yours. If you don’t believe me, you can call all your servant girls over here. I will definitely pick her out.”
After saying that, she tried her best to show her confidence in it.
Because she could really recognize that servant girl. Old Madam had told her who she was, and she had seen her before.
“Second Sister, have you made up your mind to point her out?” Shao Wanru asked with a slight smile.
“Of course, I have. I can definitely find her out. I just don’t understand why you ask her to come to me at that time. You just said that I was going to s.h.i.+rk the responsibility. I deny it and I think it was you who did something ill, wasn’t it?” Sensing her confidence, Shao Jie’er straightened her back with a complacent face.
There was indeed such a person. So Shao Jie’er was really not afraid of Shao Wanru’s questions. Even if Shao Wanru asked her to point out the servant she mentioned, she could do it. Such prearranged evidence made Shao Jie’er become arrogant again.
“What are you talking about? Get out of here!” Old Madam rebuked them. But with a gloomy loser-look, she seemed to not want everybody to take it too seriously.
Whenever Shao Jie’er was about to testify, Old Madam said things like that. It sounded like that she was protecting Shao Wanru wholeheartedly. Shao Wanru sneered in her heart, understanding that she was the last person for whom Old Madam would ever have preference. She believed that actually, Old Madam was pus.h.i.+ng the blame on her with a vague att.i.tude.
No investigation didn’t mean no wrongdoing. Old Madam’s pretended “protection” led everyone to think that Shao Wanru had indeed done something evil and she was here to ask for Old Madam’s cover.
It was reasonable if she did so. First, although Shao Caihuan was the one quarreling with Shao Jie’er during the day, Shao Wanru was also present there with them, after she had followed Shao Caihuan. Second, she might bear a grudge against Shao Jie’er after the quarrel. Moreover, she was scolded by Old Madam at last.
“Grandma…” Shao Jie’er was apparently not in the wrong, but now she was scolded by Old Madam. She felt so wronged that she wanted to cry again.
According to Old Madam’s words, Shao Jie’er should not mention it again. But when she thought of Shao Wanru’s accusation on her of s.h.i.+rking the responsibility, she was unwilling to let Shao Wanru go just like that.
It was not easy to catch Shao Wanru’s weakness, so by no means, Shao Jie’er would be willing to let her go this time when she had held Shao Wanru’s Achilles’ heel. However, she didn’t dare to disobey Old Madam.
“Grandma, since Second Sister has seen my servant girl, can you allow her to point the girl out? When the fire broke out just now, the people in my chamber were also alarmed. At that time, they should have all been awakened!” Shao Wanru turned to Old Madam calmly and answered Old Madam.
Old Madam looked at Shao Wanru, with her eyes full of gloom, anger, and disappointment.
“Wanru, let’s talk about your affair tomorrow. Your grandma can not be further shocked and scared tonight!” Shao Jing coughed in a low voice and said to help his mother.
Shao Wanru shook her head and said, “Uncle Jing, I think it’s better to make it clear tonight. Lord Wen happens to be here, so I want him to be a spectator. And I’m afraid that something bad might happen to the so-called servant girl from my house after tonight. At that time, there will be no evidence for my innocence, where I can no longer defend myself!”
Shao Jing was slightly embarra.s.sed by the refusal from a junior, and also became increasingly unhappy with her words, and his face darken. “Your servant girl is just fine. How could anything happen to her? Stop your nonsense. Go back and have a rest!”
After saying that, he was about to stand up and leave, not willing to talk to Shao Wanru again. It was too late, and everyone was exhausted now. Since the fire had been put out, they wanted to deal with other things tomorrow!
Wen Xichi gently touched the delicate pattern on the teacup and lowered his head slightly with a faint smile, waiting for the next conversation…
“Uncle Jing, please wait for a moment. I suspect that someone wants to frame me by making use of the servant girl from my house. Please uphold justice for me!” Shao Wanru blinked her watery eyes and said, “Second Sister, why don’t you identify the servant girl tonight and let her tell the truth?”
“Fifth girl, it’s too late now. Tomorrow!” Old Madam finally said coldly.
Shao Wanru focused her eyes on Old Madam and said softly, “Grandma, It won’t take too much time to finish what happened today tonight. Or please pick the servant girl out and bring her under your protection, will you?”
“How dare you!” Old Madam rebuked. What kind of rule was it for the Old Madam of the Duke’s Mansion to protect a servant girl?
“Grandma, I won’t take up too much of your time. I just want you to bear witness to prove my innocence.” Shao Wanru continued her pleading as if she hadn’t heard Old Madam’s reprimand. Then she raised her head to look at Shao Jie’er and said provocatively, “Second Sister, didn’t you dare to do that, did you?”