The elder sister killed the whole family, and came back to be beaten to death

The second wife did have her own difficulties, but Shen Tang didn't believe she would dare to tell the old lady the truth.

She wanted to hear what excuses the Second Wife would come up with to exonerate herself.

The old lady glared at the second wife, and everyone in the room looked at the second wife who was kneeling on the ground.

It's just that the second wife probably didn't think that the matter would be exposed, so she didn't think of any precautions in advance, or maybe even if she thought about it, she couldn't think of any. After all, no matter what difficulties she had, she shouldn't have set her sights on someone who had been dead for more than ten years.

Look, the second wife was kneeling on the ground, hesitating and not uttering a word for a long time.

The old lady's chest was heaving with anger, and Mother Wang was afraid that the old lady would get hurt. She thought it was too much when the Second Madam suggested that the Marquis' Mansion should compensate the eldest daughter of the Yongning Earl's Mansion, but she didn't expect that there would be something even more excessive.

The Marquis directly asked Steward Li to exchange the things and brought the old lady here directly, which showed that he was going to get to the bottom of the matter.

Before the Second Madam could find an excuse, the Second Master arrived. It was Shen Sui who sent someone to find the Second Master. After all, he was the eldest uncle, so it was not easy for him to punish the Second Madam directly without going through the Second Master. At least the Second Master had to be present, and he might even be aware of this matter.

The second master arrived first, and Shen Sui arrived right after. Shen Sui's face looked uglier than ever before.

After seeing the fake paintings yesterday, he had already believed what Shen Tang said, that the Second Wife stole Jiang's dowry to compensate the Yongning Earl's Mansion, but he thought one or two paintings were the most, but he didn't expect that she actually took two whole boxes.

Even if Shen Tang asked Manager Li to take 10,000 taels, it was still not enough to buy it back, and he still owed the Yongning Earl's Mansion 5,000 taels.

Shen Sui was really scared that so much of Jiang's dowry was exchanged right under his nose. He was afraid that someone had really exchanged his newborn son right under his nose fifteen years ago.

Shen Sui sat down, and the old lady said sharply, "Don't you have your reasons? Tell me!"

The Second Wife went limp, and the Second Master angrily shouted, "Mother is asking you a question?!"

It seemed as if he really didn't know about this.

However, the Second Master might not know about it. After all, the Second Mistress's plan was to marry her to Young Master Wang. It was such a small matter and there was no need to discuss it with the Second Master. But if things went wrong, the Yongning Marquis's Mansion would ask for so much compensation. It would do more harm than good. The Second Master would definitely blame the Second Mistress for her incompetence, and compensation had to be given. The Second Mistress was afraid of angering the Second Master, so she might clean up the mess herself.

If the Second Wife could find a reason to exonerate herself, she would have said it long ago, or she would have asked the public treasury to pay the money long ago, and she wouldn't have to do such a sneaky thing.

The Second Wife bit her lip and said nothing. The Old Lady was furious. "My Pingyuan Marquis Mansion cannot tolerate such a traitor!"

Being a traitor is considered a nice word, but the second wife's behavior is stealing, she is a thief.

Such shameful behavior is indeed enough for the second master to divorce his wife.

She was divorced because she wanted to marry her nephew from her natal family. If this got out, it would be so laughable.

The second wife was frightened and said in panic, "Mom, I'm not doing this for the Wang family..."

The Third Wife sat there, watching the fun without a care in the world. "If it's not for the Wang family, then what is it for? Second Sister-in-law, tell me."

The second wife looked at Shen Xian, whose face was also pale.

She knelt down and said, "Grandma, Second Aunt is doing this for me..."

What a deep love between mother and daughter.

Mothers protect their daughters, and daughters protect their mothers.

The old lady hadn't expected Shen Xi to be involved in this matter. She asked, "What does this have to do with you?"

Shen Xi's eyes were red as she said, "That day when we were boating on the lake, the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion didn't accidentally push the second sister. It was me. I accidentally tripped her, and she bumped into the second sister and was dragged into the water by the second sister..."

"The Yongning Marquis's Mansion was originally going to come to my house to question me, but Second Aunt helped me stop it. The Yongning Marquis' Mansion wanted me to compensate them. Second Aunt wanted to pay the money from the public funds, but Second Sister disagreed, and Grandmother also refused. Second Aunt wanted to confess to Grandmother, but I was afraid of being punished by Grandmother, so I begged Second Aunt to use half of the dowry left to me by Mother to compensate..."

At the end of the story, Shen Ying was choked with sobs and couldn't speak. She didn't know how this matter was exposed.

No one expected that Miss Li would be so unlucky, so it's no wonder that the Yongning Earl's Mansion wanted compensation. Miss Li accidentally tripped and ruined her life. If Miss Li was not going to marry the eldest son of the Wang family, who happened to be the nephew of the second wife, the Yongning Earl's Mansion was afraid that the Wang family would make things difficult for Miss Li in the future, and they were afraid that two boxes of compensation would not be enough.

Shen Tang said, "Second Aunt really loves my eldest sister the most. That day, Second Aunt said she wanted to compensate the eldest daughter of the Yongning Earl's Mansion, but she didn't mention my eldest sister at all. She only asked me to compensate her."

"He also stole my mother's dowry to compensate Miss Li, exchanging so many counterfeits for the originals. When my eldest sister gets married in the future, people will say that we in the Pingyuan Marquisate can't tell the real from the fake. I'm afraid it will also tarnish my grandfather's reputation."

Shen Tang didn't even mention that the fake would be her dowry in the future, after all, it hadn't happened yet. But even if she didn't say it, with the Second Wife's protection of Shen Xi, no one in the room would have thought of it.

After Shen Tang finished speaking, he changed his tone and said, "Wait a minute! When I pulled Miss Li into the water that day, there was no one behind her. How did my eldest sister trip her?"

In a word, Shen Xi's protection of the second wife was denied.

She dragged Miss Li into the water. Shen Tang must be able to see clearly whether there was someone behind Miss Li.

Shen Tang looked at Ginkgo, "Did you see the eldest sister standing behind her?"

Ginkgo shook her head, "I didn't see it."

Shen Tang said, "If it was Eldest Sister who tripped, it's impossible that no one of the ladies on the boat saw it. I also don't believe that the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquisate suffered so much and yet she covered up for Eldest Sister. She would get more compensation from the Yongning Marquisate, and he would still feel guilty. Eldest Sister, are you afraid that the title will pass to the second branch of the family in the future, and that no one will support you, so you dare not offend Second Aunt and lie to help Second Aunt..."

Really, Shen Xian wanted to use a needle to sew up Shen Tang's mouth. No one would think she was mute if she didn't speak.

But these words were said by Shen Ying herself when she was persuading Shen Tang, and this was not the first time Shen Tang said this.

Even the Second Master was on pins and needles. He looked at Shen Sui anxiously and said, "Big brother is still young and will definitely have a son. I don't believe that Yan'er will never be found again. I don't want to inherit Big brother's title."

The excuse Shen Xian found was actually very good, but the only flaw was that no rumors were spread at the time. If they had been spread at all, she would have been asked to make excuses for the Second Wife today.

Shen Xian was nominally Jiang's daughter. It would have been fine if the second wife had covered up for Shen Xian, but there was no reason to use the second wife's dowry to fill the hole of the eldest wife's daughter. Although using Jiang's dowry was excessive, it was barely acceptable.

Unfortunately, Shen Xian's excuse was untenable and angered both the old lady and Shen Sui.

Shen Xian never expected that her excuses for the Second Wife would be turned by Shen Tang into a statement that she was afraid that after her father's death, she would have no one to rely on, and that she would throw the entire Second Wife into the frying pan.

But she didn't dare to tell the truth of that day. Pushing her own sister to Young Master Wang was far more serious than the second wife stealing Jiang's dowry to subsidize her natal family.

After today's setback, they are in big trouble.

The Second Master scolded the Second Wife, "It's fine if you usually side with the Wang family, but how dare you touch the eldest sister-in-law's dowry?!"

The second wife had no way to defend herself.

The old lady's face had never been so cold. "No one cares what you do with your own dowry. My Pingyuan Marquis Mansion does not need to compensate the Yongning Earl Mansion. You have to pay for it yourself."

Shen Tang looked at Manager Li and asked, "Have you got all the things back?"

Manager Li said, "Except for the two paintings that the Second Madam sent to the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, the rest has been brought back. However, the Yongning Marquis's Mansion is still short of 5,000 taels. Those two paintings were not included, and the Yongning Marquis is unwilling to go and get them back..."

The Earl of Yongning would definitely not take her back. He was already furious that his legitimate daughter had married a disaster like Young Master Wang. How could he just do whatever the Marquis of Pingyuan's Mansion asked them to do?

The Second Wife was too protective of Shen Xi. She was afraid that Shen Xi would have a bad reputation and be severely punished by Shen Sui. Otherwise, the Yongning Marquis's Mansion would not be able to control the Second Wife. Everyone in Kyoto knew that Young Master Wang had rescued Miss Li from the water. If she didn't marry Young Master Wang, she couldn't marry anyone else. If the Yongning Marquis was willing to send his daughter to the Pure Land, he could just do it. Young Master Wang couldn't marry the daughter of a wealthy family, but with the Wang family's status, marrying the daughter of a minor official was not a problem.

Shen Tang looked at Shen Sui and said, "Father, can you find a way to get the painting back?"

Before Shen Sui could say anything, the old lady glanced at the second wife, "You gave it away, find a way to get it back to me! If you can't get it back, you will have to pay double the compensation!"

The second wife's face was pale.

This meant that in addition to paying 15,000 taels as compensation to the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, she also had to pay for the two paintings.

She would accept it if the thing was done, but she would not accept it if it failed and she had lost so much money.

But it was useless for her to be unwilling. The old lady had already thought of asking the second master to divorce his wife. The old lady was angry, and refusing to admit her mistake and making excuses would only make her more angry.

The Second Wife suppressed her reluctance and said through gritted teeth, "I'll compensate you, I'll compensate you..."

From now on, the entire Pingyuan Marquis Mansion will belong to their second branch, but it’s only a mere 10,000 or 20,000 taels, which she can afford!

Shen Sui glanced at the Second Master, "If you can't manage your partner well in the future, and something like this happens, you, the Second House, will move out of the Pingyuan Marquis Mansion."

Parents are here, no separation.

Shen Sui's words were very harsh, but the old lady couldn't say anything about the mistake made by the second wife.

The second master's face was very unhappy. "Don't worry, big brother. If she does something like this again, my second wife will not only move out, but also divorce her."

The second wife swallowed her anger and didn't feel any pain even when her fingernails dug into her flesh.

The Second Wife paid the price. When this matter is settled, the old lady will punish her by copying the family rules and going to the Buddhist temple to reflect on her mistakes. Shen Sui has scolded the Second Master and will not pursue the matter any further. However, Shen Tang will not miss such a good opportunity. He looked at Shen Sui and said, "Father, the eldest house has no mistress. It's too tiring for Grandmother to manage the household affairs. Please ask Third Aunt to help share some of the burden and let her manage the embroidery room."

Taking back the housekeeper power from the second wife is what Shen Tang has always wanted to do, but the old lady does not trust the third wife and the fourth wife is not in the house, so Shen Tang has been reluctant to do this. Now she can no longer tolerate it.

The second wife stared at Shen Tang intently, as if Shen Tang had taken away something that belonged to her. The old lady frowned, but did not object. She was indeed old and could no longer manage the household expenses. The second wife was too partial to the Wang family and did need some pressure. It would be better to hand over the embroidery room to the third wife. With the second wife watching over her, the third wife would not be able to develop any ambitions.

Shen Sui said, "Let's leave the embroidery room to my third brother's wife."

The third wife sat there and suddenly felt like a pie had fallen from the sky.

The third wife was born out of wedlock, and it felt like a dream that she would one day be in charge of the embroidery room.

The third wife quickly expressed her opinion, "I will definitely manage the embroidery room well."

The embroidery room is just the beginning. Shen Tang only hopes that the Third Madam can be more capable and not let the Second Madam take back the power of the embroidery room manager after just a few rounds.

The second wife was still kneeling on the ground, and the old lady scolded her, "What are you still standing here for? Go find a way to get the painting back!"

The second wife quickly stood up, but her knees were sore from kneeling for such a long time that she couldn't get up all of a sudden. The maid helped her up and helped her out.

After the Second Madam left, the old lady asked Shen Sui, "How did you find out about this?"

Shen Sui would not say that it was Shen Tang who told him. He was a marquis, but he didn't even know that the dowry left by his deceased wife was replaced under his nose. It was his own daughter who found out. He couldn't afford to lose face, and he was also afraid that the second wife would bear a grudge against Shen Tang. More importantly, he couldn't explain how Shen Tang found out about this. The marriage hadn't been settled yet, but he was being protected by a man outside his family, which was not good for his reputation.

Shen Sui said coldly, "The Yongning Marquis's Mansion gave the painting to Prince Zhao, who plans to reframe it and present it to the Emperor."

Shen Sui only said one sentence, then looked at the two large boxes in the room, "Send them to the warehouse and change the locks."

Manager Li led his men to carry the big box down.

The old lady looked a little embarrassed. Although she had never thought of taking Jiang's dowry, neither in the past nor in the future, Shen Sui's changing of the lock meant that he no longer trusted her. From now on, no one could touch Jiang's dowry without Shen Sui's permission.

Shen Sui got up and left. Shen Tang guessed that Shen Sui had left Songhe Hall, so she also took her leave.

Shen Tang still had something to say to Shen Sui, but Shen Sui took big steps. When Shen Tang left the yard, she could only see Shen Sui's back from a distance. She jogged all the way and caught up with Shen Sui when she was almost at the second gate. Shen Tang simply gave up chasing him. The outer yard was not a place to talk, so she went to the study to see Shen Sui.

Shen Sui didn't expect Shen Tang to come to the study. "Are you dissatisfied with your father's handling of the matter?"

Shen Tang shook her head. "My daughter understands your father's dilemma. I said yesterday that I would wait until my mother gets the dowry back and then tell you why Second Aunt wanted to compensate the Yongning Earl's Mansion."

Shen Sui frowned, "Hasn't this matter been clarified?"

The second wife took the opportunity to steal things from the Wang family.

Shen Tang looked at Shen Sui and asked, "Father, do you know how your daughter fell into the water that day?"

Shen Sui frowned, "Could there be a hidden reason behind falling into the water?"

Shen Tang said, "Eldest sister said that Second Aunt was the eldest daughter of Yongning Earl's Mansion to compensate her. She didn't lie. It was indeed because of her."

Shen Sui was completely confused.

"But my eldest sister didn't trip Miss Li accidentally. Instead, she and Miss Li conspired to marry me to Young Master Wang."

Shen Sui's face darkened.

Shen Tang continued, "Back then, rumors were rife outside the mansion that I was a jinx. My eldest sister and I were born in the same hour, so she was inevitably implicated. To dispel the rumors, Second Aunt wanted to marry me off to Young Master Wang. It just so happened that I was having some issues with the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquisate, so my eldest sister wanted to use her to push me into trouble. Second Aunt didn't dare let the Yongning Marquis come knocking, so the Yongning Marquisate took the opportunity to ask for a huge sum of money. Second Aunt originally wanted the public to pay for it, but Grandmother disagreed, so she had no choice but to turn to the dowry left by Mother."

Shen Tang looked at Shen Sui, emphasizing each word, "If she wasn't his biological daughter, why would Second Aunt protect my eldest sister to this extent?"

"Eldest sister has never treated me as her own sister. That day in the Jokhang Temple, when the Marquis of Changping tried to molest me, it was my eldest sister who helped him trick me into it."

"Why did that person send people to the mansion to protect me? It's because the ones who plotted against me the most cruelly weren't outsiders, but my own people!"