Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Mrs. Shen... Madam Shen, is this really a gift you gave to Miss Zhang?" Madam Fu's face turned pale when she heard Shi Hua's words, and she asked Madam Shen in disbelief.

Seeing that Madam Jiang nodded slightly to her, Madam Fu's legs went weak and she sat down on the chair behind her.

"Mother, Mother, what's wrong? Don't scare your daughter! You gave that ring to Sister Green Silk so long ago, and they're all similar styles. Even if you remembered it wrong, it's not your fault!" Fu Fen'er knelt down in front of Madam Fu, shaking her hand, trying to wake her from her daze. At the same time, she secretly tightened her grip, digging her nails hard into the skin under her mother's sleeve.

The stinging pain in her hand quickly brought Madam Fu back to her senses. She stood up, rushed to the maid named Green Silk, and slapped her hard across the face. Her movement was so sudden and powerful that Green Silk fell to the ground. When she looked up, a trickle of blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth, and her face quickly swelled up. She covered her face and looked at Madam Fu in disbelief.

"You brat, do you know you're wrong? Since this isn't your ring, why didn't you explain to everyone when I mistook it for the one you were given as a reward? You just let me admit my mistake without reminding me." Her tone was one of deep remorse, but her eyes were full of threat as she looked at Green Silk.

Although Green Silk was unwilling, she knew that at this moment, only by throwing herself out could Madam Fu save face. So she crawled to Madam Fu's side, tugging at her skirt and pleading.

"Madam, I was wrong. I made a mistake. I accidentally lost the ring you gave me, and I was worried that you would punish me if you found out. Just now, I saw a ring on the ground that looked a lot like the one I lost, so I picked it up, thinking I could pass it off as the one you gave me. Madam, I know I was wrong, please forgive me."

Green Silk knelt on the ground, crying and kowtowing. Soon, bright red blood seeped from her head and flowed down her face. Gone was the arrogance and smugness she had shown when she accused Xia Yu.

Xia Yu watched with great interest, secretly wondering if her daughter, Da Niu, would have such a quick thinking ability in this situation. However, after further consideration, she realized she was being too demanding of Da Niu. Besides, she didn't like these shoddy sesame dumplings. Da Niu's plain white steamed buns, which she could tell what was inside without even biting into them, were much better.

"What happened?" A deep, steady male voice suddenly rang out from behind the group.

Everyone turned around at once, only to find that it was Shen Jingheng bringing Grand Tutor Li with him. All the ladies present bowed respectfully, addressing him as "Greetings, Grand Tutor Li" and "Greetings, Lord Shen." The young ladies stood beside their elders, following suit. But some couldn't help but look up at the young Lord Shen. He wore a white robe embroidered with gold cloud patterns, which, under the lamplight, accentuated his handsome features, exuding both nobility and undeniable charm. Several of the older ladies blushed in unison.

Because of what had just happened, Xia Yu and Shen Luo were positioned opposite the ladies and young women. Seeing the blushing faces of the ladies, and then looking at the dashing Shen Jingheng, she thought to herself, "To look good, wear mourning clothes"—this rule applies to both men and women. Later, when she returned to her hometown, she would also make a flowing white gauze dress for Nineteen, so she could fly in the sky and see it for her.

"What happened?" Shen Jingheng asked, turning to Jiang Shi when no one answered him.

Jiang stepped forward and quietly recounted the events to Shen Jingheng. Although her voice was soft, those nearby could still hear her clearly. Especially Li Taifu, who couldn't bear to listen any longer when he heard someone falsely accuse Xia Yu of stealing the ring. He let out a heavy "humph," then beckoned to Xia Yu...

"Xiaxia, come to Grandpa. Tomorrow I'm going to go to the palace and ask the Emperor if I'm useless. I can't even protect my own granddaughter, and she's been falsely accused of being a thief."

Grand Tutor Li's words struck everyone like a heavy hammer, including Madam Jiang's heart, which trembled violently. Although she had tried to absolve herself of all responsibility, ultimately it was her inaction that led everyone to believe the Zhang family's young lady had no background, which was why she was being humiliated in such a way. If this matter were to escalate to the palace, her elder sister, the Imperial Concubine, would undoubtedly reprimand her.

At this moment, Shen Luo ran to Shen Jingheng's side and shouted loudly.

“Father, she was the one who bullied Sister Xiaxia and me just now, and even said that we were ill-mannered people.”

Hearing Shen Luo call Shen Jingheng "Father" left everyone present completely stunned.

'Good heavens, did I hear that right? That rather sturdy young man is actually Lord Shen's son? Isn't his surname Zhang? Isn't he Miss Zhang's younger brother?' Almost everyone's mind was filled with these unanswerable questions.

Shen Jingheng glanced at Madam Fu in the direction Shen Luo was pointing, then ruffled Shen Luo's hair and said...

"Father knows and will help you get justice."

Just from that one sentence, Madam Fu, who was still stunned by Shen Luo's "father" and hadn't recovered from her shock, felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body, and collapsed to the ground, unable to be supported by anyone.

"Go and call Lord Fu over." Shen Jingheng instructed Qingmu, who was following him, upon seeing Madam Fu's appearance.

"Yes," Aoki replied, turning and quickly walking towards the outer courtyard.

"Madam, has this matter been investigated and clarified?" Shen Jingheng asked Jiang Shi.

"My lord, Miss Zhang's ring was found on that maid, but Madam Fu's ring has not yet been found," Jiang replied with some difficulty.

Shen Jingheng simply uttered an "oh" and then fell silent.

An eerie silence descended upon the garden once more.

Suddenly, two young maids brought over two plates of fried dough sticks. Whether they hadn't been in the household long enough to be properly trained, or were simply too oblivious, they didn't notice the strange atmosphere in the garden. They went straight to Madam Jiang's side with the plates and said to her...

"Madam, these are the fried dough sticks you ordered to be made for the young master."

Hearing the two girls' words, Shen Jingheng's expression softened slightly. At the same time, their words were like heavenly music, relieving Jiang's unease.

Shen Jingheng rubbed his son's head and asked him...

"Are you still not full?"

Seeing his son nod, his expression softened.

"Go and call your sister to eat together."

Upon hearing his words, everyone was startled again. They naturally knew who the "sister" in Lord Shen's words referred to. It seemed that Miss Zhang was not only the goddaughter of Grand Tutor Li, but also had a very special relationship with Lord Shen.