She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Madam Shen's heart tightened. She glanced at the silent bathroom and asked, "Did you find anything?"

The old woman's heart skipped a beat, and she said cautiously, "Reporting to the Marquis and Madam, Concubine Mei is a virgin."

Marquis Chengen scrutinized the old woman with sharp eyes.

Under his piercing gaze, the old woman's scalp tightened and her legs went weak as she said, "My lord, this old servant dares not lie in the slightest. Concubine Mei is indeed a virgin."

Madam Shen instinctively retorted, "How could that be?"

She clearly schemed to get Shen Shaoheng and Aunt Mei to have their affair, so how could she possibly be a virgin?

Madam Shen questioned, "Have you checked everything thoroughly? Could there be any oversights?"

The old woman said urgently, "Madam, I have worked as a midwife before and I am very skilled in this area. There will be absolutely no mistakes."

Madam Shen's face was cold and stern.

Shen Shaoheng's attitude towards her changed, clearly because he knew that he would have an affair with Aunt Mei, all of which was orchestrated by her. Therefore, he harbored resentment and deliberately competed with Shen Shaohuai for the title of Marquis.

If that's the case, he must have a backup plan.

She suspected that the old woman had been bribed by Shen Shaoheng.

Having made up her mind, Madam Shen said to Marquis Chengen, "My lord, this is a serious matter. We should appoint another person to examine him."

The old woman knew perfectly well that Madam Shen didn't trust her and thought she was lying.

Madam Shen's actions clearly indicate that she does not want Aunt Mei to be a virgin. If it were Madam Shen's people who conducted the examination, they would deliberately ruin Aunt Mei's reputation and falsely accuse her of not being a virgin.

It's almost certain that the Marquis will suspect she's been bribed.

"My lord, this old servant is a long-time servant in the manor, loyal to you and absolutely without any disloyalty." The old woman knelt on the ground in fright: "Whenever someone in the manor gives birth, all the servants ask this old woman to deliver the baby. It's just to verify Concubine Mei's innocence; such a trivial matter is absolutely infallible."

Madam Shen's gaze darkened. Before she could speak, a noise came from the bathroom. She subconsciously turned her head and saw Aunt Mei standing to the side at the bathroom door, only a little bit of her wrinkled skirt showing.

Aunt Mei’s soft voice rang out: “Madam, although I am a woman of the night, I was once a lady from a respectable family. I know what it means to be shameless and what it means to uphold the virtues of a woman.”

Madam Shen's eyes flickered slightly. When she learned that Shen Shaoheng had taken a liking to Aunt Mei, she had a plan in mind. However, before carrying out the plan, she inquired about Aunt Mei's background from the madam.

Aunt Mei was indeed from a wealthy family with a long tradition of scholarship and etiquette; one of her ancestors had served as a court musician.

She was very skilled in music, especially the guqin. At the age of ten, she was to become a disciple of a famous teacher, but unfortunately, her family fell into poverty and she was forced into prostitution.

The madam had taken a liking to her talent and had spent a lot of effort cultivating her, intending to make her a famous courtesan and a tool for making money.

"You, a prostitute who grew up in brothels, what do you know about womanly virtues?" Madam Shen sneered and instructed Green Shade beside her: "Go and examine her."

The Marquis's face turned ashen, and he was about to speak.

Suddenly, an angry shout rang out: "Let's see who dares to go!"

Madam Shen's expression suddenly changed. She turned around and saw the old lady being helped over by Shen Qingtan.

Shen Shaoheng followed behind the old lady.

Standing before Madam Shen, Old Madam Shen said coldly, "Since you've decided she's a prostitute who doesn't know how to behave, why did you decide to give her to the Marquis to take into his household?"

“Mother, the Marquis was seriously ill and his condition did not improve. I consulted a fortune teller. The fortune teller said that we should choose someone whose birth chart was compatible with the Marquis’s to bring him good luck. I sent someone to choose a person, and only her birth chart was compatible.”

Madam Shen clutched her handkerchief tightly and explained, "My daughter-in-law was so concerned about the Marquis's health that she didn't pay attention to Consort Mei's background."

Marquis Chengen spoke up for her, saying, "Mother, the Madam specifically mentioned Aunt Mei's identity to me. I went to see her in person and got her approval before she brought her into the mansion."

The old lady's face was stern, the deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes revealing a sharp edge. She reprimanded, "You brought her into the manor, and now you treat her so disrespectfully? If she loses face, how can the Marquis's manor have any honor?"

The old lady glanced at Madam Shen and said sternly, "Even if Consort Mei wasn't innocent, the manor would have tried every means to suppress it. But you, you've gone to great lengths to make the Marquis wear this green hat. What are you really up to?"

With this serious accusation leveled against her, Madam Shen's expression changed drastically: "Mother, I..."

"I think you're determined to cause chaos in this household." The old lady didn't want to say more to Madam Shen, and looked at Aunt Mei in the bathroom: "Put yourself together, I have something to ask you."

After saying that, Madam Shen gestured for Shen Qingtan to help her to sit down on the daybed in the outer room.

Marquis Chengen's face was gloomy. He glanced at Madam Shen, whose face was deathly pale, and then looked at the thin silhouette of Aunt Mei in the bathroom. He then walked towards the old lady.

The old woman who performed the physical examination was an old servant of his, and the head of the household and his son were both working for him; she was not someone who could be easily bribed.

Therefore, he believed what Granny Xin said.

However, Madam Shen's attitude made him somewhat hesitant.

Although Madam Shen was unwilling, she did not dare to be too presumptuous in front of the old lady. She glanced coldly at Aunt Mei's back before returning to the old lady's side.

When the maidservant next to Aunt Mei noticed the presence of a man, she lowered four or five layers of curtains to separate the outer room and helped Aunt Mei change into a clean set of clothes.

The atmosphere in the outer room was tense, and the old lady was the main person in charge.

No one dared to utter a word without the old lady's permission.

A quarter of an hour later, the curtains were drawn back, and Aunt Mei walked in gracefully, bowed to each person, and stood quietly in front of the old lady.

The old lady lifted her eyelids to look at Aunt Mei. Her appearance was delicate and graceful, not particularly outstanding, but she had a unique scholarly air about her, untouched by the vulgarity of the world.

When Aunt Mei first met the old lady, she was scrutinized by her, and her heart pounded rapidly.

She showed great talent in music from a young age and was deeply loved by her grandfather, who personally taught her music, hoping that she could inherit his mantle.

She was obsessed with music and only wanted to study under a famous teacher to improve her skills, fulfill her grandfather's wish, and create a new school of music.

Unfortunately, just as she was about to receive her apprenticeship, tragedy struck her family. Her grandfather secretly sent her and her twin sister to the home of a distant cousin.

For the first six months, her uncle treated her and her sister kindly, but his attitude changed drastically after he learned that her house had been ransacked.

Her uncle asked her to play the zither and sing in a teahouse to earn money. Later, while she was performing, she was spotted by a brothel madam, who then sold her and her sister to the madam at a high price.

From that moment on, her fate was no longer in her own hands.