At the gate of Wu'an Hou Mansion, the three brothers Shen Tingjun, Shen Tingyi and Shen Tinglan were all seeing off guests.
Walking in front of Shen Tingjun was Prince Qin Sheng, as well as several other high-ranking princes and adults.
Among them, Qin Sheng is the king and has the highest status.
Shen Tingjun is the prince's companion and has always had a good relationship with the prince Qin Sheng. But no matter what happened in private, the two of them still maintained the relationship of monarch and minister in front of everyone, they just seemed a little closer than others.
After seeing off the prince and all the gentlemen, Shen Tingjun turned around and saw Cheng Lin waiting at the door with an anxious face. Seeing him coming, Cheng Lin rushed to him in two or two steps and explained the matter in detail in a few words.
Shen Tingyi and Shen Tinglan were walking behind Shen Tingjun. Both of them had practiced martial arts since childhood and had very good hearing. Cheng Lin deliberately lowered his voice, but he didn't guard against these two men, so they both listened attentively.
Shen Tingyi understood Cheng Lin's words and frowned, "Prince Su hasn't left the house yet?"
Shen Tinglan looked thoughtful, "I remember that Prince Su had a few more drinks before and was a little tipsy, so the servants helped him to the guest house to rest."
Cheng Lin seemed to be in a hurry, "The waiter went to bring the sobering soup. When the clinker came back, Prince Su himself was nowhere to be seen. Even the housekeeper beside him was nowhere to be seen."
Both Shen Tingyi and Shen Tinglan felt like they were facing a formidable enemy. They both looked at Shen Tingjun, "Brother, what should I do?"
"It's okay. I'll send someone to follow him. There should be nothing wrong for the time being."
"But it's only temporary. Prince Su's reputation..." Shen Tinglan couldn't help but show disgust when talking about Prince Su.
Prince Su's reputation is really bad. For a majestic prince, he has not cultivated any noble sentiments, but he is famous in the capital for matters between men and women.
He is not afraid of anything dirty, smelly, male or female, and will not refuse anyone who comes.
A dignified prince does things without any dignity or etiquette. Is he worthy of the founder of the country?
But he hasn't done anything harmful to the world, he just has a very sexual nature. For this shortcoming, among the princes who were ambitious and wanted to rebel, who took bribes to interfere in court affairs, and who were jumping up and down all day long to form gangs, Prince Su was really "innocent and clean". That little problem was really nothing. Even if he complained to the emperor, Emperor Longqing didn't bother to deal with it.
Xu Shi regarded the emperor's indifferent attitude as indulgence, and Prince Su became more and more unscrupulous. In the early years, I used to hook up with beauties, maids, dancers and the like. In recent years, I have become more daring. Even the girls and ladies in other people's houses, and Prince Su also want to take advantage.
This is truly a man who refuses to accept anyone who comes, and is lustful and lustful. When he was drunk, he became even more dissolute, and he caught that one. Because of this, countless concubines from other families entered Prince Su's palace for no reason and became Prince Su's concubines.
Shen Tinglan didn't think Prince Su dared to indulge in his own yard. After all, the eldest brother was not an ordinary person. Most people give him Prince Su face and don't want to make the scandal bigger, but if Prince Su's evil deeds reach their Wu'an Hou Mansion, hehe, you will know it just by looking at the look on his eldest brother's face now.
"Brother, I'll leave this matter to you. Second brother and I will go back to Heyan Hall to have a look?"
She said she was going to Heyan Hall to see her mother, but actually she just wanted to tell her other cousins that it was best not to leave the house now. As for Prince Su, he wouldn't dare to take action against a serious female family member of a noble family, but he wouldn't respond to a toad that can poison someone to death.
Shen Tinglan and Shen Tingyi turned around and went to He Yantang, while Cheng Lin looked at Shen Tingjun, "Master, are you going to find Prince Su?"
Shen Tingjun nodded slightly, "Go and see where he is."
Shen Tingjun's original intention was to let Cheng Lin go over and take a look. If he found Prince Su doing something evil, he would just knock him out. In the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion, he would not put a prince in his eyes.
But the words that were about to leave his mouth ran to the tip of his tongue, and for some reason he swallowed them back.
He felt a little uneasy, and his heart was very restless. The feeling that things were not under his control made Shen Tingjun narrow his eyes slightly.
He finally changed his words and said, "I'll go with you."
Cheng Lin followed the mark left and found that the path was leading to the backyard.
Cheng Lin was so worried that he didn't even dare to look at his master's face behind him. But even if he didn't look back, he could still imagine that his master's face was filled with condensation and he looked like he was about to be furious.
Cheng Lin was frightened and couldn't help complaining secretly. Prince Su likes to do some shameless things in other people's homes, so why don't you choose a good place? Why go to someone's back house? Isn't it because he is afraid that this feud will not end? ?
Fortunately, although the path led to the backyard, it suddenly turned westward when there was still an intersection before the backyard.
This place is actually very close to the Songbai Courtyard, the residence of the master in the backyard. The straight-line distance is only 200 meters, but because the master has never stayed in the Songbai Courtyard over the years, this place is not very popular.
But there are three or five guest houses nearby. These courtyards are not big, so for fear of disturbing the master, these courtyards are usually locked. Earlier, the old lady even thought about expanding these courtyards into the Pine and Cypress Courtyard, but the Marquis didn't even live in the Pine and Cypress Courtyard, so what's the point of going through the trouble of expanding the courtyard? Because of this, the courtyard has not been expanded, and the guest courtyard has been locked and panicked all year round.
Cheng Lin saw that the sign was coming this way, and his heart beat faster and faster. When he thought about Prince Su messing around with people in one of the courtyards, his fists hardened.
That is, when the two of them were hurried forward, suddenly a man who looked like a guard ran over from not far away.
The guard pointed anxiously at the corner of the courtyard, "Master Marquis, Prince Su, he, he just entered."
Shen Tingjun said "hmm", his voice a little hoarse, "Is there anyone in the yard?"
"Yes, yes!" the guard's face flushed, "I just saw two maids helping a woman in lotus-colored clothes to go in. The woman wore her hair in a woman's bun, her face was hanging down, and her whole body was The person seems to be in a coma, and my subordinates can’t see clearly what he looks like.”
He didn't know who the guard was, but Shen Tingjun vaguely guessed who it was.
Today Sang Nuanyue was wearing a lotus-colored dress, and she had a pearl jasper walking stick on her head. Even the texture and style of the earrings in her ears were still fresh in Shen Tingjun's memory.
Sang Nuanyue, it’s her!
She was unconscious. Was she drugged?
Who dares to do such a dirty thing in the Wu'an Marquis Mansion and harm the family members of the Marquis Mansion...
Shen Tingjun still had more questions and confusions, but at the moment he was so angry and frightened that he had no time to think about anything else.
In the blink of an eye, he entered the remote courtyard.
Cheng Lin and the guard looked at each other, shouted "Master" and quickly followed in.
However, by the time they passed, it was already too late.
Prince Su's entourage was lying on the ground, not knowing whether he was alive or dead; two maids screamed "Master, please spare my life" and knelt on the ground and kowtowed fiercely; and next to the door, Prince Su's fat body was leaning on The door sits crookedly.
His neck was chopped off and he was unconscious. His neck hung to one side, his face was shiny, and his eyes were closed tightly, like a dead man.
Cheng Lin and the guards didn't say anything, they just stepped forward and knocked the two maids unconscious.
Before they could make any other moves, Shen Tingjun ordered in a cold voice, "Throw Prince Su into the lake so that he can wake up. The maid will take him down and examine him carefully to see who dares to do such a vicious thing in the Hou Mansion." .”
The two agreed and got busy.
The guard remembered that there should be someone in the room, so he said, "Master Hou..."
He was grabbed by Cheng Lin, and neither of them spoke anymore. They quickly dragged all four people out of the courtyard, and the courtyard immediately returned to silence.
It was in this silence that the breathing in the room became louder.
Shen Tingjun's whole body was tense and his palms were sweaty.
His breathing was rapid and his face was stiff.
But he finally pulled off the copper lock and slowly pushed the door open.
When Shen Tingjun saw the blood stains on the ground, his pupils suddenly shrank. He entered the door in two steps and slowly leaned down beside Sang Nuanyue.
Sang Nuanyue was in a trance, and the pain made her both awake and confused.
She scratched herself and tried to find something to escape, but it was all in vain.
This room is so clean, except for daily use, there is not a single sharp tool.
She could scratch herself with broken porcelain, but she couldn't use porcelain to open the door or open the window.
She tried her best, but the little strength she had accumulated was pitiful. Her whole body was weak and she lay limply on the ground unable to get up.
But she didn't want to be humiliated like this, so when she heard the footsteps, she picked up the porcelain piece again and scratched her thigh again.
Bright red blood stains stained the ground one after another, like flowers blooming on the banks of the Forgotten River. Her clothes were also covered in dark red blooms, which were alluring and eye-catching.
Sang Nuanyue was heartbroken, holding a piece of porcelain tightly in her hand, wanting to die with the person who came.
But after several "plop" sounds of falling to the ground were heard outside the house, a person she didn't expect came in.
The broken porcelain in Sang Nuanyue's hand fell out of her hand, and with a clear "clang" sound, the broken porcelain fell to the ground.
Shen Tingjun looked at the bright red blood stains on the broken porcelain, raised his head and threw the broken porcelain into the corner. While gently wiping the blood on her palm, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Where else are you injured?"
Sang Nuanyue wanted to laugh, but tears ran out of her eyes and flowed down into her messy black hair, "Hou... Master?"
"Well, it's me."
Shen Tingjun picked her up from the ground and walked out of the door, "Who brought you here?"
"No, I don't know."
"What did you eat at the banquet, and when did you realize something was wrong?"
"Remember, I can't remember clearly."
A large cloak full of masculine scent was covered over her pocket, and she was tightly wrapped from head to toe.
Sang Nuanyue felt the pain in the wound on her thigh, but when the pain was rubbed, it felt so good.
Shen Tingjun hugged her tightly and said, "It will be fine soon. Just bear with it a little longer."
The wind quickly blew over the two of them, and Sang Nuanyue felt that the surrounding scenery seemed to be retreating rapidly.
Then the wind slowly stopped and my ears became clear again.
Her cloak was taken off, and her head and face were exposed again.
This seems to be a brand new house, but it doesn't seem to be. But Sang Nianyue had no time to care about this, she tore her clothes hard.
"Sang Nianyue, do you really know what you are doing?"
"I know, I know."
She started crying, "I feel so uncomfortable, please help me, please help me..."
Shen Tingjun closed his eyes and used all his strength on his hands.
Accompanied by several harsh sounds of "stab", the clothes were torn mercilessly and thrown to the ground in a mess...
*
As the lanterns begin to light up, it’s time for dinner.
The old lady waited and waited until the eldest son came to have dinner, so she asked Shen Tinglan, "Where is your eldest brother? Didn't you say that you brothers had already sent off the guests? Why hasn't your eldest brother shown up yet?"
Shen Tinglan and Shen Tingyi looked at each other. It was difficult to tell the old lady. The eldest brother was afraid that he would be tripped up by Prince Su.
On the big day, there is really no need for my mother to worry about those messy things. Besides, with his eldest brother here, no matter how big a trouble Prince Su makes, he can still calm it down, so there is really no need to worry his mother about this matter.
Shen Tinglan comforted the old lady, "I'm afraid that the eldest brother has gone out to look for the prince. We sent the prince out of the mansion together before, and the prince said that he would have time to go to the prince's mansion. Presumably, the eldest brother was worried that something was wrong with the prince, so he was too late. I told you to go out again."
The old lady nodded, "That should be it."
Since Da Lang is not coming back, the old lady doesn't worry about him anymore. With the prince, her husband will never be hungry or thirsty.
The old lady was happy and called her son and daughters-in-law to eat quickly. She also took the hand of her beloved daughter Shen Yuyao and touched it again and again, "From today on, our Yao'er is a big girl. It's time to get married seriously."
The second lady, Shen Tingyi and Shen Tinglan all chatted a few words, and the atmosphere was really lively. Only Zhou Baolu had a stiff and ugly face, and could not even smile.
She waited all afternoon, but what about the farce she expected to happen? Why didn't it happen? Why were Sang Nianyue and Prince Su not caught in adultery?
Zhou Baolu deliberately arranged the plot against Sang Nianyue today because she was forced to have no choice - because Sang Nianyue never went out with her, Zhou Baolu had no other choice but to invite Prince Su to the mansion.
Although this was her helpless choice, Zhou Baolu would also be very happy if it disrupted Shen Yuyao's hairpin ceremony.
She didn't like Sang Ningyue, and she didn't like Shen Yuyao. She could only embarrass them both at once, and even worse, send Sang Ningyue to the nobles for their own benefit. She really wanted it.
Also worried that the Marquis Wu'an Mansion would keep the matter under wraps, Zhou Baolu also encouraged several people who were close to the old lady to sit in the mansion. However, as time passed, the maid who was supposed to report the news did not show up. To this day, no one knows whether those two maids are alive or dead.
Zhou Baolu's heart dropped heavily.
Did her plan fail?
But why did it fail?
She had arranged everything, and the housekeepers in Prince Su's Mansion also had a lot of experience in doing such secret things. When the two of them join forces, there should be absolutely no mistakes.
Zhou Baolu was uneasy. He was worried that it would be revealed that she was cheating, and he was also angry that she had set up such a clever trap. How could it be broken so easily?
She had been planning for so long, rehearsed for so long, and had imagined her expression countless times when she rushed in, but why was there no follow-up?
Zhou Baolu was in a state of disbelief, and everyone was covered.
At this time, Shen Tinglan picked up a chopstick of green vegetables and put it in her bowl, "What are you thinking about? Come on, eat quickly. What you ate at lunch today is greasy. Now eat some vegetarian food to relieve the greasiness. Don't you always think about it? Let’s eat vegetables. This is what Zhuangzi sent us yesterday. It’s not much, it’s just enough for us to eat a few meals. If you get distracted for a while, the vegetables will be gone.”
Zhou Baolu smiled stiffly, "Thank you husband, I'll eat it now."
Shen Tinglan watched her eat with chopsticks, her thick eyebrows slightly frowned. She looks so worried. What is she worried about?
Unexpectedly, Shen Tinglan thought of Prince Su, and then of his eldest brother who had not shown up yet...
After the meal, everyone dispersed quickly.
Because of Shen Yuyao's busy work on hair-raising ceremony, everyone in the house has been busy for several days. Now that the work is finally done, it feels like a big stone has fallen from the heart. Everyone feels very sleepy and tired, and urgently needs to go back and have a good sleep. .
Everyone left Heyan Hall, the second room went back to Shi'an Garden, and the third room went back to Tingyu Pavilion.
Brother Rong hasn't slept yet. He hasn't seen his parents all day, and he is very noisy at this time.
Shen Tinglan felt sorry for her son. She hugged him and teased him, and Rongan giggled happily. He laughed so hard that his saliva even flowed into his father's collar.
Shen Tinglan didn't mind it either. He wiped it clean with a handkerchief, then turned his head and said to Zhou Baolu, "You go and wash up first. I'll play with Rongan for a while."
Zhou Baolu walked into the inner room as if floating, and Zhi Cai soon followed. She asked anxiously, "Madam, there's no reply there yet, has something happened?"
"What could happen? Even if something happens, what does it have to do with us? Remember, we didn't do anything today. We were busy with the third girl's hairpin ceremony all day long. How could we have time to do anything else? Other messy things. Remember, no matter what happens outside, it has nothing to do with us."
Zhi Cai understood what Madam meant and said, "My slave, I understand."
When Zhou Baolu came out of the shower, Shen Tinglan had already put Rong An to sleep and sent him back to his room.
After returning to the room, he saw that Zhou Baolu was absent-minded and even applied the cream she usually applied to her legs and feet directly on her face. Seeing this, Shen Tinglan finally couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you today? But the banquet Did something unpleasant happen to you?"
Although Zhou Baolu was mentally prepared, she had done something wrong and felt very guilty at the moment. She smiled reluctantly, her whole body looking fragile and tired, "No, it's nothing, I just have been too tired these past few days. Now that the matter is over, I still can't recover."
"Thank you for your hard work. Have a good sleep. Maybe you'll be fine when you wake up." Although Shen Tinglan was very suspicious of Zhou Baolu's words, he had noticed that she was busy preparing for the banquet these days.
Although he had doubts about her character, before the servant checked everything out, as his pillow, he was willing to give her the minimum trust. He still believed that she was still the cheerful and kind girl he first met.
The two of them rested like this, and the lights in Tingyu Pavilion were quickly turned off.
In the dark night, no one knew about the courtyard that had been uninhabited for nearly ten years. It was not until the middle of the night that the night finally stopped.
But Cheng Yi knew it, and so did Cheng Lin.
The two of them had been guarding the yard, not allowing anyone to come near, and warning all the servants in the yard to pretend to be deaf and dumb and not to spread anything.
After a long time, the door to the main room finally opened from the inside.
Shen Tingjun walked out of the house wearing a wide robe.
Cheng Yi and Cheng Lin followed him into the study, and they looked at the Marquis in front of them.
He still had that stern and graceful face, but at this time, he didn't know whether it was because he was too satisfied, or because his longing had finally come true. There was a look of relaxation on his solemn face, which made people feel a little relieved. loose.
But it only lasted for a moment. When he spoke, his tone was still killing and decisive, showing that he was definitely a ruthless character who was not inferior to his ancestors.
"Let's talk about it. How did things go?"
Cheng Yi returned first, "My subordinates threw Prince Su into the moat. Prince Su was very lucky. At that time, several students who came to Beijing to take the exam were writing poems and paintings on the bank, and they worked together to rescue Prince Su ashore."
In fact, they had no intention of doing anything to Prince Su. After all, he was a relative of the emperor and a fellow brother of today. Although Emperor Longqing didn't like his half-brother, there were two different things between disliking him and indulging his ministers in plotting to kill him.
Shen Tingjun is a minister, and Prince Su is the king. The ministers can disrespect the king, but they cannot have the rebellious intention to kill the king.
The following offense is not much different from treason. No matter how much Emperor Longqing trusted Shen Tingjun, he would not condone him being so arrogant.
Because of this, Cheng Yi was very prudent when doing things, and he managed to reach a point where Prince Su would learn a lesson without losing his life. This kind of strategy was really popular with Shen Tingjun.
But Shen Tingjun was only slightly satisfied.
Think about Prince Su's plan to do evil in the Wu'an Marquis Mansion and almost taint...
Shen Tingjun snorted coldly, holding the handles on both sides of the carved rosewood chair. His eyes were as dark as ice. After a long time, he spoke again, "Did the butler next to Prince Su find out anything?"
Cheng Yi shook his head, "That man has a harsh mouth. No matter how hard his subordinates try, he still remains silent."
"Oh, if you refuse to tell, you will suffer less. The punishment is severe. If you still refuse to reveal something, you will be killed."
Cheng Yi said "yes" and his expression completely hardened.
Originally, he wanted to grind it slowly. There were many torture methods in Dali Temple, and the housekeeper was not a tough guy. As long as the grinding time was up, there was no need to worry about him not confessing.
It's just that the master is impatient and can't wait to find out the person who harbors evil intentions in the Hou Mansion, so he has nothing to be merciful about.
It's just a killing move. As long as he doesn't really want to die, he will do it.
Shen Tingjun asked again, "How can Qiangweiyuan be comforted? Don't make the matter a big deal. All insiders must keep silent."
"My subordinates know it and have already asked someone to do it."
Shen Tingjun gave a deep "hmm" and his thoughts couldn't help but drift into the distance.
