Miss and farmhand

I had stayed at her house not long ago, but the occasion and my status are different now, so I have to treat her as a different person and get to know her again.

Huang Chu was actually a little dazed. Her last impression of Luo Shutao was still that of the Third Miss Luo. After she went to find Huang Xingyu alone, she never showed up again, so it seemed like a fake story. The protagonist in the storybook was not the aunt Huang Chu knew who had bathed her and fed her medicine.

Now that they meet again, she can't just go up and greet them directly. She has to first pay her respects to Huang Xingyu and Shen Yurui, offer her congratulations, listen to a few pleasantries, and then have Shen Yurui introduce them again.

"Actually, she's someone you know, but now you have to call her Aunt. It's not a big deal, she's still family. You can't disrespect your cousin's wife just because she's now a concubine, or treat her like she's someone of inferior status."

Shen Yurui's expression was calm, but her words were barbed.

Huang Chu pretended not to hear and turned to look at Luo Shutao. Luo Shutao didn't care much about what Shen Yurui said. She had prepared a gift for the meeting, covered with a red silk cloth, which was held by a maid behind her and was about to be presented.

Huang Chu gave her a meaningful look. Luo Shutao didn't understand what he meant, so Huang Chu frowned and shouted in a high-pitched voice, "I dare not accept anything from Aunt Luo. I'm too timid and unworthy!"

Everyone present was taken aback.

Shen Yurui was the quickest to react.

Of course, she also saw the wet nurse following behind. She remembered this timid person from back then. The old women around Shen Xuying were all like impenetrable walls, impossible to reach, and this one could be considered a weakness, which is why she came in handy now.

She remained calm because she was certain that the wet nurse would confess, and what she did confess was exactly what she wanted, which would tarnish Luo Shutao's reputation.

It was a clever move to use someone else's strength against them; she remained clean and tidy, simply watching the show from the sidelines.

She deliberately asked, "What's wrong? How come you're neither good enough nor bad enough?"

"Why don't you ask Aunt Luo and let her tell you herself?" Huang Chu said, drawing out the words.

Luo Shutao blinked blankly, not looking at Shen Yurui, but only at Huang Chu: "I don't understand. Is there some misunderstanding? I hope you can explain it clearly, Mother."

Huang Chu clapped his hands, and the wet nurse came forward and knelt in the hall. She did the same thing as yesterday, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness, repeating what she had said, and then pointing out the old woman behind Luo Shutao.

"It's...it's this Madam Song...she's the one who took Rong-ge'er away..."

"Did you hear that, Aunt? Yesterday I felt guilty for disturbing your happy occasion. Even though Rongniang collapsed in Uncle's kitchen for no reason and no one noticed, the weather was so hot that she was almost cooked. She almost died when she got home. But what does that matter? She's just a girl. It's hard to say whether she can survive at such a young age. It's normal for her to get sick or have a mishap. How could you make such a fuss over her and ruin Uncle and Aunt's wedding?"

Luo Shutao had never heard Huang Chu speak in such a sarcastic and strange way before, so she was caught off guard and didn't react in time.

Huang Xingyu, sitting at the head of the table, slammed down her teacup, cleared her throat, and said, "Mother, don't talk nonsense. How can you talk about your own sister like that? Even if you're angry, you can't speak so recklessly. Who said that to you?"

"Uncle, it doesn't matter who said it. I just don't understand, what did Rongniang do to offend Aunt Luo? What grudge is there that can't be spoken of? Why wasn't it cleared up before? Now that she's married to you, Uncle, and has gained power and become an elder, she's taking revenge on the child!"

Her shouts were so loud that they seemed to echo in the hall. As soon as her voice reverberated, Song Mama, who was behind Luo Shutao, rushed out and knelt down on the ground with the wet nurse.

"I'm innocent! This old servant has never seen this woman, much less sought her out in private. Master, please don't listen to her accusations! Please, Master, save me!"

With more people around, things get interesting. With Song's mother joining in, the wet nurse, unlike yesterday, was no longer on the verge of tears after a few words and started shouting to defend herself. The two of them went back and forth, and soon started arguing.

The actors put on a show, while the audience had their own thoughts. The happiest person was naturally Shen Yurui. She had thought that once the truth was revealed, it might lead to a nerve-wracking confrontation, but she never expected that her little niece would be so capable, revealing everything in the way that was most advantageous to her, directly pinning the blame on Luo Shutao.

She remained completely detached, leaning back in her chair. She could see not only the argument between the people kneeling below, but also the reactions of others: Huang Xingyu's impatience sitting next to her, and Luo Shutao's bewildered tension sitting below.

She was the only one outside this play; she wasn't even there to watch from behind the curtain. She was the most innocent and uninvolved audience member. Given the current situation, no one would have guessed that she had any connection to this.

The old woman, Song, was still shouting, "Heaven and earth bear witness, I've never even seen the second young lady next door! I was bought by the Luo family as a maid, why would I want to cause trouble for the Huang family's daughter!"

The wet nurse added, "Then you'll have to ask yourself! You may have no enemies, but you can't be a rootless tree bearing rooted fruit. You always obey orders, and you must have enemies!"

This completely ignited the fire against Luo Shutao.

Of course, she didn't expect to do anything to Luo Shutao with this. Anyway, as long as Rong Ge'er survived, the whole thing would be fine, and the matter would simply be resolved peacefully. But the annoyance was enough to satisfy her. Especially Huang Xingyu's current expression, which was truly pleasing to the eye, and Shen Yurui wanted to see how he would defend him.

As for those two women, they were a potential threat if they hadn't caused trouble, but now that they've made a scene, they have no place in this household. Shen Yurui can't deal with Luo Shutao, but dealing with a couple of subordinates is a piece of cake. She can just send them to the countryside openly, secretly give them some money, and send them far away. That way, there will be no witnesses, and the blame will fall squarely on Luo Shutao, having nothing to do with her.

Having made up her mind, and seeing that their arguing had subsided, Shen Yurui cleared her throat and said, "Enough! What kind of commotion is this? Don't worry, Auntie, now that things have started to develop, your aunt and uncle will definitely not let Rong-ge'er suffer any injustice without cause. We will definitely investigate this matter. You can leave it to—"

"Auntie is right, we must investigate!" Huang Chu interrupted her, turning to face Luo Shutao. "Auntie, Aunt Luo, your people have caused my sister to suffer. You must give me an explanation yourself!"

"Young lady, I think there must be some misunderstanding. I was completely unaware of it myself—"

Huang Chu reached out and grabbed Luo Shutao's wrist tightly, squeezing it downwards. She then brought her face close, staring intently at Luo Shutao, and said, "Even if there's a misunderstanding, do you expect a maid from another room like me to investigate? Aunt Luo, if something's happened to your person, then you should investigate it yourself. I don't want anyone else interfering; I only want you! You owe my sister, so you'll have to pay it back yourself!"

Her voice was unrestrained; she wanted not only Luo Shutao to hear and understand, but also for another person to understand her meaning.

Sure enough, Shen Yurui suddenly realized something halfway through the conversation, turned around, and wanted to speak up to stop Huang Chu—

—No, we can't let Luo Shutao investigate this! That would be handing a dagger to the enemy!

Shen Yurui's heart suddenly pounded. She understood Huang Chu's plan. This girl was doing it on purpose; she deliberately wanted to muddy the waters, turning something that could have been quietly suppressed in her hands into a handle for Luo Shutao!

But it was too late. Luo Shutao wasn't stupid; otherwise, she would have been a nun long ago, and wouldn't be sitting here being bullied by Shen Yurui today!

Her eyes shifted from blankness to a flash of cold light, meeting Huang Chu's gaze, and they exchanged a barely perceptible nod.

Huang Chu smiled.

"I don't care about any misunderstandings, truths or lies. In short, I'm handing these two people over to you. No matter what methods you use, no matter how long it takes, you must personally give me and my sister an answer!"