Seeing her cheerful and smiling demeanor, Granny Wan assumed she was weak and easily bullied, and arrogantly replied, "Of course."
"Slap!" A crisp slap landed hard on Granny Wan's face, making her dizzy and seeing stars...
Granny Wan's plump face instantly swelled up. She glared at Shen Lixue, her cold eyes blazing with anger: "You actually hit me! I am the Madam..."
"How dare you frame Madam!" Shen Lixue slapped her again, stunning Granny Wan. Shen Lixue stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth, quickly stripped off her outer garment, and tightly bound her hands. She then ordered the dumbfounded servants beside her, "What are you standing there for? Take her to see Madam!"
006 team up to mess with their stepmother
Elegant Garden Interior
"Mother, why didn't you let me teach Shen Lixue a lesson just now?" Shen Yingxue said fiercely. Shen Lixue had actually made her lose face in front of so many servants. How could she be so rude!
Lei sipped his fragrant tea, his gaze deep: "Shen Lixue is very clever, and her methods are unfathomable. To be her enemy, one must be extremely careful..."
“Mother, this is the Prime Minister’s residence, our own territory. Are we afraid of some country bumpkin?” Shen Yingxue disagreed with Lei Shi’s words.
Lei lowered her eyelids: "It's always better to be careful. After all, she's your father's biological daughter. We can't openly scheme against her anymore..."
Shen Yingxue's eyes lit up: "Does Mother mean to secretly trip her up?"
Lei gave a curt reply, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "I've arranged everything..."
"real?"
Before Shen Yingxue could even feel happy, a commotion arose outside. Lei Shi frowned and asked, "Who's making such a racket outside?"
"Reporting to Madam, it is Shen Lixue..."
Before the maid could finish speaking, Shen Lixue had already entered the inner room, followed by two maids escorting Granny Wan in.
Granny Wan's face was swollen from the beating. Upon seeing Madam Lei, she seemed to find a pillar of support. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed and begged for help.
"What's going on?" Lei asked in confusion, already understanding in her heart that Shen Lixue had discovered her intentions.
"Granny Wan said that the madam dislikes me, so she gave me the allowance for a concubine's daughter and forced me to be a concubine's daughter..." Shen Lixue complained to Madam Lei.
Shen Yingxue slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "You audacious servant, how dare you spout such nonsense and frame the Prime Minister's wife..." As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yingxue suddenly realized that she had been tricked and was about to change her words, but Shen Lixue did not give her the chance.
“Great minds think alike. Although Madam is my father’s second wife, she is gentle, kind, dignified and virtuous. How could she bully my daughter, the daughter of his first wife? I was furious at her slandering Madam like this, so I slapped her twice and brought her here to be made to confess to Madam.”
Suddenly, Shen Lixue seemed to have thought of something, and looked at Lei Shi with unease: "Wan Mama is Madam's person. It was overstepping my bounds for me to discipline her. Madam won't blame me for meddling, will she?"
"Of course not!" Lei chuckled unnaturally, with a hint of gritted teeth.
Shen Lixue hit Granny Wan, offended Lei Shi, and deliberately mocked her as a second wife, which was a provocation. Then, Shen Lixue cleverly flattered her. If she punished Shen Lixue, she would be confirming her crime of being harsh on the daughter of the first wife.
"Li Xue, your return is quite sudden. The Prime Minister's residence doesn't have any extra maids, so I transferred a few from my own first, second, and third-class maids to you, thinking that I would make up for it when I bought new maids. Isn't this giving you the allowance for a concubine's daughter? Didn't Granny Wan tell you?" Lei Shi smiled gently and spoke softly, like a virtuous wife and loving mother, but in her heart she hated Shen Li Xue to the extreme.
Shen Lixue shook her head, lying without blushing or skipping a beat: "As soon as Granny Wan entered the Bamboo Garden, she arrogantly showed me my allowance and forced me to become a concubine's daughter. She didn't mention any of this..."
Granny Wan was extremely anxious and tried to speak up for herself by making muffled noises, but her mouth was covered by Shen Lixue, so no matter how eloquent she was, she couldn't say a word to defend herself.
“It seems like Granny Wan has something to say.” Lei gave a wink, and two maids quickly stepped forward and untied Granny Wan.
Once freed, Granny Wan knelt down with a thud, her plump body trembling slightly as she kowtowed repeatedly: "Reporting to Madam, it was Miss Lixue who, upon seeing the discrepancy in the allowances, slapped me without giving me a chance to explain..."
Granny Wan was Lei's capable assistant. The servants and even the concubine's daughters in the mansion treated her with great respect. When Shen Yingxue, this wild girl from the countryside, actually hit her, she was furious and wished she could tear her to pieces.
"Shut up!" Madam Lei glanced at Shen Lixue and angrily rebuked Granny Wan: "Lixue is the daughter of our Prime Minister's family. She is well-educated and reasonable. How could she do such a thing!"
"If Madam doesn't believe me, she can ask those two maids. Surely they wouldn't lie to Madam!" Granny Wan lowered her head, concealing the malice in her eyes. Those two maids were also Madam's people, so they would definitely agree with her. Shen Lixue, just wait and see what happens.
"Is what Granny Wan said true?"
When Lei's stern gaze fell upon them, the maids all lowered their heads and secretly glanced at Chen Lixue.
Shen Lixue, dressed in a light blue silk dress, bathed in sunlight, had a calm and serene expression. A faint smile played on her lips, making her appear as pure and innocent as a lotus emerging from the water. Yet, her eyes were deep and mysterious, and her captivating aura made it hard to breathe.
The two maids felt a sudden jolt, their minds went blank, and they stood there dumbfounded, forgetting how to react.
Lei frowned deeply: Why aren't those two maids saying anything? Could it be...?
"This elegant garden is quite lively!" A clear, playful laugh rang out as a man dressed in a magnificent brocade gown, holding a folding fan, entered the inner room. His every move exuded elegance and nobility, yet he could not conceal the coldness and wickedness that flickered in his eyes.
Shen Lixue was taken aback. How did Nangong Xiao end up here? In ancient times, men weren't allowed to freely enter the inner courtyards of noble ladies!
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Lei Shi, Shen Yingxue, and the others curtsied. Nangong Xiao was carefree and often barged into the women's inner courtyard. Etiquette was meaningless to him, so they were used to it.
"No need for formalities!" Nangong Xiao said politely, glancing at Granny Wan, a deep glint of mockery in his eyes: "Just now in the bamboo garden, she was reprimanding the young lady of the Shen family with great authority. Is she admitting her mistake?"
Shen Lixue's eyes darted around as she echoed Nangong Xiao's words: "Madam, now you should believe me, right? When Granny Wan came to the Bamboo Garden, all she did was accuse me and frame you..."
"Is Prince Nangong sure he saw Granny Wan scolding Lixue?" Lei smiled, a sharp glint in her deep eyes: Nangong Xiao has always loved watching the excitement but not joining in, so why is he helping Shen Lixue this time?
"Of course!" Nangong Xiao snapped his folding fan shut with a 'whoosh,' a cold glint in his wicked eyes: "This young master has sharp eyes and hearing, how could I misjudge someone!"
Nangong Xiao was a noble prince, and his words were enough to overshadow the testimonies of all the servants in the Prime Minister's residence. Lei Shi knew he was lying, but she couldn't expose him, so she could only question Granny Wan: "Granny Wan, do you know your mistake?"
"Please investigate, Madam. I absolutely did not reprimand Miss Lixue!" It is a capital offense for a servant to bully their master. Granny Wan is a smart woman and of course she would not admit it.
A cold glint flashed in Nangong Xiao's captivating eyes: "Are you saying, Granny, that I, the young master, am lying..."
"No, that's not what I meant..." Granny Wan stammered in panic. She was just a lowly servant, how could she dare offend Nangong Xiao, the noble young master? But if she said Nangong Xiao wasn't lying, it would be tantamount to admitting that she had reprimanded Shen Lixue...
“Madam, Granny Wan has worked hard in the Prime Minister’s residence for decades. Even if she has not made any great contributions, she has still put in a lot of effort. A slight punishment will be enough to make her realize her mistakes…” Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her eyes as black as ink: she seemed to be pleading for Granny Wan, but in fact she was cleverly helping Granny Wan to confirm her crime.
"That's not right." Nangong Xiao disagreed with Shen Lixue's point of view, his smile ambiguous, his words ruthless: "A servant who deceives his master must not be let off lightly, otherwise, all the servants in the mansion will follow suit and bully their masters, and the Prime Minister's mansion will be in chaos!"