Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 27

Chapter 27 No Spirit Tablet

Dr. Xu looked at Shen Qiuci in shock, a chill running down his spine beneath his sweat-soaked clothes: “Under the emperor’s rule, how dare you commit such violence?”

Shen Qiuci smiled: “The Shen family is known for their loyalty and respect for the law, of course, I wouldn’t dare. So…”

She raised her eyes to look at Dr. Xu, her expression stern and cold: “I’m asking you to take your own life.”

“What?” Dr. Xu’s pupils constricted suddenly.

Shen Qiuci met his terrified gaze and smiled slightly: “Didn’t you say that as a doctor, you know best how to make someone’s death look like an accident?”

“Now, I want you to use that method on yourself.” She stepped closer to Dr. Xu, her voice icy cold: “If you’re not dead by midnight tonight, I’ll kill your entire family.”

“If you dare to escape, I’ll kill your entire family.”

“If you reveal my identity, I’ll kill your entire family.”

She walked up to Dr. Xu and helped him up, then brushed off the dust from his clothes, smiling warmly at him: “It’s up to you to decide whether you want to end your own life or have your entire family die with you.”

Although Shen Qiuci was smiling, the cold cruelty in her eyes sent shivers down Dr. Xu’s spine.

Dr. Xu’s face turned ashen, and he knew he had no way out. He didn’t beg for mercy anymore, but asked Shen Qiuci in despair: “After I die, will you really spare my wife and child?”

Shen Qiuci smiled but said nothing.
Under the pressure of her absolute power, she didn’t need to respond to Dr. Xu’s question.

“Okay… okay!” Dr. Xu’s eyes were bloodshot, and he laughed maniacally before breaking free from Shen Qiuci’s grasp. He stumbled towards the door: “Before midnight tonight, I’ll give you a satisfactory answer.”
His tone was like that of a heroic martyr, but to Shen Qiuci, it was just laughable.

She looked at Dr. Xu’s miserable back, her gaze falling on his broken arm, and said coldly: “Hide your broken hand. My mother doesn’t like blood.”

After dealing with Dr. Xu, Shen Qiuci went to Madam Shen’s room.

When she arrived, only Fang mama was in the main hall.

She was standing with her back to Shen Qiuci, carefully wiping the incense table where the ancestral tablets were placed.

Madam Shen had said that the ancestral hall was too cold, and she couldn’t bear to leave her loved ones’ tablets standing alone, so she had brazenly placed them in her own room.

Shen Qiuci walked slowly forward, her fiery gaze falling on the three cold ancestral tablets.

The order of the tablets, from left to right, was her father, her brother, and… herself.

The words “Beloved daughter Shen Qiuci” became blurry in the smoke of incense.

Yes, everyone in the capital knew that the eldest daughter of the Shen family had fallen from a building and had been recovering at home for two years before miraculously recovering and returning to the mansion as the dignified and respectable mistress.

But the second daughter, Shen Qiuci, had been kidnapped by the candle shadow thieves twelve years ago and had been brutally killed.

So this ancestral tablet could only bear her name.

Fang mama heard the movement and turned around.

She saw Shen Qiuci staring fixedly at the ancestral tablet and explained awkwardly: “Second young lady, don’t take it to heart. The servants in the mansion don’t know that the eldest young lady has passed away, nor do they know that you’ve returned. To avoid exposing the truth, the ancestral tablet… has to be placed like this.”

“I understand. It’s just that it’s unfair to my sister, who died unjustly and couldn’t even have an ancestral tablet.”

Shen Qiuci took three incense sticks from the incense table, lit them over the flame, and bowed three times to the ancestral tablet before inserting the incense into the incense burner.
“Where is Mother?” she asked.

Fang mama replied: “The Madam just had a calming drink, and Xia Shang is taking care of her in the inner room. She just fell asleep.”

Shen Qiuci took the plain cloth from Fang Mama’s hand and gently wiped the ancestral tablets of her father and brother.

After a moment, she asked again: “Aunt Fang, when I secretly returned to the mansion, the servants didn’t know my identity. How did Dr. Xu find out and use it to blackmail Mother?”

Fang mama looked worried and said with regret: “Three days after the eldest young lady passed away, she had to be buried. That night, I and the Madam secretly took the eldest young lady’s remains to the ancestral tomb in the suburbs of the capital. But who would have thought…”

She sighed heavily and shook her head: “The eldest young lady was under Dr. Xu’s care during her illness. Maybe he suspected something about her sudden recovery and was secretly spying on the mansion. That night, he secretly followed us to the ancestral tomb and happened to see everything…”

“So that’s how it was,” Shen Qiuci nodded calmly, then took Fang Mama’s hand and said: “Aunt Fang, you’ve worked hard these days.”

Fang Mama’s eyes turned red, and she choked: “I’m the Madam’s personal maid, and I’ve watched you and the eldest young lady grow up. I treat you like family. The eldest young lady had a hard life, and all I can do is this little bit.”

She tightly grasped Shen Qiuci’s hand, looking worried: “Dr. Xu has received kindness from the mansion for many years, but he turned out to be so ruthless! He’s like a snake that swallows an elephant – no amount of silver can satisfy him! Although the second young lady dealt with him today, it’s hard to guarantee he won’t come back to bother us again…”

“Don’t worry, Aunt Fang,” Shen Qiuci straightened the ancestral tablets and said calmly: “He won’t bother us again.”

The rising incense smoke enveloped Shen Qiuci in a thin mist, making it impossible to see the expression on her face.

Fang Mama was about to say something when she suddenly heard a maid’s voice from outside the door: “Fang Mama, the lady’s medicine is ready.”

Fang Mama took the red wooden tray with the bowl of medicine and waved her hand to dismiss the maid.

Shen Qiuci slightly lowered her head and glanced at the bowl. The dark, murky broth emitted steam, and the bitter smell wafted up, filling Shen Qiuci’s nostrils and causing her to frown involuntarily.

She turned to look at Fang Mama and asked softly: “What medicine is this?”

Upon hearing this, Fang Mama’s face immediately fell. She hesitated for a moment, her lips trembling, before avoiding Shen Qiuci’s gaze and saying with difficulty: “Second young lady… the Madam’s body isn’t well…”