Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Embracing an Old Hag

The next day, the wind and snow stopped, and the sky was sunny.

In the morning, Shen Qiuci sat in front of the dressing table, and Xia Shang was helping her get dressed and make up.

She looked at the person in the mirror, with fair and delicate skin, black and shiny hair, a pair of beautiful and narrow phoenix eyes, and a mouth and nose that were extremely delicate,

This reminded her of Shen Qiuyu when she first entered the Marquis’s mansion,

She was also as beautiful and refined, and her beauty was so captivating that people couldn’t take their eyes off her.

But later…

As she helped Shen Qiuci style her hair, Xia Shang couldn’t help but say with concern:

“Actually, second miss, when the investigation into the eldest miss’s death is clear, and the eldest miss’s grievance is redressed, you should divorce the Heir and regain your freedom. You’re young, and your body is pure, it’s not good to waste your life in the Heir’s mansion.”

“Of course.” Shen Qiuci replied calmly.

She would leave, but not now at least.

After all, she still needed the title of the Heir’s wife of the Marquis’s mansion to help her hide her other identity.

“Shen Qiuyu!”

A sudden loud shout came from outside the door, startling Xia Shang and making her shudder.
Every time Pei Yuanzhou came to trouble the eldest miss, it was almost always like this.

“Bang.”

The tightly closed door was kicked open with one foot,

Pei Yuanzhou’s forehead was wrapped in bandages, and he came in with a fierce anger, his eyes blazing with fury, staring at Shen Qiuci, as if he wanted to tear her apart on the spot.

Xia Shang stood in front of Shen Qiuci, looking at him in panic:

“Heir, the Eldest wife is still getting dressed, you…”

Pei Yuanzhou shouted at her angrily:

“Get out!”

Xia Shang was determined to protect her mistress, and even though she was shaking with fear, she didn’t budge.

Shen Qiuci lightly patted Xia Shang’s arm:

“The Heir probably has something private to discuss with me, you can go down.”

She also threw her a glance, and only then was the maidservant persuaded to leave.

After the person left, the two of them faced each other,

Pei Yuanzhou glared at her fiercely:

“What did you tell the officials? They actually dared to come to our door to take away Shuang’er? The officials coming and going from the Marquis’s mansion caused such a big commotion, do you know what others will say? Do you still have any regard for me as the master of this household?”
Shen Qiuci looked at the furious man in front of her,

After a moment, she withdrew her gaze, picked up the snail shell-shaped ink stick, and began to carefully draw distant mountains on her eyebrows in the mirror.

“I said, that day I fell from the tower, she pushed me.”

“She pushed you?” Pei Yuanzhou’s anger intensified, “You know that I was with her that day, how could she possibly push you? You’re clearly framing her!”

“Oh?”

Shen Qiuci didn’t look at him, but raised an eyebrow in the mirror, “Then why don’t you go to the yamen and tell Prefect Liu that I’m intentionally framing her, and ask him to release her? Why bother coming to my place and going crazy early in the morning?”

“You…”

Pei Yuanzhou was momentarily speechless.

Xue Yinsong was his concubine, and now the person involved had firmly stated that Xue Yinshuang was the culprit. If he went to the yamen now, no matter what he said, people would think he was covering for her.

“Prefect Liu was your father’s student, of course, he’ll side with you! You’re so good at distorting the truth, where’s the dignity of being the descendant of a noble family? Such behavior will truly bring shame to your father and brother!”

“Distorting the truth?” Shen Qiuci put down the snail shell-shaped ink stick, “Even if she didn’t push me, I didn’t wrong her either.”

As she spoke, she calmly picked up lip balm, “My child, indeed, suffered a miscarriage because of the fetal stabilizing medicine she sent.”She paused for a moment, lightly applied lip balm, and the lips in the mirror became bright red,

“Debt must be paid, and murder must be compensated, it’s a matter of course.”

Pei Yuanzhou said helplessly:

“Back then, it was an unintentional mistake, a pure accident. Who is perfect? You should show the tolerance of a wife and forgive her, pardon her. Instead of bringing it up again after so long, showing petty-mindedness.”

Shen Qiuci sneered:

“Her unintentional mistake, and I should forgive her? According to what you said, if I accidentally poisoned her child to death tomorrow, and said sorry, would that be the end of it?”

Pei Yuanzhou seemed to have heard something unbelievable, his eyes widened in shock:

“What kind of words are you speaking? A child that’s already born, how can it be compared to a miscarried child? Besides, the fetus you were carrying was just a daughter!”

“Moreover, you’ve been paralyzed and staying with your mother’s family for so many years, and it’s Xue Yinshuang who has been taking care of the Marquis’s mansion’s affairs, serving the elders, and giving birth to an heir for the Marquis’s family! People should know how to be grateful, instead of repaying kindness with malice!”He spat out words, saying so much, but Shen Qiuci didn’t even look at him, and just kept applying makeup in front of the mirror.

In anger, Pei Yuanzhou swept away the dressing case in front of her with one hand, and the rouge and powder scattered all over the floor.

“I’m talking to you!”

Shen Qiuci suddenly looked up, her cold eyes met Pei Yuanzhou’s fiery gaze, and she stared at him without saying a word.

Pei Yuanzhou was so angry that he raised his hand to slap her,

But unexpectedly, Shen Qiuci not only didn’t dodge, but instead raised her head, and met the slap head-on.

“Slap me, and I’ll go to the yamen immediately, and firmly accuse Xue Yinshuang of intentionally plotting to harm me.”

“My father and brother risked their lives to protect the emperor, and the emperor remembers the Shen family’s life-saving grace.”

“You can try to see, if this matter is blown up and the court is involved, even if I’m not dead now and can’t sentence her to death, but putting her in prison for thirty or fifty years, shouldn’t be a difficult thing.”

She suddenly stood up, staring at Pei Yuanzhou, with a sneer on the corner of her lips,

“You two are so loving, waiting for fifty years and then reuniting, skipping all the trivial matters in between, and growing old together, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“You!!”

Pei Yuanzhou’s raised hand was only an inch away from Shen Qiuci’s delicate cheek,

But facing Shen Qiuci’s provocative gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to hit her, and reluctantly gave up.

“Not going to hit me?” Shen Qiuci sneered, “You should understand, now it’s you who is begging me to save your concubine, not me begging you. When begging, one should have the attitude of a beggar.”

Pei Yuanzhou was angry and helpless, “What exactly do you want?”

Shen Qiuci glanced at the mess on the floor, “Clean up the mess you made immediately, and I’ll consider letting her off.”

Pei Yuanzhou was about to call the servants to clean up, but Shen Qiuci stopped him,

“I’ll call the servants myself, I’m asking you to clean it up personally.”

Hearing this, Pei Yuanzhou was shocked,

The former Shen Qiuyu was obedient and submissive to him, doing whatever he said,

How could she change so much after being ill?But now he didn’t have time to investigate all this, and the priority was to get Xue Yinshuang out of the yamen as soon as possible.

Xue Yinshuang was pampered and spoiled, and being locked up in prison must have been frightened and crying all night,

Thinking of this, Pei Yuanzhou felt a pang of heartache, and didn’t argue anymore, gritting his teeth and squatting down to pick up the scattered makeup tools.

Every time he bent down to pick something up, in Shen Qiuci’s eyes, it was like he was kowtowing and admitting his guilt, without any dignity.

Indeed, dignity was not something that this beast should have.

After the dressing table was cleaned up, Pei Yuanzhou impatiently pulled Shen Qiuci’s hand and wanted to rush to the yamen,

But Shen Qiuci shook off his hand:

“Before we go, you have to agree to two conditions. First, return the token and key of the mansion to me. As long as the mistress is still alive, how can a concubine manage the household affairs? You may not care about your face, but I won’t lose face in front of the noble ladies in the capital.”

“Second, I can let the officials release her, but on the premise that she must receive fifty strokes of the cane on the court, to comfort the spirit of my deceased child in heaven!”

“Fifty strokes of the cane?” Pei Yuanzhou’s eyes widened, he simply couldn’t believe his ears, “Xue Yinshuang is frail, wouldn’t this be risking her life?”
Shen Qiuci didn’t listen, and continued to speak as if to herself:

“And you’re the master of the household, and she’s your concubine, so regarding the punishment, you’ll have to discuss it with Prefect Liu personally.”

Making him say this, wouldn’t Xue Yinshuang cause a huge commotion when she returned to the mansion?

Pei Yuanzhou gritted his teeth, almost spitting out the words:

“Shen Qiuyu! You’re really bullying me too much!”

Shen Qiuci looked down at the bright red nail polish on her nails,

“The way to save her, I’ve already told you clearly. Do you want to save her now, or wait fifty years and then get an old hag?”

Her tone gradually slowed down, and she leisurely looked up at Pei Yuanzhou,

With a smile, her red lips parted slightly:

“It’s up to you to decide.”