Chapter 26: Father, do you think I am in the wrong?

Shen Wanning huddled into the arms of Madam Chen, feigning an expression of deep terror.

Madam Chen did not care for this timidity in Wanning, but she laid all the blame at Shen Yuan’s feet, convinced that it was Shen Yuan’s overbearing nature and lack of decorum that had frightened the girl.

"Even if Wanning was in the wrong first, does that justify you throwing live fish at her? Can’t you smell the stench on her? Furthermore, you are not yet wed, yet you were found privately meeting Lu Chengyuan at Taiqing Lake. If word of this gets out, where will the reputation of the Shen household be?"

This was the first time Madam Chen had ever reprimanded Shen Yuan in front of others. To her, any harm befalling Wanning was a matter of paramount importance.

However, Shen Yuan remembered clearly that when they were on the boat, Shen Wanning had not been scratched by any fish bones. Had she been, given her temperament, she would have been making a noisy scene and demanding a physician.

"Since Mother has already passed judgment, I have nothing to say."

After all, this was the mother who had raised her for eight years; the maternal love of her childhood was enough to make her forget all the pain she had endured. She could argue with Shen Yong and Shen Lang, she could remain indifferent to Shen Yi, and she could turn a deaf ear to Shen Yu, but toward Madam Chen—her former mother—she could not harden her heart.

"Report to the Master and Madam! The Zhang family has sent word that their young lady was pushed into the lake by the Third Miss and is now running a high fever, unconscious, and in critical condition!"

The steward, who had burst in, left everyone stunned. Upon hearing this, Shen Yong rushed down without a moment's hesitation and slapped Shen Yuan twice across the face.

Madam Chen’s lips trembled, but she hesitated and said nothing, merely holding Shen Wanning tighter. Shen Lang stood coldly to the side, silent. Shen Yu, who had just returned from his studies, saw the tense atmosphere in the hall and dared not speak.

"It was one thing for you to hurt Wanning, but how could you provoke the daughter of the Zhang family?" Shen Yong waved his hand, gesturing for the steward to bring a whip.

Shen Yuan covered her face, her eyes burning with red resentment. "Do you want to beat me again? Are you trying to beat me to death this time so that the Empress Dowager will be forced to reclaim all the private property under my name?"

"Shen Yuan! How dare you speculate about your father’s motives!" Madam Chen could not hold her composure and stood up abruptly. But the panic she could not mask in her eyes was not lost on Shen Yuan. The more they covered it up, the more certain she was that something was amiss.

Shen Yuan knew full well that the private property her grandmother had bequeathed to her was a sweet treat in the eyes of everyone in the Shen household. She also understood that it was precisely because of that inheritance that her grandmother had been murdered by them.

At this thought, resentment swelled in her chest. Looking at the livid-faced Shen Yong, she asked in a low voice, "In my father’s heart, you likely feel I am unworthy of staying in the Shen household, nor worthy of bearing the Shen name. But why, then, did you let me return as I wished? Why have you not struck my name from the family register?"

From the very beginning, even though Shen Yong disliked her, he never once mentioned changing her name or driving her from the house. Was it out of lingering affection, or was it because they were eyeing her private assets? Shen Yuan knew the truth, and they knew it just as well.

"You... you are utterly rebellious! In this hall, you are the junior—how dare you speak to me in such a manner?" Shen Yong held the whip high, but it remained hovering in the air. Shen Lang wanted to intervene, but seeing Shen Yuan’s insubordinate posture, he did not know what to say.

"I remember Father once taught me that one should not offend unless offended. The Zhang young lady insulted me first. If I had suffered in silence, it would have truly been dragging the Shen family's reputation through the dirt. If I let her get away with it this time, she would only bully and humiliate me again and again! So, Father, do you really think I am in the wrong?"

Shen Yong was rendered speechless by her questioning. He knew that Zhang Yanran was notoriously arrogant; even if Shen Yuan lacked decorum, it was unlikely she would have struck first. Yet, for a junior to question him like this in the main hall, in such a tone—where did that leave his authority?

"Master! Another message from the Zhang family!"

Before Shen Yong could punish Shen Yuan, the steward rushed in again, breathless. "Reporting to the Master and Madam, the Zhang family sent word that their young lady has regained consciousness. After the physician’s examination, she is in no danger. According to the young lady herself, she fell into Taiqing Lake by accident and it has nothing to do with the Third Miss!"

What? Shen Wanning hesitated. She had clearly colluded with Zhang Yanran to pin all the blame on Shen Yuan; why had she changed her story at the last moment?

The expressions of Shen Yong and Madam Chen turned unsightly. Though they did not know what had happened on the Zhang family’s side, they had created a genuine rift with Shen Yuan.

"Ahem, since it was a misunderstanding, there is no need to argue further. A-Yuan, I hear you also fell into the water. Why not go back and have the kitchen prepare some ginger soup?" Shen Lang stepped in to mediate for his parents; he did not want to see Shen Yuan suffer the lash.

Shen Yuan did not look at him, but turned her cold gaze upon Shen Yong once more. "If Father truly does not want me in this house, strike my name from the register, and I shall not stay a moment longer!"

"A-Yuan, don't talk nonsense. Your father loves you; he is just clumsy with his words and doesn't know how to express it..." Madam Chen spoke up for him again. Had this been in one of her old, fleeting dreams, Shen Yuan would have cherished such a gentle face. But now, she felt absolutely nothing.

She did not respond and turned to leave the hall.

Back at Qiushui Pavilion, Liuyan reported the news she had gathered. "I heard that while the Zhang young lady was unconscious, Commander Pei visited the Zhang residence in person, and shortly after, news spread that she was unharmed. As for what exactly happened, this servant does not know."

Shen Yuan guessed it might have been Lu Chengyuan’s intervention, forgetting for a moment about Pei Ji. *Of course,* she thought, *he was also at the lake; how could he not know what transpired?*

Shen Yuan did not dwell on these trifles. She needed to uncover the truth behind her grandmother’s death as quickly as possible.

"Liuyan, when did you come to the Shen household?" Shen Yuan asked.

"This servant came five years ago and has been working in the kitchen ever since."

"Then... do you remember a Nurse Su in the household?" Her grandmother had passed away four years ago, so Liuyan would surely have heard of it.

Liuyan thought carefully, then asked uncertainly, "I wasn't very familiar with the people in the Old Madam’s courtyard. But after the Old Madam passed, there was an old nurse who was caught stealing. On the day of the funeral, the Master had her forcibly expelled from the house, and one of her legs was broken in the process... As for whether her name was Nurse Su, I cannot recall."

Shen Yuan only remembered that Nurse Su had been her grandmother’s favorite servant, whom she had indulged to the point of overlooking even her small mistakes. Having been by her grandmother’s side, she had never lacked for money; she had no reason to steal!

Shen Yuan understood everything. She calculated her small private treasury; it contained exactly thirty taels of silver.

"Liuyan, take fifteen taels of silver and send them to Commander Pei."

Liuyan was bewildered. Commander Pei... did he need to borrow money from her mistress?