Chapter 174 - Calumny (1/2)

The news that Shi Qingxue had recovered and come back home spread quickly in Duke Shi’s mansion, and Zhou Ruyu might be the most restless.

Zhou Ruyu had finally managed to “kick out” her most powerful enemy. Before she tortured everyone in the first master’s family to death, Shi Qingxue had come back unexpectedly, which made her furious.

No, she couldn’t let Shi Qingxue have a chance to swagger in Duke Shi’s mansion.

After making a decision, Zhou Ruyu rushed to the Shou’an Hall. Mo Shujun had just finished dinner and was enjoying the cool in the courtyard.

“Mother, good evening.” Zhou Ruyu was anxious but didn’t dare to act recklessly. She greeted Mo Shujun respectfully.

Mo Shujun glanced at Zhu who served her, and the maid understood. Zhu greeted Zhou Ruyu and then led the other servants to leave and stay several meters away, letting them talk in private.

“Tell me. Why did you come to me late in the evening?” Mo Shujun asked indifferently and didn’t even look at Zhou Ruyu.

Zhou Ruyu was seen through and looked awkward, but she was thick-skinned and soon smiled, trying to please her. “Mother, I hear that Qingxue came back today?”

Mo Shujun leered at Zhou Ruyu and smiled faintly. “Didn’t you come to me because you got the news earlier?”

“No. I come to visit you every morning and night. I am worried that you are too tired today, so I came earlier. I am afraid that I will disturb you when you have a rest.”

Mo Shujun smiled and didn’t say whether she believed it or not.

Zhou Ruyu thought Mo Shujun believed it and then seized the chance to explain her purpose of coming here. “I hear that Qingxue came to greet you as soon as she returned home today. It’s obvious that she is a good child.”

“A good child? She just did it to act in front of outsiders. Do you think I am blind and can’t see through her?” At the mention of this matter, Mo Shujun was angry and looked colder.

Zhou Ruyu was happy to see that, but she still pretended worried. She expressed with concern, “You know how naughty Qingxue is. Why do you get mad at her? If you get sick out of anger, it will be unworthy.”

Zhou Ruyu wanted to speak evil of Shi Qingxue. Unexpectedly, Mo Shujun didn’t get mad at Shi Qingxue but reproached her coldly, “Since you said that I have brought her up, you don’t need to tell me about her moral quality.”

“… I, I didn’t mean that.” Zhou Ruyu forced a smile and secretly cursed Mo Shujun who was partial. She didn’t pretend to be virtuous and innocent anymore.

She added frankly, “I know you love Qingxue, Mother. But all people witnessed what she had done in the past few days. She and her cousin hurt each other, and then she lived in King Rui’s mansion as an unmarried woman. She just humiliated our family.

In the past, His Excellency announced in public that he wouldn’t let Qingxue go, but now he let her return home without saying anything. What would the outsiders think? They would think that Qingxue slept with His Excellency, and later he got tired of her and abandoned her. This…”

“Shut up!” Mo Shujun shouted in rage and interrupted Zhou Ruyu ruthlessly.

She stared coldly at Zhou Ruyu and cursed, “Since you know it’s our family’s scandal, you should keep your mouth shut and not speak a word. How can you talk nonsense to disgrace our family’s name?

I warn you. If I hear that you or your people make irresponsible remarks outside and defame the Shi Family next time, I won’t spare you!”

Zhou Ruyu almost shrank her head into her neck when being cursed, but the more obedient she looked, the more resentful she was.

Shi Qingxue had done something out of line and ruined the Shi Family’s fame, but Zhou Ruyu was wrong as she told the truth.

Zhou Ruyu concluded that Mo Shujun was partial, but she didn’t know that if something was done but wasn’t spoken out, the outsiders would forget it soon. On the contrary, if she didn’t do something but many people talked about it, no matter how she proved her innocence, people would comment on her.

It was said that gossip was fearful, and that was true.

Zhou Ruyu was unhappy as Mo Shujun was unmoved after Shi Qingxue became a laughingstock, but Mo Shujun’s attitude was evident, and Zhou Ruyu couldn’t comment, so she just brought up the same matter. “Mother, even if you can forgive Qingxue easily, what she has done these days is enough to prove that she can’t take the great responsibility for the token granted by Emperor. You said that you will take it back.

Now she has come back home, and we can’t let her keep such a valuable thing anymore. Otherwise, nobody knows what trouble she would make.”

After saying that, Zhou Ruyu shrank her neck by instinct and was afraid that Mo Shujun would rebuke her again.

Unexpectedly, this time, Mo Shujun just glanced at her nonchalantly and didn’t curse her. She merely announced, “I know how to deal with it. You don’t need to worry.”

Zhou Ruyu knew well about Mo Shujun. Hearing that, she was aware that it was possible to take the token granted by Emperor back. As long as Shi Qingxue didn’t have the protection of the token, a younger whose fame was ruined would be at her mercy, but she didn’t bother about this matter more.

Instead, she suggested warmly, “Since Qingxue has recovered and returned home, shouldn’t we hold a family dinner to welcome her and get rid of her bad luck?”

Zhou Ruyu spoke with a strong sense of righteousness, but she lowered her head while speaking and was worried that Mo Shujun would notice something wrong.