"What?"
Shen Lianxin’s eyes flickered with shock. She pondered further.
"Who could endure the stifling life in this inner manor? Do not tell a soul about this. From now on, you are relieved of your daily chores; just watch the West Courtyard for me. If you find anything, you will be heavily rewarded!"
"Yes!"
The maid took the order and withdrew. Shen Lianxin lifted her chin and smiled triumphantly.
...
Four days passed in a flash.
Beyond paying her morning respects to Madam She, Shen Feiwan spent her time caring for her two adopted daughters.
"Mother, look at this!"
"Mother..."
With the children gathered around her, this scene was far better than the one in her previous life.
Thinking of those two rebellious sons, Shen Feiwan’s brow finally unfurled.
In contrast to her ease, Shen Lianxin was in agony, especially since Xiao Nian'an ignored her completely, spending every day running out of the manor.
Frustrated and at her wit’s end, Shen Lianxin scolded her two children before hurrying toward Shen Feiwan’s courtyard.
Seeing the kitchen busy with activity, she frowned tightly.
"Why are they preparing so much food in their courtyard?"
Shen Lianxin thought it over carefully, and her eyes lit up. She had finally caught Shen Feiwan in the act.
"Let’s go! To Mother’s courtyard!"
No sooner had she entered than Shen Lianxin began to weep and complain. "Mother, every word I say is the truth! Perhaps the Eldest Young Mistress has long since... been carrying on with another man."
"That is why she showed not a shred of grief at the Heir’s funeral!"
It was true that on the day of the burial, Shen Feiwan had been remarkably composed.
"Did your maid truly see a man enter the West Courtyard?" Madam She asked, half-convinced.
"Yes, I... I saw it," Si'er said, risking her life.
"Someone, go to the West Courtyard immediately!"
Shen Feiwan had just finished reading poetry with her daughters when she saw Madam She approaching with a large, imposing group, Shen Lianxin among them.
Sensing their aggressive posture, Shen Feiwan instinctively pulled her daughters behind her.
"Mother, what is the meaning of this?"
Before she could finish, Madam She gestured, and the maids and nannies surged inside.
"Where is the man you are hiding in the manor? Make him come out!" Shen Lianxin said, looking arrogant. "My maids have seen it! For these past few days, a man has been coming and going from the West Courtyard!"
Shen Feiwan simply replied, "There is no one."
"Someone witnessed it with their own eyes; are you still trying to quibble?" Shen Lianxin sneered. "Stop the charade!"
But before she could say more, the maids returned to report.
"Replying to the Old Mistress, there is truly nothing amiss in the Eldest Young Mistress's room."
"How is that possible..."
Shen Lianxin’s eyes widened. She was so desperate she tried to push past them to look for herself.
But Shen Feiwan watched her silently, a flash of mockery crossing her eyes. How could her half-sister be so foolish? If Xiao Ling were to intentionally reveal his tracks, wouldn't that just prove he needed a reason to return? If not, he certainly had the capability to remain completely undetected.
Shen Feiwan said calmly, "I go to the mourning hall every night to speak with the Heir. Perhaps it was the Heir's ghost that your maid saw?"
Shen Lianxin’s face went pale instantly. The mere mention of Xiao Ling's ghost made her uncomfortable.
"It must be a person! A living man! Shen Feiwan, as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis Manor, you are actually cheating!" Shen Lianxin’s words grew more and more outrageous. She lifted her skirts and stormed inside.
But no sooner had she stepped into the room than her face turned ghastly pale. She ran out like a madwoman, shrieking, "A ghost! There’s a ghost!"
"Ah!"
Shen Feiwan, Madam She, and the others hurried to see.
There, lying on Shen Feiwan’s bed, was indeed a man. He was robust in stature, yet covered in wounds.
"This!"
"Ling'er?"
Madam She was stunned, gasping for breath. "What on earth is this? Ling'er's body... no, Ling'er appears to be... alive?"
Steward Tian immediately stepped forward to check Xiao Ling's pulse.
"Reporting to the Old Mistress, the Heir is indeed still alive!"
Shen Feiwan had been sleeping day and night beside a corpse, and she had brought him back to life?
For a moment, the entire household looked at Shen Feiwan with terror, and Shen Lianxin had already fled out of sight.
Shen Feiwan looked at Xiao Ling on the bed and immediately knelt. "Mother, please forgive me. I hid the truth from you."
...
She explained that after Xiao Ling’s cenotaph was established, the body was purified by a monk’s incantations, and miraculously, he had truly awakened. However, his body was so weak he could not even speak clearly, which was why she dared not make it public.
"I only intended to wait until the Heir was fully recovered before... telling you."
"Otherwise, it would only have invited ridicule from outsiders."
"If they said the Marquis Manor used dark arts to revive the Heir, it would only harm the reputation of the manor."
Her reasoning was sound and understandable. For a moment, Madam She could find no words to scold her.
Behind her, Xiao Nian'an, who had just arrived, stood at the doorway. He looked at the figure on the bed and managed to squeeze out, "Mother, we must summon a physician quickly!"
Only then could they know for sure if Xiao Ling was truly alive or dead.
As they waited for the imperial physician, Shen Feiwan remained quiet. No matter what Madam She asked, she had only one answer: "I do not know."
"This is a capital crime, an act of deceiving the Emperor!"
"Sister-in-law, when exactly did you know that Brother was still alive?"
Xiao Nian'an pressed her, his eyes burning as if they could pierce a hole through her face. He was the one who had escorted Xiao Ling’s coffin back to the capital. If Xiao Ling were alive now, wouldn't he, the younger brother, be ruined forever? Fearing for his own career, Xiao Nian'an began to intimidate Shen Feiwan.
"The fate of the Marquis Manor is tied to Brother's life and death. Sister-in-law, you must not hide anything."
Had Shen Feiwan been the naive bride from her previous life, she would have been deceived by him. But now, she saw him clearly. This scoundrel was a total hypocrite. He wasn't acting for the sake of the Marquis Manor; he was acting for himself.
Xiao Ling was lying right there and could wake up at any moment to confront him. That was why Xiao Nian'an was afraid.
"I have not hidden anything. My husband has never woken up, he merely still has a pulse. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."
As soon as she said this, the expressions of everyone present changed. That was a body pulled from a coffin; who would dare go near it? Even Steward Tian, who had risked his life to check the pulse, dared not approach again.
Xiao Nian'an’s face was ashen, his brows knitted tightly. He feigned composure and took a step forward, but just as his hand touched the bed curtain, Shen Feiwan suddenly called out to him.
"Third Young Master is moving quite slowly. Could it be that you have a guilty conscience?"
This sentence made Xiao Nian'an afraid to go any further.
Shen Feiwan looked at Xiao Ling’s steady breathing through the curtain.
"Once the Heir is confirmed alive," she said, word by word, "Third Young Master will become the laughingstock of the capital and a sinner against the Marquis Manor! It was you, after all, who had him locked in the coffin and brought back."
"If the Heir hadn't spoken to me in a dream, he would have been buried alive by the people of the Marquis Manor that very day."
"That’s not true!"
Xiao Nian'an immediately refuted her, but he was met with the collective gaze of everyone in the room. He stood frozen, not knowing what to say.
Suddenly, a hand reached out toward him.
Terrified, he scrambled backward in a panic!
"Heir..."