At that moment, the old lady slowly walked over, surrounded by a crowd.
Though over sixty and with hair entirely silver, her gaze remained as sharp as a blade, carrying an inherent, unangered authority.
Her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Liangdi, walked alongside her, attentively supporting the old lady and holding a hand warmer for her, while Shen Ying'er supported her on the other side.
"What is going on here?" The old lady swept her gaze across the crowd, her voice deep and majestic.
Shen Qing stepped forward, executed a respectful bow, and said:
"Grandmother, today your granddaughter found two baskets of charcoal outside the door of Tingyu Pavilion. I assumed they were sent by the servants of the manor, but upon seeing them, Nanny Li claimed that I had stolen them. I humbly ask Grandmother to make a judgment and clear your granddaughter's name."
Hearing this, the old lady frowned slightly and turned her gaze to Madam Feng: "Luochuan, what is the meaning of this?"
Madam Feng felt a tightening in her chest and hurriedly stepped forward to explain: "Grandmother, this Silver Frost Charcoal is specially issued by the court for your use, and the rules of the manor are strict. For Shen Qing to secretly steal the Silver Frost Charcoal shows a complete lack of respect for her elders and disregard for household rules. That is why your daughter-in-law..."
When all was said and done, this charcoal had been obtained precisely because Shen Qing took that arrow back then. If not for that arrow, how could Grandmother have been granted the title of a First-Rank Lady of honor, and how could she have received the court's specially allocated Silver Frost Charcoal?
"Madam, you repeatedly claim that I stole it, but what proof do you have?" Shen Qing coldly interrupted her, looking directly at Madam Feng without the slightest bit of retreat.
"We caught you red-handed! Nanny Li and these two maidservants are all witnesses!" Madam Feng's expression turned fierce as she stared intently at Shen Qing, like a jackal eyeing its prey.
"Then I would like to ask Madam: how did two frail women like Qing'er and myself enter the storeroom to get the charcoal, and how did we carry two such large baskets of charcoal all the way to Tingyu Pavilion? If I stole the charcoal, why is there not a single speck of dirt on my clothes?"
Hearing this, the old lady furrowed her brow even deeper, her gaze shifting back and forth between Shen Qing and Madam Feng. She already understood much of the situation in her heart, but for the sake of saving face, it was inconvenient to expose it directly.
Sensing that the situation looked unfavorable before she arrived, Shen Ying'er had already prepared a fallback plan.
Shen Ying'er walked forward gracefully with a gentle smile on her face: "Grandmother, could it be that the errand boy in the storeroom delivered the charcoal to the wrong place? I just had my maid Qingyu fetch the storeroom manager over so we can find out the truth with a single question."
Seeing Shen Ying'er's calm and unhurried demeanor, the old lady felt a measure of approval rise in her heart. She nodded and said, "Very well, then we shall listen to Ying'er. Let us go inside and take a seat. Qing'er, Grandmother will help you uphold justice."
Shen Ying'er supported the old lady into Tingyu Pavilion, and Madam Feng followed closely behind, a smile on her face though a trace of malice flashed in her eyes.
Before long, the storeroom manager hurried over, dropped to his knees, and reported with a trembling voice:
"Reporting to the Old Lady and Madam, this matter is entirely the fault of this lowly one's negligence. That Silver Frost Charcoal was originally ordered by this lowly one to be delivered to the Old Lady's quarters. Who would have thought that a newly arrived errand boy, unfamiliar with the paths, would deliver the charcoal to the wrong place? This lowly one failed to exercise strict supervision and deserves a thousand deaths. I beg the Old Lady and Madam to punish me!"
Hearing this, the old lady frowned slightly, a flash of displeasure crossing her eyes:
"Since the new errand boy was unfamiliar with the manor's rules, it is somewhat excusable. But as the manager, you should have given him more guidance. How could you be so negligent as to cause such a misunderstanding?"
Standing to one side with a stern expression and a gaze as sharp as a knife sweeping across the manager's face, Madam Feng said coldly: "The Old Lady is kind-hearted and will not haggle with you, but do you know that this Silver Frost Charcoal is an imperial bestowal from the palace? If this had delayed the Old Lady in keeping warm, could you have borne the responsibility?"
At these words, the manager trembled all over, kowtowing repeatedly as he choked out, "This lowly one knows my crime! This lowly one knows my crime! Please punish me, Madam, this lowly one has no complaints whatsoever!"
With that, he lowered his head even further.
Seeing him in such a state of panic, the old lady sighed softly and raised a hand to signal him to stand: "Enough. Considering your usual diligence, you will be spared this once. But hereafter you must strictly supervise your staff and prevent such mistakes from happening again."
As if granted a pardon, the manager kowtowed repeatedly before shakily standing up, hands at his sides, not daring to utter another half-word.
Seeing this, Madam Feng snorted coldly, "Since you have made such a blunder, you will be docked a month's stipend, and those two errand boys need not remain in the manor."
"Many thanks for the grace of the Old Lady and Madam! This lowly one will surely manage things with the utmost care from now on and never commit this again!"
"Withdraw!"
Seeing the scene before her, the old lady cast a cold glance at Madam Feng, then looked around the Tingyu Pavilion in front of her, finding it thoroughly gloomy and cold.
She affectionately took Shen Qing's hand and asked, "Aning, is the charcoal enough for your needs?"
Shen Qing only bit her lower lip tightly and remained silent.
Seeing Shen Qing's hesitant demeanor, the old lady leaned in a little closer and asked, "Aning, you have just returned to the capital—are you getting used to life here? The Silver Frost Charcoal was bestowed by the court; your mother was only acting out of sudden anxiety, which is why such a misunderstanding occurred."
Mother? My foot!
Anxiety? My foot! Her anxiety was to get rid of an eyesore like her.
"Thank you, Grandmother, for your concern. I only wish to seek justice and not be burdened with a groundless crime for no reason!"
She knew that Grandmother was also partial to Madam Feng.
"Grandmother will naturally uphold justice for you. Your mother passed away early, making you a truly pitiful child. There is no need to move this Silver Frost Charcoal back; keep it and burn it."
Shen Qing said, "Thank you, Grandmother, for your grace."
"Fortunately, Ying'er was here to clear up the misunderstanding. Just tell the storeroom to send whatever charcoal you need. Three years ago, the injury you sustained when you blocked that arrow for the Grand Princess left you with lingering ailments. With the coldest days of winter just passing, you must be careful not to catch a cold."
She patted Shen Qing's hand and smiled affectionately.
When she saw the raw, red-and-blue skin on Shen Qing's delicate hands, the old lady couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache—after all, this was her own biological granddaughter.
The old lady frowned in displeasure: "Why have your hands developed frostbite? Linger, quickly fetch some frostbite ointment for the eldest miss. And why is her clothing so thin?"
Shen Qing accepted the frostbite ointment and replied sweetly, "Thank you, Grandmother."
Looking at the well-behaved and pitiful Shen Qing, a trace of bitterness flashed in the old lady's heart.
Noticing that the old lady was angry, Madam Feng hurried forward to support her and said, "Mother, with the New Year approaching, there are countless affairs in the manor, and we failed to look after Qing'er properly. Your daughter-in-law will immediately have the storeroom allocate funds to make new clothes for Qing'er."
"Luochuan, although the manor's affairs are busy, this child Aning is also pitiful. As the mistress of the house, you are her mother! While you are busy with the manor's affairs, do not forget to take good care of the offspring! Qing'er is the legitimate eldest daughter, and she is also the face of our Marquis Manor."
"Why is this Tingyu Pavilion so cold and cramped?" She looked doubtfully at Madam Feng.
The others also began to inspect this unassuming Tingyu Pavilion; it was entirely unsuitable as a residence for the legitimate daughter of a Marquis Manor.
Not only were many parts in disrepair, but even the window paper had several holes torn in it, letting the chilling wind howl right through.
The furnishings inside were also extremely crude, consisting of only a dilapidated wooden bed, a single table, and a few chairs, without even a proper dressing table.
The old lady's expression gradually darkened. She turned her gaze to Madam Feng, her tone carrying a measure of reproach:
"Luochuan, Qing'er is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis Manor. How can she live in a place like this? This Tingyu Pavilion is inferior even to the quarters of a servant. As the mistress managing the household, how could you be so negligent?"