Chapter 55 - A Fatal Scheme Against You!

Shen Ninghua didn’t care about her attitude, “Younger sister, I am kind enough to you. If I didn’t feed you the medicine, you would still be in a coma now.”

“What did you feed me?” Shen Linghan touched her throat in horror, and her eyes became scarlet red with anger and fear. “You bitch! Shen Ninghua, how can you be so vicious!”

Seeing Shen Linghan’s hysterical behavior, Shen Ninghua was full of mockery in her heart as she thought of her previous life. If Madam Zhao hadn’t driven her to the country villa, she wouldn’t fall off the cliff and suffer disability. If it wasn’t for Madam Zhao’s scheme, she wouldn’t be sent to the Fifth Prince’s mansion as a gift. If it wasn’t for Shen Linghan’s viciousness, she wouldn’t die without a grave! No matter how vicious she was, she didn’t completely lose her humanity like them!

“Sister,” Shen Ninghua stood up and looked down at Shen Linghan, “just lie in your bed and don’t stir up trouble.”

“Get lost! Get lost!” Shen Linghan suddenly threw the pillow beside the bed towards her.

Shen Ninghua dodged the pillow promptly. She looked at Shen Linghan coldly for a long time and then turned around to go out with Qing Que and the other maids. But just as she walked to the door, Nurse Qin suddenly bumped in with panic all over her face.

Qing Que hurriedly pulled Shen Ninghua aside.

Bai Ruo shouted angrily. “How dare you, Nurse Qin? Didn’t you see the eldest young lady is here? How dare you be so rude!”

Nurse Qin rushed into the room regardlessly. Seeing Shen Linghan lying on the bed with her crimson eyes wide open, Nurse Qin was so scared that she sat down on the ground. “Miss! I’m too late. They killed you with poison…”

Shen Dong walked in crossing his hands behind his back. He frowned as he looked at Shen Ninghua, “Why are you here?”

Shen Ninghua walked forward and paid her respects, “Greetings, father. I have been worried, so I got up early this morning and came to see sister Linghan.”

“Master, you have to speak up for the second young lady. The eldest young lady killed her with poison.”

Shen Ninghua frowned coldly. “Nurse Qin, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t talk freely like that. When did I poison Linghan? Father, is it the case that any servant in the Shen family can frame me up as they like?”

Nurse Qin, whose face flushed with anger, ran out and grabbed Shen Ninghua by the arm. She pulled Shen Ninghua into the room and said, “Eldest young lady, what else do you have to say? The second young lady, she is already…”

On the bed, Shen Linghan was struggling to sit up.

Shen Ninghua sneered and loudly questioned, “What’s wrong with the second young lady, Nurse?”

Nurse Qin loosened her grip on Shen Ninghua and knelt on the ground with a plop. The expression on her face was complicated and people couldn’t tell whether she was crying or laughing. “Miss, you’re not dead…”

Shen Linghan suddenly widened her eyes. “Damned servant, do you also expect me to die? You vicious old slave, it’s you who should die!” Shen Ninghua’s words had already provoked her to a certain extent. Now that Nurse Qin had said this, Shen Linghan only cared about venting her anger hysterically. She didn’t pay attention to the origin and development of the matter at all.

Therefore, Shen Dong saw the scene of her ferocious and furious rebuke of Nurse Qin with his own eyes.

Shen Dong was stunned. He didn’t expect Shen Linghan to be such a hideous and terrifying person. After restoring his senses, he immediately shouted coldly, “I thought you were just ignorant, but now it seems that you are so heartless!” Although Nurse Qin had misbehaved, it was because she was worried about Shen Linghan’s safety. Not only was Shen Linghan ungrateful, but she also treated the person who had served her for more than ten years in such a manner. Her behavior was bitterly disappointing.

Shen Linghan’s eyes became a little clearer. “Father, why are you here…father…”

“Shut up!” Shen Dong raised his eyebrows and glared coldly. “Nurse Qin, didn’t you say that Ninghua had poisoned Shen Linghan? What else do you have to say now?”

Nurse Qin didn’t have time to be sad. She quickly replied, “Master, after I was kicked out, I did see the eldest young lady feeding something to the second young lady with a porcelain bottle. I was panicked so I…”

Shen Ninghua coldly snorted and took out a white jade porcelain bottle. She raised her hand to let Shen Dong see clearly. “Nurse Qin, is this the porcelain bottle you’re talking about?”

Nurse Qin widened her eyes. “Exactly!”

Shen Ninghua said with a sad expression, “Father, this is the last bottle of medicine that the old doctor left for my recuperation. He said that it would have a miraculous effect when my life was at stake. I wanted to see if Linghan needed it. If she needed it, she could have it to herself. If she didn’t need it, she could give it to cousin Zhao. But I didn’t expect that after she woke up and heard the effects of the medicine, she directly snatched it away and drank it. And now she calls this a scheme against her life? How can she say this!”

Shen Dong reached out and took over the white jade porcelain bottle. He looked closely and couldn’t help but widen his eyes. He carefully rubbed the porcelain bottle for a long time before he said, “Ninghua, I believe in your innocence. Don’t worry, I will definitely seek justice for you.”

Shen Ninghua immediately wore a happy expression. “Thank you, father.” However, she noticed Shen Dong putting the porcelain bottle into his sleeve. She curled her lips in her heart and pretended not to know.

Shen Dong turned to look at Nurse Qin. His cold and fierce expression caused Nurse Qin to tremble. “Qin, my Shen family cannot tolerate servants who are disrespectful to their masters. You deserve to be beaten to death. But considering you have served the First Lady and the second young lady for so many years, I will give you thirty strokes and drive you out of the Shen family.”

Nurse Qin suddenly widened her eyes. “Master, you can punish me however you like, but please allow me to stay with the second young lady.”

Shen Dong said in disgust, “Don’t say any more. Somebody, pull her out.”

“Master, please, Second Miss, please speak up for me…”

Shen Linghan opened her mouth. But after Shen Dong glanced at her with a frown, she shut up her mouth.

“Linghan, don’t be disrespectful to your eldest sister again in the future. Otherwise, I’ll be the first to punish you. Alright, since you’re awake, the imperial doctor will come and give you a diagnosis.” Shen Dong then turned to Shen Ninghua and said in a much warmer tone, “Ninghua, you don’t need to worry anymore. Go back and rest.”

“Yes, father, then I’m leaving.”

When she walked out of Qinxue Courtyard, Nurse Qin was being clubbed on the ground. Shen Ninghua stopped for a while and waited until Nurse Qin received twenty strokes. Then, she slowly said, “The nurse is old, so the remaining ten strokes can be spared.”

Butler Wang who was supervising the punishment hurriedly agreed, “Yes, Miss. You are so kind. Alright, stop. Take her out. In the future, there will be no such person among the servants of the Shen family.”

“Yes.”

Shen Ninghua smiled and turned to walk towards Yingyue Courtyard. Bi Zhu followed two steps behind her and handed a purse to butler Wang. “Butler Wang, thank you for your hard work. This is the reward of the Miss for you to buy a drink.”

Butler Wang hurriedly refused orally, but took over the purse without hesitation. He lightly twirled his three fingers and felt the thin paper inside. His smile immediately became even brighter. “Please thank the eldest young lady on behalf of me. If she has errands in the future, please don’t hesitate to tell me.” The minimum denomination of a silver note was 100 taels. The eldest young lady was really generous.

Bi Zhu nodded and quickly followed Shen Ninghua’s footsteps.

Back in her room, Shen Ninghua lay on the couch with an especially joyful expression on her face.

Bai Ruo brought a cup of tea over and put a blanket on her lap. “Miss, after Nurse Qin was driven away, it will be much more convenient to punish the second young lady in the future.”

Shen Ninghua shook her head. “I won’t punish her now,”

“Do you have any other plans?” Bai Ruo was curious.

Shen Ninghua curled her eyes and said, “Shen Linghan’s legs are doomed. Even if she is cured in the future, she will definitely be a lame person. With her arrogant personality, how can she accept it?”

Bai Ruo nodded. “Yes, the second young lady will definitely be even crazier than she was a moment ago.”

“Well, since that’s the case, why should I punish her? Just let her be crazy.” With Shen Linghan and Madam Zhao there, it was impossible for Shen Xuanye to act freely without distraction. Why not keep the persons who are a drag on him?

Bai Zhu smiled, “Miss, you are really smart. I will tell the First Lady who is repenting in the ancestral hall that Miss Linghan will become crippled, so that she won’t be worried.”

Shen Ninghua chuckled and nodded. “Hmm. Where’s Hong Ling? Did she come back?”

“Miss,” Hong Ling ran in from the gate, her face full of pride. “It wasn’t easy for me to drive Nurse Qin away. She ran too slowly.”

“Nurse Qin has been kicked out. Don’t worry about her. You should pay attention to Xiang Qiao these days. If she wants to spread some news to the outside, you must help her.”

“Yes, Miss.” Hong Ling smiled and agreed.

“Bang!”

Three days later, in the Mansion of Duke Wei, Madam Zhang was sitting on the chair with a cold expression. The porcelain shattered on the ground beneath her feet, and a maid was kneeling on the porcelain fragments and trembling.

“Did Xiang Qiao really say that?”

The maid trembled fiercely, but her words were very clear. “Yes, Xiang Qiao sent the message that Miss fell down the artificial hill because of Shen Linghan’s scheme. Moreover, Shen Ninghua had a bottle of medicine that could revive the dead. Shen Linghan swallowed the medicine and her leg injury was almost cured.”

Madam Zhang scratched the back of the chair so fiercely that her fingernails were broken. “Good, good, really great! I never thought that Shen Linghan would have such a vicious intention! What did Ruyun owe her that she should do such evil things?”

“Ma’am, please calm down. There might be a misunderstanding about what happened that day. Miss Linghan doesn’t look like such a vicious person.”

“She isn’t vicious? In order to frame up Shen Ninghua, she did a lot of dirty work!” The more Madam Zhang thought about it, the more she felt that Shen Linghan had committed an extremely heinous crime. Shen Linghan clearly knew that Ruyun liked the Fifth Prince, but she still accepted Baili Jinze’s jade pendant. Moreover, she only hurt her legs and just needed some regular treatment. But she went so far as to swallow all the medicine that could save Ruyun’s life!

The maid lowered her head and paused for a long time before softly suggesting, “Ma’am, why don’t we investigate and see if Miss Linghan’s legs are really cured?”

Madam Zhang nodded and slowly loosened her grip on the back of the chair. “You’re right, this matter needs to be properly investigated. Besides, there is still the issue of Ruyun’s festered fingers. Take a good look into the poinsettia in Qinxue Courtyard and see if there is a problem.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Hong Ling told Shen Ninghua about the movements of the Shen family and the Zhao family during the past two days in Yingyue Courtyard. “Miss, the Zhao family sent people to investigate the second young lady’s courtyard,”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes rolled with thought. “Alright, you replace her poinsettia with the problematic poinsettia. Also, put the medicine I gave you into Shen Linghan’s meal.”

“Yes, Miss.”

After seven days, Madam Zhang heard the results of the investigation and she angrily broke all the porcelain in her room.

The poinsettia in Shen Linghan’s courtyard was actually watered with poison. The person in charge of raising flowers was Shen Linghan’s chief maid. Moreover, Shen Linghan’s leg injury recovered extremely quickly. In two days, she was already able to walk. Even the imperial doctor was amazed at the speed of her recovery.

Madam Zhang originally believed only twenty percent of the message, but after hearing the result of the investigation, she believed eighty percent of it.

At this moment, Duke Wei Zhao Kun walked in with a gloomy expression and brought back an important piece of news.

“Shen Dong offered a prescription to the emperor. Although this prescription did not have the effect of reproducing flesh or reviving the dead, it could save a person’s life if consumed in time. The emperor greatly praised Shen Dong and rewarded him with double salaries.”

The remaining twenty percent of uncertainty in Madam Zhang’s heart instantly shattered. She gritted her teeth and said, “What a good Shen family, what a good girl Shen Linghan!”

This bitch! She must make Shen Linghan pay for Ruyun’s life!