After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return! - Chapter 69

Shen Lian, feeling bewildered by the situation, hurried over to Shen Yun and tugged at her sleeve. “What’s going on, Sister?” she asked anxiously. “Does this mean even I can’t leave now?”

A sense of unease crept over Shen Lian as she spoke, her voice tinged with nervousness. She feared she might have done something wrong by coming to help today. Shen Yun’s face remained cold and frosty as she turned to look at Shen Lian.

“Sister,” Shen Yun said, her voice devoid of any respect for her elder sister, “I firmly believe the General’s Residence has never done anything to harm anyone. So why did you have to bring that problematic kitchen maid here? And now our Ningning lies unconscious in bed. What do you think we should do about this?” Shen Yun’s protective instincts flared. She could never have imagined her usually dignified elder sister would harm her own daughter.

Logically speaking, Shen Xi’s daughter, Gu Meng, had only argued with Jiang Yu the previous day. Even in the most extreme scenario, Shen Xi would be the only one who could possibly harm her own daughter.

Shen Yun had just received a report from her subordinate: only the cooks brought by Shen Lian had caused problems, and Qi An had already taken care of them. With just a bit of interrogation, the cooks confessed everything. Apparently, someone had told them that adding this powdered seasoning would make their dishes more delicious and increase their chances of being hired permanently by the General’s Residence.

The cooks, bewitched by this idea, had brought the seasoning with them. Shen Yun couldn’t imagine who else could have given them such advice—it could only have been Shen Lian.

When Shen Lian heard this, her face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed to the floor. Shen Yun strode purposefully toward the Flower Hall, her back radiating determination.

By the time Shen Lian regained her composure, a cold dread had settled in her heart. She hurried after Shen Yun into the Flower Hall. Seeing her younger sister’s growing coldness, she frantically explained, “Sister, I recommended this cook. But because you two still had some tension yesterday, I didn’t dare tell you.”

The more Shen Lian spoke, the more frightened she became. Could it be that Second Sister was actually using her to frame the entire General’s Residence? Shen Yun, who had been unaware of this plot, now wore a subtle expression. She ordered the kitchen maid and Qi An to be summoned. When both women knelt before the hall, Shen Lian stormed forward in a rage.

Abandoning her usual composure, she stepped right up to the kitchen maid, her eyes wide with disbelief as she shoved her. “Tell me, who ordered you to do this? Tell me everything!”

Shen Lian still clung to a sliver of hope. The kitchen maid, still kneeling, glanced around guiltily before repeating her story. “I was a kitchen maid at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion who had been dismissed. One day, Madam Gu approached me and asked if I could help at the General’s Residence banquet, even if it was just to make a sweet soup. Embarrassed to admit my dismissal, I agreed to the task under the guise of a Drunken Immortal Tower kitchen maid…”

The kitchen maid clearly hadn’t finished speaking, but the tense atmosphere left her terrified. She knelt repeatedly, begging for mercy. Shen Yun impatiently waved her hand, and Lülüo, the maid standing beside her, immediately understood the gesture. She stepped forward and unleashed a barrage of slaps on the kitchen maid’s face. Though usually gentle and unassuming, Lülüo now revealed a ruthless streak.

Qi An felt no qualms about this treatment, even worried that Jiang Yu might still be suffering.

Blood trickled from the corner of the kitchen maid’s mouth. She hastily continued, “But after Madam Gu left, one of her young maids caught up with me. She spoke mysteriously about how she knew I’d been kicked out of Drunken Immortal Tower, yet still recommended me to Madam Gu. She even pulled out a packet of seasoning-like substance from her sleeve, claiming it would make the dish exceptionally fragrant and flavorful. She said Madam Gu would praise my skills during the meal, ensuring my position here…”

The kitchen maid finished her account. Shen Lian trembled with anger, but if this was true, how could a simple sweet soup have left Jiang Yu unconscious?

Shen Lian suspected the kitchen maid was hiding something, so she stepped forward and pressed her foot down on the woman’s hands. “Tell the truth, or else…”

Shen Lian was all bluster, but since marrying the General, Shen Yun had become ruthless when it came to rewards and punishments. Now that her daughter was involved, she wouldn’t let these people off the hook.

The kitchen maid’s hands ached from the pressure. She begged for mercy, but her eyes remained genuinely bewildered. “The maid serving Madam Gu is my daughter. I couldn’t believe she’d harm me, so I felt safe giving her the seasoning. It’s just ordinary seasoning, isn’t it? Could Miss’s unconscious state be caused by something else?” The maid’s persistent claim suggested she truly had no idea what had happened.

Qi An, who had been kneeling silently for a long time, watched this turn into another dead end. Rubbing her temples, she said with disdain, “If that’s the case, we might as well invite Madam Gu to the General’s Residence. If we still can’t resolve this, we’ll send her straight to Shuntian Prefecture.”

These words were like a sudden realization. But Shen Xi was already staying at the Gu Residence—how could they get her to come out?

“Madam, I’m afraid it won’t be easy to get Madam Gu to come,” Lülüo said worriedly. Shen Yun frowned, still trying to figure out what to do, when a man’s booming voice suddenly rang out from the entrance of the Flower Hall.

“I want to see who’s so daring as to harm my daughter, Jiang Shengrong’s daughter! Surely Ningning’s second aunt, Shen Xi, wouldn’t let her niece be harmed by villains, would she?”

With Jiang Shengrong backing them up and speaking so boldly, Shen Yun and Lülüo weren’t afraid anymore. They hurriedly hitched up a carriage and rushed to the Gu Residence.

When Shen Yun learned that Shen Lian had likely been misunderstood, her expression finally relaxed. She asked a nearby maid to bring Shen Lian some tea. Though Shen Lian was still full of resentment and panic and desperately wanted to pour out her troubles, Jiang Shengrong’s presence meant she couldn’t disrespect Shen Yun. With a forced smile, she accepted the tea the maid brought.

Shen Lian had intended to explain herself to Jiang Shengrong, but he was too preoccupied with Shen Yun to notice her. His usually stern and decisive face was now etched with anxiety as he gripped Shen Yun’s hand tightly and asked, “How is Ningning doing now?”

Jiang Shengrong’s concern was genuine; his earlier air of confidence had vanished without a trace, replaced by the anger and worry of a father whose wife and child had been wronged. He couldn’t believe that, after a lifetime of smooth sailing, he would find himself in a situation where his wife and daughter were harmed.

Shen Yun, who had remained proud and unyielding even when Jiang Yu collapsed unconscious on the bed, now wept openly under her husband’s comforting touch.

Qi An had already risen to her feet. She, too, was deeply worried about Jiang Yu’s condition. What if Ningning woke up thirsty? What if she woke up and couldn’t find her mother?

But Qi An couldn’t leave. If she departed now, all of Jiang Yu’s meticulously planned schemes might unravel.

Qi An stood motionless like a statue, her emotions frozen as time ticked by and night fell.

Without the sun, the winter chill intensified. When the maid returned from her third scouting mission, her face was bright red from the cold. Finally, Lu Lüo and Shen Xi, resplendent in luxurious robes, followed behind her.

Shen Xi clearly sensed something was amiss. As she approached Jiang Shengrong and Shen Yun, she immediately knelt and bowed deeply. “I was blinded by greed and devised this shameful scheme to sabotage your banquet…”

Before she could finish speaking, she was startled by the cook suddenly lunging forward.

“You wicked woman! Didn’t you tell me that was to enhance the flavor of the dishes?!”

The cook had initially thought this was all a misunderstanding. But when Shen Xi calmly admitted her deception, the cook felt utterly deceived. Her anger boiled over as she demanded an explanation.

To everyone’s surprise, Shen Xi acted as if it wasn’t a big deal. “So what if the food tastes a little bitter? Why are you so worked up?” She quickly straightened her clothes, avoiding the cook’s touch as if afraid of getting her clothes dirty. Jiang Shengrong also sensed something amiss. Before arriving, he had asked the estate guards about the investigation so far, and they had clearly identified medicinal powder in the sweet soup.

“May I ask what substance, capable of making food taste bitter, could render our Miss unconscious? Madam Gu, you’d better think carefully about what you say if you want the truth to come to light.” Qi An strode impatiently to Shen Xi, her dark eyes flashing a warning. Shen Xi suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

“Ningning is unconscious?” Shen Xi looked bewildered, her gaze shifting to the cook who had just been restrained by the guards. “Did you secretly substitute the medicinal powder?”

Shen Xi wasn’t afraid because she had only harbored some mischievous intentions, never intending to harm anyone in the General’s Residence. At worst, she might embarrass Shen Yun.

As blood relatives, Shen Yun couldn’t truly turn against her. But if Jiang Yu became involved, that would be a different story.

Everyone knew Jiang Yu was the cherished treasure of Shen Yun and Jiang Shengrong. Anyone who dared to harm her would be courting their own doom.

Shen Xi and Shen Lian were now both at a loss, unsure how to resolve the situation. Qi An stood nearby, coldly observing the scene. Dowager Consort Zhang had clearly calculated her moves with great precision. Even though all evidence pointed to her, they couldn’t immediately eliminate her. Her trump card—Prince Qin’s corruption—needed to be used in conjunction with other strategies.

Jiang Yu likely only wanted to teach these foolish sisters a lesson and wasn’t ready to confront Dowager Consort Zhang just yet.

Having reached this conclusion, Qi An knelt down. “Regardless of who is at fault, both Madams bear responsibility. Especially Madam of the Gu Residence—her intentions are vile! As the daughter of a disgraced official, I fear no one today. I beg Madam and General to take charge of this matter and protect Miss.”

Even kneeling, Qi An remained proud, her voice ringing throughout the Flower Hall.

But the moment these words were spoken, Shen Xi and Shen Lian could no longer remain seated. Shen Xi’s eyes blazed with fury as she lunged forward, ready to kick Qi An.

“Stop!”

Support After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return!