Chapter Nine, The Shen Family Courtyard (Part Two)

The Fourth Young Master, who was listening from the side, did not expect this matter to be so interesting, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

He knew that Master Shen was deliberately being biased; as long as he spoke the truth, the Seventh Young Lady would most likely be driven out of the house. If he left the Shen family, he would still have a thatched hut to live in, while it was likely that this couple would be left homeless.

"Why did he say you are a shrew?" Master Shen asked

The seventh young lady had no choice but to swear an oath, declaring that if she spoke even half a lie, she would suffer a terrible fate. With a sense of grievance, she recounted: "Today was the first time my granddaughter went upstairs; as soon as she pushed the door open, she was hit on the head by a chamber pot. The second time she went upstairs, she slipped on a watermelon rind and fell down from the upper floor."

"Anti-theft." Shen Mo solemnly stated: "As the saying goes: 'One should not harbor malicious intentions, but one must always be vigilant against others.'" He then spread his hands and said: "The student is currently ill, powerless and often in a daze. Placing a basin on the door can serve two purposes: it can act as a warning and catch any unwelcome visitors off guard."

Furrowing his brow, Master Shen said in a deep voice to the Fourth Young Master standing beside him: "Fourth, the person was brought by you; explain the ins and outs to your father."

Although I have a fondness for silence and books, family rules ultimately take precedence over everything else

Oh, I understand. The Fourth Young Master shrank his neck and succinctly said: "I discovered that the Seventh Young Lady is indeed injured, but this young man has been bedridden with an illness and has not left his room until now. I cannot figure out how he could have injured the Seventh Young Lady. Not daring to make a decision on my own, I brought this to ask for my father's judgment."

"This... you can ask Seventh Miss." Shen Mo sneered, "As long as she also takes an oath to ensure that what she says is the truth"

It seems to be the case... " The Seventh Young Lady said, with her index fingers pressed together.

Master Shen pondered for a moment and had already guessed about eighty percent of the situation. He speculated that it was likely Miss Seven who had instigated the matter, motivated by the fact that he had taken in Shen He and Shen Mo, allowing them to reside in the attic that originally belonged to her. He had heard some rumors about Miss Seven's character and estimated that after several instances of harassment and insults, it had provoked a counterattack from this clever young man

"You should understand some rules." Only then did Master Shen's expression lighten slightly, and he gave a faint nod of approval. He turned to Shen Mo and asked, "Did you injure Miss Seven?"

Silently glancing at the Seventh Young Lady kneeling on the ground, he noticed that her left eye was swollen to a slit, one eye large and the other small, both eyes filled with pleading and tears rolling down as she looked at him

"Why did you not knock?" Master Shen said in a deep voice, "Entering without an invitation is impolite; do you not know this?"

Old Master Shen couldn't help but chuckle, suppressing his laughter as he said: "Shen Mo, why do you have a... urinal placed on top of the door?"

"That was not placed by me," he said, shaking his head in silence. "It was thrown by Miss Qi when she first came up."

In the Shen family courtyard, Master Shen is the sky, the law of the land, and the deity who determines the fate of all.

"Alright, the facts are clear," Master Shen said in a deep voice. "This incident was caused by Shen Mo being overly cautious and Miss Qi being careless, resulting in an unfortunate turn of events." Just when Shen Mo thought he was going to smooth things over and bring the matter to a close, Master Shen continued, "But the outcome of today must have its cause from yesterday. Neighbors should live in harmony; how did it come to this? Miss Qi, you tell us."

Old Master Shen gently said to Shen Mo: "Shen Mo, why don't you explain the origin of your dispute?"

He, being a refined individual, held a deep disdain for the vulgar and coarse Seventh Miss, who was both overweight and foolish, while he found a certain affinity with the clever and astute young man, Shen He. After understanding the intricacies of the situation, he intentionally sought to help Shen He and his father secure that building, intending to drive the Seventh Miss and her family out of the Shen household

"Have you said this before?" Master Shen asked Shen Mo.

"The student dared to swear. ""I absolutely deny it," he said firmly. "If I were to harm the seventh young lady, may I never succeed in the imperial examination in this lifetime." This is indeed a very serious oath for a scholar, but since he did not lay a hand on her, it does not matter how he swears.

You have a point. Lord Shen said with a half-smile, "But what if we accidentally harm a good person?"

"Listen up. " After making up his mind, Master Shen spoke with a serious tone: "My Shen family values harmony and friendship above all. Anyone who is narrow-minded, selfish, and unable to accommodate others will certainly not be welcomed in my Shen family!"

"Get to the point." Lord Shen said with a dark expression: "Stop boasting all the time."

Old Master Shen nodded and said to Miss Qi, "You should take an oath."

"Because he deceived me," Seventh Miss said with grievance, "He said he had tuberculosis..."

Silently, my heart said, is it okay? So it turns out I have been violated

The four large characters "Leave!" "Home!" "Door!" circled in her mind, causing her to break out in a cold sweat, trembling and unable to speak.

What? Master Shen couldn't help but laugh and said: "Seventh Miss, did you really throw the melon peel and trip yourself?"

Why do you want to scold him

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"Very well, I will consider this your first warning," Master Shen fixed his gaze on Shen Mo and said in a deep voice, "What about the second time? If you throw watermelon peels on the ground again, isn't that somewhat..." The phrase "not of good character" was not easily uttered, as it would lead to enmity.

It is merely the plight of unfortunate people, after all. This is ultimately a contradiction among the people; why must we make things difficult for one another? In a moment of reflection, he made up his mind and smiled awkwardly, saying: "There weren't any significant conflicts before; it was just minor frictions of daily life. Even the upper and lower teeth sometimes clash, it is not as serious as you think, my esteemed sir."

Old Master Shen indeed believed it, and curiously asked: "If it wasn't you who did it, how did the bones of the seventh young lady get broken?"

No. With a shrug of her hands, she said: "The student initially told her: 'When you leave, close the door.' As a result, she only heard the word 'close' and panicked, perhaps misunderstanding the situation.

As long as one does not harbor ill intentions, one will knock and enter, and the students will remind him

This fellow insulted me. Seventh Miss murmured: "He said my granddaughter is a shrew."

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No. "The seventh girl said, lowering her head: 'I went straight in through the door.'"

"As you command, esteemed father," the Fourth Young Master replied obediently, resembling a docile kitten. He continued, "This afternoon, while I was studying in my room, Miss Seven suddenly came to report that this young man had injured his wife." He glanced at his father, and seeing his expression unchanged, he cautiously continued, "Since father wishes us to pay close attention to our clansmen, I took it upon myself to visit the Wentao Courtyard, where I encountered the injured Miss Seven and this young man who resides upstairs."

"Has anyone knocked on the door?" Master Shen asked Miss Qi.

"Because, because..." Seventh Miss lowered her head and said: "Because I scolded him first"

Although this sharp and stern remark did not name anyone specifically, it unmistakably struck at the forehead of Miss Qii. Even a fool could discern the accusatory intent behind the master's words