Chapter 32: Proving Her Innocence

The general had always listened to the old matriarch. And the old matriarch had always favored the second master. Their audacity to twist truth and falsehood stemmed from the general’s filial piety.

“Mumu, they are but servants of the household—how could they dare utter lies to frame their mistress? Everyone knows the infamous temperament of Lady Shen. These servants were all chosen at her behest; right and wrong could not be clearer.” The old matriarch spoke at just the right moment.

The little courtesan had hoisted the stone only to drop it on her own foot. All the servants in the household were adept at reading the winds. She should have known her own place.

Shen Zhao glanced at Chu Mu, giving a subtle prompt: “Lady Shen, do you have any other witnesses? Consider carefully—besides these five, is there anyone else who can corroborate your words?”

The crowd looked at Shen Zhao, perplexed. They found the general’s behavior odd today.

With evidence so conclusive and the old matriarch having spoken, the general would normally cease to intervene at this point, simply pronouncing Lady Shen’s guilt. What was happening today? He was repeatedly giving Lady Shen chances to prove her innocence, wholly unlike his usual style.

Shen Zhao’s hint was plain. When they had once been close, Chu Mu had confided in her: for the safety of the household, he had stationed two shadow guards within the manor, constantly observing everything that happened.

Chu Mu understood. He saw clearly the expressions of everyone present in the hall. Each waited for him to be accused, as if that was the rightful outcome. It was deeply ironic. He had done nothing wrong, and yet everyone awaited his punishment, as though it would set things right.

Disappointed, he looked at those gathered and called to the shadows, “Chu Seven, Chu Nine, show yourselves!”

The two hidden shadow guards exchanged glances. How did the mistress know of their existence? Should they emerge? They belonged to the general, obeyed his orders. If they appeared without permission, would the general blame them?

As they hesitated, Chu Mu spoke again: “Moon Hidden, Bright Falling, come forth!”

Shock flickered in their eyes. The mistress even knew their true names. Did this mean the general had told her? And since the general offered no objection, perhaps it meant they could reveal themselves.

Having reasoned this out, both stepped forward.

The sudden appearance of the two startled those in the hall, especially since both were young men clad in black, swords at their sides.

“Your subordinate Chu Seven greets the general, greets the mistress.”

“Your subordinate Chu Nine greets the general, greets the mistress.”

They showed their respect only to Shen Zhao and Chu Mu. The others were not worthy of their salute.

For three years, the general had assigned them to the manor. In that time, they knew the temperament of every master in the household better than anyone. Yet their task was solely to protect the safety of the general’s family, and not to speak of the sordid deeds committed by its members. If the general did not ask, they dared not speak.

They could not simply tell the general: your mother is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; your brother a slave to lust; your sister-in-law ruthless and two-faced; even the favored Miss Lin feigns weakness to frame the mistress, always playing the victim.

Worst of all, Miss Lin would regularly draw silver from the household, secretly sending it out to amass her own private estate. The precious medicines and nourishing food provided for her health were sold off by her servants. Only the mistress, whom the general disliked, was consistently genuine and suffered much.

Many times, they had nearly spoken up for the mistress.

Chu Mu looked to the two and said, “Tell everyone what you witnessed today between myself and Chu Renjie, every detail.”

The two glanced at Shen Zhao. They wished to speak, but without the general’s command, they dared not.

Shen Zhao nodded to them.

Chu Seven, with his round, cheerful face, received Shen Zhao’s signal and immediately began: “Today, the mistress went from the rear courtyard to the front to greet honored guests. At the archway, she was followed by the second master. The mistress, alert, recognized she was being tailed by a knave, and with a swift kick, sent the second master flying—a meter through the air, landing face-down in the dirt. He then uttered foul words, demanding the mistress help him up and tried to grab her hand. Even after picking himself up, he shamelessly loosened his clothing to show off his scrawny, pale chicken-like physique, and…”

Chu Seven painted the scene vividly, mimicking expressions and tone with uncanny accuracy, revealing the second master’s lewd and ignoble side for all to see and sparing no opportunity to disparage him. It was immensely satisfying; he had nearly intervened at the time.

The mistress was the general’s lawful wife. The second master lived under the general’s roof and relied on his protection. Not only did he lack gratitude, he shamelessly coveted the mistress. What sort of brother could be so depraved?

“You—you, stop spouting nonsense! This Chu Three, who knows where Lady Shen found him, could well be another lover of hers, hiding in our manor. Don’t listen to his ramblings!” Chu Renjie was flustered. How could he not be? The account matched the events perfectly. The thought that his actions had been witnessed filled him with shame and dread.

The second mistress cried out, “Lady Shen, how dare you! Hiding your lovers in the manor, summoning them at will—do you take the general’s household for a brothel? Mother, Third Brother, you must punish Lady Shen, and seize these two lovers! Just thinking about them lurking in the manor makes my heart tremble.”

The two men, accused of being lovers, exchanged glances. Shadow guards, reduced to mere paramours—these two were truly unscrupulous in their attempts to frame the mistress, spewing whatever came to mind.

The old matriarch saw more clearly than the second master and his wife. When the two youths appeared, they greeted Mumu. When Lady Shen summoned them to speak, they looked to Mumu for approval, and only after receiving his nod did the round-faced Chu Seven speak. Clearly, they were not Lady Shen’s lovers. They were likely agents placed by Mumu in the household.

Though she herself was of humble birth, she knew of the existence of shadow guards. It made her uneasy—when had Mumu placed them in the manor? And how much had they observed? Her clouded gaze showed a hint of malice.

The old matriarch picked up a piece of pastry and handed it to Shen Zhao. “Mumu, harmony in the family brings prosperity, don’t you agree? Your second brother still needs to earn scholarly honors to bring glory to the Chu family. You wouldn’t want him to bear any stain, would you? Let this matter end here, shall we?”

Shen Zhao did not accept the pastry. She could never understand why, as the commander of a region, Chu Mu had already brought glory to the Chu family, yet it was Chu Renjie, the ineffectual scholar, whom the old woman regarded as the family’s future hope. Chu Renjie had sat for the exams many times, yet never passed even the lowest rank, and still the old matriarch supported his scholarly pursuits—spending lavishly, seeking out renowned teachers, even having Chu Mu humble himself repeatedly to invite esteemed scholars for him. It seemed that, in the old matriarch’s eyes, only when Chu Renjie succeeded would the Chu family truly be honored.

At this thought, Shen Zhao felt her heart tremble violently.