青春期撞上更年期第1部

The outsiders retreated, gossiping while pointing to the door. They paid close attention to whether or not this Madam was telling the truth. Was it true that the couple wanted to seize the first wife’s property? If that was the case, the couple was heartless and vicious. How could they do such an immoral thing?

Many people didn’t leave. Although they couldn’t see the scene, they could at least listen to the sound. How would they solve this matter? In the end, there would be a solution. They had to see which side was in the wrong.

Two strong old maids removed the screen in the accountant’s office. Then, they saw Shao Wanru sitting on a large chair behind the screen.

Wei Dahai’s eyes twitched involuntarily. Subconsciously, he took a step back when he recognized Shao Wanru.

Madam Ouyang looked at Shao Wanru but didn’t recognize her for a moment. It was not convenient for her to ask Wei Dahai, so she just measured Shao Wanru with her eyes.

At the sight of her imposing manner, Madam Ouyang knew she was not from an ordinary family. Watching this elegant and noble lady, Madam Ouyang was confused. She looked young but was dressed as a married woman. How could she not be a Young Madam from an aristocratic family? A trace of panic flashed across Madam Ouyang’s eyes when she remembered who she was.

It was said that Princess Chen hadn’t reached the age of fifteen when she married into the Prince Chen’s Mansion.

“Lord Wei and Madam Ouyang, it seems you know who I am.” Shao Wanru said lightly, her peaceful eyes watching the couple. “I heard clearly what Lord Wei said to Madame Dong in the room just now. Nanny Wei in the Palace framed me; I heard she did it for you, Lord Wei. At present, the Butterfly Clothing Shop gets dragged into a court case. Lord Wei, even if you’re a fourth-rank official, you can wield tremendous power!”

Wei Dahai’s face changed considerably.

“Lord Wei, you seem to know me, don’t you?” Shao Wanru asked.

Wei Dahai was stunned. Then, in a hurry, he answered cautiously, “I’ve seen Your Highness in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion!”

“The Marquis Xing’s Mansion? I thought you saw me when I came to the Butterfly Clothing Shop. You seemed to want this shop badly. Am I right?” Shao Wanru cracked a light smile and asked leisurely.

“Er… It belongs to Lady Ming. I want to be with her… If the shop is under my name, she and my daughter can return to me!” Wei Dahai murmured and restrained the panic in his heart. He had never thought that Princess Chen would really come to him. She hid inside and heard everything he said.

Shao Wanru couldn’t help sneering in her heart. At this point, Wei Dahai still wanted to get away with this excuse.

“Lord Wei, let’s put aside the dispute between you and Madame Dong for the time being. Don’t even think about this shop. This shop has always been mine; now it’s under my name. Do you have any complaints?”

Shao Wanru asked.

“Wh-what?” Wei Dahai’s eyes widened in shock, and he looked at Shao Wanru in disbelief.

In astonishment, Madam Ouyang also looked up at Madame Dong and Shao Wanru. They had planned for so long and regarded this shop as theirs. At this moment, they were told that this shop didn’t belong to Madame Dong at all. Then what was the point of them scheming incessantly?

Their efforts were a complete waste of time, and their mistakes made them a laughingstock.

“Your Highness, I know you have a distinguished status, but you can’t snatch the property from law-abiding citizens!” Madam Ouyang calmed down a little and said.

“Snatching? I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake. I was young then, and it was inconvenient for me to show up and take this shop. Thus, I asked Madame Dong to do it. Madame Dong came to the capital city with me. Because I didn’t have enough money, I got a mortgage from a private bank and received the money. An official of the Ministry of Justice helped me with the process. We’ve undergone complete formalities, and there were records of it in the private bank!”

Shao Wanru said with a smile, reached out to take the tea served by Yujie, and took a sip slowly.

Her purpose was to shatter Wei Dahai’s wishful thinking. With the arrival of the Xu State princesses, the situation in the capital city was getting chaotic. At this critical time, the Prince Chen’s Mansion should adopt a lower profile. In the past, she didn’t mind dealing with Wei Dahai slowly, but she couldn’t do that now. To avoid being distracted, Shao Wanru had to act decisively and kill Wei Dahai’s unrealistic hope of getting this shop as early as possible.

There was a light knock at the door. Yujie hurried forward to open the door. And Wen Xichi, wearing a gentle smile, appeared.

Wei Dahai couldn’t help withdrawing a few steps — he knew Wen Xichi.

“Lord Wen, thank you for coming here!” Shao Wanru stood up and bowed politely.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s my duty!” Wen Xichi said, making a cupped-hand salute to Shao Wanru.

The two of them greeted each other and took their seats.

Yujie served tea and retreated to Shao Wanru’s back. As for Wei Dahai and his wife, they were still standing there. No one invited them to sit, let alone ask them for tea.

“Lord Wen, when I asked for the loan, you were my guarantor. I wonder if you can be a witness and prove that I bought this shop. And because I was young at that time, I specially entrusted it to Madame Dong to manage.” Shao Wanru asked.

“Yes, we still kept the contracts!” Wen Xichi nodded. From the pocket in his sleeve, he took out a few contracts, put them on the table, and said in a businesslike manner, “Your Highness, please take a look. Are these the contracts you want?”

Shao Wanru motioned for Yujie to take it. After examining them in her hands, she looked pleasantly surprised. “Thank you, Lord Wen. I happened to have met you once, but you helped me greatly. Now I have to trouble you to testify for me!”

Wen Xichi was very thorough in his work. As soon as she mentioned that, he got the evidence immediately, though the matter happened three years ago. Wen Xichi was indeed efficient and capable.

“No need to thank me, Your Highness. It’s no bother!” Wen Xichi turned to look at Wei Dahai and said, “Lord Wei, Princess Chen bought this shop from my friend. I happened to be there that day. Seeing a little girl with great ambitions, I was glad to lend a hand. Since then, she had this shop.”

“Lord Wei has also taken a fancy to this shop and is determined to get it. I think you should go to court!”

“Go to court?” Wei Dahai’s face was ashen, and his hands trembled involuntarily in his sleeves. How could they go to court in the current situation?

He knew perfectly well who Wen Xichi was. With Wen Xichi as a witness and these contracts, Wei Dahai could never win the case. More importantly, it might jeopardize his future.

He had been sure that Princess Chen wouldn’t dare to make a big deal out of it. In his mind, she only wanted to get the people in the Butterfly Clothing Shop. But now, it turned out that Princess Chen owned this shop from the start. Therefore, how could he fantasize about winning the shop? In particular, Wen Xichi was willing to be a witness. He was the Third Young Master of the Mansion of the Prime Minister and had an excellent reputation. Beyond that, Wen Xichi was now working in the Ministry of Justice. Although his position was similar to his, Wen Xichi had real power.

In contrast, Wei Dahai was just a fourth-rank official. How could he imagine taking the shop from Princess Chen?

Her legs went limp, and Wei Dahai reached out to hold the corner of the table before he could stand firm.

“Lord Wen, there’s no need to do that. It’s… it’s a misunderstanding!” Wei Dahai smiled more bitterly than when he cried. How could he have the guts to think about other things at this time? He only wanted to go back safe and sound. From then on, he would completely give up the idea of taking the shop.

If he had known the shop didn’t belong to Lady Dong, he wouldn’t have dared to have any unrealistic expectations!

“A misunderstanding? How could it be? This matter has caused such a stir. Lord Wei, you’d better come with me. I heard that another case involving this shop was also related to you. I’m curious to know who colluded with you to do these despicable things!” Wen Xichi snorted, and his face fell.

“Are they going to follow up the clues and take me down?” Wei Dahai was afraid of being found out, although he thought he didn’t leave any clues behind. But no one could guarantee it. If by any chance, any evidence pointed toward him. He wouldn’t get away with it by telling others it was a misunderstanding.

“Lord Wen, I swear it’s a misunderstanding…” Wei Dahai reached out to wipe the cold sweat off his forehead. Then, he joined his hands to plead with Wen Xichi, appearing subservient and servile. Once the situation got out of hand, he would find himself in serious trouble.

“Lord Wen, this… I had a little misunderstanding with them. I thought my husband was really…” Madam Ouyang said with an awkward smile. She turned to Madame Dong and bowed sideways. “Sister, I’m truly sorry. I believed… I made such a big scene out of jealousy. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. Sister, please forgive me!”

“Madam, you are wrong. My mother only gave birth to me. I have no sister!” Madame Dong looked at Madam Ouyang coldly, eyes full of sarcasm.

Her words choked Madam Ouyang and shamed her to death. While biting her lip determinedly, she looked up at Shao Wanru, saying, “Your Highness, my father arranged this marriage with him. I didn’t know the details. If I had known my husband had a family already, I wouldn’t have married him. Now… now… the horrible mistake has occurred, yet my husband refused to realize his error and still tried to be with Madame Dong…”

Madam Ouyang spoke with grief and continued to assert that she was innocent.

Shao Wanru interrupted her bluntly, “Madam Ouyang, these old things have nothing to do with me, and I don’t want to hear about them. If there is nothing else, please go back. Don’t ever intervene in the affairs of Butterfly Clothing Shop in the future. If you attempt to mess with the Butterfly Clothing Shop again, don’t blame me for raking up the past, and let’s wait and see the court’s decision!”

Madam Ouyang was slightly taken aback but soon came to her senses. She took Wei Dahai’s hand and said repeatedly, “Yes, yes. We’ll leave right now. From now on, we won’t interfere in the affairs of Butterfly Clothing Shop, never!”

After that, she turned around and left with Wei Dahai, who was slow in reacting to the situation.

If Princess Chen intended to pursue the case, Wei’s Mansion would face imminent disaster. For some unknown reasons, Princess Chen chose to let them off. Whatever her purpose was, they had better go away as soon as possible.

...

The couple came out of the accountant’s office in a panic. They didn’t dare to stay any longer and hurried out. Many people stayed outside to watch the fun. When seeing the couple walk out in dejection, plus what they had heard, they immediately understood the couple was in the wrong.

It could be seen that they had plotted to get the Butterfly Clothing Shop. Thus, many people pointed at their backs and broke out into curses.