High-class maid

Chapter 176 The End of the Song Family

"We're here! We're here! This is it!" Shen Xing'er saw their shop from afar and excitedly called out to Wang Shi.

"Shh, keep your voice down, they don't recognize us." Madam Wang tugged at Shen Xing'er's sleeve, signaling her to keep a low profile.

"Hehe, Mother, isn't your daughter just too excited?" This was the first time Shen Xing'er had come to see her shop like a landlady, so she couldn't contain herself.

Wang looked at her amusedly and said, "Alright, alright, they don't even recognize us. Let's go grab a bite to eat and then head back!"

"Don't worry, Mother, I know everything," Shen Xing'er assured her.

"Please come in, gentlemen. What would you like to eat?"

Just as the mother and daughter stood at the door, a woman about the same age as Wang came out. The woman was wearing a durable black dress, her hair was neatly tied up with a wooden hairpin, and the shop was clean and tidy, with two tables of customers already seated inside.

"Shanfuzhai, what a wonderful name!" Shen Xing'er murmured the name on the plaque, praising it softly.

"This young lady can actually read. Don't laugh at me, but this is just a name my son randomly chose," the woman replied with a smile, though her face was full of pride.

"As expected of a scholar, even the name he chose is so beautiful," Shen Xing'er thought to herself.

"Alright, let's go inside quickly, it's terribly cold outside." Wang Shi pulled the dazed Shen Xing'er inside.

The two of them each ordered a bowl of the restaurant's signature three-delicacy noodles, followed by a side of stir-fried shredded vegetables. After eating and drinking their fill, they paid and left.

"It was quite delicious. I'm amazed that the two of them could manage to keep up with all that work." Shen Xing'er savored the taste of the food, still feeling a little unsatisfied.

The broth for the Three Delicacies Noodles is made from a special ingredient, not water, and tastes incredibly sweet and savory. The stir-fried shredded vegetables consist of carrots, potatoes, and green peppers. The colors are a beautiful mix of red, white, and green, and the dish is crisp, refreshing, and not greasy at all.

“I just counted, they only set up six tables, the two of them should be able to manage,” Wang replied.

"That proprietress is so efficient. She took our order, calculated the bill, and cleaned up immediately after the customers left. We can rest assured that we rented our shop to someone like her," Shen Xing'er said.

"Yes, that puts our minds at ease. If her son passes the imperial examinations and achieves official rank in the future, this place will become the shop where the scholar once stayed!" Wang said with a smile.

“Mother, I originally planned to take over this shop and open my own clothing store, but seeing how much they value this shop, I feel a little reluctant to do so,” Shen Xing’er said.

When Shen Xing'er bought the shop, she considered factors such as location and traffic, so that she could take over the business after she left the manor. However, she did not expect to leave the manor so soon, nor did she expect that the family who rented the shop would love it so much.

“If that doesn’t work, we can buy another shop. But it’s not like you can just take it over whenever you want. Both parties signed a contract, and the other party rented it for three years,” Wang patiently explained to Shen Xing’er.

"Well, let's take it one step at a time. If their business is good, it's good for us too, isn't it?" Shen Xing'er stopped worrying about it. Why would she kick them out? There's still the scholar living there; they should be on good terms with him.

After the mother and daughter had eaten and drunk their fill, they walked home side by side, the girl's laughter and Wang's helpless voice echoing through the air. Everything was so beautiful.

However warm and welcoming it was outside the palace, it was just as cold and indifferent inside.

"Your Majesty, Lord Song requests an audience," Eunuch Su said softly.

The Emperor closed the secret memorial in his hand and ordered, "Send it here. Guard the door and do not allow anyone to enter."

"Yes." Eunuch Su hunched over and ran out with small, quick steps. He only dared to wipe the sweat from his forehead when he reached the door. How long had it been since he had seen the Emperor look so serious?

"Your Majesty, I have come to apologize for the scandal in my family that has troubled you." Song Yanjiang did not dare to raise his head. He entered and performed a deep bow, remaining kneeling on the ground and not daring to rise.

Perhaps it was because the side hall was too hot, but he also started sweating.

The side hall was quiet. The Emperor opened the secret memorial again and read it over and over. After an unknown amount of time, he said...

"Get up. What could possibly warrant such a special trip?"

Song Yanjiang quickly looked up and then down again. When he saw that the Emperor was reading a secret memorial, he was even more certain that he had come to the right place.

He became even more respectful and said, "Your Majesty, I was foolish and unaware that someone in my household was using witchcraft. It is truly..."

The Emperor stood up, ignoring the secret memorial, and asked, "Gu? Who used Gu? To whom was Gu used? How did you discover it?"

Song Yanjiang kept his head down, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. He dared not wipe them away, and only replied respectfully.

"Your Majesty, it was...it was this humble subject! This humble subject used Gu poison on...my eldest son." After he finished speaking, he lowered his head even further.

"Ha, even now, you still want to hide it from me? What, do you want to die in place of your old mother?" The Emperor suddenly raised his voice and threw the secret edict on the table in front of Song Yanjiang, gesturing for him to look at it.

Song Yanjiang opened it with trembling hands, his eyes widening as he looked at it. Finally, he could barely hold it and begged for mercy.

"Your Majesty, my mother is old, she... she's confused! Your Majesty, I'm willing to die in her place, please spare her life!" After saying this, Song Yanjiang actually knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Old Madam Song was supported by palace servants and stood behind a screen watching her son plead for her. She shook her head and wept, but because something was stuffed in her mouth, she couldn't utter a single word.

"Your mother dared to use witchcraft, and she was the birth mother of my prince! Her crimes deserve to be punished by the extermination of her entire family! However... I will spare your life, because Wen Yang still needs an identity."

Song Yanjiang raised his head. Yes, the Emperor was right. Everyone knew he had two sons. If he died, the Song family would fall, and Yang'er would have nowhere to go.

"Come out," the Emperor called out to the screen. The palace servants pushed Old Madam Song out and removed the food from her mouth.

"Mother? What are you doing here?" Song Yanjiang was shocked to see his mother, then looked at the Emperor and asked.

"So, you were prepared all along!"

The Emperor remained silent, his hands behind his back, watching Old Madam Song weep quietly.

"Old Mrs. Song and her daughter-in-law went to the temple, but were mistakenly killed by bandits on the way. Song Wenheng was so heartbroken that he shaved his head and became a monk at the temple where his mother and grandmother were assassinated."

The Emperor decided other people's fates with just a few words, but it was all their own doing.

"Your Majesty!" Song Yanjiang still wanted to plead for mercy.

"Shut up! If it weren't for your useful identity, I would have executed you as well! You already knew how Yue'er died, didn't you? Didn't you!"

The Emperor finally couldn't hold back any longer and walked up to Song Yanjiang, shouting loudly.