Lu Li followed the servant of the Shen residence across the towering vermilion gates, while Qingluan was left waiting outside the gatehouse.
Upon entering the second gate, a peony terrace piled with Taihu stones came into view. The Shen family garden was excessively luxurious; it was the peak of the flowering season, and peonies of various colors were blooming competitively. Walking through it felt like falling into a sea of flowers, the courtyard filled with a rich, cloying fragrance that seemed impossible to dissolve.
Lu Li slightly lowered her eyelids.
Lu Wan was allergic to pollen. In the past, whenever she got close to fresh flowers, a fine red rash would break out on her face and neck. Not a single fresh flower could be found in the old Lu residence. Yet Lu Wan loved flowers, so her mother had used colorful scraps of cloth to fashion many artificial flowers to place in porcelain vases, pretending to add a touch of spring.
But the Shen family clearly had no such concerns; they let the flowers compete in beauty and brilliance, creating quite a lively scene.
Upon reaching the main hall, an elderly woman was seen sitting upright on a rosewood armchair. She had a long face with sharp, slightly drooping eye corners, and thin lips painted with scarlet rouge. She wore a lychee-red, wide-sleeved jacket with a grape vine pattern, heavy gold gourd pendants hanging from her ears, and was covered in pearls and jade. She was dressed with imposing wealth, yet at a glance, her brows and eyes revealed a certain meanness and lack of benevolence.
After a moment, Lu Li stepped forward and performed a slight curtsy toward Old Madam Shen. "This humble girl, Liu Yingying, greets the Old Madam."
Old Madam Shen did not speak immediately, instead looking Lu Li up and down from a superior position with the corners of her eyes.
This was a young girl wearing a washed-out, light brown coarse cloth dress with an inconspicuous patch at the elbow, looking very shabby. Old Madam Shen's gaze finally landed on the layer of white gauze covering Lu Li's face. She frowned slightly and asked with displeasure, "Why are you wearing a veil?"
"Yingying contracted an acute illness on the way to the capital, and the red rash on her face has not yet fully faded," Lu Li replied softly. "I dare not offend the Old Madam's eyes."
Old Madam Shen saw that there were indeed traces of a red rash on her exposed neck. Although still suspicious, she relaxed a bit, waved her hand, and said, "Then stand further away." Her tone was blunt, filled with disdain.
Lu Li obediently retreated two steps as instructed.
Nanny Zhang, standing to the side, immediately put on a fake smile. While massaging Old Madam Shen's shoulders, she tentatively asked Lu Li, "May I ask where Miss Yingying is from?"
Lu Li lowered her eyes and answered, "This humble girl is from Sunan."
"Sunan?" Old Madam Shen glanced at her sideways. "I haven't heard of the Lu family having any relatives in Sunan."
"Cousin Wan'er's mother is Yingying's cousin-aunt. Yingying followed her parents to Sunan when she was young. Back then, my mother was weak, and my father died of a sudden illness. My cousin-aunt once mentioned treating Yingying as her own, saying that if I faced difficulties in the future, I should seek help in Qinghe County." At this point, Lu Li's voice carried a perfectly timed note of sorrow. "Now that both my parents are dead, Yingying rushed to Qinghe with great difficulty, only to find that my aunt has already..."
Old Madam Shen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as Nanny Zhang had predicted, this Liu Yingying was just a poor relative coming to sponge off them. She probably just wanted to swindle some silver to take back.
Thinking of this, she lost her patience and said coldly, "Since you are looking for the Lu family, you should know that Madam Lu has long since died of illness. There is no such person in the Shen family now. Furthermore," she twitched the corners of her mouth in a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "you claim you and Madam Lu were as close as sisters, yet I have never heard Madam Lu mention such a person. Who knows if what you say is true or false?"
"Old Madam need not worry. Yingying once lived in Qinghe County for a time; the neighbors all know of this. The Old Madam may send someone to Qinghe County to inquire; one question will reveal the truth."
Old Madam Shen was stifled by these words. Nanny Zhang beside her immediately interjected, "Miss, the First Madam has already passed away. Even if you wish to seek refuge, the Master has already married a new wife, and his fate as husband and wife with the First Madam has ended. An unmarried girl staying in the Shen family under such unclear circumstances—if word gets out, it will damage your reputation." She felt her words were very reasonable; what girl doesn't care about her chastity and reputation? Even if one is sponging off relatives, one must weigh whether it is worth it.
Lu Li's gaze flickered slightly. A new wife... Lu Wan had only been dead a year, and Shen Congwen had already remarried.
Her fingers hidden in her sleeves clenched slightly, but a soft, harmless smile appeared on her face. "Yingying knows her identity is awkward and naturally would not dare to stay in the Shen family. I have already told the gatekeeper that the purpose of this trip is to retrieve my cousin's dowry."
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent; one could have heard a pin drop.
After a long while, Old Madam Shen spoke slowly, her tone grim, "What did you say?"
As if she hadn't seen the sinister look in the other woman's eyes, Lu Li spoke in her soft voice, "My cousin-aunt once wished to adopt Yingying under her name, so Yingying counts as half a Lu family member. Since the Master's fate as husband and wife with my cousin has ended and they are now strangers, and my cousin left no children behind, the dowry naturally should be returned to the Lu family. Yingying can collect it on their behalf."
"It has always been the custom that when a wife dies of illness, the husband's family should return the deceased wife's dowry." Lu Li raised her eyes, feigning surprise. "The Shen family is so wealthy, surely you wouldn't begrudge my cousin that little bit of dowry?"
Her voice was unhurried, her posture gentle, yet it was like a ladle of hot oil poured down, instantly igniting a towering rage in Old Madam Shen.
Old Madam Shen slammed her hand on the table. "Dowry? What dowry did she have? A poor schoolteacher's daughter—marrying into our family was already climbing a high branch! If not for my son liking her, why would my Shen family tie ourselves to such a marriage and become a laughingstock! She just had the face of a vixen, if not for..."
Nanny Zhang coughed heavily beside her.
Old Madam Shen stopped abruptly. Meeting Lu Li's gaze, she suddenly sneered, "You keep saying you were close to your sister, why don't you ask what kind of thing your sister really was?"
Lu Li looked at her calmly, her eyes cold and still. She gave no answer and rose to leave.
Outside the Shen residence, Qingluan had been pacing anxiously back and forth. The moment she saw Lu Li come out, she hurried forward and asked, "Miss, how did it go?"
Lu Li said nothing, only urged, "Let's go."
Qingluan did not understand, but after glancing at the imposing gates of the Shen family, she did not dare ask more and followed Lu Li away in haste.
Once they had passed through the alley beneath Juxian Tower, Lu Li suddenly stopped, tore off the white veil from her face, and revealed the cheeks still covered in fake rash spots.
"Miss," Qingluan studied her expression, worry rising in her voice. "Should we ask around a little more..."
"There's no need." Lu Li spoke coldly, a sharp chill flashing through her eyes. "My sister was murdered."