An imperial guard bowed and led the contingent of soldiers away.
"Husband, I am very worried about Da Fu," Madam Sheng said, holding her husband's hand, her brow furrowed. "For some reason, the first time I saw that child, I liked her very much."
"Now that I know she has encountered such great trouble because of us, I am worried she will have an accident."
General Sheng gently patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, with the imperial guards arranged by Prince Ming Rui, Da Fu will be fine."
"If it really comes to that, I will make arrangements."
Madam Sheng's eyes welled up with tears. "How can I not worry? That child truly caught my eye. If it weren't for her relationship with Prince Ming Rui, I would truly want to adopt her as my goddaughter."
"You say, if Sheng Li could have half of Da Fu's… no, even two-tenths of it, I would be satisfied. That child still hasn't repented."
She truly didn't understand how Sheng Li had become this way.
General Sheng couldn't help but sigh, filled with disappointment. He and his wife knew what had happened after Sheng Li was driven out of their home.
They had originally thought that child would mend her ways, but who knew that not only did she not improve, but she became even worse, solely focused on harming the couple.
Even he sometimes thought, if only they could recognize Da Fu as their goddaughter.
Meanwhile.
The imperial guards quietly entered the Eastern Capital with the unconscious soldiers and then proceeded to handle a matter.
Not long after, a young man dressed in ordinary clothes entered a teahouse.
Although there were few people on the streets, places like teahouses still had many patrons. Everyone gathered here to catch up on news and pass the time.
"Have you heard? Have you heard?"
The young man ordered a pot of tea and peanuts, sat in an empty seat, and chatted with the tea patrons. "I just heard someone say that all the events happening in our Eastern Jin Dynasty are the work of someone plotting mischief, angering the heavens."
Upon hearing this, the tea patrons eagerly inquired about the details. "I also feel that the recent events are too unusual, one thing after another, and now there's a snow disaster. It all looks like we've angered the heavens."
The young man glanced outside and lowered his voice. "Someone wants to control the emperor to command the lords!"
"Look, first so many court officials were killed, leading to the snow disaster. Then, General Sheng, the Sheng family, and officials from their lineage were dismissed. Now, there's no one to protect His Majesty, right?"
"It is said that next, the soldiers who were originally under General Sheng will be harmed. If this continues, the heavens will be furious, and it will be us common people who suffer."
The tea patrons erupted in an uproar.
"I knew something was wrong with these continuous events. So, someone is trying to do such a rebellious thing."
"This is infuriating! If I ever find out who it is, I will make them pay."
"What I want to know now is who it is, who has such audacity and ability to do such a thing?"
"Does His Majesty know? If His Majesty finds out, there will likely be trouble. We should go out less in the next few days to avoid being implicated."
Despite the tea patrons saying they would go out less, the next day they still flocked out to see if there was any excitement.
There was indeed excitement. About three hundred meters from the main gate of the imperial palace, a contingent of soldiers lay dead.
These were the same soldiers who were supposed to kill Tao Lengshuang.
The common people dared not get too close, watching from afar as the imperial guards dragged away the bodies, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
"It's true, just as it was rumored, a contingent of soldiers has indeed died. It seems the rumors are true. I wonder who dares to do such a thing."
"Hey, hey, hey, this contingent of soldiers was indeed under General Sheng. The killer wants to completely cripple General Sheng, to prevent General Sheng from obstructing them."
Amidst the angry discussions of the populace, the current emperor decreed a thorough investigation into the matter, demanding the culprit be found in the shortest possible time.
Furthermore, all court officials were forbidden from leaving the imperial palace and were confined to a side hall, where the chief eunuch led people to interrogate them one by one.
With such an incident occurring, the mastermind temporarily dared not do anything further to Tao Lengshuang, fearing that he would truly be discovered. He could only lie low for the time being.
This gave Tao Lengshuang more time to ponder ways to make money and to better care for Hongshu.
One day, just as she had cleared the snow from her doorstep, several villagers threw wastewater at her front door, cursing her as a jinx and telling her to die.
Having experienced such incidents several times, Tao Lengshuang frowned and washed away the wastewater with the snow, thinking that this situation could not continue.
Ever since the so-called "jinx" rumor spread, people from within and outside the village had come to cause trouble at her doorstep every day.
Today it was throwing wastewater, tomorrow it would be throwing stones, or running over to curse her loudly, trying every way to kill her.
Perhaps, she should really move? Allowing Xiao Feng to live in such an environment long-term was detrimental to his growth.
"Mo family!"
At this moment, Aunt Shen the Second and Aunt Wang the Third hurried over. Smelling the stench of wastewater, they knew what had happened.
"Mo family, I am truly sorry. It is all the wicked deeds of my scoundrel son that have caused you so much suffering."
"Mo family, I have already disciplined my son. From now on, our two families will come every day."
Tao Lengshuang shook her head, indicating it was fine. Blood is thicker than water, and those two were still their sons, different from her who had shown them kindness. She didn't need to force anything.
Aunt Shen the Second and Aunt Wang the Third also knew how outrageously wrong their sons were, and they knew that an apology wouldn't suffice. They sighed repeatedly.
"Mo family, I asked my son, and he doesn't know who wants to harm you. It was one day when a middle-aged man, who looked like a steward, came to find him..."
According to Aunt Shen the Second and Aunt Wang the Third, both of their sons were approached by a middle-aged man who resembled a steward.
The man invited them back to the village to help with a task, promising them ten taels of silver upon completion and help with their return to the village.
At first, the two asked what the task was, but the steward didn't say. Since they were eager to return and also get money, they didn't ask further and agreed to the steward.
It was only on their way back that the two learned the steward wanted them to cooperate with the soldiers coming to the village to slander Tao Lengshuang as a jinx.
At that time, the two were unwilling, but the other party used various threats and inducements, and even threatened their families.
Having no choice, the two had to agree, which led to the subsequent events.
"Mo family, we are truly too sorry. You have shown such great kindness to our two families, yet they have done such things."
Aunt Shen the Second and Aunt Wang the Third were extremely apologetic, but those were still their sons, their reliance in old age.
Tao Lengshuang could understand their thoughts and feelings and did not blame them in any way. However, she would have to distance herself from them in the future.
"Aunt Shen the Second, Aunt Wang the Third, for the help you've given me in the past, I will not pursue this matter, but there will be no next time," she said faintly.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Shen the Second and Aunt Wang the Third knew that their relationship with the Mo family was irrecoverable, all because their sons had done such foolish things.
"From now on, your two families should not come to my door again," a cold male voice suddenly said.