Sheng Lengshuang did not intend to hide anything from Madam Sheng and explained the matter in detail, emphasizing that Zhou Wenxing possessed the remains of several former emperors: "Mother, this matter is not that simple. Although Zhou Wenxing once guarded the imperial mausoleum, without someone's help, he would never have had the ability to quietly steal the remains of the former emperors."
Madam Sheng's brow twitched as she heard this, her hatred for Zhou Wenxing deepening: "Indeed, but who would dare help Zhou Wenxing do such a thing? Being discovered would be a capital offense."
Sheng Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi were both unsure. The most likely culprit was the shadowy figure behind the scenes, but others could not be ruled out.
"Mother, Mo Lingxi will investigate this. What you need to do is be more careful and bring more people with you when you go out, in case anything goes wrong," Sheng Lengshuang cautioned with concern.
Madam Sheng said affectionately, "Mother will pay more attention. It was not easy to find you again, so how could I bear to be separated from you."
Sheng Lengshuang chuckled, "Mother, hearing you say that, it sounds like some young lord has been smitten."
Madam Sheng lightly tapped her forehead twice and said with a playful scold, "Look at what you're saying, you don't sound like a young lady at all."
Sheng Lengshuang took her hand and pouted, "How am I not like a young lady? Does Mother perhaps find me tiresome and want to send me away?"
Madam Sheng let out a soft laugh, "How could Mother bear to send you away? Mother wishes you could live at home forever, then you wouldn't be bullied, and Mother wouldn't have to worry about you."
Mo Lingxi quickly cleared his throat, expressing his sincerity: "Yue..."
His words took a turn under the dual gazes of Madam Sheng and Sheng Lengshuang: "Madam Sheng, please rest assured. I will treat Sheng Lengshuang well for my entire life and will never let her suffer even the slightest grievance."
Madam Sheng's smile faded slightly: "Prince Mingrui, your words imply that my daughter is not worthy of you. I ask that Prince Mingrui please let my daughter go."
Sheng Lengshuang stifled a laugh.
Mo Lingxi's mouth twitched: "Madam Sheng, I know many things have happened before, but I am doing my best to resolve them."
Madam Sheng gave a perfunctory "Oh": "Does Prince Mingrui have anything else? If not, my daughter and I will take our leave. After all, there is a difference between men and women, and it is not appropriate for my daughter to stay here for too long."
Mo Lingxi quickly pulled Sheng Lengshuang aside and, lowering his posture, said to Madam Sheng, "Madam Sheng, I know you are very displeased with me..."
"It is good that Prince Mingrui knows this." Madam Sheng pulled her daughter back and glared at Mo Lingxi: "Prince Mingrui, as I said earlier, there is a difference between men and women. Please conduct yourself with propriety!"
Sheng Lengshuang looked as if she could not help, making Mo Lingxi want to cry. Who had he offended? He just wanted to have some intimacy with his wife, and now so many things had happened.
"Madam Sheng, it is understandable that you are displeased with me, as I have indeed made mistakes." He admitted his fault with a sincere attitude.
Madam Sheng was not swayed by his words. She looked at him with disdain: "I cannot accept Prince Mingrui's apology. If Prince Mingrui truly feels he has wronged me, then please stay away from my daughter. My daughter is not lacking in suitors."
Mo Lingxi's handsome face turned as dark as ink, but he dared not speak harshly to his mother-in-law: "Madam Sheng, those young men cannot compare to me."
Madam Sheng left with Sheng Lengshuang after saying that they would be devoted to her daughter.
Mo Lingxi: "..." He was also devoted to Sheng Lengshuang.
Meanwhile, Sheng Lengshuang rubbed her temples, looking quite helpless: "Mother, you're doing this on purpose."
Madam Sheng huffed twice: "Lengshuang, Mother tells you, never forgive men too quickly, and don't be too good to them. Men are all cheap. If you're too good to them, they'll become demanding and won't cherish you."
Sheng Lengshuang asked gossipy, "Mother, are you like this with Father too?"
Madam Sheng's eyes softened: "Sort of. Your father and I were childhood sweethearts, and he doted on me since we were young. However, with your grandmother's guidance, I was not blindly obedient to your father. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that your father has had no thoughts of taking a concubine over the years."
Sheng Lengshuang could not help but sigh, thinking how insightful and strategic her grandmother, whom she had never met and who had passed away early, truly was. More importantly, she understood men's temperaments.
As her mother said, many men were indeed cheap. Once you were good to them, they would not cherish you; instead, they would find the wildflowers outside more appealing.
After Sheng Lengshuang finished her business at the school, she returned to the Sheng family with Madam Sheng and Mo Lingxi.
On the way, Sheng Lengshuang thought of buying some pastries for Xiao Feng and asked the carriage to stop at a pastry shop.
Mo Lingxi accompanied her as they alighted from the carriage: "Would you like to browse the jewelry shops?"
Sheng Lengshuang had just said "no need" when she overheard some commoners chatting, which caught her attention.
"Did you hear? Something happened at the imperial mausoleum!"
"Wow! What could happen at the imperial mausoleum? Although that place is remote, it's always been guarded."
"I heard that the remains of the former emperor were involved, and it seems to be related to the Sheng family. I don't know the specifics, I just heard it from someone."
"?? The remains of the former emperor are involved, and it has something to do with the Sheng family? General Sheng was loyal to the country, there was no need to do anything to the imperial mausoleum or the remains of the former emperor."
"It's related to Madam Sheng, it seems Madam Sheng was indiscreet... Ah!"
Sheng Lengshuang kicked the person over, her gaze like a cold blade shooting at him: "How dare you insult the wife of a court official in public? Do you not want to live?"
The other commoners, seeing this display, scattered like a flock of birds, but many more gathered around.
The person lying on the ground quickly knelt and begged for mercy: "Please forgive me, miss. I, I will never dare again, I truly will never dare again!"
Sheng Lengshuang was furious: "I ask you, where did you hear these rumors?"
The person said tremblingly, "I, I heard it from a few friends. Seeing that they spoke with such detail, I then told others."
If he had known this would happen, he would never have spoken of it in public.
Sheng Lengshuang understood after a moment of thought that someone had deliberately spread these rumors. It could be Zhou Wenxing, or it could be someone else.
"How many people know about this rumor?"
The person said he didn't know either.
Sheng Lengshuang warned him a few times, then let him leave. Afterwards, she and Mo Lingxi bought pastries and returned to the carriage.
"What happened?" Madam Sheng asked, hearing the commotion.
Sheng Lengshuang recounted the incident: "Mother, there will inevitably be rumors and gossip recently. Please don't take it to heart."
Madam Sheng stated that she would not take it to heart: "I have experienced so many storms, how could I care about such a small matter."
Speaking of this, she showed a worried expression: "I am worried that if this matter escalates, it will have very unfavorable consequences. Those are the remains of the former emperor."
Sheng Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi both understood this. Sheng Lengshuang urged Mo Lingxi to go to the palace immediately to handle the matter. The sooner it was dealt with, the more stable it would be, and it would also prevent those with ulterior motives from continuing to exploit the situation.