The maid was stunned. How could this be? Didn't that person say Tao Lengshuang was inside?
Upon hearing this, Madam Sheng ordered her嬷嬷 to interrogate the maid, anxious about where Tao Lengshuang had gone.
"Madam."
At this moment, a maid rushed over, bowed, and said, "Madam, why are you all here? Eldest Miss and Prince Ming Rui have been looking for you for a long time."
When Madam Sheng heard this, she quickly returned to her courtyard with Zicheng and others. As expected, they saw Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi.
"Mother!"
Xiao Feng pounced over and asked in a milky voice, "Mother, where did you and Father go? We've all been looking for you."
Tao Lengshuang held his hand and explained with a shallow smile, "Didn't Mother go to fight bad guys? After driving away the bad guys, your father said he wanted to spend some time alone with me. As a result, when your father and I returned, we didn't see anyone."
The actual situation was that she was rescued by Mo Lingxi, who arrived in time, and then Mo Lingxi dealt with the masked man and the ugly man.
Xiao Feng nodded his little head: "So Father went to coax Mother. Did Father coax Mother well?"
"Mother, don't forgive Father too easily. Xiao Feng heard that if you get something too easily... Huh? Cousin, what do you get too easily?"
Zicheng held his forehead: "If you get something too easily, you won't cherish it. Xiao Feng, you can't pit your cousin like this."
Xiao Feng grinned and said he didn't. Then, like a little adult, he reminded his mother, "Mother, if you get something too easily, you won't cherish it. You can't be coaxed by Father too easily."
Tao Lengshuang was amused and speechless. Mo Lingxi lightly tapped Xiao Feng's head, and Madam Sheng and Zicheng and others burst into laughter.
"Xiao Feng is right, you can't be coaxed too easily. Men are the most likely to be fickle," Madam Sheng teased.
Tao Lengshuang's mouth twitched: "...What happened here? Everyone is gone."
Madam Sheng said she would take them around and did not mention what had just happened: "By the way, Lengshuang, you don't need to help anyone with their conditioning. Some people are not worthy."
Tao Lengshuang agreed without even asking.
Afterwards, Tao Lengshuang received a large sum of money from many ladies and young ladies, and her mood instantly improved. Indeed, money was the most effective way to make people happy.
After the banquet was over, Tao Lengshuang's family, General Sheng and his wife, and Zicheng sat down to discuss matters.
"Lengshuang, how did you escape that framing incident?" Madam Sheng asked with worry.
Tao Lengshuang briefly explained: "Mo Lingxi saved me. This was also the scheme of the mastermind. Godmother, the mansion needs a thorough cleaning."
Madam Sheng said fiercely: "We must thoroughly clean out these traitors. These people dare to frame Eldest Miss, they are simply hateful."
Tao Lengshuang was not so angry. For the mastermind, they would not miss any opportunity to scheme against her or the Sheng family.
"Regarding the identity of the mastermind, have any new clues been found?"
Mo Lingxi said coldly: "We have locked onto three people and are investigating them closely. It should not be long before we find out who the mastermind is."
Tao Lengshuang felt much more at ease, thinking that it was much better in the village, at least she wouldn't be schemed against all the time.
"By the way."
She took out the money she earned today, kept one-tenth, and handed the rest to Zicheng: "Consider it my donation to the national treasury. Although it's not much, it's my small gesture."
She was also considering her future and Xiao Feng's. The more good deeds she did, the more beneficial it would be for her and Xiao Feng in the future.
Seeing Mo Lingxi nod, Zicheng smiled and accepted: "Aunt is righteous! Aunt, you don't know, His Majesty has depleted the national treasury for his own enjoyment, and I've been so worried about money that my hair is almost white."
The Emperor's various large-scale construction projects were not only a burden on the people and a waste of money, but coupled with his extravagant and unrestrained enjoyment, the national treasury was depleted.
Tao Lengshuang: "Money matters are easy to solve. Exchange money for lives or for a noble title without real power. I think many people would be willing."
She had heard Mo Lingxi mention it once. Recently, the court had been vigorously rectifying corrupt officials and appeasing rebellions.
These corrupt officials had plenty of money, but what they least wanted was to die. Exchanging money for their lives was the most cost-effective.
Zicheng indicated that both methods were being used: "Many corrupt officials have already transferred their money, and we cannot find the money to convict them."
Tao Lengshuang: "In the face of death, what cannot be confessed."
Zicheng felt that this idea could be tried. Perhaps his methods were too mild, which made these corrupt officials feel they had a chance.
"Aunt, can you give me some of your special medicinal powders? I'm poor recently. I'll give you the money back when I have it."
Tao Lengshuang readily gave Zicheng a lot of medicinal powders, such as specially made itch powder.
Zicheng thanked him with a smile and took his leave. He was busy using these medicinal powders to deal with people.
Tao Lengshuang, however, was thinking about opening a pharmacy. The money she had was enough for her to open a pharmacy. Next, she just needed to buy a pharmacy and rent a house.
"Tao Lengshuang, we should take Xiao Feng to the palace." Mo Lingxi reminded her.
"Ah? Oh." Tao Lengshuang shook her head: "You take Xiao Feng to the palace, I won't go."
Mo Lingxi frowned, somewhat displeased: "You promised me you would go to the palace."
Tao Lengshuang said that was in front of the guests, and it was inconvenient for her to refuse: "Xiao Feng is your son, and he should be on the royal genealogy."
"Go, come back soon."
Mo Lingxi had expected that things would not go so smoothly, but he did not expect Tao Lengshuang to be so unwilling.
"If you don't go to the palace, then I won't take Xiao Feng to the palace either."
Looking at his childish behavior, Tao Lengshuang was both angry and amused: "What does it have to do with me? It is right for you to take Xiao Feng to the palace."
Mo Lingxi narrowed his dangerous black eyes: "Tao Lengshuang, have you forgotten that you are my wife?"
Tao Lengshuang raised her eyelids: "Do you have to argue with me about this?"
Hearing this, Mo Lingxi dared not mention it again. He knew very well that if he continued, Tao Lengshuang would definitely be angry.
"See, it's not good if you don't go to the palace, right?"
Tao Lengshuang glanced at him, then said goodbye to General Sheng and his wife and returned to her courtyard, not paying Mo Lingxi any more attention.
Mo Lingxi: "..." Tao Lengshuang was giving him less and less face.
Just get used to it, just get used to it.
"Father, you are really useless." Xiao Feng shook his head in disdain: "It's been so long, and Father still hasn't coaxed Mother."
Mo Lingxi felt as if his heart had been stabbed: "Xiao Feng, you know how difficult your mother is to coax."
Xiao Feng said indignantly, "No, it's because Father is not attentive enough and doesn't understand what Mother truly wants."
He sighed like a little adult: "Father is always thinking about your affairs, but has he ever thought about what Mother wants? Mother doesn't like those riches... Grandmother, is it riches?"