Chapter 85 She won't let any of them go!

Shen Qingci stared in astonishment, then quickly reached out and grabbed Sheng Lingxue's arm tightly: "What evidence?"

But she still retained a sliver of reason, her eyes filled with wariness: "You... why do you have evidence?"

Sheng Lingxue lowered her eyes, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, and her voice choked with emotion: "Because of my relationship with your elder brother, I used to often come to your residence to play."

"Once, I came looking for Qingfeng, but I happened to meet Huo Yunzhan in the back garden."

“He was walking not far ahead of me, so he probably didn’t notice me. At first, I didn’t think anything was unusual. After all, you and Huo Yunzhan were already engaged at that time, so it was perfectly normal for him to come to the Shen residence. Even the servants in the Shen residence were used to it, and no one took him with them. They let him enter the residence on his own.”

"But as I walked, I noticed something. Huo Yunzhan didn't seem to be heading in your direction; instead, he went straight towards the main courtyard."

Shen Qingci frowned. After she got engaged to Huo Yunzhan, Huo Yunzhan did indeed come to the Shen residence to see her frequently.

Indeed, many times, he would come in on his own, into her yard.

Can……

"It's not strange that he went to the main courtyard instead of to me, is it?" Shen Qingci thought for a moment: "He also often discusses military strategy and exchanges tactics with my father."

Sheng Lingxue nodded, but her eyes were as dark as an abyss: "If it were any other day, I wouldn't find it strange, but that day, neither your parents were at home."

“Your father’s schedule is always very fixed. Except for the fifteenth of each month when he is off duty, he goes to the camp for a period of time every day after court. He will not return home until at least Shenshi (3-5 PM).

“Even I, a young lady from a humble family, am very familiar with this matter because of my close relationship with your elder brother. Huo Yunzhan is not only your fiancé but also a military general; it’s impossible for him not to know your father’s whereabouts.”

"I found it strange, so I followed him as if by some strange impulse. I saw him sneaking into your father's study..."

"I...I was terrified, so I hid quietly under the window outside the study and cautiously peeked through the crack in the window frame. I saw him searching for something, and he seemed a little anxious."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci felt as if the blood in her body had instantly frozen! She clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force! Her father's study?

No wonder Huo Yunzhan went straight to her father's study the night before, after hearing about the trap she had deliberately set.

It turned out he was a repeat offender.

"He did find something. I watched as he carefully hid the letters on his person and then quickly left."

“I also went to find your older brother immediately and told him everything I had seen.”

When Shen Qingci's older brother, Shen Qingfeng, was mentioned, Sheng Lingxue's eyes softened, and she smiled slightly, as if she was recalling something.

“Your elder brother is a calm and collected man. When he heard what I said, he told me not to make a fuss. He will wait until General Shen returns to his residence and then tell him to investigate thoroughly what is missing.”

Sheng Lingxue lowered her eyes, her gaze darkening: "But after about half a month, I saw you and Huo Yunzhan laughing and talking intimately together again at the Shen residence."

"I immediately went to ask Qingfeng, but Qingfeng..."

Sheng Lingxue closed her eyes briefly: "He said that Huo Yunzhan does have a problem. What he stole were some private letters between General Shen and the border generals! He guessed that he wanted to imitate General Shen's handwriting, forge letters, and then use them to frame the Shen family and accuse General Shen of treason."

"Furthermore, after he heard what I said that day, he immediately sent a message to the border with General Shen, asking General Shen's confidants to keep an eye on the people Huo Yunzhan left at the border. They did intercept some evidence, but that evidence was not enough to bring the mastermind to justice. They still needed to collect more evidence. After collecting all the evidence, they would arrange for it to be sent back to the capital."

Sheng Lingxue's voice gradually became hoarse: "I asked him then, if that's the case, why didn't you expose Huo Yunzhan's wolfish ambitions, but instead let Huo Yunzhan be with you? I asked him, what about your marriage with Huo Yunzhan?"

As she said this, she couldn't help but smile bitterly and choked up, "He said that although Huo Yunzhan stole those letters, the real mastermind behind this matter was not Huo Yunzhan, but His Majesty. His Majesty can no longer tolerate them, and can no longer tolerate the Shen family."

"When the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die." Sheng Lingxue turned her head, hastily wiping away the tears that kept rolling down her cheeks, and said in a hoarse voice, "He said that it is precisely because of this that it is even more important not to expose Huo Yunzhan's conspiracy."

"They don't know when His Majesty will take action against the Shen family. If the Shen family is truly doomed, the only option is to marry you off."

"At least, I'll save your life."

"Although Huo Yunzhan is not a good man, they no longer have time to find you a better husband."

"Huo Yunzhan manipulated things, and they can use this as leverage to control him and try to make him treat you better."

"And I'll also leave you some things so that Huo Yunzhan won't dare to touch you easily."

Sheng Lingxue's lips trembled as she raised her head and stared blankly at the few sparse stars in the sky. After a long silence, she continued, "You basically know what happened after that."

"To avoid implicating me and the Sheng family, your elder brother took the initiative to come to our door and break off the engagement. His Majesty did not give them enough time to prepare, so they had no choice but to hastily marry you off to Huo Yunzhan."

"On the eve of the Shen family's downfall, your eldest brother came to me and handed me the evidence that had been rushed back from the border. He instructed me to keep the evidence safe."

"He also told me that if you are doing well in the Huo family and the Huo family treats you well, then I will pretend that this evidence does not exist and not disturb your life."

"...But if that beast Huo Yunzhan treats you badly and bullies you, then let me... let me hand over all this evidence to you intact!"

Sheng Lingxue clenched her teeth, but they still trembled uncontrollably. She took a deep breath and said, "I have inquired about your situation in the Huo family several times before, and the answer I got was that you seemed to be doing very well, and that you and Huo Yunzhan were a loving and harmonious couple."

"My heart is in turmoil. Huo Yunzhan is clearly the enemy who caused your family's ruin! Yet I can only watch you and your enemy live happily ever after. But your happiness is precisely what your father and brothers... their greatest wish..."

Shen Qingci turned her eyes away, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

She didn't know...

She had no idea!

Father and elder brother... they kept it from her for so long!

"Three months ago, I suddenly received news that Huo Yunzhan had died in battle."

Sheng Lingxue looked at Shen Qingci: "To be honest, I felt extremely happy at the time! I even felt that it was too good for that beast Huo Yunzhan to be able to have such a grand funeral with his illustrious war achievements!"

"He should have died at your hands after you exposed everything."

"But I'm actually a little worried about you. After all, you don't know anything. From your perspective, what you're losing is... a husband who loves you deeply."

Shen Qingci almost ground her teeth to powder: "No, there's still a chance."

There is still a chance for her to personally send that beast Huo Yunzhan to hell!

That's not right! It's not just about having a chance!

She, Shen Qingci, hereby swears! She will definitely do it!

She will definitely kill that beast Huo Yunzhan with her own hands, and make him pay the price for her parents and brothers who died unjustly, and for the hundreds of lives lost in her Shen family!

Not just Huo Yunzhan! But the entire Huo family!

And the Liu family too!

And... that arrogant and incompetent Emperor Yongming!

She... she will absolutely not let any of them go!

Meeting Sheng Lingxue's questioning gaze, Shen Qingci didn't say much, but held Sheng Lingxue's hand tightly: "Miss Sheng, please, give me the evidence!"

"I will definitely clear my father's and elder brother's names, clear everyone in the Shen family's names, and personally kill my enemies! Make them pay for their crimes in blood!"