Chapter 50 Seeking Justice

Li Nanke suddenly looked up, her round eyes widening in shock.

How did he know that I had secretly cursed him in my heart?

"Oh."

Shen Cong scoffed, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

The little girl probably doesn't know that she has a pair of expressive eyes.

When those grape-like eyes widened and she started cursing, she didn't even try to hide it, making it instantly clear to anyone that she was hurling filth into her heart.

Li Nanke's small body trembled slightly, and she quickly lowered her head.

Even though someone grabbed him by the back of the neck, he still managed to kneel down and perform a curtsy.

"Nan Ke dared not curse the prince; his bow was simply to express his sincere gratitude for saving my mother."

As soon as she finished speaking, she clearly felt the hand gripping the back of her neck rub her collar forcefully.

A cold sneer rang out from above, "You've already learned hypocrisy at such a young age. Don't forget what you promised me."

Li Nanke nodded quickly.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I remember."

Shen Cong saved her mother, and she was truly grateful to him. Of course, she was also more willing to repay him.

Seemingly quite satisfied with her answer, Shen Cong loosened the back of her collar.

He turned to look at Vice Minister Song beside him.

Arrange a room for me.

Vice Minister Song was stunned for a moment, his face turning extremely ugly.

Although it was unclear what that brat Li Nanke had said to Prince Xuan, Song Yi suddenly woke up, and Prince Xuan did not punish Li Nanke as he had guessed.

Instead, they want another room. Are they really going to stand up for that brat?

Vice Minister Song dared not refute Shen Cong and hurriedly instructed Lady Zhang.

"What are you standing there for? Go and arrange a superior room for the prince."

Madam Zhang exclaimed "Ah!" and quickly bowed, gesturing for them to enter.

"This way, Your Highness."

Shen Cong glanced at Er Feng.

Erfeng understood and immediately opened the oil-paper umbrella, then gave instructions to the two trembling old women on the ground.

"You two come along too."

After taking a couple of steps, seeing that Li Nanke was still standing there in a daze, he couldn't help but sigh.

The poor little one must be terrified.

He immediately gave Li Nanke a wink, "Miss Nanke, don't just stand there, hurry up and follow me."

Li Nanke's eyes lit up, and he instantly realized what was going on.

They turned around and, together with Madam He, helped Song Yi up from either side.

"Mother, Ke'er is going to seek justice for you."

A moment later, in the main hall.

Shen Cong sat at the head of the table, but didn't even lift his eyelids.

He kept looking down at the snow eagle kneeling at his feet, and after a moment, he reached out and tapped its head.

Then he reached out and picked up the piece of paper stuck around the snow eagle's neck, examined it for a moment, and then fiddled with the bell around its neck.

He gave a soft hum.

"You're doing well."

Xueying shivered, his front legs buckled, and he quickly knelt at Chen Cong's feet.

Shen Cong glanced at it sideways, then reached out and stroked its head without saying a word.

He didn't speak, and the atmosphere in the room became stagnant.

Vice Minister Song and Lady Zhang looked at each other, unsure of what Shen Cong meant, and could only stand at the bottom.

It wasn't until Li Nanke and Madam He helped Song Yi walk in that the situation continued.

After settling his mother and grandmother into chairs, Li Nanke clenched his fists and turned to look at Minister Song.

"My maternal grandfather said he was sick and left my mother to take care of him. Why was my mother covered in injuries?"

Were the injuries on my mother inflicted by my maternal grandfather? What did my mother do wrong that my grandfather beat her?

Her voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the flower hall.

Vice Minister Song subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Shen Cong first.

Shen Cong remained silent, only focusing on stroking the snow eagle, seemingly oblivious to Li Nanke's words.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but reprimanded Li Nanke with a dark face.

"How dare you! I am your elder. How can you speak to me so rudely? Is this the manners you've been taught?"

Li Nanke took a deep breath and forced a smile.

But what she said was even more hurtful than before.

"May I ask why my maternal grandfather hit my mother? Is my maternal grandfather my mother's biological father?"

Are all fathers these days beating their daughters like this? Did my maternal grandfather also beat and verbally abuse my aunt and uncle like this?

Vice Minister Song...

“Your mother disobeyed her elders, and I was merely teaching her that one should not act contrary to their wishes; this is the duty of parents.”

What? Does that mean parents can't criticize or even hit their children no matter what they do?

Vice Minister Song rebuked him angrily with a dark face.

Li Nanke turned to look at Zilan, who was walking in from outside the door.

Her wounds had been treated, and she looked less disheveled than before.

"Sister Zilan, tell me why Grandfather hit Mother."

Zilan knelt down with a thud, her eyes red, and recounted the events of that morning like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"Master Song forced the young master's wife to return the money she had just received at the Bianjing government office yesterday, and also demanded that she write a letter of repentance."

She took all the blame, saying that she was misled by Madam Qian and Manager Liu, which led to yesterday's events.

“When the young master’s wife refused to write, Master Song whipped us with a rattan cane and forced us to kneel in the ancestral hall.”

As if his tail had been stepped on, Vice Minister Song pointed at Zilan and cursed angrily.

“Silence, you lowly servant. It is my right to discipline my own daughter, and no one can say I am wrong.”

Li Nanke's little face puffed up.

“Grandfather, you’re wrong. Yesterday, Lord Wei of Bianjing Prefecture already solved the case and determined that Mother was the victim.”

Today, my maternal grandfather is forcing my mother to admit her mistakes and write a letter of repentance, which shows that my maternal grandfather does not agree with Lord Wei's judgment at all.

Ke'er is going to Bianjing Prefecture to see Lord Wei again and ask him to give this case a proper review.

The veins on Vice Minister Song's forehead throbbed repeatedly.

Damn it, how can Li Nanke be so sharp-tongued?

Wei Yan is such a difficult person; if he finds out, he'll definitely come to confront him.

More importantly, he is still under observation as an official of the Ministry of Rites, and it is absolutely crucial that no news detrimental to him be released at this time.

But if he were to lower himself and speak humbly to a child like Li Nanke, Vice Minister Song couldn't bring himself to do it.

He could only force a dark expression and say, "I am your mother's biological father. Giving her a few words of discipline is for her own good."

"You can't just take something to court over such a trivial matter. Anyway, it's your mother who's being unreasonable; otherwise, I wouldn't have hit her in a fit of anger."

Song Yi suddenly looked up, staring at Minister Song in disbelief.

His pale lips trembled, his whole body shook violently, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Li Nanke's face was pursed tightly.

"According to Grandfather, you hit my mother for her own good, so she shouldn't be angry, but should instead be grateful to you?"

Vice Minister Song gave a heavy snort.

"It is a natural duty for parents to educate their children. If children do not listen to their parents, then they are disobedient and unfilial."

Li Nanke's eyes darted around, and suddenly they lit up.

"If we follow my maternal grandfather's wishes..."