Chapter 32 Removing this rebellious son from the list

The fact that Miss Yunxi was actually a lowly maid in the Shi household was unacceptable to everyone.

They couldn't believe that someone so talented, even one who received imperial praise, could only serve as a slave in the Shi family.

At this moment, the Shi family produced a confession and a contract of servitude for Yunxi. The confession stated that Yunxi had stolen the Shi family's secret recipe, while the contract was proof that Yunxi voluntarily sold herself into slavery.

Just as everyone was sighing with regret, the Jinwu Guard discovered that the confession and the contract of servitude had actually been signed and filed two months earlier.

Moreover, the evidence did not include Yunxi's signature, only two fingerprints pressed with blood. The strangeness of this matter could not be concealed even by ordinary people.

First of all, everyone was already immune to the Shi family's accusation that Yunxi stole the formula. In their minds, they were already convinced that it was the Shi family who had stolen Yunxi's formula.

Secondly, why was Yunxi's indenture signed before the fire? If Yunxi was a servant of the Shi family from the beginning, and then contributed her skills and strategies to her master, then the recipe should belong to her master, which is perfectly reasonable.

But the Shi family's shops were clearly opened three years ago, and their prescriptions are updated and expanded every year. Moreover, Yunxi's ability to donate so many supplies clearly indicates that she is very wealthy.

Why would a woman with such extraordinary talent and abundant wealth be willing to sell herself into slavery?

Finally, why is there no signature from Miss Yunxi on this confession and indenture? Could it be that someone who can write so many prescriptions can't even write her own name?

The bloody handprint on the confession letter allows everyone to instantly imagine what happened.

It was clearly Shi Qingchen who wanted to claim Yunxi's talent, so he falsely accused the original owner of theft, tortured her into confessing, and forced Yunxi to put her fingerprint on the confession and the contract of sale.

Shifu Ancestral Hall

The Grand Secretary wielded the rattan cane in his hand for a full quarter of an hour, to the point that even his usually meticulous appearance was neglected, and he didn't bother to fix his disheveled hair. He looked as if he were determined to beat Shi Qingchen to death.

Shi Qingchen's knife wound from being stabbed at the Lantern Festival had not yet healed, and now he was being whipped with a rattan cane, causing large patches of blood to immediately appear on his body, making him almost faint from the pain.

But this time he didn't defend himself at all. For some reason, after the truth about Yunxi came out, he felt a little more at ease.

Rather than constantly patching up old lies with new ones, he preferred to atone for his sins and make amends for his guilt.

There was one thing he couldn't understand: why were Yunxi's handprints on her confession and indenture printed with blood? He had only had someone force Yunxi to press her handprints; he had never let anyone harm a single hair on her head.

Feng Xun and Que'er, who were standing to the side, saw Shi Qingchen beaten like a dead dog, lying on the ground on the verge of death, and their eyes flashed with pleasure.

Thanks to the master's foresight, who had ordered them to secretly switch the confession and indenture, the evidence presented by the Shi family consisted of a document with a bloody handprint and an added date.

Once this evidence was made public, no matter how much the Shi family protested, no one would believe them.

Standing to the side, watching the drama with great interest, Madam Wen and her three legitimate sons exchanged glances. Madam Wen then stepped forward and advised:

"Master, calm down. It's not surprising that a son born to a concubine could do such petty theft. Please don't let him harm your health."

Moreover, if Chen'er, as the young master of our Shi family, were to die in the mansion, it would be extremely detrimental to the reputation of our Shi family.

In my opinion, we should all work together as a family to try and find a way to help him.”

Wen's explanation, seemingly speaking on behalf of Shi Qingchen, actually implied that he was no longer worthy of sitting in the position of young master of the family, and also hinted to the chief minister that if he were to be kept alive, he would surely be implicated.

Upon hearing this, Shi Qingchen's eyes flickered. He knew that with such a big problem in his life, his stepmother would definitely take advantage of his misfortune. Therefore, he quickly thought of how to break out of the current predicament.

The Grand Secretary hadn't been this angry in a long time, and he was now completely exhausted. He slammed the rattan cane he was holding to the ground, and then, supported by Lady Wen, sat down on a chair brought by a servant to rest.

After panting heavily for a while, he said in a cold voice, "With his character, what right does he have to be the young master of the family? My Shi family's century-old foundation has never experienced such a turbulent situation."

The family's current predicament is all due to the actions of this brat, and the Shi family has to bail him out. My punishment of him today is only one aspect of that.

Tomorrow, I must ask the clan elders to come and bring the family genealogy to remove this rebellious son from the register. Otherwise, how will I face my ancestors in the afterlife?

Upon hearing this, Lady Liu felt anxious. She couldn't understand why everything was different in this life.

If Shi Qingchen is truly expelled from the Shi family, then he will not only be unable to succeed the position of Grand Secretary, but will likely become a commoner who will never be able to set foot in the court again.

How could she, the legitimate daughter of the Liu family, possibly suffer with such a useless person?

Thinking of her precarious future, Lady Liu disregarded the resentment she had harbored for days from being tormented by her mother-in-law and husband. She immediately knelt before the Grand Secretary, pleading plaintively:

"Daughter-in-law begs Father to calm his anger. Please do not disown your husband. The marriage between the Shi and Liu families was for mutual support. Could you please give my husband another chance for the sake of my father?"

The most urgent task is to find a way to quell the rumors circulating in the capital. As for punishing my husband, let's discuss that later.

After Liu finished speaking, seeing that the governor remained unmoved, she immediately turned to help Shi Qingchen up from the ground and said urgently, "Husband, do you have any way to break this deadlock?"

Shi Qingchen was already drenched in cold sweat from the pain. Despite Liu's support, he still couldn't sit up completely. After taking a few deep breaths, he said with difficulty:

"Son... has a way... that can turn the current situation around... please allow me to tell you, Father."

The capital city official is annoyed by him now, but after all, he is the young master of the family whom he promoted. The more incompetent he is, the worse his judgment is, right?

Therefore, when he heard Shi Qingchen say that there was a way to break the deadlock, the chief minister thought it was worth listening to. If it didn't work, it wouldn't be too late to punish him later.

After receiving a nod of approval from the Prime Minister, Shi Qingchen continued, holding his breath, "We can announce to the public that Yunxi and I have long been in love and have pledged our lives to each other, and that the fire was just an accident."

Although Yunxi is dead... I am still willing to marry her as a principal wife... so that all of Yunxi's achievements and honors... will belong to our Shi family..."

Shi Qingchen's idea made the expressions on everyone's faces quite interesting.

Upon hearing this, the capital city official's anger subsided by half. He immediately began to weigh the pros and cons in his mind and thought the idea was excellent.