As for Lu Jin, she didn't even lift an eyelid. In her opinion...

This son-in-law didn't care about his daughter, and now he's in this situation—it's all his own fault.

Lu Jiaojiao put on the cotton-padded coat and felt much warmer.

Her arrogance grew even stronger. She stiffened her neck and yelled at Shen Qingtang, "You clearly have extra cotton-padded coats, why didn't you give them to my father, my grandmother, and my aunt? You're a selfish wretch! Give them to me now!"

Her gaze was like a poisoned knife, fixed on Shen Qingtang's family members, her eyes filled with resentment.

Hearing this, Chen's mother felt a pang in her heart and murmured, "Jiaojiao..."

She recalled how the child was born, so beautiful and delicate. Although she didn't resemble a daughter, she was still well-behaved and endearing. How could she have turned into such a sharp-tongued and mean-spirited person?

"You old hag, you dead old woman!" Lu Jiaojiao suddenly turned to Old Master Shen, her eyes filled with malice. "Why aren't you dead yet? I'd rather you freeze to death!"

A cold glint flashed in Old Master Shen's cloudy eyes, and he snorted, "I've lived most of my life, what right do you, a little brat, have to curse me?"

"You're asking for it!" Lu Jiaojiao screamed and lunged at her.

Shen Qingtang reacted quickly and grabbed her by the back of her collar.

He forcefully pulled her back, ripped off her cotton-padded coat, and threw it on the snow: "Want to wear my things? Dream on! I'd rather freeze your entire Lu family to death than give you a single piece!"

"You dare!" Lu Jiaojiao tried to snatch it like a madwoman, but Shen Qingtang kicked her away.

Just then, two men stepped forward from the crowd; they were Lin Peirou's "lapdogs".

One of them was Zhao Hu, a burly man who had once worked as a guard for the Lu family. He was handing a thick coat to Lin Peirou.

He glared angrily at Shen Qingtang: "Shen Qingtang, Miss Lin is frail, how could you treat her like this? And Jiaojiao, she's still a child!"

Another was Zhou Wen, a down-on-his-luck scholar who had once received a few words of "consideration" from Lin Peirou and regarded her as his ideal woman. He chimed in, "That's right! Miss Lin is gentle and kind, but you're targeting her at every turn. That's too vicious! What's wrong with giving some of your extra clothes to the elderly, weak, women, and children?"

The two sang in harmony.

Clearly, they were deceived by Lin Peirou's weak appearance and mistook Shen Qingtang for an utterly wicked person.

Shen Qingtang looked at the two fools who had been deceived and sneered: "It's my own stuff, who I give it to or not, what right do you have to tell me? If you want to curry favor, use your own things, stop being so generous with other people's money!"

Zhao Hu's face flushed red from the rebuke, and he wanted to say something more.

But he was stunned by Shen Qingtang's cold gaze and didn't dare to speak again.

Zhou Wen mumbled a few words, but eventually shut up in frustration.

Lin Peirou, wearing the coat Zhao Hu had given her, glanced timidly at Shen Qingtang.

But a smug smile secretly crept onto his lips.

Just then, a clear, cold voice interrupted: "Miss Shen's aggressive manner is rather unbecoming. Miss Lin and the child are both vulnerable; why not show them more consideration?"

Shen Qingtang looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was a tall and upright man.

His dark prison uniform could not conceal his handsome demeanor, and his eyes and brows exuded a dignified and upright air.

It was General Wei Zheng who was implicated and exiled.

Born into a military family, he was highly skilled in martial arts and enjoyed considerable prestige in the capital, but now he too had become a prisoner.

Shen Qingtang was somewhat surprised—she hadn't expected even he would speak up for Lin Peirou.

Her gaze swept over Wei Zheng's side: he was holding the hand of a frail old man tightly, presumably his grandfather.

On the other side, a girl dressed in thin clothes was standing blankly in the snow; it was his younger sister, Wei Yao.

"General Wei is barely able to protect himself, yet he has the leisure to meddle in other people's business?"

Shen Qingtang raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Take care of your grandfather and sister first."

Wei Zheng's expression darkened slightly: "I will take good care of my family, Miss Chen, there's no need for you to worry."

"Is that so?" Shen Qingtang glanced at Wei Yao.

Only then did everyone notice.

Wei Yao had somehow unbuttoned her clothes and was jumping around in the snow wearing only a thin shirt.

He was still grinning foolishly, seemingly oblivious to the biting cold.

Suddenly, she coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the snow, a shocking sight.