Shen Du was still wearing the same brocade robe as before, but the tea that Shen Wan had splashed on him had long since dried. However, there were still one or two tea leaves left on his collar. Just as Shen Wan was about to remind Shen Du, a familiar set of footsteps came from behind him.

Shen Wan turned around and saw the second wife and Shen Ying, mother and daughter, walking quickly towards her, both of them looking deathly pale.

Shen Wan thought they were all in Shen Li's courtyard, but it seemed they had just heard the news of Shen Li's accident and rushed back.

The second wife's eyes were red and swollen, with tears welling up in them. She walked hurriedly, and everyone thought she was rushing to see her son one last time. But when the second wife came over, she grabbed Shen Du by the collar and started to fight him like a madwoman, hysterically shouting, "Just because of your ancestral jade pendant, my Li'er is gone! Give me back my son's life!"

The second wife gripped Shen Du's collar tightly, wishing him dead.

Shen Du did not fight back, but Shen Wan could not stand it and grabbed the second wife's hand, "Let go of my elder brother!"

The second wife, feeling both grief and anger, shoved Shen Wan aside. Shen Wan staggered a couple of steps before Xie Jingyan steadied her. Xie Jingyan said with a stern face, "I was the one who stopped him from racing horses."

While Xie Jingyan was speaking, Shen Du had already brushed away the second wife's hand that was grabbing his collar.

The second wife looked at Xie Jingyan and Shen Wan with icy eyes. She knew perfectly well that it was Xie Jingyan who rushed to the racetrack and took Shen Du away, which was why her son Shen Li replaced Shen Du on the track, and why she suffered the pain of a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person.

The second wife's eyes were filled with hatred that seemed to engulf everything. "You know someone tampered with his horse, don't you?! You only took him away but didn't tell my son, which led to this accident today!"

It's ridiculous that they schemed against her older brother without telling their own son, or even warning him not to ride her brother's horse. They expect them to tell her son, don't they find that absurd?

Shen Wan said, "Who told Second Aunt that my eldest brother's horse was tampered with? My eldest brother's horse is fierce and he never lets Second Brother and Third Brother touch it, especially not during horse races. Second Brother took advantage of my eldest brother's absence to ride his horse during a race and had an accident, but they're blaming us for Second Brother's death..."

Before Shen Wan could finish speaking, Shen Ying retorted angrily, "Second Brother is already gone, are you still going to stab my mother in the heart?!"

Is it because they're afraid she'll stab them in the back, or has her mother already confessed without being asked?

Shen Wan's face was cold and stern. The second wife was in a state of grief and anger, and was already swaying. Shen Ying and her maid helped her into the courtyard.

Shen Wan watched the mother and daughter enter the courtyard before asking Shen Du, "They just got back?"

The second wife and Shen Ying went to the palace to see the Empress. They were still dealing with Empress Song about not giving Fu Shu the position of a concubine. It was not easy to get the news into the palace. By the time they received the news of Shen Li's accident and rushed back to the mansion, it was too late to see Shen Li one last time.

Shen Du escorted Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan to visit the old lady.

Inside the room, the old lady leaned against a large bolster, looking as if she had aged more than ten years.

Among the young masters and ladies of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, the old lady's favorite was Shen Li. Although to outsiders, the eldest son and grandson of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion was Shen Du, in the old lady's heart, it was Shen Li who truly loved her.

The fact that Shen Rong had lost her virginity to Young Master Wu was already enough to break the old lady's heart. But Shen Li's accident was more than ten times the blow to the old lady. It was as if the old lady's spirit and energy had been completely depleted.

The old lady schemed to seize the title of Marquis of Pingyang and the military power in Shen Jing's hands, all for the sake of her sons and grandsons. The second master only had one son, Shen Li. With Shen Li's death, the second master's line would end.

Even if you've lost your son, what's the point of fighting for titles and military power? And who will inherit them anyway?

The old lady was devastated.

She shared the same thought as the second wife, believing that Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan knew that Shen Du's horse had been tampered with, which was why they stopped Shen Du from racing, knocked him unconscious, and took him away.

Shen Wan said, "Second Aunt is so heartbroken that it's one thing for her to think this way about us, but why does Grandmother think the same way? I dreamt about Mother before, and she told me to stop my eldest brother from racing horses anymore. I talked to my eldest brother about it, and he promised me that he would no longer race horses. These past few days, my second and third brothers have been taking my eldest brother to race horses. You should have heard my eldest brother talk about it. Today, my eldest brother broke his promise to me, and I was so angry that I asked my husband to go to the racetrack to bring him back. But I didn't expect that my second brother would ride my eldest brother's horse..."

Shen Wan made her promise to Shen Du not to race horses at the main gate that day, and a servant overheard it and can testify to that.

Shen Li's accident evokes sympathy, but it's not fair to pin the blame solely on Shen Du and Shen Wan.

No one wanted Shen Li to ride Shen Du's horse. As for the family heirloom jade pendant, it wasn't something Shen Du wanted to use as a wager. Besides, even if he lost, he could get it back through other means. The Pingyang Marquis's family heirloom jade pendant was valued by the Pingyang Marquis's family, but in the eyes of others, it was just an ordinary jade pendant. Why not do Shen Du a favor?

The old lady's eyes were filled with grief, her hands clenched tightly under the covers. She tried her best to hold back her tears, and finally closed her eyes. "You may all leave."

Shen Wan had wanted to leave for a long time; no, she didn't want to come at all.

Her return was merely rubbing salt into their wounds. Don't think she didn't know why they brought forward their plans. This time, their scheme was so hasty that they didn't even tell Shen Li. It was entirely due to the pressure from the Duke of Zhongguo's mansion and Empress Song. Fu Shu had been in trouble for several days, and they couldn't afford to deny her a title. In order to prevent Prince Jin from granting Fu Shu the title of equal wife, they were going to use her elder brother's life as a pledge of allegiance to Empress Song and Prince Jin.

Her father only had her and her eldest brother as his children. If her eldest brother were to pass away, there would be no one to inherit the title. After her father's death, the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion would naturally be inherited by the second branch of the family. In addition, the second master was also a military general, and her father would not allow military power to fall into the hands of others, so he would definitely hand it over to the second master.

Although the Duke of Zhongguo wields considerable power in the court, his military power surpasses that of the emperor. The current emperor is a wise ruler, and as long as he lives, even if his father passes away, he will continue to treat the Marquis of Pingyang's family with great favor.

For Shen Ying and for power, they sacrificed Shen Rong's life and indirectly caused Shen Li's death. But Shen Wan knew that the more they lost, the more ruthless their revenge would be. It was impossible to expect them to reflect and repent.

After leaving Qinghui Courtyard, Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan went to the front courtyard to see Shen Jing.

Seeing Shen Wan, Shen Jing sighed, "Your second brother's accident is heartbreaking, but your eldest brother's survival is all thanks to you and Prince Ling."

Shen Jing dared not think about what would have happened to Shen Du if Xie Jingyan hadn't arrived in time to knock him unconscious and take him away. Even now, he still felt lingering fear and a chill ran down his spine.

Shen Wan said to Shen Du, "From now on, you must listen to anything I don't allow my elder brother to do."

How could I dare disobey? My sister can be quite frightening when she gets angry.

Shen Du nodded repeatedly, "Big Brother will definitely listen."

Shen Jing said, "You two have only been married for a short time, so it's best to avoid some taboos. Don't come back for the next few days. After a while, your father will accompany you to your mother's grave to pay your respects."

Shen Wan nodded hurriedly.