Shen Jing couldn't bear to see the Wang family fall into ruin, but what could he do? This was the path the Wang family had chosen themselves.

The evidence of collusion between officials and merchants in the Liangjiang Salt Administration for personal gain is irrefutable; there is no injustice involved. How can he possibly save them?

If the Wang family is innocent and did not engage in the sale of salt permits, he will definitely seek justice for them.

But is the Wang family innocent?

No grievance.

Old Madam Wang wiped her snot and tears, begging Shen Jing to save the Wang family for the sake of the late Madam. She threatened to kneel there forever if Shen Jing refused.

Madam Wang is an elder, and Shen Jing cannot accept that. He cannot persuade Madam Wang to get up, so he can only avoid her.

Shen Jing went to live in the military camp.

Madam Wang knelt in the study. Steward Li tried to persuade her to leave, but when he couldn't, he went with Madam Wang and sent someone to guard the study before going about his business.

When Shen Wan heard the maid talking about these things, a cold smile appeared on her face. The old lady in the Marquis's mansion always talked about repaying the old lady's life-saving grace and breaking off the engagement to marry the old master as a second wife. Now, there's another old lady, Wang, who says that her father has half of the Wang family's blood in his veins and that her father should protect the Wang family.

In fact, the lineage of the old lady of the Wang family had long been severed. Now, the Wang family only consists of the old lady's lineage. Over the years, the only close relatives of the Wang family have been the second and third masters. Chen Jing is busy with military affairs, and the old lady only entrusts the matters of dealing with the Wang family to the second and third masters.

Now that something has happened, they're using family ties as an excuse.

Shen Wan despised these people from the bottom of her heart. Sure enough, all the annoying people appeared in droves, forcing her father to not be able to go home and not knowing how long he would have to stay in the military camp.

Since Shen Jing was staying at the military camp, the old lady and Madam Wang couldn't go to the camp to find him. Even when the second master went to the camp, Shen Jing wouldn't let him in.

Shen Jing's attitude was firm enough, so the old lady and Madam Wang should have given up. However, Shen Wan underestimated their shamelessness. Since they couldn't get through to Shen Jing, they actually set their sights on the Yun family.

That day, Shen Wan was grinding ink for Xie Jingyan in the study when Haitang rushed in with pastries, saying, "Your Highness, the old lady went to the Yun family to beg Old Master Yun and Old Madam Yun to use their pardon to save my husband!"

Haitang's voice was tinged with indignation when she reported this.

Shen Wan was taken aback at first, then anger overwhelmed her.

The Yun family's get-out-of-jail-free card was obtained through merit and two million taels of silver!

Shen Wan had no idea where the old lady got the nerve to ask the Yun family for this.

Wasn't she demoted to a concubine because of Shen Ying and too ill to even get out of bed?! Yet she still managed to go to the Yun family.

The Buddha of profound wisdom was born and the Buddha of the second ascended to heaven.

Xie Jingyan had never seen Shen Wan so angry before. He said, "The old lady begged her, but the Yun family won't agree. Why are you so angry?"

Shen Wan said, "The old lady must be using my father as a pretext to go to the Yun family!"

If the Yun family misunderstands that her father wants to save the Wang family, given her maternal grandfather's personality, he might very well agree.

My maternal grandfather had already blamed my eldest cousin for getting involved in court affairs, which had now brought trouble to the entire Wang family. Now that the old lady had come to plead for help, my grandfather was still furious with my eldest cousin.

Smoke was rising from the top of Shen Wanqi's head.

I've never seen such a shameless person.

Even she's this angry; if her father finds out, he'll probably be furious.

Shen Jing was in the military camp and hadn't returned to the Marquis's residence for two days. The old lady and the old lady Wang asked Steward Li to pass on a message to Shen Jing, asking him to return to the Marquis's residence. Steward Li did not comply, but when the old lady went to the Yun family, Steward Li dared not fail to inform Shen Jing that he knew.

Shen Jing was discussing military affairs with several generals in the military camp when he heard that the old lady had gone to the Wang family. His face immediately darkened. He endured it for a quarter of an hour, and after the matter was finished, he hurriedly rode to the Yun family.

When he rushed to Liushuang Courtyard, he saw the old lady kneeling down and begging Old Master Yun and Old Madam Yun.

Her kneeling startled both Old Master Yun and Old Madam Yun, who stood up abruptly.

Madam Yun was already holding a grudge because the old lady had asked for a pardon to save the Wang family. She suddenly stood up in shock, felt dizzy, and almost fell back down.

Shen Jing walked in and coldly instructed Granny Sun, "Help the old lady go back."

Sun Mama was the old lady's confidante, so she dared not help the old lady.

The maids who came with them didn't dare to either.

Shen Jing's expression was already unpleasant, and it immediately became even more so. He pulled the old lady up from the ground.

"There are no people who can order the old lady around, only the maids and servants of the Yun family," Chen Jing said. "Take the old lady out."

Granny Yun glanced at Old Master Yun first, and only when no one spoke did she dare to step forward.

The old lady's face was so ugly it looked like she wanted to eat someone alive.

Madam Sun dared not let the old lady from the Yun family support her, so she quickly helped the old lady up and persuaded her to leave.

"Carry it out" is a nice way of saying it.

To put it bluntly, it was thrown out.

This person will be thrown out of the Yun family...

Even Grandma Sun couldn't bear to think about it.

But she knew that if the Marquis said it, he would do it.

The old lady knew that Shen Jing was angry, so she didn't dare to stay any longer. With the help of Granny Sun, she got up and left the Yun family.

Shen Jing apologized to Old Master Yun and Old Madam Yun.

Old Master Yun said, "These things were all caused by Qi'er. No wonder the old lady came to us. It's you who are caught in the middle. If you really want the pardon to save the life of the Salt Commissioner of Liangjiang, I will give you the pardon."

Shen Jing said, "Qi'er is devoted to the court, and even the Emperor praises him highly. The Wang family has only themselves to blame. Even without Qi'er, someone else would have discovered it. The Yun family's pardon is hard-won, so how can it be used to save such corrupt and profit-driven people? I will not interfere in the Wang family's troubles, and the Yun family need not concern themselves with them."

Old Master Yun hadn't expected Shen Jing to abandon the Wang family. He said, "The Wang family is, after all, the late Madam's maternal family..."

Old Master Yun knew that Shen Jing was not a heartless person, and he did not want Shen Jing to bear a reputation for being heartless.

Shen Jing holds military power and has seen life and death on the battlefield many times. His heart can be very soft or very hard.

Shen Jing said, "If any branch of the Wang family was not involved, I will ask the Emperor to spare those who were implicated and to ensure the continuation of the Wang family bloodline."

Madam Yun agreed with Shen Jing's approach.

He not only upheld his principles but also had a clear conscience before his late mother in the afterlife.

When engaging in corrupt and illegal activities, one should consider the consequences of being exposed. Since one has gambled, one should accept the consequences. If the Wang family's collateral branches did not benefit in any way, they should not be implicated by these profit-driven individuals.

Shen Jing did not stay at the Yun family for long before taking his leave. Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, he placed the old lady under house arrest, forbidding her from stepping out of the residence without his permission.

When the news of the old lady kneeling and begging the Yun family reached Shen Wan's ears, she was both furious and incredulous.

The old lady looked down on the Yun family from the bottom of her heart, but in order to save the Wang family's nephew, she actually knelt down and begged the Yun family.

The extent to which the old lady was so devoted to her nephew from her maternal family exceeded Shen Wan's imagination.

The old lady overestimates herself; her knees aren't worth that much!