Lu Minghe returned home dejectedly. Before he even entered the door, he heard the screams of his servant, Lu Yang.

He was startled and rushed inside, only to see Lu Yang being held down on a bench and beaten with a board by two servants. The servants were not holding back; the blows landed solidly, and blood had already appeared on Lu Yang's back.

His mother, holding a round fan, sat on a chair brought by a servant to watch the execution.

"Tell me, where exactly did the young master go?"

Lu Yang was barely breathing and couldn't even lift his head; he could only weakly shake it.

"Hit him again! Hit him until he tells you."

"If Mother wants to vent her anger, she might as well kill me too," Lu Minghe suddenly said, striding forward to block Lu Yang's path.

Seeing that he had changed into coarse clothes and his eyes were red as if he had been crying, how could Madam Ye not know where he had gone? She waved her hand, signaling the servants to leave, and said softly, "If you want to go to the Shen family, I won't stop you. Why did you run off without saying a word? You've made the whole house search for you and turned the place upside down."

"Yes, of course my mother won't stop me." Lu Minghe smiled bitterly: "What can a mere eighth-rank official like me do when the emperor bestows a marriage upon us?"

"The Lu family is a distinguished family. Your father is a Hanlin Academician and a Grand Master of the Palace. You passed the imperial examination at a young age and entered the Censorate. Your future is immeasurable. Now you are wallowing in self-pity for a woman. What kind of behavior is that?"

This son has been obedient and filial since he was a child, and Mrs. Ye has always been proud of him.

But now her perfectly healthy son has ruined himself to the point of being neither human nor ghost because of Shen Youying, and even openly defies her.

If they had actually let him into the Lu family back then, what would have happened?

Madam Ye was secretly glad that she had broken off the engagement, but on the surface she pretended to be heartbroken, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief: "I know you're heartbroken, but who could have known that the Emperor would actually grant us this marriage?"

She clutched her chest and sighed, "In the end, it's just that you and Zhaozhao weren't meant to be."

Lu Minghe stared blankly at her, unable to discern which of her words were true and which were false.

"My letter to Zhaozhao was intercepted by someone from my mother, wasn't it?"

"You silly child, why would I intercept your letter for no reason?" Ye's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously glanced at Lu Yang: "Has someone been gossiping about you?"

Lu Minghe didn't want to say anything more. A heavy sense of exhaustion suddenly welled up in his heart. He remained silent and dragged his heavy body to help Lu Yang, who was lying on the bench. The servant next to him wanted to help, but was scared back by Lu Minghe's cold glance. He could only look at Lu Minghe and then at Madam Ye with difficulty.

Seeing him like this, Madam Ye felt her heart burning with anger, but she had no choice but to patiently and gently comfort him: "Mother knows you are sad, but Zhaozhao is already the betrothed Princess Qin. If you are not destined to be together, then you are not destined to be together. Mother has selected several daughters from noble families for you. Take a look when you have time, and you will surely find one that suits your taste."

"There's only one person in my heart." Lu Minghe turned to look at her. "I will never give up on Zhaozhao."

His tone was resolute, and his gentle face revealed a hint of sharpness.

Ye was startled and wanted to say something, but Lu Minghe had already helped Lu Yang away.

*

The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree did not lie to Shen Youying; Shen Mingjiang was released the following evening.

Shen Youying had heard the news in advance and had prepared a carriage to wait outside the Ministry of Justice prison. When she saw Shen Mingjiang slowly walking out of the prison, she called out "Father" with red eyes.

"Has someone bullied Zhaozhao?" Shen Mingjiang doted on her the most. Seeing that she had lost a lot of weight, he glanced at Shen Huaizhou beside him and asked, "Did something happen at home while I was away?"

Shen Huaizhou had always been afraid of this father. He glanced at Shen Youying subconsciously and stammered, "No," but in the end, he didn't dare to reveal the marriage between Shen Youying and the Prince of Qin.

Shen Mingjiang was skeptical.

At this moment, Shen Youying wiped away her tears, affectionately helped him into the carriage, and subtly changed the subject: "I heard from the Xie family that Father's old illness relapsed while he was in prison? I have already invited a doctor to the mansion. Father, when you return, let the doctor take a good look at you, so that you don't develop any chronic illness."

"It's just an old injury, nothing serious." Shen Mingjiang waved his hand dismissively, looking his youngest daughter up and down. The more he looked, the more he felt that she had not only lost a lot of weight, but her temperament was also not as lively and delicate as before.

"Tell your father, did that brat from the Lu family bully you?"

After much thought, he realized that the only person who could cause his daughter sadness and grief was Lu Minghe.

Shen Youying hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "My marriage to the Lu family is off." She omitted the mention of the official marriage decree.

Shen Mingjiang sneered upon hearing this: "I was worried about this while I was in prison. The Lu family prides itself on being noble and has many rules, so they are not a good family. It was only because Lu Minghe has treated you well over the years and promised not to take concubines after marriage that I reluctantly agreed to this marriage. After this incident, I thought Lu Minghe was a gentleman and would not wrong you, but I did not expect him to be so unreliable."

“The old saying, ‘The righteous are often from humble backgrounds, while the ungrateful are often scholars,’ is absolutely true.” Shen Mingjiang suppressed his anger, looked at his youngest daughter with pity, and racked his brains to comfort her, “Since he is not fortunate enough to marry my Zhaozhao, then Zhaozhao can stay at home for a couple more years. Although your father has been stripped of his title and official position, his prestige and connections in the army are still there. When the time comes, we will select several young men from families with few members, who are handsome and caring. Zhaozhao can choose one she likes herself, which will save her from suffering those bastards at the Lu family!”

Although Shen Mingjiang and Lu Minghe's father, Lu Zhi, were brothers-in-law, one was martial and the other scholarly, so their relationship was not very good. Noble families like the Lu family had always been unwilling to associate with these meritorious nobles, for fear of being accused of "climbing the social ladder."

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