Zhou Shiyuan's words caused another uproar among the onlookers, no one had expected that this would involve the Marquis's wife.

Yuan Zhao glanced at Zhou Shiyuan with a cold look in his eyes.

He really is a heartless and ungrateful person. I wonder how Zhou's mother would feel if she knew that the son she wanted to protect had pushed her out to take the blame.

Zhou Shiyuan didn't care about anything else; he had only said those words in a moment of panic.

But once the most difficult part was explained, everything that followed seemed so logical.

He began:

“Before, because of some things my mother did, my father punished her and locked her in the backyard. She was unwilling to accept this, so she made that woman do such a thing.”

“That woman had always served by my mother’s side, and my mother controlled her indenture, so she naturally obeyed my mother’s orders.”

“This is a family scandal, and I didn’t want to talk about it, but… I can’t watch my father suffer such injustice.”

Zhou Shiyuan spoke with such sincerity that he eventually admitted it himself.

Yes, that's the truth, he told himself, and that's all he could do now!

My mother deserved to die for what she did, so let her make a contribution before she dies.

Thinking of this, he spoke:

“Mother is still locked in the backyard. If the elders don’t believe it, they can bring her out for a confrontation.”

The elders exchanged glances and finally nodded.

Today's incident has blown up too much. It would be best if someone could confess in public. Only then would Zhou's father become a victim.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shiyuan immediately ordered someone to bring his mother out. He gave his servant a wink, signaling him to explain the situation to his mother, as it concerned his future and the future of the entire Marquis's mansion.

Wen Feng noticed Zhou Shiyuan's expression and whispered something:

"Miss?"

Yuan Zhao shook his head at her, indicating that she didn't need to pay attention to it.

Wen Feng nodded and stepped back.

In the backyard, Zhou's mother was waiting for someone to bring her food. After being confined for so long, she had long lost her former arrogance. Now, even cold dishes and leftovers were delicious to her.

Hearing the commotion, she rushed to the door but didn't see the maid who usually brought her meals. Instead, she saw her son's servant. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed the servant, asking:

"But Shiyuan sent you to see me? Where is he? Why didn't he come?"

The servant looked at Zhou's mother with pity, then quickly recounted what had happened.

At first, Zhou's mother had anger in her eyes, especially after hearing what Zhou's father and Bai Mianmian had done. She felt remorseful, after all, it was she who brought Bai Mianmian into the mansion.

It was originally intended to deal with Yuan Zhao, but it ended up causing so much trouble.

But after hearing Zhou Shiyuan's instructions, her face turned completely pale, and the light in her eyes gradually disappeared.

"You're saying this is the young master's order?"

She stared blankly at the servant.

The servant couldn't bear to look her in the eye and immediately looked away, explaining:

"Yes, but the young master has his reasons, madam. You have no idea how difficult things are for him right now."

“If he is expelled from the clan, he will not be able to participate in the imperial examinations.”

"So, Madam..."

Before the servant could finish speaking, Madam Zhou interrupted him:

"I understand, let's go."

Seeing Madam Zhou suddenly calm down, the servant felt a pang of unease, wondering if Madam Zhou would do as Zhou Shiyuan had said.

"Madam, you..."

He wanted to confirm it one more time, but was interrupted by Zhou's mother:

"Walk!"