"You're saying you're Song Zhiyu, the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion?" a commoner asked tentatively, his gaze towards Song Zhiyu complex, a mixture of doubt and pity.

Just now they were praising Young Master Shen for loving his younger sister, saying that the rumors outside were just hearsay. They never expected to be proven wrong now.

“That’s right, I am Song Zhiyu. As for the young lady beside Young Master Shen, shouldn’t you give me a reasonable explanation for impersonating me without reason?” Song Zhiyu nodded slightly, her sharp and cold gaze falling directly on Shen Jinshu, who had her head down.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu's shoulders shrugged slightly, and her hands, hanging at her sides, gripped her dress tightly, making her look fragile and helpless.

Song Zhiyu has ruined herself like this, yet she still won't let go. Does she really want to ruin her reputation before she'll stop?

Thinking of this, Shen Jinshu gritted her teeth in hatred, her pretty face completely drained of color, becoming frighteningly pale.

Those around noticed that Song Zhiyu addressed Shen Mingyi as "Third Young Master Shen," which confirmed the rumors circulating outside—the siblings' relationship was indeed strained.

It's not just bad, it's downright terrible.

Doesn't he know how important a woman's reputation is? Making the second young lady bear the stigma of losing her innocence is no different from taking her life.

Since the woman in the arms of the Third Young Master Shen is not the Second Young Miss, then who is worthy of his protection so much, even to the point of sacrificing his own sister's reputation to protect her?

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but feel more curious and disdainful towards the person in Shen Mingyi's arms.

“I saw the second young lady at the lake tour banquet. She was beautiful and had skin like jade. She is indeed the girl in front of me.”

Among the crowd were many literati who had attended the lake banquet. They stepped forward to testify to Song Zhiyu's identity, and their words left Shen Mingyi speechless.

After all, the second young lady's appearance was so striking that it was hard for them not to remember her.

They hadn't seen the girl's true face clearly, and since Young Master Shen himself confirmed her identity, they had no choice but to believe it.

But who knew that Young Master Shen would lie? If Miss Song hadn't happened to pass by, even ten mouths wouldn't have been able to clear his name.

The scholars who spoke up for Song Zhiyu were all well-known figures among the common people, and their words were far more credible than Shen Mingyi's.

"If that woman isn't the Second Miss, why would she impersonate her?"

"Can't you see? After doing such a shameful thing, how could she dare let anyone know her true identity? She would just try to shift the blame onto others." The common people weren't stupid; they understood Shen Jinshu's intentions after a little thought.

Such insidious methods are truly despicable.

The only thing they couldn't understand was Shen Mingyi's behavior. "Why would the Third Young Master Shen help others harm his own sister? Could it be that this woman is more important than his own sister?"

“Because that person is also his sister.” Song Zhiyu said quietly, tearing off Shen Jinshu’s fig leaf.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions complex.

As far as they knew, the only sister of the Third Young Master Shen seemed to be Shen Jinshu, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengen.

However, I heard that this Miss Shen is not actually the Marquis's biological daughter, but was adopted by the Marquis. The Marquis's family treats her as their own daughter, even better than their own daughter.

Thinking about this, they suddenly felt that Shen Mingyi's behavior had an explanation.

No wonder Young Master Shen would try to pin this scandal on the Second Miss to protect the woman whose face was obscured; this is the real reason.

At this moment, their gazes toward Shen Mingyi and his sister were filled with utter contempt.

The Chengen Marquis's mansion is truly indescribable. They dote on their adopted daughter like a precious jewel, never letting her suffer any grievances, while completely ignoring their biological daughter.

In order to protect his adopted daughter, he disregarded the reputation of his biological daughter and allowed others to humiliate her.

Hearing the unbearable comments, Shen Mingyi's face turned ashen, and he could feel the skin under his palms growing colder inch by inch.

Thinking of the grievances Shen Jinshu had suffered, Shen Mingyi felt an overwhelming pang of heartache. He absolutely could not allow Shu'er's reputation to be ruined.

Therefore, he could only apologize to Jin Yi.

Shen Mingyi opened his bloodshot eyes, his voice hoarse and low, each word seeming to be squeezed out from his throat, "I did lie, the person next to me is not Song Zhiyu, she is."

Song Zhiyu raised an eyebrow in surprise. Why did you admit it so readily?

Shen Jinshu bit her lower lip tightly, raised her head slightly, and looked at Shen Mingyi with teary eyes, looking pitiful.

Seeing this, Shen Mingyi patted Shen Jinshu's shoulder reassuringly to put her at ease.

"Jinyi is thin-skinned and can't handle too much of a blow. We grew up together and have a deep bond, so I couldn't help but feel biased and had no choice but to resort to this tactic."

Shen Mingyi shielded Shen Jinshu's face tightly, protecting her fiercely.

He could sacrifice anyone, but he absolutely could not let anything happen to Shu'er.

As for Jin Yi, she has always been gentle and easy to talk to, and she doesn't have much of a presence in the mansion. It wouldn't be unfair to her if he gave her some compensation and then had his mother choose a good husband for her to marry off later.

My second uncle's family has been able to live a comfortable life thanks to the protection of their eldest son's family. Now that Shu'er is in trouble, it is only right that they lend a helping hand.

Song Zhiyu couldn't help but laugh out loud. No wonder Shen Mingyi admitted his identity so readily; he had a backup plan all along.

Shen Jinyi had little presence in the Marquis's mansion, and the second branch of the family was always easy to bully, so it was not surprising that Shen Mingyi would choose to pick on her.

But Song Zhiyu had no intention of letting Shen Jinshu escape this calamity.

The onlookers were surprised by the unexpected twist in the story. One moment it was the Second Miss, the next it was the Third Miss, and they became even more curious about the identity of the woman in Shen Mingyi's arms.

But after their recent experience, they had some doubts about Shen Mingyi's words.

Shen Mingyi didn't care what they thought; all he needed to do was ensure Shu'er's safety.

The saying goes, "Three men can make a tiger." As long as even one person believes his words, and many people spread the word, even if Shen Jinyi really has nothing to do with this matter, she will be forced to take the blame.

Shen Mingyi and his men wanted to leave, but he was deeply wary of Song Zhiyu and was afraid that she would say something that would disrupt his plans. He dared not stay there for long.

As Song Zhiyu watched the two figures hurriedly depart, a sudden remark caught everyone off guard, like a thunderclap in everyone's ears.

"Third Brother, don't you know that Jin Yi received an invitation from the Princess's residence today and went to keep the appointment? Only half an hour has passed, she should have just arrived at the Princess's residence not long ago."

Shen Mingyi froze instantly. How could he not know that the Princess had sent an invitation to Shen Jinyi, and when the two of them had become involved?