Shen Mingyi was completely baffled. Shen Jinyi and the Princess had absolutely no connection whatsoever, so why would the Princess send her an invitation?

If what Song Zhiyu said is true, then his lie will fall apart.

He slowly turned around and clearly saw the smile that hadn't faded from Song Zhiyu's face, and his mind instantly cleared.

No wonder Shu'er didn't come home all night, no wonder she appeared on the street disheveled. It turns out that all of this was Song Zhiyu's revenge.

Even the invitation extended to Shen Jinyi by the Princess was part of Song Zhiyu's scheme.

She had long anticipated that he wouldn't let Shu'er's reputation be ruined and would definitely put forward a scapegoat. The gentle and unassuming Shen Jinyi became his target.

That's why she arranged everything in advance, just so she could expose Shu'er's identity in public and completely ruin Shu'er's reputation.

What a deep scheming mind, what a vicious plot!

Shen Mingyi completely forgot that they had originally planned to use this method to deal with Song Zhiyu, but unfortunately, she saw through it.

Now, the same tactic is used on Shen Jinshu, but it makes her seem cunning and ruthless.

Shen Jinshu, who had been hiding in Shen Mingyi's arms, finally understood everything. Her face turned pale and then red, but her face was completely covered by her cloak, so no one could see the expression on her face that showed her desire to devour Song Zhiyu alive.

"If Young Master Shen doesn't believe me, he can send someone to the Princess's residence to ask. Oh, I forgot to mention, Shen Jinhua went along too." Song Zhiyu bluntly cut the knife, completely ignoring Shen Mingyi's venomous gaze.

She completely cut off all of Shen Mingyi's escape routes; there was no one left in the Chengen Marquis's mansion for him to push out as a scapegoat.

Today's show was truly spectacular, drawing gasps from the onlookers. Shen Mingyi had already been humiliated twice, and his expression was on the verge of breaking down.

They thought that was the end, but little did they know that this was just the beginning.

"Why is Young Master Shen so protective of this girl? Just who is she? That he would push his own sister and cousin out to bear the blame?"

"Didn't you all notice that Young Master Shen mentioned everyone except Miss Shen? If you ask me, that person might just be Miss Shen."

Even if it's not true, isn't that Third Young Master Shen being too discriminatory? They're all sisters, but some are treasures while others are just weeds. Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, immediately drawing everyone's attention to Shen Jinshu.

The man disappeared after shouting those words, as if he had never been there at all.

Song Zhiyu smiled slightly and cast an admiring glance at Lu Bai, who was hiding in the crowd.

Half a cup of tea's time has passed; judging by the time, that person will be arriving soon.

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from not far away.

Xiuyue pushed through the crowd and rushed straight to Shen Jinshu, ripping off her cloak and hugging her leg, crying bitterly, "Miss, I've finally found you."

Her cloudy eyes were filled with tears as she clung tightly to Shen Jinshu's leg, sobbing as she uttered startling words, "Miss, those people didn't do anything to you, did they? It's all my fault, I didn't protect you well."

Her loud cries further confirmed Shen Jinshu's identity.

When Xiuyue woke up, she found herself lying at the entrance of the alley, but she didn't see the young lady. She was so scared that she almost lost her mind, fearing that she would be beaten to death by the Marquis for failing to protect her mistress.

Fortunately, a kind passerby told her that something had happened on Qinghe Street. Thinking it might be her young mistress, she rushed over.

Shen Jinshu was now completely stripped of her veil of shame, her entire face exposed to everyone's gaze, drained of all color, as if she had suffered a tremendous blow.

It's over, completely over.

At this moment, Shen Jinshu had only one thought in her mind: her reputation was completely ruined.

Xiuyue, oblivious to everything, was still crying her eyes out, clearly unaware of the seriousness of the situation and oblivious to Shen Mingyi's murderous gaze.

"Get out of here!" Shen Mingyi couldn't help but shout angrily, kicking Xiuyue in the chest.

He went to great lengths to conceal Shu'er's true appearance and protect her reputation, but he never expected to be defeated by this maid in the end.

Xiuyue got up from the ground, her eyes regaining some clarity. She thought about the stupid thing she had just done, and her face turned even paler than Shen Jinshu's.

She didn't know why she had acted so impulsively just now; that wasn't her true feeling.

She wanted to plead for mercy, but seeing the furious Shen Mingyi and the cold-faced, silent Shen Jinshu, her heart sank to the bottom.

She's made such a huge mess; the young lady will definitely not let her off the hook.

Thinking of Xiuyun's death, Xiuyue felt all her strength drain away and collapsed to the ground, utterly dejected.

Someone recognized Xiuyue, their face showing barely concealed excitement. "That's Miss Shen's maid, Xiuyue. I've seen her a few times at the Treasure Pavilion. I never imagined something like this would happen to Miss Shen. Will Prince Li still marry her?"

"How dare you speak ill of royal affairs! Are you out of your mind?!" The person next to him quickly stopped him, but they didn't miss out on the commotion at all.

Shen Jinshu clenched her fists, trying to calm herself down. Her face was deathly pale as she stepped forward. "Whether you believe it or not, Jinshu still wants to clarify something for herself."

Yesterday, at the lakeside party at the night market, I was ambushed by thieves who knocked me unconscious and left me on the street. Those people had some grudge against the Marquis of Chengen, so they set their sights on me.

But they didn't do anything outrageous to me, out of consideration for the existence of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion; they just wanted to ruin my reputation.

Tomorrow, the Marquis's residence will send a midwife to examine me and prove my innocence. Please, everyone, stop spreading false rumors.

As she said these words, the deep humiliation in Shen Jinshu's eyes almost spilled out.

Even if she is proven innocent by having a midwife examine her, it would still be a great humiliation for her.

These pains should have been borne by Song Zhiyu.

She was ruthless to herself, admitting directly to being kidnapped by thieves, but vehemently denying that she had lost her innocence, and even pitifully shed a few tears.

Hearing Shen Jinshu's heartfelt words, the expressions on everyone's faces wavered.

She spoke with such conviction, even making no attempt to hide the fact that the midwife examined her. Surely nothing happened last night?

Seeing this, Shen Mingyi also stepped forward and said righteously, "Everyone, in this situation, Shu'er is also a victim. You all know her reputation; she would never tell a lie."

We should blame the despicable thieves, not condemn a victim. Otherwise, how are we any different from them?

After saying that, he glanced at Song Zhiyu out of the corner of his eye, and it was obvious who he was cursing.