Ye Zhen looked at Marquis Zhongyong and said, "Father, this is the first time I have met Miss Shen. She lied and said that she met me three years ago and that she climbed into Vice General Luo's bed at my behest."

On the surface, it's aimed at me, but in reality, it's meant to alienate the officers from you and to stigmatize the Marquis's mansion for forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. Its intentions are sinister.

But you are loyal to the emperor and love your country, and the Marquis's mansion has no past grudges with the Shen family. Your daughter-in-law suspects that the Shen family's actions today are instigated by spies from an enemy country.

Marquis Zhongyong's eyelids twitched.

This feeling is strangely familiar.

Someone took advantage of the chaos to disrupt his banquet, and he was planning to give them a warning.

But I didn't expect Ye Zhen to be able to pull out such a big banner. It feels just like how Xie Tingzhou has been trying to cause trouble every time he's done something like this over the years.

The parents, who disliked their daughter for being a disgrace but also hoped that she could truly marry into the Luo family, had been hiding behind the crowd.

Startled by Ye Zhen's slap in the face, he hurriedly stepped forward.

"Injustice! Utter injustice! We had no idea what this brat had done, and we had no connection with spies from the enemy country."

Xie Tingzhou sneered, "After careful consideration, I can confirm that the Marquis's Mansion has indeed never offended the Shen family."

The reason why the Shen family has harmed the Marquis's mansion today is something I can't think of other than the reason my sister-in-law gave.

This involves spies from an enemy nation; the Martial Virtue Division has an inescapable duty. Guards, take them away and interrogate them!

He raised his hand, and his subordinates swiftly grabbed the man.

Marquis Zhongyong did not stop it.

He used to hope that Xie Tingzhou would keep a low profile and behave himself, but now that trouble had come his way, the Marquis's mansion would not allow anyone to bully him.

Startled, Madam Shen abandoned her pretense of being a benevolent matriarch and slapped Shen Bishui across the face.

"You despicable thing, you have no shame and you even implicate your family. You still won't explain why you did this."

Today, Shen Bishui caused trouble at the Marquis's residence. First, she plotted against the Marquis's deputy general, and then she slandered the young mistress of the Marquis's residence. She has completely offended the Marquis's residence.

The Shen family was only of the fifth rank, and the family had long since declined.

If the Marquis's mansion retaliates and accuses the Shen family of colluding with an enemy state, the Shen family will not escape being wiped out.

Shen Bishui never expected things to turn out this way. She had agreed to Ye Wantang's request to deal with Ye Zhen and, incidentally, to find herself a marriage partner, not to die.

He hurriedly pointed at Luo Lanqiao, "She bullied me for no reason and knocked me into the water. I can't swallow this insult, and I also admire Deputy General Luo."

That's why she thought that by entering the Luo family and becoming her stepmother, she could avenge today's humiliation.

She had just asked Ye Wantang for help, but was warned by a look in her eyes and dared not admit to recognizing her.

"You're talking nonsense. When did I bully you? I did it by accident."

Luo Lanqiao panicked. Her father disliked her arrogance the most. If he knew that she was the reason he was implicated by Shen Bishui, he would definitely not let her off the hook.

As for whether Shen Bishui's reasoning was true or not, Luo Lanqiao's mind couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood.

"You just accused Ye Zhen, and now you're making baseless accusations against me. It's clear that you're not telling the truth at all."

“I named Ye Zhen because, as the hostess, she didn’t stand up for me. I resent her… ah…”

The whip lashed her back, tearing her dress and revealing raw flesh beneath.

Xie Tingzhou's lips curled into a cold smile. "Miss Shen, are you trying to fool me like a three-year-old child?"

Anyone who dares to lie to this envoy, take them in for a thorough interrogation.

But what they took away was not Shen Bishui, but Shen's father.

They didn't take him far. Under a crabapple tree not far away, Shen's father was hung high. As was customary for the Wude Division, he was first given a flogging before being questioned.

The Wude Division was responsible for monitoring spies from enemy countries, and Shen Bishui had caused trouble beforehand, so no one spoke up for the Shen family.

The screams of Shen's father made Shen's mother tremble uncontrollably. Her husband was not a tough man and would probably not be able to hold on for long before he gave a hasty and incoherent death.

If he doesn't confess, she'll be next.

Putting aside the pain, a woman being publicly humiliated will leave her with no face to live with.

Another slap landed on Shen Bishui's face. Shen's mother pinched her arm hard, gritting her teeth.

"Aren't you going to tell the truth? You don't care whether your father and I live or die, and you don't even care about your aunt?"

If anything happens to the Shen family, what good will become of you and your mother? Can't you even distinguish between family and relatives?

Others may not know, but she does. She knows that she, as an illegitimate daughter, has been clinging to Ye Wantang all these years, willingly serving as her henchman.

The person who drugged Deputy General Luo was someone from the General's Mansion, so it's highly likely that Ye Wantang instigated this.

Shen Bishui heard her father's screams in her left ear and her mistress's warning in her right. The pain from the wound on her back made her sweat.

She looked up at Ye Wantang again, only to find that Ye Wantang avoided her gaze.

Shen Bishui knew that Ye Wantang would no longer care about her.

She looked at Ye Zhen again and saw that her expression remained calm, as if she had victory in her grasp.

Behind Ye Zhen was Xie Tingzhou. Shen Bishui didn't notice when Xie Tingzhou had stood behind Ye Zhen.

His exceptionally tall stature made Ye Zhen appear petite and delicate. At first glance, Shen Bishui had the illusion that Ye Zhen was being protected by a towering, mountain-like man behind her.

Shen Bishui thought inappropriately that this was the life she had always dreamed of.

There was a strong and reliable person who protected her and her aunt, someone they could rely on, but Xie Tingzhou's long whip, gleaming with a deathly cold light, reminded her of this.

If she doesn't speak up, she and her aunt will both die.

She slowly raised her finger and pointed to Ye Wantang in the crowd. "There were no spies. The one who really made me seduce the Marquis's officers and taught me to sow discord between his family and Ye Zhen was Miss Ye Wantang."

She didn't specify which general, but at that time, Luo Lanqiao deliberately provoked me, and to retaliate against her, I chose Deputy General Luo.

Ye Wantang then had a maid help me drug Vice General Luo in the guest courtyard. After changing my clothes, I slipped into the room unnoticed.

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