Chapter 197 Divorce

"No, not me, not me!"

Shen Nian suddenly pointed at Shen Ning: "Sister, why did you frame me... I know that I am taking over your position and making you unhappy, but you already have the support of His Royal Highness Prince Ding. Isn't that enough? Do you really want me to have nothing?"

Shen Chengxi stared at Shen Ning again, his head in a mess.

Shen Ning didn't even look at Shen Chengxi, but just said with a half-smile: "It was fine before, why did the horse suddenly go crazy...Xie Lianyu, didn't the doctor tell you why the horse went crazy?"

Xie Lianyu was completely dazed and subconsciously replied, "The doctor said that Cheng Xi must have taken some medicine that caused the horse to have an attack."

Medicine lead?

Shen Chengxi subconsciously looked down.

He thought of the sachet Shen Nian had given him two days ago… The scent of that sachet was very strong, and it was different from the light and elegant scents Shen Nian had made for him in previous years.

But at this moment, the sachet disappeared.

"Where's the sachet?"

All the way back from the Imperial College, Shen Nian was the only one who took care of him in the carriage.

Shen Chengxi stared at Shen Nian in a daze, his throat dry: “Niannian…have you seen my sachet?”

Shen Nian was stunned and looked at Shen Chengxi’s waist.

How come it disappeared?

There was something wrong with the sachet on Shen Chengxi's waist. It was difficult to cover up the fact that the horse was drugged, but anyone who knew knew that there was a drug lead, so on the way back, while taking care of Shen Chengxi, she changed the sachet on Shen Chengxi's body.

She replaced it with one that looked exactly the same, but without the medicinal ingredients, so that she could prove her innocence if someone suspected it was her.

But at this moment, the clean sachet on Shen Chengxi's body disappeared, and she was the only one who took care of her all the way before.

Shen Nian shook her head: “I don’t know, I haven’t seen my brother’s sachet, I…”

Before he could finish his words, July held him down.

After Shen Nian changed the sachet with the medicine, he didn’t dare to put it in the carriage. He took it with him and wanted to find an opportunity to deal with it. After all, if something happened, Shen Chengxi had the sachet on him, and who would have thought that it had been replaced.

But now she has not found a chance to get rid of the sachet with medicine, and the sachet that should have been on Shen Chengxi is missing. She who has been with Shen Chengxi all the way is the suspect.

The moment Qiyue held her down, Shen Nian knew there was no need to struggle.

It doesn’t matter. Shen Chengxi is now seriously injured. Although he is not completely disabled, his leg is broken... In this situation, Xie Yunqing should not be able to forgive him anymore.

Because she already knew it.

He had known it for a long time but kept it to himself. Of course, he had a plan: and that plan was definitely not to reconcile.

The calmer she is, the more determined she is.

The next moment, Qiyue searched the sachet out of Shen Nian's body.

There is no need for anyone to distinguish, just Chen Nian's act of hiding the sachet is enough to explain everything.

Shen Chengxi looked at this girl whom he had loved as his own sister for more than ten years, his chest filled with heart-piercing pain and regret... He had loved such a vicious and hypocritical ungrateful person for more than ten years.

In the end, he broke his leg because of her, and her mother almost used such a vicious method to completely cripple his leg.

He is worse than a blind man...

Extremely disappointed, coupled with the pain, Shen Chengxi closed his eyes and lay on the bed, unable to utter a word.

Shen Nian pursed her lips: “Brother…”

Xie Yunqing interrupted her coldly: "You don't have a brother, so you should think about your good brother Shen Chong who has a broken leg at home."

Xie Lianyu was also in the Imperial College. When he heard Xie Yunqing's words, his eyes suddenly widened.

Shen Chong is Shen Nian’s younger brother?

That Shen Chong took Wuyou Powder and wanted to frame Shen Ning's brother... Shen Nian instigated others to cause Shen Chengxi to break his leg...

This, this is the cousin he has admired for many years?

Being ridiculed by Xie Yunqing coldly, Shen Nian slowly looked over with a bleak smile: "Did mother already know about this?"

She said, "Mother and daughter, we've been together for over a decade, and I had no idea you could endure this to such an extent, playing coy with a concubine like me for so long... Did you really treat me like your own daughter? Otherwise, how could you be so calm and collected while I acted like a clown in front of you?"

"You still want to blame others?"

Xie Yunqing shook his head. "Even when Ningning told me your true identity, telling me that the daughter I'd raised for over a decade had always known she was a concubine's daughter and had kept it a secret from me... Even so, I still felt a little sorry for you and wanted to give you another chance, but what about you?"

Xie Yunqing raised his finger and pointed at Chen Nian: "What have you done? You were scheming as soon as Ningning came home. One moment you pretended to give her the yard, the next moment you sent your wet nurse to deliberately bully and oppress her... Then you even ordered someone to beat and kill the wet nurse Xue in order to frame Ningning..."

Xie Yunqing grew angrier as he spoke. "You knew full well that we were going to the Xie family to break off the engagement, yet you deliberately instigated Xie Lianyu to embarrass Ningning in public. Cheng Xi treats you like his own sister, and how do you treat him?... I have to say, your Shen family is inherently bad. From top to bottom, you are all shameless ungrateful wolves!"

Shen Nian's face turned pale after being scolded, and she wanted to defend herself but couldn't find the words to speak.

The atmosphere in the field has become tense...

At this time, Madam Shen's face turned gloomy and she said, "Family disgrace should not be made public. Yunqing, let's handle our own affairs behind closed doors. Let these outsiders leave first."

Especially Prince Ding Xiao Nanchen, who was standing next to Shen Ning. Although he didn't say a word, everyone knew his attitude.

With Xiao Nanchen standing here, no one dared to be presumptuous.

Madam Shen acted like she was in charge: "Let's handle this behind closed doors. Let Xiu He apologize to you until you calm down... Even for the sake of your children, you should also consider our family's reputation."

Shen Ning looked to the side, then pulled Xiao Nanchen's sleeve and led him to sit on the chair next to him.

That leisurely demeanor made Old Madam Shen's eyelids twitch. Seeing that there was no way to turn the situation around, she wanted to ask Xiao Nanchen to leave herself.

"Your Highness Prince Ding, my Shen family has family matters to attend to today and is unable to entertain you. Please forgive me for any impoliteness. I will come to apologize another day."

This is clearly a move to drive people away.

Shen Ning smiled: "Grandmother, you are being too formal when you say this. His Highness the Seventh Prince is the future husband that the Empress Dowager has appointed for me. How can my mother's future son-in-law be considered an outsider?"

She curled her lips and said, "Cousin Xie is my mother's nephew, and Lord Ye is my apprentice. We are all family. Grandmother, feel free to speak frankly if you have anything to say. There is no need to be shy."

The corners of Old Madam Shen's mouth twitched violently, but she was choked and unable to refute.

Chen Xiuhe finally recovered from the sudden thunderclap. He walked over to Xie Yunqing, who was sitting on the edge of the couch, and slowly squatted down. With red eyes, he spoke slowly, "Yunqing, our family today..."

Xie Yunqing quietly interrupted him: "We are no longer a family, and there is no need to say anything behind closed doors... Chen Xiuhe, you kept a concubine and even tried to murder my son. Now, do you still want to keep it a secret?"

She spoke each word with great emphasis: "I will go to the palace to see my sister tomorrow... My sister will make the decision for me. Then I will see what will happen to you."

Xie Yunqing's eyes were ice-cold, without any trace of affection, and there was clearly no room for maneuver. Chen Xiuhe stared at his wife in a daze, his heart as if it had sunk into an icy cave.

He shook his head in a hoarse voice: "I am sorry for you, Yunqing, but I never thought of harming our child. I hid the matter of Xue Surong from you... I didn't dare let you know, I was afraid you would leave me."

Chen Xiuhe's eyes were red: "Yunqing, the sun and the moon can testify to my love for you."

Xie Yunqing sneered: "Please don't disgust Sun and Moon."

Chen Xiuhe hurriedly said, "I swear, I didn't know anything about that bitch harming Cheng Xi... Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs, Yunqing, you have to believe me!"

Xie Yunqing looked at him quietly, then smiled: "Okay, if you break that bitch's legs, I'll believe you had nothing to do with what she did."

Chen Xiuhe was stunned for a moment, but the next moment, he stood up and walked towards Xue Surong, snatched the wooden stick from the guard next to him, and under the gaze of everyone with different expressions, he did not hesitate to smash it hard at Xue Surong's leg.

Xue Surong was caught off guard and let out a shrill scream. Her whole body twisted on the ground, screaming and crying.

"You beast, Chen Xiuhe, you are a beast... When you were on your way to Beijing, you encountered bandits. If I hadn't sacrificed my own body to save your life, you wouldn't have been able to ride a horse through the streets and win the title of the top scholar. But what about you?"

She pointed at Chen Xiuhe, her words full of resentment: "You swore to heaven that you would marry me, but in the end, you turned around and married the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion... I didn't want to ruin your future, so I endured it as a concubine for more than 20 years, and today, you want to kick me away like dog shit. Dream on, Chen Xiuhe, you dream!"

Xue Surong cried and cursed while laughing at Xie Yunqing: "Xie Yunqing, your good husband has been keeping a mistress for more than 20 years without your knowledge. After you lost your daughter, he even gave my newborn daughter to you to raise. Miss General's Mansion... Miss General's Mansion, you are so high and mighty, hahahaha..."

Xue Surong seemed to have gone a little crazy. Xie Yunqing glanced at her and found that she was not as hysterical as Xue Surong had hoped.

She took out a piece of paper and said to Chen Xiuhe calmly, "Now, everything is clear. You and I are parting ways today and will have nothing to do with each other from now on."

Chen Xiuhe's face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground with a thud: "Yun Qing..."

The usually handsome and refined Minister of the Ministry of Rites no longer had the dignity of the past. His lips trembled, "Yunqing, I, I really love you. I have liked you since the first time we met, but I owe Xue Surong. She lost her virginity and tried to commit suicide to save me, so I had no choice but to take her in..."

Chen Xiuhe's eyes were filled with pain. "There's a huge gap between our statuses, and you're so noble and pure. I was afraid you'd refuse to have me after you knew about it, so I had to hide it... One wrong step, and then another. I was afraid she'd make a scene in front of you and let you know. I had no choice but to appease her and keep her away. I... I have nightmares every day. I dream that you know the truth, and that you're going to abandon me..."

Xie Yunqing's eyes were also red. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "Sign the divorce agreement."

Shen Xiuhe's tears rolled down...

At this moment, Madam Shen suddenly knocked her cane and said, "Sign, Xiuhe, sign. You can't keep the woman you begged for."

Now that there is no way to end it and there is obviously no room for turning things around, it is better to save some dignity for yourself.

Besides, Xie Yunqing is tough now, but how long can she remain tough?

The Shen Silk Shop in Shen Ning's hands has purchased tens of thousands of kilograms of raw silk, a large part of which was secretly sold to her by the Prince's Mansion, and there was a sum of money from Old Lady Shen in it.

As soon as the maritime ban is issued, Xie Yunqing will have to pay all the compensation. Then, let's see how she can still be tough.

After all, there are Xue Surong and her mother, they are still a family...

Old Madam Shen's cane clattered loudly. Shen Xiuhe didn't turn around, but just asked Xie Yunqing: "Is there really no room for maneuver, Yunqing?"

Xie Yunqing's response was to push the divorce agreement to him.

Chen Xiuhe closed his eyes and took a long breath: "Okay, if this is what you want, I... I will grant you your wish."

He slowly raised his hand, picked up the brush beside him... and signed the divorce agreement with red eyes and trembling hands.