His tone was full of the rigidity of an old stubborn man.
He valued rules and etiquette above all else in his life, and this remained unchanged even when he fell on hard times.
Qin Wanqing was scolded until her neck turned red, and she dared not raise her head again.
Meanwhile, the eldest brother was also looking in Qin Wanqing's direction, his ears were so red they were almost bleeding, and his eyes were filled with a mix of helplessness and joy, like a boy whose secret had been exposed.
Shen Qingtang found it amusing and deliberately raised her voice: "Big brother, what are you looking at? Your face is all red, have you fainted from the sun?"
The eldest brother snapped back to his senses, glared at Shen Qingtang fiercely, but couldn't utter a word, his face turning even redder.
Just as they were playing around, Shen Qingtang's gaze was drawn to another figure.
She was a woman standing at the edge of the crowd.
Her name is Su Lingwei.
Dressed in a simple blue cloth robe and with a bare face, she could not hide the composure and competence between her brows.
The charge of exile was ultimately decided as "colluding with foreign enemies and leaking border defense maps".
This was originally a heinous crime committed by a distant relative of the Su family in collusion with an enemy country.
After the incident, she was pushed out as a scapegoat by the entire family. However, during the court interrogation, in order to exonerate themselves, the Su family unanimously took all the blame onto Su Lingwei.
"It's her!"
Su Lingwei's half-sister, Su Lingyu, cried with tears streaming down her face. Pointing at her, she said, "She's in charge of all the clan's businesses. It must have been her secret dealings with those outsiders for money that led to the leak!"
Su Mingxuan, the younger brother standing next to him, chimed in, "That's right! When our eldest brother was alive, he never dared to get involved in these kinds of shady dealings. It was only after she took over the family that these troubles arose!"
Even her grandfather, whom Su Lingwei always respected, closed his eyes and turned his head away, his voice trembling but each word clear: "Your Honor, this matter... was indeed done by my daughter Lingwei alone, and has nothing to do with the rest of the Su family. I beg Your Honor to be lenient with the remaining members of the Su family..."
Every word and phrase was like a poisoned ice pick piercing Su Lingwei.
She was already ill, and her face was so pale it was almost transparent.
Upon hearing these words, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Those eyes, usually sharp and clear, now seemed veiled in mist, filled with shock and disappointment.
There was also a stinging pain of being betrayed by the person closest to me.
But she didn't fall down; her back remained straight, though her lips were pursed white.
Second Brother Shen Mingzhao watched from afar, his hands already clenched so tightly that the veins bulged.
He has always been gentle and patient, and even when he suffers injustice, he usually endures it silently.
But seeing Su Lingwei framed by her own family, all that restraint shattered instantly.
He almost instinctively stepped through the crowd to Su Lingwei's side.
Without saying a word, he made his stance clear through his actions—he was on her side.
Su Lingwei glanced at him sideways.
A complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was drowned out by the more urgent explanations from his clansmen.
The officials looked at each other, clearly finding the situation strange as well.
They were hesitating whether to believe the Su family's side of the story.
“I would like to ask you all a question,” a clear female voice suddenly rang out.
Shen Qingtang emerged at some point, her gaze sweeping over the group of Su family members who were eager to distance themselves from the situation, her expression cold. "You say this was all done by Miss Su alone? Then I'd like to ask, who has been enjoying the vast wealth that the Su family has accumulated over the years thanks to the businesses that Miss Su has managed?"
She stepped forward, her voice louder: "When Miss Su was in charge of the household, you lived in the mansion she earned, wore the silks and satins she provided, and even the jade pendant on Young Master Su's body was a rare item that she had someone find for you from the Western Regions last month, wasn't it?"
She pointed to the jade pendant at Su Mingxuan's waist, "Now that something has happened, you're saying it was all her doing? So you all got all the benefits while she bears all the blame? What kind of logic is that?"
"When you enjoy the glory she brings, why don't you say it has nothing to do with her?"
Shen Qingtang sneered, "Now that you want to push someone out to take the blame, you should ask whether this is in accordance with the laws of heaven!"
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