"Is that so?" Shen Qingtang raised an eyebrow, a cold glint in her eyes. "You think I'd believe that? Without someone backing you up, would you dare to so blatantly provoke the Shen family?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of noisy footsteps came from the alley entrance.
Old Master Su was seen leaning on a cane, followed by his father and a woman dressed in fine clothes and with exquisite makeup.
She rushed over in a hurry. The woman was Zheng Yue'e, Su Lingyu's biological mother and Su Lingwei's stepmother.
As soon as Zheng Yue'e saw the disheveled Su Lingyu on the ground, she immediately rushed over to her.
She pulled her into her arms and cried out in heartache, "My Yu'er! How did you get like this! Who hit you? Mother will get justice for you!"
Upon seeing her relatives, Su Lingyu felt as if she had found a pillar of support, and she cried even harder. Pointing at Shen Mingzhao and Shen Qingtang, she choked out, "Mother, Grandfather, Father, it was them! Shen Mingzhao hit me, and Shen Qingtang even falsely accused me of having someone instigating it. They bullied a weak woman like me; it was too much!"
Zheng Yue'e immediately looked up.
She glared fiercely at Shen Qingtang and Shen Mingzhao, and shrieked, "Shen Qingtang! You vicious woman! What has our Yu'er ever done to offend you? How could you treat her like this! And you, Shen Mingzhao! Even if our Yu'er likes you, you can't just hit her! Are you trying to force the Su family to its death?"
Father Su chimed in, his tone smug: "Yes! Lingyu was just a young girl who acted rashly. Even if she was wrong, she shouldn't have hit someone! Your Shen family is too domineering!"
Grandpa Su, leaning on his cane, glared angrily at Shen Qingtang and Shen Mingzhao.
His tone was stern: "Shen Qingtang, Second Young Master Shen, I know Ling Wei is now a member of your Shen family, but Ling Yu is also our Su family's precious darling! You're bullying her like this, which is disrespectful to our Su family! You must give us an explanation for this matter today, or we will never let it go!"
Shen Qingtang couldn't help but laugh as she looked at the family of three who were turning black into white.
But the smile didn't reach her eyes; instead, it was filled with cold mockery: "An explanation? What kind of explanation do you want? Su Lingyu deliberately seduced a married man, trying to ruin my second brother and Ling Wei's marriage. She deserved to be punished. Now, instead of reflecting on your daughter's mistakes, you're turning around and blaming her. Is this the kind of upbringing your Su family has?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Zheng Yue'e retorted immediately, her face flushed red. "Our Yu'er didn't seduce him on purpose! She just likes Young Master Shen too much and got confused for a moment! Besides, Su Lingwei was originally an unwanted child of our Su family. It's her good fortune to be able to marry Young Master Shen. Yu'er is a hundred times better than her. So what if she likes Young Master Shen!"
"Exactly!" Su Lingyu echoed, "Su Lingwei is an unwanted bastard, she doesn't deserve Shen Mingzhao at all! I am the most suitable person for Shen Mingzhao!"
Shen Qingtang's eyes darkened, and the pressure around her suddenly dropped: "It seems that you really don't know your mistakes. In that case, I don't need to be polite anymore."
She turned to the spirit servants behind her and said, "Take all three of them away and lock them up to give them a good 'education,' so they know what they should say and what they should do."
The spirit servant immediately stepped forward, about to grab the three old men, including Master Su.
The three women turned pale with fright, and Zheng Yue'e screamed, "Shen Qingtang! How dare you! We are members of the Su family, you can't treat us like this!"
"In my eyes, there is no such thing as the Su family or not, only right and wrong." Shen Qingtang's tone was icy, and her eyes were devoid of any warmth. "Since you are unrepentant, then you should reflect on your actions inside."
After saying that, the servant did not hesitate any longer and directly lifted up Old Master Su, Su's father, and Zheng Yue'e.
Together with Su Lingyu, they walked towards the back courtyard of the manor.
The cries and curses of the four gradually faded into the distance, and the alleyway finally returned to calm.
Shen Mingzhao looked at Shen Qingtang's back with admiration in his eyes: "Qingtang, you really have a way."
Shen Qingtang turned her head and smiled faintly: "You can't be soft-hearted when dealing with this kind of person. Otherwise, they will only take advantage of you."
At Shen Qingtang's command, the servants escorted Old Master Su, Su's father, Zheng Yue'e, Su Lingyu, and several other members of the Su family who usually acted arrogantly with them, to the back courtyard of the manor.
This place was originally where Lu Jin and Lin Peirou were imprisoned, but now with the addition of the Su family members, it has instantly become crowded, and the air is filled with the sour smell of dust and sweat.
From the moment I stepped into the courtyard.
Their good days are over.
The servants ruthlessly stripped them of their fine ornaments, dressed them in coarse linen clothes, and stuffed hoes and sickles into their hands.
He coldly ordered, "From today onwards, your task is to cultivate that wasteland in the backyard. You must finish turning over half an acre of land before sunset. If you don't finish, don't even think about eating!"
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