The emperor was furious. Every crime committed by the prince's heir had precisely crossed his bottom line.
"By imperial decree, the Prince's heir has acted improperly and violated the laws of the court. Effective immediately, he is stripped of his title as heir and exiled to Liangcheng. He is not to return to the capital without imperial decree, as a form of punishment."
The emperor paused, ignoring the prince's pitiful appearance with tears streaming down his face, and continued, "The prince has failed to educate his son properly, allowing him to commit a crime, and his crime deserves punishment. However, considering his past minor merits, I will show leniency and deduct three years' salary as a warning to others."
If it weren't for the fact that the Prince had made a small contribution during the palace coup back then, he would never have let it go so easily.
"Dismiss the court."
Having said that, the emperor gave Shen Feng a deep look, stood up, and left, ignoring the annoying pleas for mercy behind him.
*
Outside the palace gates.
Shen Feng was filled with fear, remembering the emperor's last glance at him before he left.
Although the emperor did not punish him, after this incident, he was probably completely disliked by the emperor and would have no chance of ever rising again.
The glory of the Chengen Marquis's family, which had lasted for generations, was thus destroyed in his hands.
"Teacher, don't worry, I'm still here in the court." Shen Rushan held Shen Feng's hand and comforted him in a low voice.
Shen Feng sighed and patted Shen Rushan's hand with a look of relief, "From now on, the Marquis's mansion will depend on you."
Shen Rushan nodded slightly, the strands of hair on his forehead cleverly concealing the glint in his eyes.
He is also a descendant of the Marquis's family and is qualified to become the Marquis's heir and inherit the title.
He is no less capable than Shen Yuzhou.
"Teacher, my mother's birthday is in a few days, and she keeps thinking about you." Seeing that no one was around, Shen Rushan slowly spoke, finally saying what had been on his mind for a long time.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng looked guilty. "I have wronged you all. I will go to see her in a few days."
In truth, he also felt guilty towards the mother and her two children.
The two approached the carriage parked outside the palace gate, and as they bent over to get in, the prince's carriage passed by them.
"The Marquis of Chengen has truly raised two fine daughters." After saying this, the Prince of the County lowered the carriage curtain and drove away without waiting for the two to react.
Shen Feng's face darkened, clearly on the verge of exploding in anger.
Seeing this, Shen Rushan's eyes darted around, and he said, seemingly unintentionally, "Second sister, what you did was indeed too much. The affairs of the court are not something a young lady like her can understand. For a moment of anger, you have implicated the Marquis's mansion and your teacher. It is truly wrong of you."
"Rebellious daughter!"
As expected, these words completely ignited Shen Feng's anger.
He angrily flung his sleeves, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, and even his back as he got into the car was filled with anger.
*
Meanwhile, at Songxiyuan, everything was calm and peaceful.
"Miss, a major event occurred in the imperial court today." Lu Bai approached Song Zhiyu mysteriously.
Before Song Zhiyu could even ask, she blurted it all out, "The Prince's son's disgraceful act of setting fire to Tingyu Pavilion has been exposed. His Majesty was furious, stripped him of his title as heir, and exiled him to Liangcheng, never to return to the capital. This is what they call 'evil gets its just deserts'!"
Song Zhiyu paused, holding the medical book. "The Prince's heir is arrogant and domineering, and has done many bad things, but in the end, he used his power to suppress them all."
But the truth will eventually come out; even a small leak was enough for him to reap what he sowed.
Pei Qingyan doesn't make a move unless it's absolutely fatal.
Lu Bai nodded emphatically, her eyes filled with admiration when she mentioned Pei Qingyan. "Lord Pei is truly amazing. I heard that he silenced the Prince and the Marquis in the imperial court."
The prince intended to plead for leniency, but was instead reprimanded by His Majesty and fined three years' salary. The prince's embarrassing incident became the talk of the capital.
Song Zhiyu shrugged indifferently, "The Prince's heir is the Prince's youngest son, and he dotes on him like the apple of his eye. Now that he has suffered such a great loss, he must be holding a grudge against my brother and me."
She has made many enemies, so one more won't make a difference.
"Miss, the Marquis has been reprimanded this time, and I'm afraid he will make things difficult for you." As if she had thought of something unpleasant, the smile on Lu Bai's face faded considerably.
She had barely finished speaking when someone came in from outside.
"Second Miss, the Marquis requests your presence."
Sure enough, speak of Cao Cao, and he arrives.
“I’m not going,” Song Zhiyu replied immediately.
She didn't need to guess why Shen Feng had come; it was just those same few threatening words, which she was tired of hearing.
Butler Lin knew that Song Zhiyu was a tough nut to crack and wouldn't listen to either soft or hard tactics, but he dared not disobey the Marquis's orders, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Second Miss, please don't make things difficult for this servant."
"The Marquis says he wants to talk to you about Lord Pei." Steward Lin steeled himself and said what Shen Feng had told him to say, not knowing if it would be of any use.
Upon hearing him mention Pei Qingyan, Song Zhiyu finally reacted.
Perfect timing, she also wanted to see what Shen Feng was up to.
She put down the medical book in her hand, patted the dust off her dress, and walked straight ahead.
"Let's go."
*
The main courtyard of the Marquis of Chengen's residence.
As soon as Song Zhiyu stepped into the courtyard, he raised an eyebrow with great interest.
Shen Feng and Madam Shen sat in the main seats, with members of the second and third branches of the family sitting to their left and right. The group had serious expressions, giving the impression of a joint trial.
"You rebellious daughter! You've brought ruin to the Marquis's mansion!" Shen Feng was the first to attack, his teeth clenched as if he wanted to devour Song Zhiyu alive.
He already faced difficulties in the imperial court and was not favored by the emperor. Now, because of Song Zhiyu, he had completely offended the Grand Tutor of Chu and the Prince of the County.
The fortune teller was right; Song Zhiyu was born to bring him misfortune.
Song Zhiyu would not admit to a fabricated crime. "What do you mean by that, Lord Marquis? I stayed quietly in the courtyard. How could I have harmed the Marquis's mansion?"
"If you hadn't asked Pei Qingyan to impeach the Prince, how could I have offended him so badly? You're not in any trouble, so why can't you show some leniency?" Shen Feng slammed his hand on the table, his anger rising, and his hand trembled as he pointed at Song Zhiyu.
"No, just as you said, my lord, I was born vicious and naturally don't know what it means to know when to stop. I only know that if anyone dares to hurt or humiliate me, I will definitely kill that person. Strike while the iron is hot and take their life."
Song Zhiyu stood in the center of the hall, upright and neither humble nor arrogant. Despite the resentful gazes of the Shen family members, she stood on the opposite side of them without showing the slightest fear.
"You rebellious daughter! You..." Shen Feng was so angry that his face turned red and his neck thickened. He was about to slam his fist on the table and get up, but the words were forced down by Old Madam Shen.
With a smile, Madam Shen calmed Shen Feng down with a few words, and then used the same method on Song Zhiyu, "Zhiyu, your father was just anxious and said some things without thinking. Don't take it to heart. There's no such thing as a grudge between a father and daughter that lasts overnight."
Seeing that Song Zhiyu didn't respond, a flash of displeasure crossed Madam Shen's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
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