Shen Rushan didn't believe that Song Zhiyu wasn't involved; there's no such thing as a coincidence without a reason.
Song Zhiyu glanced at him with a somewhat indescribable expression, "Lord Shen is indeed worthy of being the disciple of Marquis Chengen; it's as if they share the same brain."
It's no wonder they're father and son; they're practically identical. They always assume the worst about others and never think they're wrong.
Shen Rushan frowned. He could hear the sarcasm in Song Zhiyu's words, but he had no time to argue with Song Zhiyu right now.
“If this matter is not handled properly, the Chengen Marquis’s mansion will also be implicated. No matter how much you don’t want to admit it, you are still a young lady of the Chengen Marquis’s mansion.”
"If the Marquis's mansion falls, and you lose the title of Marquis's daughter, you won't even be qualified to marry the Crown Prince." Shen Rushan's calm tone carried a hint of threat; he wanted to drag Song Zhiyu down with him.
Song Zhiyu saved Chu Sangyue, so he can be considered a benefactor of the Chu family. If Song Zhiyu is willing to step in and resolve this matter, he has a way to appease Grand Tutor Chu.
Threatening Song Zhiyu with the downfall of the Marquis's mansion was obviously useless, but if the position of Crown Princess was used as a pretext, then it was hard to say.
Song Zhiyu smiled without saying a word, simply watching him quietly, wanting to see if he had any other threatening methods.
"His Majesty will never allow His Highness the Crown Prince to marry a powerless and insignificant principal wife. If you want to marry into the royal family, the Marquis's mansion is your support."
Seeing Song Zhiyu's attentive demeanor, Shen Rushan thought he had her under control, and his expression softened.
"I know you resent the Marquis's mansion, but blood ties cannot be severed. As long as you stay in the Marquis's mansion, its honor and disgrace will be related to you."
If the Crown Prince's principal wife doesn't have a powerful family to back her up, there will be many people who want to bring her down. In that case, you might as well use the Marquis's name to achieve your goals; there's no need to consider any feelings involved.
Shen Rushan's rise to his current position is not only due to his deep cunning and ruthless methods, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to his insightful eyes that can see into people's hearts.
They don't talk about feelings, only power; they only use the Marquis's mansion.
He was too good at manipulating people's hearts, and the bargaining chips he offered were extremely tempting. Unfortunately, the person standing in front of him was Song Zhiyu, who was not swayed by either soft or hard tactics.
"So what do you want to do?" Song Zhiyu lowered her eyes, pretending to consider Shen Rushan's suggestion, seemingly showing signs of relenting.
Seeing this, Shen Rushan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, no one could escape the temptation of power. "You saved Chu Sangyue once, and Grand Tutor Chu is very grateful to you. He will not refuse to give you face."
All you need to do is distance yourself from this matter and from my official duties and the Marquis's residence, and get Grand Tutor Chu to promise not to deliberately target you in court. As for what happens next, I have my own plans.”
He slightly raised his chin, a strange glint in his eyes. Now that things had come to this, the only way to save himself and the Marquis's mansion was to abandon the Ye family.
The Ye family has been using his name to bully others, and he has long wanted to get rid of them. Now is a good opportunity.
Without the burden of these poor relatives, and without the deliberate targeting of Grand Tutor Chu, his position in the court could rise even higher.
"You should think this through carefully. Resolving this matter will benefit both of us." Shen Rushan composed himself, already feeling about 80% certain.
"I've thought it through." Song Zhiyu raised her eyes, a playful smile on her beautiful and delicate face, her gentle demeanor extremely deceptive.
Shen Rushan was overjoyed, thinking that he had convinced Song Zhiyu. "It's good that you've thought it through. The Marquis's mansion is your only support..."
But his smugness didn't last long; Song Zhiyu's next words completely shattered his hypocritical mask.
"I won't help you with this."
"What did you say?" Shen Rushan's face twisted, his gloomy gaze as if it were poisoned, shooting straight at Song Zhiyu opposite him.
"You're right about one thing: no one can resist the temptation of power, and I'm no exception. But there's one point I don't quite agree with: mountains may crumble, and people may run away."
The wisest course of action is to seize power for oneself. Besides, how can you be sure whether I want to marry the Crown Prince, or the Crown Prince wants to marry me? Song Zhiyu crossed her arms, her eyes devoid of warmth as she looked at Chen Rushan.
She tried every means to drag the Marquis of Chengen's mansion into trouble, but she didn't have the habit of causing trouble for herself.
"Lord Shen, you should think about how to get him out of jail first, so that the Ye family doesn't cause even bigger trouble."
After saying this, Song Zhiyu didn't even glance at Shen Rushan's ashen face, and turned to leave.
*
The Marquis of Chengen's Residence.
"Miss, I thought you were really going to agree to Young Master Rushan's request. He's so shameless." Lu Bai rolled her eyes in annoyance. She didn't know where Shen Rushan got the nerve to threaten her young lady to plead for him.
Song Zhiyu chuckled and nodded in agreement, "You've known them for a while now."
Ye Ming is the lifeblood of the Ye family. If Shen Rushan doesn't care whether he lives or dies, the Ye family will definitely come knocking on their door.
Let them fight like dogs then.
"That's true... Ah!" Lu Bai watched in horror as a white figure darted out from behind a pillar and knelt straight down in front of Song Zhiyu, looking utterly miserable.
Lu Bai snapped out of her daze, her face turning somewhat pale. "Madam Ye, what are you doing?"
Even if Ye Rou disgusted her, the seniority mattered. An elder kneeling before a junior would ruin her young lady's reputation if outsiders saw it.
Lu Bai took a few steps forward with a dark expression, trying to pull Ye Rou up, but her knees seemed to be nailed to the ground, and she couldn't be pulled up at all.
"Zhiyu, please save Ye Ming! He's my only nephew, he can't be hurt!" Ye Rou pleaded, clutching Song Zhiyu's skirt. Tears welled in her eyes, and if Song Zhiyu said no, her tears would fall instantly.
She did feel sorry for Ye Ming, but she cared more about Chen Rushan's career. Pleading for Ye Ming was just a pretext; her real purpose was to force Song Zhiyu to compromise.
This was Shen Rushan's second plan.
"Madam Ye, kneeling before me like this is surely shortening my lifespan. If the Marquis sees this, I won't be able to explain myself even if I have ten mouths." Song Zhiyu slowly squatted down, pulled the hem of her skirt from her hands, and said with a forced smile.
Ye Rou's tears flowed freely. "Ye Ming is the only son of the Ye family and has been spoiled since childhood. He is just a bit naughty and would never do something like stealing banned drugs. Someone must be trying to frame him."
Upon hearing this, Song Zhiyu scoffed. It seemed that in Ye Rou's eyes, drugging an innocent woman and attempting to ruin her reputation was not as serious as secretly possessing banned drugs.
No wonder Ye Ming dared to be so reckless; it turns out he had someone backing him up.
If the person Ye Ming offended today were not Grand Tutor Chu, but an ordinary citizen with no power or influence, under the pressure from Shen Rushan and the Ye family, this matter would ultimately be left unresolved.
Ye Ming, on the other hand, was able to continue to evade the law and repeat his old tricks.
Without a punishment sufficient to deter Ye Ming, the number of people harmed will only increase.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
