Begonia Courtyard.
When Shen Jinshu arrived after receiving the news, Ye Rou was slowly waking up.
"Brother Rushan, what exactly happened? How did Aunt Ye get beaten up like this?" Shen Jinshu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. She really couldn't understand how so many things could have happened just because she left the manor.
Shen Rushan opened his mouth, about to speak, when he was interrupted by an impatient rebuke.
"It's all that rebellious daughter's fault. She's biased and doesn't side with her own family. If she hadn't been so nosy, your Aunt Ye wouldn't have been beaten like this."
Shen Feng felt a surge of anger when he thought about how he had made a fool of himself in front of others today.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu exchanged a glance with Shen Rushan and tentatively asked, "What has Second Sister done this time?"
No one but Song Zhiyu could anger Shen Feng to this extent.
Shen Feng waved his hand impatiently, not wanting to mention Song Zhiyu, fearing that she would drive him crazy one day. "Let's not talk about that rebellious daughter. Now we need to think carefully about how to deal with Ye Ming's matter. We must not let him affect Rushan."
“It’s no use, Grand Tutor Chu won’t see me at all.” Shen Rushan shook his head, his tone quite helpless.
"What should we do?" Ye Rou was extremely anxious. She had secured her position as the mistress of the Marquis's mansion solely because of her promising son.
Shen Jinshu frowned and pondered deeply, vigorously twisting the brocade handkerchief in her hand. She had gone to great lengths to break Shen Yuzhou's legs and put Shen Rushan in power, not for the sake of today's predicament.
Suddenly, her gaze paused, her focused eyes landing on the bandage on Ye Rou's forehead.
The reason why Grand Tutor Chu was angry was nothing more than Chu Sangyue. If they could cure Chu Sangyue's mental illness, their merits and demerits would be offset.
Even better, one could gain a favor from the Grand Tutor of Chu.
“Father, I have an idea that might help my brother.”
*
The following day, impeachment memorials piled up on the emperor's desk.
These memorials were all impeaching Shen Rushan for condoning his relatives' crimes and plotting to murder the daughter of a high-ranking official, requesting the emperor to severely punish him.
The banned drugs mentioned above touched a raw nerve with the emperor, who, enraged, slammed the memorial into Shen Rushan's face, his imposing presence palpable. "You scoundrel!"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I failed to control my family, allowing him to act recklessly and nearly injuring Miss Chu. It is all my fault."
Fortunately, my sister saved Miss Chu in time, thus averting a major disaster. Shen Rushan hurriedly knelt down to admit his mistake, knowing that the emperor was currently furious, and spoke tactfully, not mentioning the forbidden drug at all.
Pei Qingyan, who had been standing quietly to the side, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and retorted, "How come I've never heard of Lord Shen having a younger sister?"
"Lord Pei spends all his time at the Dali Temple, so naturally he is unaware of what is happening outside." Shen Rushan had already devised a plan to deal with the situation and could only try to minimize the impact of this matter on him.
It was a done deal that he would be adopted by the Marquis of Chengen, so it wouldn't be wrong for him to call Song Zhiyu "sister".
Shen Feng stepped forward at the opportune moment, saying, "Your Majesty, this old minister and Ru Shan have a deep bond as master and disciple. We are not father and son, but our relationship is even closer than that of a biological father and son."
The old minister has already decided to adopt Rushan into his family, and the news has been spread. He's just waiting to choose an auspicious day to register him in the family genealogy. The "sister" he mentioned is the old minister's youngest daughter, Song Zhiyu.
Duke Ling grunted, hot breath coming out of his nostrils, his already dark face becoming even more gloomy. He had never seen such a shameless person.
When she needs Song Zhiyu, she's like a daughter to her. But when she doesn't need her, she'll torment her relentlessly, showing no humanity whatsoever.
Upon hearing Song Zhiyu's name, the emperor finally raised his eyes and glanced at Shen Feng.
If he remembered correctly, Song Zhiyu should be the Crown Prince's savior.
Thinking of the Crown Prince, the Emperor's cold expression softened considerably; he could see that the Crown Prince treated Song Zhiyu differently.
His cold-hearted son has finally blossomed.
The emperor, intrigued, turned his probing gaze to Grand Tutor Chu, his voice carrying an air of authority without anger. "Grand Tutor Chu, is this true?"
"Your Majesty, it is indeed true. If it weren't for Miss Song, my daughter would have been poisoned long ago. That forbidden drug is truly harmful." Grand Tutor Chu stepped forward with a bow, his tone calm, yet every word pierced the heart like a mountain.
Shen Feng and his son wanted to use Song Zhiyu's name to avoid punishment, but Grand Tutor Chu would not let them have their way.
He reiterated what Ye Ming had done, and intentionally or unintentionally brought up banned drugs, not giving Shen Rushan a chance to make a joke.
As expected, the emperor's face instantly darkened.
Seeing this, Pei Qingyan followed closely behind, speaking with an air of seriousness, "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Chu is right. Ye Ming is using forbidden drugs to harm people. If he is not severely punished, I fear that future generations will follow suit. At that time, the dynasty will surely be thrown into chaos, and the people will suffer greatly."
This forbidden drug was something the emperor couldn't mention. The more Shen Rushan tried to downplay its existence, the more Pei Qingyan would stir things up.
His was among the many memorials impeaching Shen Rushan.
Want to be Zhiyu's older brother? Shen Rushan doesn't deserve it!
Seeing that the current situation was unfavorable to Shen Rushan, Li Wang pondered for a long time before finally stepping forward to say a few words on Shen Rushan's behalf, distancing him from the matter.
“Father, Ye Ming has been abusing his power outside because of his status as Shen Rushan’s cousin. Rushan has only tolerated him because of his mother. But he did not expect them to become more and more outrageous. This matter cannot be entirely blamed on Rushan.”
Moreover, Rushan's sister saved Miss Chu's life, which can be considered an equal exchange of merit and demerit. We hope Father Emperor will show leniency.
Shen Rushan was of great use to him, and even though he didn't want to get involved in any trouble, he had no choice but to protect him.
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, the matter of this banned drug is indeed a misunderstanding. Ye Ming was also deceived..." Before Shen Feng could finish speaking, he was hit by a memorial coming straight at him.
The emperor's face was grim, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if his anger had not yet subsided. "Issue my decree: Ye Ming's private use of forbidden drugs is a violation of the law. However, considering that he has not committed a serious crime, he may be spared the death penalty, but he will not escape punishment."
He is hereby ordered to be immediately imprisoned in the imperial prison, and three days later exiled to Langzhou. He is not permitted to return to the capital without an imperial edict. The Ye family has failed in their duty to educate their son, allowing him to commit such a heinous act. Their descendants are permanently barred from officialdom, and their family property is confiscated as a warning to others.
Before Shen Rushan could fully catch his breath, the emperor continued to speak, this time clearly aimed at him.
“Shen Rushan, as an official appointed by the imperial court, failed to properly control his family, allowing them to use your name to oppress the people, which violates the precepts of officialdom.”
"Considering your past merits and sincere repentance, I hereby demote you to Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice. You are ordered to remain secluded for one month, beginning immediately, and are forbidden from interfering in government affairs, so that we may observe your future conduct."
Being demoted one level directly, Shen Rushan almost couldn't catch his breath.
But the imperial decree had already been issued, and he could only grit his teeth and swallow it.
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