Outside the Duke of Ling's mansion.
Upon seeing her mother, Shen Jinshu immediately rushed forward and threw herself into her arms, sobbing, "Mother, something has happened to Prince Li, what am I going to do?"
Mother Shen stiffened. After all, she was her beloved daughter of many years. Seeing her in such a disheveled state, it would be a lie to say she wasn't sad.
"If you wish to divorce, come to your mother's place."
She hadn't considered whether the people from the Duke of Ling's mansion would agree to this, nor had she considered how much trouble it would cause to be associated with the Prince of Li's mansion.
She felt a surge of maternal love that had nowhere to go, and since it couldn't be expressed in Song Zhiyu, she decided to cherish the child she had raised herself.
Ultimately, Shu'er still had her side in her heart, Chen's mother thought to herself.
Shen Jinshu raised an eyebrow and her red lips curved slightly, but she said something else entirely, “Mother, if we divorce now, what will others say about me? Besides, His Highness is not that kind of person; he was just framed.”
At this point, Shen Jinshu finally understood that Prince Li had already prepared a backup plan, otherwise he would not have allowed her to be demoted.
However, this incident had some impact on him, severely damaging his reputation.
"What happened?" Mother Shen asked as expected.
She had met the Prince of Li a few times; he was a young prodigy with a gentle temperament, not at all like the heartless person the people described him to be.
Could there really be some misunderstanding here?
"It's all because of Pei Qingyan. He's afraid that if Second Sister forgives us, he won't be able to take advantage of us anymore. It's not enough that he harmed Father; he also wants to deal with His Highness. He's deliberately trying to make things difficult for us." This time, Shen Jinshu has learned her lesson and is using Song Zhiyu as an example.
Mother Shen frowned, a hint of displeasure lingering between her brows, but she believed Shen Jinshu's words without a doubt.
Ever since she learned that Song Zhiyu had recognized Pei Qingyan as her own brother, but regarded her Yu Zhou as her enemy, she had developed a prejudice against Pei Qingyan.
If someone hadn't instigated it, Song Zhiyu wouldn't have been so ruthless.
Upon entering the manor, Song Zhiyu greatly admired his elder brother, Shen Yuzhou. He even treated Shen Yuzhou's leg despite Shen Yuzhou's cold attitude, personally taking care of everything for him. He was truly devoted to him.
But after Pei Qingyan appeared, Song Zhiyu seemed to have become a different person, and she was no longer as close to them as before.
Now, after being reminded by Shen Jinshu, Shen's mother finally realized that something was wrong.
Seeing that Mother Shen's expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant, as if she completely believed her words, a dark glint flashed in Shen Jinshu's lowered eyes, disappearing in an instant.
“Mother, if Pei Qingyan is determined not to let Second Sister forgive us, I'm afraid we can't fight him. Not to mention that even His Highness has been harmed by him like this…”
"You're right, so what should we do?" Mother Shen nodded, grasped Shen Jinshu's hand, and said in a somewhat anxious tone.
After a long build-up, Shen Jinshu finally revealed her purpose: "I heard that my maternal grandfather has rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor and is highly valued by His Majesty. His words carry considerable weight in His Majesty's eyes."
If my maternal grandfather could say a few good words for His Highness, perhaps…
She didn't stand on ceremony and directly addressed her maternal grandfather, but Shen's mother didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
“But your maternal grandfather might not listen to me.” Mother Shen hesitated. She had always been afraid of General Ling’s stern face and dared not say more than a few words in front of him.
General Ling didn't seem to treat her with much affection, showing no joy whatsoever at finding his biological daughter.
Of course, this applies not only to General Ling, but also to everyone else in the Ling State Duke's mansion.
Despite sharing the same blood, Shen's mother felt extremely distant from them.
“Mother, all you need to do is stamp Grandfather’s seal on this memorial.”
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Shen Jinshu took out a memorial filled with writing from his sleeve and handed it to his mother, saying, "Mother, I'm counting on you now."
*
Song Mansion.
The door was being pounded on loudly. Several tall, burly men blocked the entrance, their large, fan-like hands pounding heavily on the door, a sound that sent chills down one's spine.
"Open the door now, or I'll smash it down!" The leading man in blue was as strong as an ox, with a full beard, looking as if he could beat someone half to death with a single punch.
The onlookers were all worried for the owner of the mansion; offending the people of Yinzi Village would not end well.
His patience was wearing thin, and just as the man was about to bang on the door, the heavy door opened, and a beautiful woman gracefully walked out.
The bearded man snapped out of his daze and softened his tone slightly, "Pay back the loan sharks you owe us right now, or we'll have to use your hands and feet as collateral."
"Go find whoever owes you." Song Zhiyu glanced at the IOU, her expression unchanged, her tone calm and revealing no emotion.
“The man who lent you the money is your own brother, how could he not be related to you? Besides, when he signed this IOU, he told us to come to you to repay the debt.”
Song Zhiyu sneered. Shen Mingyi was as shameless as ever. "Heh, we broke off all ties a long time ago. What kind of brother is he to me? Coming here to cause trouble, does your boss know?"
After saying that, she threw the token Jiang Jiyao had given her at the bearded man, her aura incredibly powerful.
"You are Miss Song!" the bearded man exclaimed, immediately changing his demeanor.
They all knew that the master had a younger sister whom he doted on, but they had never met her in person.
The employer even gave her a token representing her identity, which shows how much importance he placed on her.
To their utter dismay, the person who came to collect the debt turned out to be the owner's own sister. The bearded man was filled with regret.
Song Zhiyu glanced at the bearded man, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Do you still want the money now?"
"No, no more..." The bearded man waved his hands repeatedly. Even this estate belonged to Miss Song, so how could they dare to ask for money?
“No, you have to take the money.” Song Zhiyu shook her head, not giving the bearded man a chance to refuse.
“Go and collect the money from whoever owes it. If they can’t pay, then follow the rules.”
Shen Mingyi dared to scheme against her, so let him taste the bitterness of his own actions.
*
The royal family of the Northern Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, I have done my best."
People knelt on the floor in the magnificent palace, their faces veiled in terror, their shoulders trembling uncontrollably, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"Useless!" the Northern Emperor roared, his face deathly pale. He had barely uttered two sentences when he began coughing violently again.
The Lintian Dynasty should have been suffering from the plague, but unexpectedly, they were the ones who were infected.
His most outstanding princes also unfortunately died in this plague, how could he not hate them?
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