The plague came about strangely, and the emperor of the Northern Kingdom suspected it was retaliation from the Lintian Dynasty.
He didn't want to act so quickly, but this time, the Lintian Dynasty openly provoked him, and he no longer wanted to tolerate it.
Just then, the shrill voice of the chief eunuch suddenly came from outside, "Your Majesty, a letter from the Lintian Dynasty."
The emperor of the Northern Kingdom opened the letter, glanced at it, and burst into laughter. His complexion visibly improved, and he even said "good" three times in a row.
"This time, I want to see how the Lintian Dynasty will defend this land."
*
The Duke of Ling's Mansion.
Holding the memorial in her hand, Madam Shen hesitated for a long time before finally quietly pushing open the door to the study.
It was just pleading for the Prince of Li; it wasn't a big deal.
She comforted herself in this way, and her hands moved quickly, finding General Ling's private seal in no time.
She cautiously looked around, secretly stamped her personal seal on the memorial, and then breathed a long sigh of relief.
Fearing that she would be discovered if she stayed any longer, Madam Shen hurriedly put the seal back in its place, put away the memorial, and prepared to leave.
To her surprise, she bumped into a wall of flesh as soon as she opened the door. General Ling stared at her with a deep look in his eyes, full of disappointment.
Behind him stood Old Madam Ling and other members of the Ling family, all with incredibly complex expressions.
“You…” Mother Shen’s eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively hid the memorial behind her back.
Ling Wushuang was the first to lose her temper, snatching the memorial and gritting her teeth angrily, "Are you trying to kill the entire Ling State Duke's Mansion?"
"No, I didn't," Mother Shen hurriedly denied. She was just pleading for leniency; why was it being taken so seriously?
"Shen Jinshu only told you that stamping your grandfather's private seal on this memorial could plead for Prince Li. But she didn't tell you what the consequences would be." Ling Wushuang sneered. Her aunt was, to put it nicely, naive; to put it bluntly, stupid.
It's one thing to pamper a concubine's daughter like one's own, but now they've almost put the entire Lingguo Duke's mansion at a disadvantage because of her. It's utterly ridiculous.
At this moment, she was incredibly grateful that Song Zhiyu hadn't acknowledged her as her mother; otherwise, she might have been hurt terribly.
Seeing that the expressions on their faces were off, Madam Shen finally realized something was wrong and spoke in a softer voice, "I just wanted to help Shu'er..."
"You want to help her, but she wants to harm you and drag the entire Lingguo Duke's Mansion down with her." Ling Wushuang's eyes turned red with anger. If she had known it would be like this, she would have preferred that her aunt had never returned to the manor.
"Impossible, Shu'er would never do this to me." Mother Shen hurriedly denied it, but no matter how quickly she denied it, she couldn't hide the truth.
After a long silence, General Ling finally spoke, "You may leave."
Mother Shen was taken aback, somewhat confused by his meaning.
"After you leave the Duke's mansion, we will give you enough money to ensure you have enough to eat and wear for the rest of your life, but that's all." General Ling said these words calmly, feeling much more at ease.
Madam Ling had no objections; she was indeed happy to have found her daughter at first.
But her daughter turned out to be a complete idiot who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, was completely clueless, and was easily fooled.
Today, if Wushuang hadn't discovered the clues, the Duke of Ling's mansion might have been destroyed in her hands.
More importantly, she cares more about her granddaughter than her daughter.
Since Mother Shen returned to the manor, Zhiyu has not visited her for a long time.
Old Madam Ling sighed; her connection with her daughter was ultimately too shallow.
*
Shen Mingyi couldn't understand why the people from Yinzizhuang could still find his location so accurately, even though he had hidden himself so well.
Didn't they go to see Song Zhiyu?
With such a small amount of money, Song Zhiyu shouldn't be unable to repay it.
Shen Mingyi, panting heavily, hid at the alley entrance, his thoughts racing. If he didn't pay back the money soon, his future would be bleak.
Thinking of the methods Yinzizhuang used to deal with debtors, Shen Mingyi licked his dry lips and shivered inexplicably.
He remained silent for a long time before finally getting up and walking towards the direction away from the Prince's residence.
He borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates for Shu'er's sake, and now that he's in trouble, Shu'er certainly won't stand by and watch him die.
As for the dowry, he will make up for it when he makes a comeback in the future.
Shen Mingyi had a very good plan, but he never expected that he wouldn't even be able to enter the gate of the Prince's Mansion and would be turned away.
Seeing the maids and servants carrying out tables, chairs, and screens one by one, Shen Mingyi hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, saying, "I am the brother of your concubine, and I want to see her."
The servant who was stopped rolled his eyes in annoyance. "There are no concubines in this mansion now. Get out of the way, don't delay our work."
Prince Li has already been demoted to a commoner by His Majesty and imprisoned in Xian'an Prefecture for life. His Majesty has already shown leniency by not taking his anger out on Prince Li's entire household. There is no need for any concubines or consorts here.
Shen Mingyi frowned, about to retort, when he saw Shen Jinshu walk out of the mansion. He was overjoyed and hurriedly called out to her.
"Why are you here?" Shen Jinshu was dressed simply, her face looked somewhat haggard, and her tone was rather cold.
"Shu'er, you..." Shen Mingyi suddenly didn't know how to start the conversation. With such a big change happening in the Prince's Mansion, there must be places where money is needed everywhere.
If he were to come and demand back the dowry that had been given away, Shu'er's life would likely become even more difficult.
Shen Mingyi, who was struggling with his thoughts, did not notice the fleeting impatience on Shen Jinshu's face, and was still considering how to bring it up.
Before he could even think it through, his collar was suddenly grabbed by the back, and a sinister male voice came from behind him, "Finally found you."
With a dark, bushy beard and an angry look of being mocked, Miss Song said, "Paying back debts is a matter of course."
If Shen Mingyi can't pay back this money today, don't blame him for being ruthless.
Shen Mingyi's face turned pale. He never expected that the people from Yinzi Village would find him here and catch him red-handed.
The bearded man gritted his teeth, his tiger-like eyes filled with cold light. "Shen Mingyi, you've really ruined me. If you can't pay back the money today, I'll use your hands to settle the debt."
Shen Mingyi couldn't understand the meaning behind the bearded man's words, but he knew that there was not a single lie he was telling.
His hands are very precious, and they represent his chance to make a comeback; they must not be wasted.
Thinking of this, he cast a pleading look at Shen Jinshu.
Shen Jinshu bit her lower lip and looked away. "Third Brother, you know my current situation. I'm afraid I can't help you."
If she gives all the money to Shen Mingyi to pay off his debts, she won't be able to maintain her current comfortable life.
Besides, she has a large group of servants to support, and money is needed for everything.
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