With a swollen face and teary eyes, Shen Jinshu looked as if she had been badly bullied. "Third Brother, I care more about you than myself."
Then, she turned to Song Zhiyu and gently comforted her, "Second sister, no matter what, you shouldn't have laid a hand on third brother."
A daughter's reputation is of utmost importance; if this gets out, you'll be drowned in public scorn.
She sighed, as if she had thought of something, and her eyes dimmed considerably. She continued, "I know that you now have the support of the Princess and the Crown Prince, so you are naturally not afraid of these rumors, which is why you are so fearless."
But they couldn't silence the gossip; Second Sister should think of herself.
"Shu'er, there's no need to say so much to her. Song Zhiyu is an ingrate. No matter how good you are to her, she won't be grateful in the slightest."
Shen Mingyi's eyes were dark and deep, concealing endless malice. His cold gaze was as if he were looking at an enemy, wishing he could devour her alive.
"When she was bullied by Shen Jinxiu and her brother, it was her eldest brother who stepped in to help her. But this heartless woman holds grudges and doesn't remember kindness."
She could have healed her brother's legs, but because she resented his misunderstanding of her, she refused to help, watching helplessly as he suffered.
Song Zhiyu scoffed, not in the mood to argue with a fool. "Are you done? I didn't come here today to reminisce with you, but to settle accounts."
Shen Mingyi didn't think he was wrong, and she didn't acknowledge the harm the Marquis's mansion had caused her.
He only saw Shen Yuzhou helping her out of a predicament, but he didn't see her efforts towards Shen Yuzhou.
She had repaid all the kindness shown to her; she owed them nothing.
"The Heavenly Star Grass is priceless and unavailable, as Young Master Shen should be well aware of. I am not lying to you."
"Tell me, how does the Marquis intend to compensate me?" Song Zhiyu leaned casually against a pillar, arms crossed, looking on with great interest at the scene of brother and sister's affection.
When Shen Muxun received the questioning looks from Shen Feng and the other two, he nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying Song Zhiyu's words.
He had been dealing with various herbs since childhood and had seen many precious medicinal materials, so he naturally knew the value of Tianxingcao (Heavenly Star Grass).
Song Zhiyu must have put in a lot of effort and energy to cultivate the Star Grass, so it's no wonder she was so angry.
The air in the courtyard suddenly became still, and the servants huddled in the corners didn't dare to breathe, for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
"And all those congratulatory gifts in my storeroom, you must return them all to me without exception. If any are damaged, I will use Shen Mingyi's belongings as compensation. I mean what I say." Song Zhiyu completely tore off the mask, a flash of sarcasm crossing her eyes.
If it weren't for the need to ensure the smooth progress of the upcoming plans, she would have left the Marquis's residence long ago.
“If Your Excellency does not wish to see a son with missing limbs, you had better do as I say. After all, my patience is running out.” Song Zhiyu shook the token tied to his waist, the large “Xiang” character on the token catching their eye.
"How dare you!" Shen Feng roared, about to lash out, but stopped himself the moment he saw the token.
Seeing this token was like seeing the Princess. Shen Feng was secretly shocked. He never expected that the Princess would even give Song Zhiyu a token bestowed by the Emperor. This showed how much she valued Song Zhiyu.
Song Zhiyu gave a forced smile, "You can try and see if I dare to do it or not."
The two were locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to yield, and a heavy, terrifying aura emanated from them.
For a moment, the courtyard was so quiet and empty that you could hear a pin drop.
With a sullen face, Shen Feng felt uneasy facing Song Zhiyu's relentless pressure, so he vented his anger on Butler Lin. "Butler Lin, what's going on?"
"Didn't I tell you all to help the Second Miss move her things to the new courtyard? What have you done?"
Steward Lin was shocked and knelt down abruptly with a thud, his head bowed low. "My lord, please forgive me. This was my negligence. I failed to manage my servants properly, which led them to commit this grave mistake and destroy the herbs that the Second Miss had carefully cultivated. I will go and bring those servants here immediately, so that the Second Miss can deal with them as she sees fit."
After saying that, Butler Lin looked up at Shen Feng and saw him nod. He then scrambled to his feet and headed for the door, afraid of being too late.
Song Zhiyu called out to the person, slowly straightening his back as he leaned against the pillar. "Wait. Those servants are just following orders. When their master speaks, how can they disobey?"
"Your Excellency wouldn't think you can just use a few servants to get by, would you? I'll say it again: whoever gave the order must bear the responsibility."
Her words were clear and unambiguous, effectively tearing away the last veil of pretense from Shen Feng.
They could only choose one: an intact Tianxing grass or Shen Mingyi's finger.
"Song Zhiyu, don't push your luck." Shen Mingyi's face turned cold, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, clearly trying his best to suppress his anger.
Her father had already given her a way out, but instead of taking it, she kept pressing him, which was really going too far.
"Respect is earned, not given by others. At least I would never do something as shameless as seizing other people's property." Song Zhiyu stepped closer to the group, a glaring smile on her face. Her tone was calm and even, yet she had insulted everyone in the Marquis's mansion.
Seeing this, Shen Mingyi became wary and instinctively shielded Shen Jinshu behind him, blocking Song Zhiyu and keeping her several steps away from her.
"Song Zhiyu, do you really think we can't do anything to you just because you have the Princess backing you up? You should know that there are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding." Shen Mingyi calmed down and regained some of his rationality.
He didn't believe that there wasn't someone in this huge mansion who could control Song Zhiyu.
Song Zhiyu lifted her eyelids, glanced at him indifferently, and then turned to look at Shen Feng. "My patience is limited. I wonder what your decision is, Lord Marquis?"
Shen Feng remained silent with a gloomy face. No matter which choice he made, it would be a provocation against him and even against the authority of the Marquis's mansion.
If he really agrees to Song Zhiyu's conditions, it won't be so easy for him to control her in the future.
However, he couldn't afford to offend the Eldest Princess and the Duke of Ling's mansion, leaving him in a dilemma.
Song Zhiyu didn't care about Shen Feng's complicated thoughts. She would not let it go until she received a satisfactory explanation.
As for whether the Shen family would become even more dissatisfied and disgusted with her, that was not something she needed to care about.
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