At this moment, Lan Pei was so angry that she laughed. She looked at Qian Shi coldly, wishing she could tear the smile off her face and see what her skin was made of to be so shameless.
“Father, and third sister-in-law, you were very firm before that if Yunxi couldn’t produce evidence, her name would be removed from the family genealogy. What, now that it’s fourth girl’s turn, it’s different? Or is it that your severe punishment is only for Yunxi, and fourth girl is not involved?” Lan Pei pointed out bluntly.
Upon hearing this, the old Marquis's face darkened. He glanced at Lan Pei with considerable disapproval, and finally fixed his gaze on Zhong Chen.
"Eldest son, look at your wife! How dare she be so disrespectful to her father-in-law! She's completely out of control! I don't know how you raised her, to let her be so bold. It's simply outrageous!" the old Marquis roared.
On ordinary days, whenever the old Marquis spoke ill of Lan Pei, Zhong Chen could only agree and say that he would go back and say a few words to her.
But now, his heavy gaze was very calm, without the usual subdued demeanor.
“Father, I don’t think my wife is wrong at all. Even if this matter goes to the Empress Dowager, I believe she can give Yunxi justice. It’s clear that Yunxi didn’t do this. It’s fine if you don’t believe it, but now that the real person has been found out, you still want to downplay the matter. How can I accept that?” He asked heavily.
The old Marquis was taken aback. This was the first time that Shen Zhong had spoken against him. He couldn't understand it, since Shen Zhong was usually very easy to talk to, but now he wasn't on his side.
In the old Marquis's view, this was not a big deal, just a quarrel among women. He only cared about it because it was a serious matter, and his expression became increasingly unpleasant.
"What do you mean by that?" the old Marquis asked gravely.
He chuckled heavily, but there was no smile in his eyes. "I believe Father understands what I mean, which is to punish the relevant people as previously stated. The truth has now come to light. It was nothing more than Fourth Sister plotting against Yunxi, but she didn't notice that she had fallen into the water. Everyone can see it clearly, and there are witnesses and physical evidence."
The old Marquis stared wide-eyed at Zhong Hen in disbelief, seemingly not expecting him to say such a thing.
In the past, Zhongchen always listened to him. Whatever he said was the truth, and Zhongchen never argued back. Everything he said was the final word.
But now, why does he have a different idea, and even dare to contradict him?
In the old Marquis's view, this was not a big deal. It was nothing more than the scheming between the women in the inner quarters, and there was no need to take it too seriously. In any case, Shen Yunxi was not in any trouble, so there was no need for him to care too much.
It's normal for families to have some conflicts, and there's no need to make a big fuss. Taking a step back will open up a whole new world, and it's always good to be forgiving.
The old Marquis's expression was so heavy that it was clear what he was thinking. After all, they had been father and son for so many years, so he certainly understood the old Marquis.
At this moment, a heavy feeling of disappointment filled my heart, because the old Marquis was always like this, and he and Madam Shen were both people who were biased to no end.
He took a deep breath and spoke slowly and heavily.
"What Father considers trivial is a major issue to me, because my daughter's life was almost ruined. If the one who fell into the water was Yunxi, not only would the gossip from the outside world not let her off the hook, but the Emperor himself would not let her go because of the late Emperor's arranged marriage. Shen Leyi is alright; she has no marriage contract and can only marry the person who saved her. Yunxi is different; she will die. Neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager will allow someone who has lost her reputation to be engaged to the Emperor. Father has always favored the second and third wives and disliked our first wife, but I never expected Father to be like this. You were once the Marquis of Yong'an and have experienced so much; can't you keep your word?"
Faced with such a heavy question, the old Marquis froze on the spot; it seemed to be the first time he had ever seen such a heavy tone.
Not only the old Marquis, but everyone else was also somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting that Zhong Chen would say such harsh words to the old Marquis.
It was indeed a rather harsh remark, after all, in the past, Chongzhong had always put the old Marquis first. Besides the burden of filial piety, there was another reason: Chongzhong had always wanted to gain the Marquis's approval, but unfortunately, it always ended in disappointment.
The second and third wives felt a chill run down their spines, suddenly realizing that Henryu seemed less agreeable than before. This was not a good sign, as it meant that Henryu was becoming harder to control.
Lan Pei felt a sense of relief. This time, she finally saw a strong resistance against the old Marquis, which was a good thing.
Shen Yunxi, who was standing to the side, also smiled. She had thought that her father had not figured things out so quickly, but it turned out that he had already come to his senses.
In this way, she no longer needed to do anything; the heaviness was already clear.
The Shen family members are all ungrateful wretches. No matter what he does, he doesn't get any kindness in return. Instead, they take it all for granted and don't care at all.
To think to this extent, one can imagine that the heaviness stems from profound disappointment.
Shen Yunxi didn't rush to speak; she wanted to see what the old Marquis would say next.
After a short while, the old Marquis finally regained his voice.
"Eldest brother, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Even if it turns out that Sixth Sister did it, I won't punish her. After all, we're sisters, we shouldn't act like this. We should help each other out. Look at An Yu, she's obviously not going to inherit the title of Marquis of Yong'an. Sixth Sister will need her brothers' help to stay in the palace after she enters it. So, the title of Marquis of Yong'an will only be inherited by Shen Li or Shen Tang. We're family, right? Let's just let this matter go. Fourth Sister already knows she was wrong, so as her uncle, you shouldn't hold it against her." The old Marquis spoke slowly.
Shen Yunxi sneered inwardly. Sure enough, her grandfather was still the same as before. She wondered how he could be so shameless.
Ha, does the fact that nothing happened mean you don't have to take responsibility?
He closed his eyes tightly, his gaze resolute. "Father, I demand that what happened today be severely punished. Fourth Sister must pay the price for what she did!"
The atmosphere gradually became heavy. When Shen Chong lost his temper, neither the second nor the third wife dared to speak. Shen Leyi was trembling all over, terrified.
Just then, the servant rushed in, his face full of fear.
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