No wonder he felt that Shen Lixue was familiar when he first met her, because she looked so much like Lin Qingzhu!
Instantly, the entire hall erupted in uproar. Lin Yan, the eldest grandson of the Duke of Wu's family, and the Duke of Wu, Lin Mo, were once the most proud figures in the Qingyan Kingdom. His son, Lin Qingfeng, and daughter, Lin Qingzhu, were the most famous top scholars and talented women in the capital. But later...
"Fifteen years ago, the Emperor issued an imperial edict, banishing the Duke of Wu and his entire family to the frontier. Without the Emperor's grace to summon them back, they were forbidden from leaving the border for eternity. Young Master Lin disobeyed the edict and entered the capital without permission, thus committing a grave crime..."
Lei lowered his eyelids slightly and spoke in a low voice. Shen Lixue was very clever. If you wanted to scheme against her, you had to be unexpected and catch her off guard. Lin Yan's appearance was unexpected by everyone, including Shen Lixue. Lei took advantage of this to attack Lin Yan and severely damage Shen Lixue.
Lin Yan smiled slightly, his gentle gaze revealing indifference and aloofness: "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I am not very talented. I joined the army and became a general. I made some minor contributions and was summoned by the Emperor. That's why I accompanied Prince An to the capital to meet the Emperor!"
Whoosh! A single stone stirs up a thousand ripples. The entire Wu family was exiled to the frontier as disgraced officials. Lin Yan, as the eldest grandson of the Wu family, was summoned to the capital, which was undoubtedly a great achievement. This was the first time in fifteen years that the Emperor had summoned anyone from the Wu family. Did this mean that his anger had subsided and the Wu family would regain its former glory...?
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows. No wonder Lin Qingzhu and her daughter had been in Qingzhou for many years without any family members visiting them. It turned out they had been forbidden from leaving the border.
Lei's face was extremely gloomy, with a fierce glint in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, which trembled slightly. How could the people from the Duke of Wu's mansion have been summoned to the capital?
"Li Xue, you really are Qingzhu's daughter." A noblewoman dressed in brocade stood up, lightly wiping away non-existent tears, and quickly walked towards Shen Li Xue: "I always thought that you and Qingzhu passed away fifteen years ago..."
“Yes, Lixue, we all thought you and Sister Qingzhu had perished in the fire…” Several more noblewomen stood up, their faces full of concern as they approached Shen Lixue: “Heaven has mercy, you are still alive. Sister Qingzhu’s spirit can rest in peace now…”
When the Duke of Wu's mansion was at its peak, all the other noble families in the capital could only look up to it. Now that Lin Yan has returned by imperial decree and is being assisted by Prince An, he might be able to make the Duke of Wu's mansion shine again. Even if it doesn't reach its former glory, it will still be highly valued by the emperor. Since Lin Yan is a man, it is inconvenient for them to get close to him. It would be good for them to deepen their friendship with Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue casually dealt with the concerned noblewomen, inwardly sneering. She had already said that she was the daughter of the first wife, Lin Qingzhu, and these people hadn't reacted at all. Now, upon learning that Lin Yan of the Duke of Wu's mansion had returned to the capital, they couldn't wait to curry favor with her. What a bunch of opportunistic old foxes...
Looking at Shen Lixue, who was surrounded by people and receiving their affectionate concern, Shen Yingxue felt a surge of anger. She wanted nothing more than to go up and tear off Shen Lixue's beautiful smiling face. She was the most beautiful woman in Qingyan! Why didn't they pay attention to her and instead cared about that lowly Shen Lixue? The Duke of Wu was still on the frontier, while she had a grandfather who was a Grand Commandant...
"Ladies, today is the Prime Minister's wife's thirty-third birthday. The auspicious time has arrived, so please stop surrounding Shen Lixue and offer your birthday wishes to the Prime Minister's wife." Nangong Xiao leisurely waved his folding fan, his charming eyes gleaming with a hint of wickedness. He seemed eager to stir up trouble. After sitting for so long, the show hadn't started yet, so he had to say a few words to provoke a reaction.
The bustling garden fell silent instantly. People exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment. To celebrate the birthday of the second wife, Lei Shi, in front of Lin Yan and Shen Lixue, during the hundred-day memorial service for the first wife, Lin Qingzhu, was just too much…
"Madam, today is your birthday! Why didn't you say so sooner?" Shen Lixue exclaimed, her eyes clear as springs, her dark pupils revealing a mixture of annoyance and mockery: "With so many guests, I thought you were celebrating my mother's 100-day memorial..."
023 Stepmother vomits blood from anger
"Li Xue, you've been staying at the Prime Minister's residence these past few days, watching the servants bustling about, why didn't you remind me that today is Qingzhu's 100-day memorial?" Lei Shi stared at Chen Li Xue, her sharp eyes flashing with cold calculation.
Shen Lixue is cunning and not someone to be easily manipulated. Shen Lixue's idea of using Lin Qingzhu's 100th day memorial to attack her and ruin her reputation is just wishful thinking!
The puzzled gazes of everyone immediately focused on Shen Lixue. Was it really Shen Lixue who deliberately concealed the date of Lin Qingzhu's 100th day memorial to embarrass the Prime Minister's wife?
"Madam, weren't you planning to hold a hundred-day memorial service for my mother when I'm added to the family genealogy?" Shen Lixue frowned slightly, staring at Lei Shi in shock, as if she had heard something incredibly strange. She quickly took out a Buddha statue and handed it to her.
“My mother’s nameplate has the date of her death engraved on it. Madam has already seen it. A few days ago, you said that tomorrow is an auspicious day and asked me to go to Luoye Temple to pray to Buddha to include me in the family genealogy. I thought you wanted to give my mother’s spirit in heaven a surprise and hold a hundred-day memorial service for her after I was included in the family genealogy!”
Nangong Xiao choked on his tea and coughed repeatedly. He looked at Shen Lixue, whose eyes were clear as if she had suffered a great injustice, and secretly gave her a thumbs up. She had used a retreat as a means to advance and refuted the Lei family completely. Brilliant, truly brilliant!
A wave of disdain swept through the crowd as they turned their contemptuous gazes toward Lei Shi. She knew the date of Lin Qingzhu's death and could naturally calculate when the hundred-day memorial service would be held, but she hadn't taken it seriously and forgot to hold the service. In order to save face, she actually pushed all the responsibility onto Shen Lixue. How selfish and self-serving!
Lei's face was pale, her eyes were gloomy, her body trembled slightly, her nails dug deep into her flesh, and she gritted her teeth. Her scheme to plot against Shen Lixue had actually become powerful evidence for Shen Lixue to attack her. Shen Lixue was truly ruthless!
Shen Lixue glanced at Lei Shi secretly, a cold smile flashing in her dark eyes. So easily defeated? She hadn't even used her most fatal blow yet.
She pinched her arm hard, and a layer of mist clouded her beautiful eyes, making her look pitiful. "Madam, I didn't know it was your birthday today, so I didn't prepare a gift. This Buddha statue is something I obtained from Luoye Temple at your request, to protect the whole family. Please accept it as a birthday gift. My inclusion in the family genealogy can be postponed for a few more days. As for my mother's 100-day memorial service, can you hold it tomorrow?"
Beneath the handkerchief, Shen Lixue's dark eyes gleamed with a cold light. No matter when or where, the pressure of public opinion was the greatest. The more pitiful she sounded, the more sympathy people would have for her, and the greater their anger towards the Lei family would naturally be. In the end, she wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the accusations from the crowd would be enough to make the Lei family so angry they would vomit blood.
The crowd was furious, and their accusing gazes were like sharp arrows, piercing Lei Shi. Respect for the dead is paramount. As a second wife, it was already wrong of Lei Shi to forget the first wife's 100-day memorial service. But instead of keeping a low profile, she held a grand birthday banquet on the occasion of the first wife's 100-day memorial service and scolded the first wife's daughter for not reminding her. She was truly ill-mannered and selfish to the extreme!
Her chest heaved with blood, and a metallic taste rose in her throat. Lei Shi forced herself not to vomit, her face deathly pale. She stared at Shen Lixue, a cold smile playing on her lips. She had planned everything that was happening today. She had anticipated every single thing that would occur after returning to the manor and had prepared countermeasures. In other words, from the moment Shen Lixue returned to the Prime Minister's residence, it was already destined that she and her daughter would suffer a crushing defeat...
Heh, Shen Lixue is really clever. I underestimated her. But her mother is truly stupid as a pig; otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up like this...
"Prince An!" A familiar voice suddenly rang out. Shen Minghui, dressed in brocade robes, smiled and pushed through the crowd, walking over and bowing to Prince An.
Prince An glanced at him sideways without saying a word. His handsome face was cold and sullen, and his obsidian-like eyes were as deep as a pool, as if he were thinking about something.
Shen Minghui was startled, but dared not say anything. Prince An was famous for his military exploits and was rumored to be ruthless but not one to embarrass others. So why did he vaguely sense that Prince An was angry with him?
A moment later, Prince An coldly said to Shen Minghui, who was still bowing, "Prime Minister Shen, there's no need for such formalities!"
Shen Minghui straightened up, a hint of embarrassment on his face. His eyes flickered uncomfortably. Prince An had just returned to court; why would he make things difficult for him? He hadn't done anything wrong; why would Prince An be dissatisfied with him?
Shen Lixue looked at Shen Minghui and smiled coldly. When she needed his help, he stayed far away, but when Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue were in trouble, he couldn't wait to come to their rescue. They were all his relatives, so why was he treated so differently?
"Father, didn't you go to the palace? Why are you back so soon?" Shen Minghui didn't act like a father at all, and Shen Lixue didn't need to respect him like an elder.
Shen Minghui, his eyelids still heavy, coughed a few times: "When I was handling matters in the study, I got a little tired, so I took a walk around. I didn't expect that servant to think I had entered the palace..."
"Is that so?" Shen Lixue's dark eyes filled with tears again, and she said pitifully, "I thought you weren't going to acknowledge me as your daughter anymore..." Knowing that Shen Minghui was lying, Shen Lixue did not intend to expose him. It would be more interesting to punish him by using his lies than to expose him.
Nangong Xiao's lips twitched as he watched; Shen Lixue's scheming skills were getting better and better...
"What are you saying? You will always be my daughter, Shen Minghui's daughter..." Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public; Shen Minghui couldn't let Li Xue speak ill of Ying Xue any longer. He hurriedly interrupted Shen Li Xue, reaching out to stroke her hair in comfort, but Shen Li Xue subtly avoided him. She despised this kind of father: "Just now, Sister Ying Xue denied my status as the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, and Father wasn't home. I thought you didn't recognize me..."
Shen Lixue covered her face and cried miserably. Her eyes, hidden beneath the handkerchief, were clean and cold, showing no sign of crying. She coldly stared at Shen Minghui's every move. Her words were clear enough; as clever as Shen Minghui was, he should know what to do.
"Slap!" Shen Minghui slapped Shen Yingxue hard. Shen Yingxue was his precious daughter, whom he cherished and pampered. He had spoiled her since she was a child. Now, though he had slapped her, it hurt Shen Minghui's heart.
"Father, you actually hit me for Shen Lixue!" A bright red five-fingered mountain appeared on her beautiful face. Shen Yingxue stared at Shen Minghui in shock. Her most beloved father had actually hit her for that bitch Shen Lixue.
"Shut up! Li Xue is your own sister!" Shen Yingxue roared, and Shen Minghui slapped her twice more. His heart was bleeding and his hands were trembling. Yingxue, I don't want to hit you, but for your bright future, you have to suffer a little now.
Shen Lixue coldly stared at the scene before her. Shen Yingxue was ostracizing and slandering her elder sister. If this got out, she would be scorned by everyone. Shen Minghui hit her to save her. What a deep father-daughter bond!
"Shen Lixue, don't just cry, shed a few tears too!" Nangong Xiao lazily reminded her telepathically, "If someone discovers you're faking it, your plan will fail..."
"Mind your own business!" Shen Lixue glared at Nangong Xiao. Everyone else's attention was focused on Shen Minghui and Shen Yingxue, so who would bother to see if she was really crying or not!
Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Shen Lixue kicked Nangong Xiao hard. Nangong Xiao raised both feet and dodged, a mocking smile flashing in his charming eyes, as if to say, "You can't hit me, you can't hit me!"