"Shen Lixue, don't push your luck!" Shen Lixue's words struck a nerve with Shen Minghui, causing him to blush and lose face.
"You're the one who's pushing your luck, not me," Shen Lixue retorted angrily. "I survived a great ordeal and came to the Prime Minister's residence to find you. You're not close to me and don't feel the slightest bit of guilt. It's one thing to favor Shen Yingxue, but why should you sacrifice me to protect Shen Yingxue?"
In modern times, Shen Lixue had seen all sorts of scumbag fathers in newspapers and on television, but compared to Shen Minghui, their actions were utterly insignificant. Such an extreme scumbag father was a once-in-a-millennium occurrence, and she actually encountered one. Her luck was truly exceptionally bad. Even if the original owner of Shen Lixue hadn't died at Mu Zhengnan's hands, she would have died at the hands of this scumbag father's evil deeds.
Shen Minghui was speechless after being refuted. His face darkened, and he stared coldly at Shen Lixue for a long time before suddenly saying, "You grew up in the countryside and don't understand etiquette or manners. You are even less capable of handling matters within a high-ranking family. Marrying Prince An may seem glamorous on the surface, but there will definitely be people plotting against you in secret. You will definitely not live more than a year in the Holy Prince's Mansion. I am doing this for your own good, hoping that you will live longer!"
"You still want Shen Yingxue to marry Dongfang Heng in my place." Shen Lixue sneered, seeing through Shen Minghui's true intentions. For fifteen years, he had been cultivating Shen Yingxue as the future Princess Consort of Anjun, investing a great deal of effort. She knew he wouldn't give up easily, but she hadn't expected that even after what had happened, he still hadn't given up.
“Shen Yingxue has already lost her virginity and is no longer a pure woman. If it is discovered on your wedding night that the bride is no longer a virgin, your Prime Minister’s family will be guilty of deceiving the emperor and your entire family will be executed!”
"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own plans!" Shen Minghui's thoughts were exposed, and he was a little awkward for a moment, but then he became radiant and full of confidence.
He spent fifteen years cultivating Shen Yingxue with all his might, hoping she would become the Princess Consort and prove his abilities. How could he give up? He would clear away all obstacles in his path, and even if she was his daughter, he would not tolerate it.
"You're offering Dongfang Heng a daughter who's already been used? Do you think he'll want her?" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow, her beautiful eyes filled with mockery and disdain.
“As long as the Emperor issues the decree, Dongfang Heng will definitely marry Yingxue!” Shen Minghui raised his head, his tone slightly arrogant.
"Foolish and ignorant!" Shen Lixue sneered. Shen Minghui didn't understand Dongfang Heng at all. No one could force him to do what he hated.
"Don't worry, your father won't abandon you. Your reputation is ruined, and you can't marry another man. Your father will ask Grand Commandant Lei to let you marry into his household as his principal wife!" To make Shen Lixue obedient, Shen Minghui painted a beautiful picture of the future for her:
"Lei Cong is the only direct grandson of the Grand Commandant's family, and the Grand Commandant's family will belong to him in the future. Although he is a bit of a womanizer, his overall conditions are still quite good. After you marry into the family, you should keep an eye on him. The gold and silver in the mansion are enough for you to eat and drink without worry for the rest of your lives, which is much better than living in the countryside!"
"I was forced into marriage by Lei Cong, my reputation is ruined, and I was forced to marry him. Do you think I can become the principal wife in the Grand Commandant's mansion? Do you think I can control Lei Cong, who has lost half his tongue and become a cripple?" Shen Lixue looked at Shen Minghui with a half-smile, mocking and sarcastic. She was forced to bear the stigma of marrying a cripple, and he didn't feel the slightest bit of shame. What a despicable father.
Shen Minghui frowned again, glaring at Shen Lixue: "I might as well tell you the truth, it's too late for you to object now. I've already ordered people to spread the word everywhere that the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, Shen Lixue, was forcibly taken by Lei Cong, the eldest grandson of the Grand Commandant, and that many servants saw it..."
Shen Lixue's dark eyes instantly filled with a bone-chilling coldness. It turned out that Shen Minghui was standing here chatting with her to buy her time so that the servants could spread the news. As expected of Prime Minister Qingyan, he knew to act first and report later, and even more shamelessly used this tactic on his own daughter!
"Father knows you don't want to marry Lei Cong, but things have come to this point, and you have no way to back out. You can't marry anyone else but Lei Cong!" Shen Minghui threatened sternly. Lei Cong was the only direct grandson of the Grand Commandant's family. His tongue had been cut off by Yingxue, and Grand Commandant Lei would definitely not let it go. He couldn't bear to let Yingxue marry that worthless piece of trash, so he had no choice but to sacrifice Lixue.
As Shen Lixue said, she grew up in the countryside and was not raised by him. No matter how shameless she did, he could always shirk responsibility.
Seeing that Shen Lixue remained silent, her clear, cold eyes unfathomable, Shen Minghui assumed she was weighing the pros and cons. His gaze flashed, and he changed from a threat to an enticement: "You are also my own daughter. I will not mistreat you. I will give you a generous dowry and let you marry into the Grand Commandant's mansion in style..."
Who cares about your damn dowry!
Even the usually aloof Shen Lixue couldn't help but want to curse this utterly despicable father. He was pinning other people's bad reputation on her, and he did it with such righteous indignation and passion. If she disagreed, she would be accused of being ungrateful and disregarding the bigger picture. Could there really be such a selfish, shameless person in the world? A person as shameless as Shen Minghui is truly unparalleled.
Shen Lixue suddenly looked up at Shen Minghui, then smiled and flicked her slender hand, sending three silver needles piercing straight into Shen Minghui's chest. A sharp pain instantly surged through his body, like a claw tearing at his internal organs. Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Shen Minghui, barely managing to stay upright, leaned against a large tree, glaring at Shen Lixue through gritted teeth: "Beast, what have you done to me?"
"If I'm a beast, then what are you?" Shen Lixue coldly retorted. "I can also tell you the truth: even if all the men in the world were to die, I would never marry Lei Cong!"
The pain in Shen Minghui's internal organs grew more and more intense. Unable to bear it any longer, he slowly sat down on the ground against the tree, still glaring fiercely at Shen Lixue: "The news has already spread. Killing me won't do you any good. Lei Cong, you're going to marry him!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Shen Minghui and sneered, "I am just an ordinary citizen. I cannot fight against the Prime Minister and the Grand Commandant. My death is not far away, but before I die, I will take a few down with me. So I will not be alone on the road to the Yellow Springs!"
Shen Lixue reached into her sleeve, took out her silver needle pouch, opened it, looked at it carefully, and pulled out the thickest silver needle.
The silver needle was entirely white, its sharp tip gleaming alluringly in the night. Seeing it, Shen Minghui's eyes widened in terror: "Shen Lixue, what are you going to do?"
"Aren't you fearless of death? I'll send you to the Western Paradise to repent to my mother!" Shen Lixue put away her silver needle pouch, a cold smile playing on her lips. Holding the large silver needle, she slowly walked towards Shen Minghui, each step resounding as if death itself were arriving at the stroke of midnight.
Shen Minghui stared at the silver needle tip, his eyes filled with terror. He endured the pain in his chest and kept backing away, saying, "You murdered your father! You deserve to be struck by lightning!"
“Killing scum like you is doing justice for Heaven. Even if I get struck by lightning, I’ll accept it!” Shen Lixue smiled, her cold eyes as icy as ice that had never melted in the icy plains. In Shen Minghui’s terrified gaze, she was about to shoot the silver needle at him.
A guard rushed over in a panic: "Prime Minister, something terrible has happened, something terrible has happened..."
"What happened?" Before the silver needles fell, Shen Minghui breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that with the guards around, Shen Lixue would definitely not dare to plot against him again. He was about to reprimand and punish Shen Lixue when he saw the guard's face clearly and his heart suddenly sank.
The guard, panting heavily from running all the way, reported, "Your Excellency, I was ordered to spread rumors in the streets that the eldest young lady had been forcibly taken by Young Master Lei. However, as soon as I reached the street, I heard rumors circulating that the second young lady and Young Master Lei were having an affair..."
"Forced possession" refers to a man coercing a woman, who is in a vulnerable position and evokes sympathy. "Adultery" refers to two people who are mutually attracted to each other and secretly engage in sexual activity behind everyone's back. This is shameless, and if the affair is exposed, they will be ridiculed by everyone.
"How could this be?" Shen Minghui was stunned for a moment. He had clearly ordered everyone to keep a close watch on all the maids and nannies. How could the matter have spread before his lie did?
"I don't know either. When my brothers and I walked out onto the street, rumors were already spreading!" the guard said in a low voice, feeling extremely puzzled. They had moved very quickly, and no one else from the Prime Minister's residence had left. Who could have spread these rumors?
Shen Lixue discreetly concealed the large silver needle, a slight smile playing on her lips. The icy coldness in her clear eyes slowly faded, replaced by a smile. She had already guessed who had spread the rumor: Shen Yingxue had committed adultery with Lei Cong. How could someone as arrogant as him come up with such a reason?
"Li Xue, did you do it?" Shen Minghui's sharp eyes shot towards Shen Li Xue like swords. He clearly saw that after hearing the news, her eyes were filled with a smile, and the corners of her mouth were raised. It was clearly a cold smile after her scheme had succeeded. This rebellious daughter, her mind is really vicious...
"Prime Minister Shen, do you also speak such nonsense so casually in court? I haven't left here even once, how could I have time to spread rumors outside?" Shen Lixue looked at Shen Minghui, her cold eyes flashing with mockery and disdain.
"If you didn't spread rumors, how did they get out?" Shen Minghui glared at Shen Lixue, gritting his teeth in anger.
"The maids and nannies in the Prime Minister's residence all know about this. The affair between your precious daughter and your philandering nephew is too earth-shattering. It's not surprising that they talked about it and it accidentally got out!"
Shen Lixue answered casually, but the handsome face of Dongfang Heng appeared in her mind. He never liked to meddle in other people's business. He must have known that Shen Minghui was going to frame him, so he took the initiative and had the guards spread the scandal of Shen Yingxue and Lei Cong. Shen Minghui had once again shot himself in the foot.
"Excuses, all excuses!" Shen Minghui roared, triggering a sharp, needle-like pain that spread throughout his body, making him feel like he was dying.
"Instead of lecturing me here, you should think of a way to clear your precious daughter's name!" Seeing Shen Minghui's gloomy face, Shen Lixue was in a particularly good mood and reached out to pull out the silver needle from Shen Minghui's chest.
Shen Minghui collapsed weakly to the ground, his face contorted in pain.
"Prime Minister Shen, what's wrong?" The guard was startled and rushed forward to help Shen Minghui up.
"If we take him to see the imperial physician now, he might still survive. But if we wait too long, I can't guarantee anything!" Shen Lixue said calmly, gracefully walking forward. "It's already dawn. I'm going back to sleep. You can do as you please!"
"Young Miss, aren't you going to save Prime Minister Shen?" The guard helped Shen Minghui up and looked at Shen Lixue with a puzzled expression. He knew that the father and daughter had a falling out, but there are no parents who are always wrong. No matter how much she hated him, she couldn't disregard her father's life.
"I'm in a bad mood today and don't want to save anyone!" Shen Lixue said coldly, gritting her teeth. Her slender figure quickly walked out of the courtyard and disappeared.
Tormented by pain to the point of near death, Shen Minghui forced himself to stay awake, staring in the direction Shen Lixue had left. His eyes opened and closed intermittently, his voice weak yet filled with fury: "Summon...everyone in the household...to the ancestral hall...I want to expel this rebellious daughter...from the family..."