Shen Minghui snapped out of his daze and ordered, "Someone, quickly pull the big black dog away!" The big black dog was too fierce for him to approach, and since the people in the living room were all female family members, he ordered the guards outside to come in and pull the dog away.
"Father, the master just said that today is his lucky day, and he will definitely benefit from this big black dog. If you pull the black dog away, won't you ruin his lucky day?" Shen Lixue stopped the guards who came in to pull the man away, glanced at the white-robed Taoist who was trampled beyond recognition by the big black dog, and thought, "A lucky day that comes once in a thousand years, enjoy it."
Shen Lixue smiled brightly, but in Shen Minghui's eyes, he was just a cunning little fox. Unfortunately, these words were spoken by the white-robed Taoist himself, so he couldn't refute them. A surge of anger was stuck in his chest, making him feel suffocated and flustered. A metallic taste lingered in his throat, and he almost vomited blood from anger.
Shen Yingxue frowned: "Sister, don't joke around. This big black dog is so fierce, how could it be a good omen? Guards, come in and save people quickly!" Shen Lixue was trying to find a way to extract a confession. That bitch is indeed clever, and her methods are first-rate. Hopefully, this Taoist priest isn't so useless.
"The master is a celestial being, so what he says must be true!" Shen Lixue said dismissively, coldly observing the farce unfolding before her.
"Master, the so-called Six Combinations of Earthly Branches refer to Zi and Chou combining to form Earth, Yin and Hai combining to form Wood, Xu and Mao combining to form Fire, Chen and You combining to form Metal, Si and Shen combining to form Water, and Wu and Wei combining to form the Sun and Moon. The so-called Six Clashes of Earthly Branches refer to Zi and Wu clashing, Mao and You clashing, Yin and Shen clashing, Si and Hai clashing, Chen and Xu clashing, and Chou and Wei clashing!"
Shen Lixue paused, looked at the white-robed Taoist priest, and smiled brightly on her beautiful face: "These are all rather profound divination techniques. Master, you have truly benefited from the black dog!"
Shen Minghui's expression instantly turned extremely ugly. He had already guessed the whole story and knew what would happen next. Just as he was about to stop him, the white-robed Taoist priest spoke first: "I confess, I confess."
The white-robed Taoist priest patted the large black dog, his voice trembling as he shouted, "I'm not some enlightened master, just a half-baked charlatan. Someone gave me money to come to the Prime Minister's residence and slander the young lady..."
As soon as the white-robed Taoist finished speaking, the black dog stopped what it was doing and ran out of the living room quickly without waiting for the guards to pull it away.
The white-robed Taoist priest stumbled to his feet, his crooked crown falling to the ground, his hair scattered in disarray, his flowing white robe torn to shreds, his whisk in his hand mangled by the black dog, and several bloody scratches on his old face. He looked utterly wretched.
Shen Yingxue glared fiercely at the white-robed Taoist priest, gritting her teeth. He couldn't even beat a dog; he was a useless piece of trash. That hundred taels of silver was wasted.
“As soon as the master confessed, the black dog ran away. It seems that heaven is watching what people do!” Shen Lixue looked at the white-robed Taoist with a half-smile: “Then tell me again, master, who bribed you to frame me?”
Shen Yingxue's heart suddenly jumped, her eyelids twitched twice, and she glared hatefully at the white-robed Taoist. If he dared to reveal her identity, she would make sure he died a gruesome death!
The white-robed Taoist priest glanced at Shen Yingxue, and when he met her sinister gaze, he shivered involuntarily.
"Master, I told you to name the villain who framed me, why are you looking at Sister Yingxue?" Shen Lixue asked angrily, feigning ignorance. Then, she suddenly realized something: "Don't tell me that it was Sister Yingxue who instructed you to plot against me?"
"This...this..." The white-robed Taoist priest felt guilty, glancing furtively at Shen Yingxue, then at Shen Lixue, unsure how to answer.
"Father, you know me best. How could I possibly deceive you? It must be a lie fabricated by this swindler to escape punishment and sow discord among our family!"
Shen Yingxue pointed at the white-robed Taoist priest, tearfully accusing him. Her eyes were brimming with tears, making her look pitiful. Her lowered eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if she wanted to tear the white-robed Taoist priest to pieces immediately. If it weren't for the presence of others, she would definitely have stepped forward and kicked him a few times. Useless trash, he was tricked into revealing the truth by Shen Lixue in just a few words. He was extremely stupid.
Shen Minghui remained silent, coldly staring at the white-robed Taoist priest, his face so black it seemed to drip ink: "You charlatan! You've framed the eldest young lady and slandered the second young lady. Your crimes are unforgivable! Guards, take him to Shuntian Prefecture and punish him according to the law!"
Shen Lixue sneered. When she was framed by the Taoist priest, Shen Minghui not only didn't help her, but also kicked her when she was down. Now that Shen Yingxue has been implicated, he can't wait to lock her up in Shuntian Prefecture. He's completely trying to exonerate Shen Yingxue and vent his anger. Ha! A rare 'benevolent father' in the world, worthy of 'respect'!
"Prime Minister Shen, spare my life, spare my life!" The white-robed Taoist knelt on the ground, his body trembling, kowtowing repeatedly. He was already over fifty years old and didn't have many days left to live. He had offended the Prime Minister, and the Shuntian Prefecture would definitely take good care of him. There was no way he could walk out of the prison alive.
"What are you standing there for? Get him out of here!" Shen Minghui was annoyed by the white-robed Taoist's nagging and shouted at him. Two guards stepped forward, grabbed the white-robed Taoist who was terrified and collapsed, and quickly walked out of the hall.
The hall fell silent again. No one spoke, and the atmosphere was eerily quiet, almost suffocating.
Shen Yingxue glared at Shen Lixue with hatred, her eyes blazing with fury. "You bitch, you've let her escape again. What good luck!"
"Master, please calm down. Don't let that Taoist priest upset your health!" Lei, who hadn't spoken until now, stood up, slowly walked to Shen Minghui, and gently patted his chest to help him catch his breath.
Shen Minghui took a few deep breaths, let out a long sigh, and looked at Shen Lixue: "Although that Taoist priest is only a half-baked practitioner, he knows a little about the I Ching and divination. It's better to believe what he says than not to believe it..."
Shen Lixue sneered. Shen Minghui had recently suffered a series of setbacks, and he had become sensitive and timid. He even believed the words of those charlatans...
"The Taoist priest's suggestion was nothing more than changing the name and handing over the jade pendant. It's harmless and not complicated. Li Xue, just change your name and give the jade pendant to Ye Lei!" Shen Minghui spoke lightly, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
Shen Lixue stared coldly at Shen Minghui: "Why should I change my name instead of Yingxue?" When there's good news, he thinks of Shen Yingxue first, but when something bad happens, he thinks of himself. Shen Minghui, you really are biased!
"You're the older sister, you should learn to be considerate of your younger sister!" Shen Minghui said dismissively, as if it were only natural for Shen Lixue to change her name.
"There's the ancient story of Kong Rong giving away pears, so why isn't it Yingxue being modest and yielding to me?" Shen Lixue gazed at Shen Minghui, a half-smile on her face.
“Yingxue grew up in the capital and is the granddaughter of the Grand Commandant’s family. She is a well-known noble lady in the capital. If she suddenly changes her name, it will inevitably cause controversy. You grew up in the countryside and the nobles in the capital are not familiar with you. If you change your name, they will not care too much…” Shen Minghui’s tone was indifferent, revealing a hint of perfunctoriness.
Shen Lixue's gaze was cold. She had been back for a month, and almost all the noble families knew her and were aware of the conflict between her, Lei Shi, and Shen Yingxue. If she suddenly changed her name, how could it not cause controversy?
She was the granddaughter of the Duke of Wu's mansion, which had fallen into decline. Her mother had also died. Shen Minghui was certain that she couldn't live without him, which was why he was so biased and forced her to change her name.
"That's settled then. We'll stop using the name Li Xue for now. I'll come up with a better name for you another day, one that will definitely suit you..." Shen Minghui gave the order decisively, leaving no room for discussion.
"Before Father decides on a name, which name should I use instead, Siqing or Nianzhu? (meaning missing Lin Qingzhu)" Shen Lixue's gaze was icy, and the faint smile on her lips was full of sarcasm. She wouldn't let her use the name Lixue, and he would have to think of a new name for her in a few days. This father was truly a scumbag.
Shen Minghui's expression instantly turned extremely ugly: "Are you blaming your father? There are no parents who are wrong. He did this for the good of everyone in the Prime Minister's mansion. What right does she have to blame him?"
"Father, you named both Yingxue and me. Our names clash, which is your mistake and has nothing to do with me. Everything should have a first-come, first-served order. My name came first, so it can't be changed. If anyone should change it, it should be the person who calls me after me!" Shen Lixue's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. Changing her name? Dream on.
"You..." Shen Minghui pointed at Shen Lixue, trembling with rage, and repeatedly said, "Rebellious daughter, rebellious daughter..."
"Master, calm down!" Madam Lei patted Shen Minghui's chest, looked at Shen Lixue with a stern gaze: "Lixue, quickly apologize to your father!"
"I'm just stating the facts. I haven't done anything wrong, so why should I admit it?" Shen Lixue said coldly. She would never apologize to such a scumbag father.
"You...you...cough cough cough..." Shen Minghui couldn't catch his breath and coughed repeatedly.
"Father, don't be angry. Sister Lixue is young and doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart!" Shen Yingxue glared at Shen Lixue and gently comforted her, her tone full of smugness. That bitch made Father so angry. Father must hate her to death. Changing her name and taking the jade pendant will definitely succeed.
Lei helped Shen Minghui to sit in the main seat and handed him a teacup, saying, "Master, please have some hot tea to calm your nerves!"
Shen Minghui quickly took a sip of tea to calm himself, then looked coldly at Shen Lixue, a flash of anger in his eyes, which he suppressed: "The Shen family jade pendant is passed down from father to son, not daughter. I only had you as my daughter, which is why I gave you the jade pendant. Now, Ye Lei is nine years old, it's time to pass the family heirloom to him..."
Shen Yingxue frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. Her father was no longer forcing Shen Lixue to change her name. It didn't matter; there would be plenty of opportunities to force her later. The most urgent thing was to get the Shen family heirloom jade pendant back!
Shen Lixue took out the jade pendant and examined it closely. The crystal-clear jade pendant dangled from the red silk thread and rotated slightly. It was pure and without any impurities. It was truly the best of the best. Her clear and cold eyes successfully saw Dan Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue's greedy and stunned gaze. A faint smile appeared on her lips. They had set up this scheme for this Shen family heirloom jade pendant.
Shen Minghui coughed a few times and said calmly, "Li Xue, give the jade pendant to your mother and have her give it to Ye Lei!"
"Mother is taking care of Father, so I'll take the jade pendant!" A slender finger quickly reached for the jade pendant. Shen Lixue dodged with her arm, and Shen Yingxue missed her target, her face turning very ugly: "What do you mean, sister? Don't you want to hand over the jade pendant? The Shen family's heirloom jade pendant is passed down from the legitimate son to the illegitimate son, and from son to daughter. With Brother Ye Lei around, it's not your turn to keep the jade pendant!"