“That’s right!” Mu Zhengnan nodded slightly, not understanding why.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly, like spring flowers blooming, mesmerizing the eyes. The next second, the smile vanished instantly, and her icy gaze shot over like a sharp blade: "Mu Zhengnan, who helped you forge the marriage novel?"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves; the assembled nobles were instantly in an uproar. Was the marriage certificate forged, or was it real?
Su Yuting smiled slightly, her eyes clear, and looked at Shen Yingxue indifferently. But she saw Shen Yingxue's smug little face instantly darken, her fair little hands clenched into fists, and she was about to stand up and scold her. Lei Shi grabbed her arm tightly and secretly gave her a wink. She reluctantly suppressed her anger and secretly glared at Shen Yingxue a few times.
Nangong Xiao waved his folding fan and muttered to himself, "These petty people always like to distort the truth. The truly wronged will surely be exonerated. Hearing the verdict is rather boring!"
The Third Prince sipped his tea and smiled faintly. The true victim and the perpetrator had been identified!
After a brief moment of surprise, Mu Zhengnan quickly regained his composure and glared at Shen Lixue: "You say this marriage certificate is forged, do you have any evidence?"
"The paper used for this marriage certificate is Xuan paper, which is unique to nobles in the capital. Not to mention Jiangzhou, which is thousands of miles away, even in this Qingyan capital, no one but nobles can buy it even if they have money. How could a commoner like you write a marriage certificate in Qingzhou on this kind of paper?" Shen Lixue's words were precious.
When Lin Qingzhu was in Qingzhou, she would sometimes paint and sell her works. She was very particular about the brushes, ink, paper and inkstones she used. Therefore, Shen Lixue was familiar with Qingyan's brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. The content of the marriage certificate was perfect, but the flaw was in the paper.
Lei's expression stiffened slightly. The person who forged the marriage certificate was truly foolish. With so much paper in the capital, how could he use specially made paper to forge it? Wasn't he just blatantly leaving a loophole for others to discover?
"I lived in the capital when I was a child, and I have some of these papers..." Mu Zhengnan argued stubbornly.
“The paper from over ten years ago is completely different in color and texture from the newly made paper. Moreover, the ink used for writing is also of the highest quality, hard to find in ordinary towns. Young Master Mu, don’t tell me you still have ink from over ten years ago at home…” Shen Lixue’s gaze was cold, with a half-smile. Everyone knows that ink should be ground and used immediately. Ink from over ten years ago would have dried up long ago!
"Qingzhu's mother-in-law likes to write and paint, and she uses this kind of paper and ink. Lixue, don't you remember?" A deep pain flashed in Mu Zhengnan's eyes, as if he had been cruelly abandoned and slandered by his beloved, and his heart was breaking.
Shen Lixue sneered. Mu Zhengnan was still not giving up, so she presented the most direct evidence to leave him speechless: "Mu Zhengnan, according to what you said, you and I got married last December, so we must have consummated our marriage?"
"Of course, I remember every detail of our wedding night." Mu Zhengnan lied through his teeth. The old nanny of the Prime Minister's mansion had said that Shen Lixue was no longer a virgin, so he could slander her without worry. She was just a used-up flower, yet she was so aggressive. He didn't need to be polite to her: "Do you dare to let the old nanny examine you?"
Shen Yingxue's eyes lit up, a cruel smile flashing in her eyes. The physical examination revealed that Shen Lixue was a used woman, confirming her crime of abandoning her husband. Let's see how she will have the face to pursue Prince An.
He pretended not to know and said loudly, "Mu Zhengnan, don't push your luck! My sister is innocent and has nothing to fear from a physical examination!"
Shen Lixue frowned: In ancient times, physical examination was an insult and a sign of distrust to a woman. Mu Zhengnan must have been reminded by someone else to suggest this method. It seems that Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue not only wanted to scheme against her, but also wanted to humiliate her.
"There's no need for the physical examination, Granny. I have a more direct way to prove that you and I are not related!" Shen Lixue slowly pulled up the sleeve of her right arm, revealing a dark red dot of cinnabar on her flawless white arm.
The cinnabar mark—Shen Lixue is still a virgin!
"How is this possible!" Shen Yingxue couldn't take the shock and exclaimed subconsciously. She clearly saw Shen Lixue chasing Dongfang Heng in revealing clothes, and she clearly saw the two of them sneaking around inside the house while the guards stood watch outside. How could nothing have happened?
Seeing everyone's eyes on her, Shen Yingxue snapped back to reality and hurriedly explained, "What Mu Zhengnan said was very true. I was almost moved by him and thought that my sister was his first wife..."
Lei's expression was extremely grim. Yingxue actually got it wrong that Shen Lixue had something going on with Prince An. When did she become so stupid?
"Is your virginity mark real?" Mu Zhengnan was somewhat flustered. Wasn't Shen Lixue a fallen woman? How could she have a virginity mark?
"If you don't believe me, you can have someone come and verify it!" Lin Qingzhu was very strict, and the original owner, Shen Lixue, was also very obedient. Although she had a small crush on Mu Zhengnan, she did not impulsively give herself to him. Otherwise, she would not be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River today.
The mark of chastity is a symbol of fidelity. Noblewomen all had it, and daughters of prominent families wore it on their arms. They could tell at a glance that Shen Lixue's mark of chastity was real, without needing any verification.
The crowd looked at Shen Lixue with more sympathy, while their eyes were full of mockery and disdain when they looked at Mu Zhengnan. Forging a marriage certificate to frame a pure and innocent heiress from a prestigious family was utterly shameless.
"Mu Zhengnan, now you can tell me who forged this marriage certificate for you, right?" Shen Lixue said, each word distinct and chilling. Though it was just a simple question, it sent a shiver down Mu Zhengnan's spine, his gaze instinctively drifting towards Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue.
"Mu Zhengnan, I told you to name the culprit behind the forged marriage certificate. Why are you looking at Madam and Sister Yingxue?" Shen Lixue reprimanded sharply. Seeing the suspicious gazes of everyone turning to Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue, she suddenly thought of something and angrily said, "Mu Zhengnan, you framed me. Do you want to frame Madam and Yingxue as well?"
"That's right, Mu Zhengnan, think carefully before you confess, and stop making baseless accusations!" Shen Yingxue scolded arrogantly, her anger surging within her. Mu Zhengnan was truly stupid and incompetent to the extreme, having been so easily exposed by Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue waved the marriage certificate in her hand and said seriously, "This kind of paper is very precious. I have only seen it in my father's study... Hmm, why does the pattern on this marriage certificate look so familiar..." Lei Shi, Shen Yingxue made a fake marriage certificate for me, so I should also give them a big gift.
"Let me see!" Nangong Xiao snatched the marriage certificate, glanced at it quickly, then looked up at Shen Yingxue, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "It's the pine needle pattern on the Second Miss's body..."
Daughters of noble families often like to secretly imprint their favorite patterns on white paper. The marriage certificate has pine needle patterns, while on Shen Yingxue's ivory white dress, pine needles flutter in the wind, showing boundless mockery. Everyone instantly realized: the marriage certificate was forged by Shen Yingxue!
"Shen Lixue, don't you dare frame me..." Shen Yingxue pulled her clothes tighter, glaring fiercely at Shen Lixue, her beautiful eyes practically spitting fire: "I never had anyone print pine needle patterns on me!" She takes every opportunity to attack herself, you bitch, you bitch, you bitch.
Shen Minghui stared at Shen Lixue with narrowed eyes and said angrily, "Lixue, can't you just stay quiet for a few days?" The implication was that Shen Lixue was causing a lot of trouble in the Prime Minister's residence.
“Father, Yingxue is someone you watched grow up. It’s not wrong for you to love her, but I didn’t say a single bad word about her just now. It was Yingxue who kept criticizing me!” Shen Lixue’s voice was indifferent, as if she was used to Shen Minghui’s favoritism towards Shen Yingxue.
People looked at her with more sympathy and pity. Although she was born to the first wife, she grew up outside and had some distance from her father.
Most of the noblewomen were first wives, who had also been neglected by their husbands. The daughters were all legitimate children. They looked at Shen Minghui with more displeasure. In his heart, the biological daughters of his first wife were not as good as the daughters of his second wife. If his first wife had not died, he might have favored his concubines and neglected his wife.
Shen Minghui's face was cold, his gaze shifting between light and dark. He felt a surge of anger stuck in his chest, unable to rise or fall. Li Xue had actually contradicted him in public, embarrassing him. This was outrageous!
"Is the ink not completely dry yet?" Shen Lixue exclaimed softly, her fingers, which had been stained with a little black ink, as she picked up the marriage certificate.
One of the young ladies' eyes lit up: "This ink is a special product made by the ink shop this year. It can keep the ink characters bright for ten hours. I thought it was new, so I bought some. At that time, I vaguely saw Shen Yingxue there too..."
There's no doubt that the marriage certificate was forged by Shen Yingxue!
"I didn't forge the marriage certificate, I really didn't..." Shen Yingxue was horrified and at a loss. If the crime was proven true, her reputation would be ruined and she would be cursed by everyone. What should she do? What should she do?
"Shen Lixue, you've been holding the marriage certificate all along! You've framed me!" Shen Yingxue screamed, trying to pounce on Shen Lixue, but was held back tightly by Lei Shi.
Shen Minghui stared at Shen Lixue, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, chillingly cold: "Lixue, it's common for sisters to have conflicts. How could you take revenge on your own and harm your own sister?" This daughter always goes against his wishes, acts on her own initiative, and doesn't respect her father at all.
When he was framed, Shen Minghui didn't say a word of justice. Now that Shen Yingxue has been wronged, he immediately rebuked him. He's still as biased as before!
Shen Lixue's slightly lowered eyes concealed the coldness in them, and she said casually, "Father, Yingxue, in front of everyone, I neither picked up a pen nor changed the paper, so how could I have done anything wrong?" She had secretly pinched a pine needle pattern on the paper and soaked the ink on her fingers with water. Other than that, she really did nothing.
Shen Minghui's face was ashen. Looking at Shen Lixue's bright face, her cold gaze, and her slightly arrogant expression, he was momentarily stunned. An inexplicable anger filled his chest. The Lin family members were all like this. They looked down on him. What right did they have to look down on him...
"Father!" Shen Yingxue's soft sobs rang in his ears. Shen Minghui suddenly came back to his senses and looked at the center of the courtroom. Standing there was Shen Lixue, not a member of the Lin family.
Nangong Xiao threw the marriage certificate onto the table in Shuntian Prefecture, a wicked smile playing on his lips. He lightly raised his folding fan and asked slowly, "Lord Yang, what is the crime of helping a serious criminal to forge evidence?"