"Why?" Eunuch Zhao was even more puzzled, his questioning gaze sweeping back and forth between Shen Minghui and Shen Lixue.
"I have severed my father-daughter relationship with Prime Minister Shen. From now on, he is him and I am me. We will never see each other again. You could say that I am now an orphan without parents!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her smile bright and radiant, showing no sadness at her status as an orphan.
"Li Xue, there are no parents who are wrong. I was just angry for a moment. Why do you have to take it so seriously!" Shen Minghui pretended to be angry and stepped forward to stroke Li Xue's hair to express his love.
Shen Lixue turned her head to dodge, leaving his hand awkwardly suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or extend it. He forced a stiff smile and said, "Lixue!"
“You’ve already forgotten what just happened, Prime Minister Shen? No matter, I have evidence!” Ignoring Shen Minghui’s increasingly ugly expression, Shen Lixue took out the letter of severance and handed it to Eunuch Zhao: “It is written clearly in black and white that I have completely severed my father-daughter relationship with Prime Minister Shen. It also has Prime Minister Shen’s signature and seal on it. It is definitely not a forgery.”
Shen Minghui's eyes were gloomy, and his face was so black it looked like ink was about to drip out. He had stamped the seal to completely drive Shen Lixue out of the Prime Minister's residence, leaving her no room for regret. However, he did not expect that this rebellious daughter would bring him such great benefits. The seal destroyed the enormous wealth he was about to gain.
After carefully examining the signature and seal on the letter of severance, Eunuch Zhao confirmed that it belonged to Shen Minghui. He shook his head slightly and ordered, "Someone, put the lid on the box and carry it back to the War King's Mansion!"
The Prince of War specifically instructed that the gift be given to the princess's father as compensation. Since the princess no longer has a father, there is naturally no need to send the gift.
"Prime Minister Shen, I'm sorry!" Sending gifts and then taking them back is humiliating, but the order came from the prince, and he, a mere eunuch, could only obey and had no right to change it.
"It's alright!" Shen Minghui's smile was stiff as he stared coldly at Shen Lixue, his heart filled with resentment. This rebellious daughter was truly his nemesis, having destroyed his enormous wealth before leaving.
Under the gloomy, angry, and resentful gazes of Shen Minghui and Lei Shi, one large box after another was closed and carried out of the Prime Minister's residence. Lei Shi watched the boxes walk far away with grief and regret, her gaze lingering on them.
Holding a whisk, Eunuch Zhao smiled at Shen Lixue and said, "Princess, you are now an orphan. There is no need for you to reminisce with anyone. Please come with me to the Prince of Zhan's residence!"
"Please wait a moment, Father-in-law. I'll go to the bamboo garden to pack some things and be right back!" Shen Lixue politely instructed. The bamboo garden was a mess after she had tidied it up, and she needed to go back and clean it up properly.
Eunuch Zhao flicked his whisk and sighed, "The Prince of War has already made all the preparations. Everything the princess needs for food, clothing, lodging, and transportation is provided in the palace. What else is there for the princess to pack? Now, please follow this servant on your journey!"
Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth. The Zhanwang Mansion was a royal mansion, and the things there were definitely much more upscale than those in the Prime Minister's Mansion. She really didn't need to go back to the Bamboo Garden to pack up those inferior silks and jewelry. "Your Excellency is right. Let's go to the Zhanwang Mansion now!" She didn't want to stay in the chaotic Prime Minister's Mansion for another second.
Eunuch Zhao smiled and nodded, bidding farewell to Shen Minghui, and led Shen Lixue outside: "Princess, watch your step, the Prince of Zhan's carriage is just outside the Prime Minister's residence..."
"Thank you, Eunuch!" Shen Lixue and Eunuch Zhao walked away surrounded by guards. Shen Minghui's cold and angry gaze followed her closely. His chest was filled with rage. This rebellious daughter had really become the adopted daughter of the Prince of War. Although the Prime Minister's Mansion had been lost, she had the powerful Prince of War's Mansion as her backing. How could this be? It shouldn't be like this.
"Master, what should we do now?" Shen Lixue walked out of the courtyard and disappeared. Lei Shi was the first to come back to her senses. Thinking of the dazzling treasures in the box, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. So many treasures were placed in front of her, and then they were taken away. How hateful!
She hated Shen Lixue even more. It was all that bitch's doing. She even slapped them so hard before leaving. She was so lucky. When did she get involved with Prince Zhan? Did she use some underhanded means? Otherwise, why would the usually indifferent Prince Zhan treat her differently?
"What else can we do?" Shen Minghui frowned, glanced coldly at Lei Shi, and said impatiently, "Shen Lixue is the adopted daughter of Prince Zhan. If we falsely accuse her of being the culprit, we will offend Prince Zhan!"
Shen Lixue was expelled from the Prime Minister's residence, but he could no longer frame her and let her bear the infamy. He had not only failed to achieve his goal, but also missed out on dozens of boxes of priceless treasures for no reason. It was truly a loss that outweighed the gain, and he was filled with regret.
"Are we just going to let Yingxue take the blame?" Madam Lei frowned deeply. Adultery with Lei Cong was such a shameless crime that any noble lady would be too ashamed to face anyone. Shen Yingxue was her own daughter, and she didn't want to watch her be ruined.
"Of course, Yingxue shouldn't bear the blame!" Shen Minghui sighed heavily. Shen Yingxue was his most beloved daughter. If she made a fool of herself, he would also be blamed for failing to discipline her properly. He was the Prime Minister of Qingyan, how could he tarnish his reputation?
Speaking of Shen Yingxue, Shen Minghui thought of Shen Lixue again. That rebellious daughter signed a letter of severance with him before the imperial decree arrived, completely cutting off their father-daughter relationship. She was granted the title of princess, not because she abandoned her biological father to climb the social ladder and never had anything to do with him again. No one would blame her for anything.
But what about him? His daughter was gone, he didn't receive a single penny of compensation, and his plans were ruined.
The daughter chosen by the War King must be the most outstanding. Her severing of ties with her biological father must be because her father did something evil that she could not tolerate. If he dares to say anything bad about Shen Lixue, the many ministers who admire the War King will definitely impeach him.
His daughter, whom he had schemed to drive away, was not left alone or homeless; instead, she rose to the status of a princess, her status almost matching his!
Shen Minghui, who was wise all his life, made a foolish mistake and was outsmarted by his own daughter. How hateful, how hateful!
Suddenly, a sharp claw sprouted from his calm internal organs, tearing viciously into his chest cavity. The pain was unbearable, and Shen Minghui's already pale face instantly turned bloodless. He endured the pain and his gloomy gaze swept over everyone, whether intentionally or unintentionally, looking at Shen Caixuan.
Aunt Li vaguely guessed his purpose, and her expression changed instantly. She opened her mouth, but said nothing, and looked at Lei Shi with pleading eyes.
Lei pretended not to see it, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She lowered her eyelids and looked out the window. Shen Minghui was going to help her daughter clear her name; how could she interfere?
That rebellious woman, before leaving, severely injured his internal organs. How despicable!
Shen Minghui frowned, his body trembling slightly, large beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, but he couldn't lift his hand to wipe them away. His lips moved, as if he wanted to call for someone to help him, but a metallic taste suddenly rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His vision went black, and he collapsed softly to the ground.
"master……"
"father……"
"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
The crowd gasped and rushed forward, instantly turning the ancestral hall into chaos.
The royal physician examined Shen Minghui and confirmed that he had fainted temporarily due to anger. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the servants to take him back to his room. Lei Shi's serious gaze fell on Shen Caixuan, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a cold smile: "Caixuan, you will take the blame for this!"
"What do you mean, Madam?" Shen Caixuan asked in shock, her body trembling slightly. She kept reassuring herself that Madam wouldn't pin the shameful things on her, she definitely wouldn't.
"You were forcibly taken by Lei Cong, and your reputation is mostly ruined. Your father and I will discuss with Minister Lei how to marry you into the Grand Commandant's household as his principal wife!" Lei's words, spoken slowly and forcefully, shattered Shen Caixuan's last hope.
"I don't want to marry Lei Cong!" Shen Caixuan roared, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. She knew that Lei's family had the final say in her marriage, but Shen Yingxue had gotten into trouble, and they actually wanted her to marry him to take the blame. Why? Why?
Besides, Lei Cong is a womanizer, lewd and disgusting. Just seeing him once makes her so sick she can't eat all day. How could she possibly marry him again?
“Lei Cong is the eldest grandson of the Grand Commandant’s family. You will marry into his household as his principal wife, and your status will be much higher. What is there to be dissatisfied with?” Madam Lei’s gaze was stern as she reprimanded him sharply: “This is your father’s wish. He was seriously ill and did not have time to say it. I am just conveying his message!”
"He does nothing all day, frequents brothels, is lecherous, has an unbearable flirtatious nature, is lewd in appearance, has a lecherous look in his eyes, and has a broken tongue. What is there to marry about such a crippled man?" Shen Caixuan said with tears in her eyes, speaking with reason and urgency. For the sake of her lifelong happiness, she was contradicting Lei Shi for the first time.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Lei Shi was furious and said "fine" three times in a row. She glared at Shen Caixuan. Lei Cong was her nephew from her maternal family, and she could look down on him, but Shen Caixuan was just a concubine's daughter with a low status. What right did she have to look down on the noble grandson of the legitimate wife? "You've grown wings and no longer listen to me!"
"You're wrong about everything, of course no one listens to you!" Shen Caixuan pouted, secretly cursing in her heart.
"Guards, lock Shen Caixuan in her room. Do not bring her any food until she confesses!" Lei coldly ordered. She refused to believe that Shen Caixuan would kowtow and beg for mercy when she was dizzy from hunger.
"Madam, you can't do this to me..." Shen Caixuan cried out as she was dragged away by the rough maids, her eyes filled with despair.
She and her mother depended on the Lei family and Shen Yingxue, always following their lead. If they told her to go east, she dared not go west; if they told her to go west, she dared not go east. But she never expected that one day they would sacrifice her to take the blame for Shen Yingxue. Hahaha, what a huge irony.
"Lei Yarong, I curse you to be childless and die a horrible death!" Shen Caixuan's furious roar came from afar. Lei's face changed instantly, and she said sternly, "Tie her to a pillar and leave her to bake in the sun. Don't bring her water!" How dare she curse her? She really doesn't know what's good for her.