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“Ah—!”
Zhang couldn’t hold back a scream. She immediately grabbed the blanket to cover herself and shrank into the shadows behind the bed’s canopy.
Her shriek jolted the stunned onlookers awake.
The officials who had chased after Sheng Dehai never expected to witness such a massive scandal. Every single one of them wore an expression of glee, relishing the spectacle.
Sheng Dehai was shaking with rage, his whole body trembling like a sieve. Filthy water, rotten vegetable leaves, and melon rinds lay scattered all around him.
“Zhang! Chang Feng! What the hell are you doing?!”
Chang Feng shuddered in fear, dropping to his knees without even putting on his pants.
“L-L-Lord! I’ve been framed! It was her! This shameless woman seduced me!”
Zhang never imagined that the man she had given her heart to would betray her like this. She trembled with fury, threw on a robe, and lashed out:
“You—you—you dare say that?! Chang Laojiu! Do you even have a conscience?! How dare you twist the truth in front of all these people?!”
“It was you! You barged into my warm pavilion back then, whispering sweet words to me—”
“Enough! Zhang! Shut your mouth!”
Being exposed as a cuckold in front of his colleagues and high-ranking guards was the most humiliating moment of Sheng Dehai’s life.
His face turned an ugly shade of pig-liver red, veins bulging at his temples as he roared:
“Men! Drag that disgraceful dog of a servant out and beat him to death immediately!”
“And as for this wretched woman… this wretched woman…”
Sheng Dehai was so enraged that he had to take several deep breaths before he could continue.
“Lock her up in the ancestral hall! Tomorrow, I’ll personally write a divorce letter and send her back to her family!”
The guards swiftly moved to drag them away. This time, both Chang Feng and Zhang were truly terrified. They immediately burst into tears, pleading for mercy.
“Lord! Lord, please spare me! It was that wicked woman who seduced me! I’m innocent!”
“I have served you loyally as your guard for so many years! Even if I haven’t earned merit, I’ve worked hard! Please, Lord, spare me just this once! I swear it will never happen again!”
“Lord! Lord! Wuwuwu… I truly know my mistake! I won’t dare do it again!”
Zhang’s mother had always favored men over women, and she had suffered abuse since childhood.
The mere thought of returning to that heartless household filled her with dread, making her beg even more desperately.
“Wuwuwu… Please, as long as you don’t divorce me, I’ll do whatever you ask!”
But no matter how much she begged, Sheng Dehai remained utterly unmoved.
Enraged, Zhang cast aside all decorum and screamed:
“Sheng Dehai! I was the woman your family properly married and brought into the household with full honor! For over twenty years, even if I had been married to a wooden post, we would have developed some feelings!”
“And you? Aside from perfunctory visits during the holidays, you never even looked at me properly!”
“You’ve taken in so many concubines, but what do you have to show for it? Just three children! Do you even know if you’re capable?”
“If you’re not, how can you blame me—”
“Shut her up! Shut her up! This woman has lost her mind! Muffle her mouth right now!”
Sheng Dehai was livid, stomping his feet in fury. He hastily ordered his men to gag Zhang and drag her away.
When he turned back, his colleagues were smirking, clearly enjoying the scandalous drama.
Sheng Dehai’s anger soared to the heavens. This was not over.
“Have you all finished watching the spectacle? My Sheng family’s rear courtyard is no place for outsiders. I must ask you all to move to the front courtyard.”
A few old, cunning officials, though clearly in the wrong, still put on a righteous front:
“Hmph! We only followed in to help you catch the thief!”
“That’s right! I even called in dozens of my covert and overt guards to assist! Instead of being grateful, you’re speaking in such a sarcastic tone!”
“Look at this! All my guards were supposed to stay outside your estate, but now they’re all inside because of you! Such ingratitude!”
“…”
Sheng Dehai looked at the densely packed guards surrounding him. He knew there was no way to cover things up today.
His already dark expression turned even gloomier.
While ordering his guards to continue searching for the thief, he also yelled for someone to escort these “outsiders” out.
Just then, a rhythmic and powerful sound of footsteps echoed from outside the estate.
Moments later, the entire Prince Qin’s manor heard an announcement, carried by a eunuch’s voice infused with internal energy:
“By the decree of His Majesty—”
“It has come to Our attention that someone has accused Prince Qin of practicing witchcraft to curse Us. This is an act of treason. We hereby command Commander Zheng Jichang of the Imperial Guards to lead ten thousand troops to search Prince Qin’s manor for any evidence of this crime!”
“This matter must be investigated thoroughly—there is no room for error. Thus is the imperial decree—”
As the eunuch’s sharp voice fell silent, squadrons of Imperial Guards, clad in iron armor and silver helmets, immediately surrounded the vast Prince Qin’s estate, sealing it off layer by layer.
Like a stone cast into a turbulent lake, this decree sent waves of panic rippling through the manor.
Sensing that Prince Qin’s downfall was imminent, many servants could no longer hold back their fear and began crying out in despair. Chaos erupted—shouts, sobs, and pleas for help filled the air.
Meanwhile, in the secondary courtyard, Sheng Dehai and his fellow officials listened to the commotion outside, but their expressions relaxed somewhat.
Tonight was truly unlucky for Sheng Dehai—his entire estate had been emptied, the thief was still nowhere to be found, and to top it off, everyone had just witnessed his wife cheating on him.
One misfortune after another struck him, and he suddenly felt as if he had aged ten years. His entire being was drained of energy.
But the plans he had set in motion earlier were still proceeding as expected. The Imperial Guards had indeed arrived to search the main household.
Even if Sheng Dehai were a fool, he knew what truly mattered at this moment.
What were a few stolen valuables and a tarnished reputation compared to this?
As long as he successfully carried out the task assigned by the emperor’s brother-in-law, a promotion and wealth were just around the corner!
Thinking of this, Sheng Dehai’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He quickly wiped the grime off his face and hurried out with an obsequious smile.
Meanwhile, Sheng Nanxi, who had been observing the situation in the shadows, took advantage of the distraction to empty the remaining rooms in the secondary courtyard, along with the chambers of both the masters and servants in the main household.
Earlier, she had only emptied a few storage rooms in the main household, avoiding her grandmother’s, mother’s, and brothers’ quarters so as not to disturb their sleep.
Now that everyone had gathered in the courtyard, it was the perfect time to act.
With swift and practiced movements, Sheng Nanxi cleared out every valuable corner of the estate.
Just as the Imperial Guard commander stepped into Prince Qin’s manor, she merged into the chaotic crowd, unnoticed.
Her heart raced with excitement as she pulled out a small bag of melon seeds, preparing to watch the “surprise gift” her third brother had prepared for their second uncle.
But in the next moment, she heard a painful cry from not far away—
“Mother Consort! Mother Consort, are you having a headache again?! Qiao’er! Quickly summon the manor physician!”