“But the Duke Lingguo is close to you, and the Shen family has always behaved well. I cannot disregard your kindness and their contributions to the court over the years. Plus, the Empress Dowager has always taught us to be lenient and forgive others when possible.”

The emperor did not expect the prince to show no temper. Just for the support of a few ministers, he was willing to forgo his dignity as crown prince.

The emperor felt disappointed in the prince.

The King of Chu watched and shook his head.

How did this prince become the crown prince? Was he really chosen because he was the least troublesome? He got the position only after all his brothers faced trouble.

The Crown Prince handled this situation poorly in front of his father. It’s fair to say he was even worse than the King of Chu.

Even if there were other reasons that made him unwilling to punish these ministers, his father had made his stance clear. Wouldn’t it be better to pretend to comply and then negotiate later?

The prince considered himself the crown prince and future emperor, unwilling to take any hypocritical actions.

The Crown Prince had more matters to report, and the King of Chu’s current status made it difficult for him to delve into court secrets, so he took his leave. However, he felt quite pleased.

Because this incident had created a rift between the emperor and the prince, the emperor’s disappointed look was evident, indicating that the prince had been outwitted again. Tao Sheng was truly his lucky star.

After the prince reported a few matters and left, General Lu came again, urgently requesting an audience.

General Lu’s request was urgent and concerned unusual movements of troops in the western suburbs camp. Investigations by several senior generals suggested some connections to the crown prince.

In other words, the prince had begun considering military affairs.

Initially, this was a military training exercise to prepare for an invasion of the Ling Kingdom, but it had also become an opportunity for the Crown Prince to train his troops.

After General Lu left, the emperor, furious, threw the memorial to the ground.

“My son is getting bolder and bolder.”

Everyone in the room was too frightened to speak.

In the silence, the emperor self-deprecated, saying, “I don’t know who these children take after. I was crown prince for many years but never dared to do such foolish things.”

Now that the emperor had spoken, it was truly inappropriate for the eunuchs to continue ignoring the matter.

Gao Zhen stepped forward with a smile, saying, “In fact, the father and sons may not share the same blood. Lord Luo is such a good person—smart and brave, with superb zither skills—but her father is another matter.”

Gao Zhen’s words reminded the emperor.

Even though his sons were foolish, he was smart and a wise ruler, so he could explain the situation now.

After all, a man as foolish as Wenyuan Marquis Shen Yu could have a child like Tao Sheng. The world is vast, with all kinds of surprises.

The emperor felt comforted immediately.

The prince thought he could escape this situation, but he was mistaken.

“Gao Zhen.”

“The servant is here.”

“Immediately send for Zhao Yushi from the Metropolitan Censorate to see me. I want to know how to handle this matter.”

In addition to the law, morality also restricts court officials. If officials lack correct values, they can easily go astray, and this unhealthy trend cannot continue.

The King of Chu was right. People like Shen Yu relied on their ancestors’ merits, blocking others’ paths. Not only have they not contributed in years, but the court has to spend money to support these useless people, and it will take more than a year or two to get by.

We should summon the Left Censor-in-Chief to ask the best way to handle this matter.

_

The Shen family was lively today.

Almost all the relatives in Beijing visited the Shen family today, all with the same purpose: to criticize Shen Yu for his foolish actions that ruined the family’s reputation.

Shen Yu’s younger brother, a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Public Administration, was the first to voice his displeasure: “Tao Sheng is your daughter and the daughter of the entire Shen family. How you include her in the family tree is your family’s business. Such a major issue, and you didn’t even inform the clan? You made this decision on your own! How can this be justified?”

The key point is that you made a poor choice! What have you done? It’s laughable to the whole capital.

Everyone started blaming Shen Yu and Old Madam Shen. One of Shen Yu’s relatives, Fourth Uncle, was so upset he stood up, ready to hit Shen Yu with his cane.

Another person said, “Let’s set this aside for now. I heard that after such a big incident, the Duke’s Mansion no longer wants to recognize Ruojin as the one who married him and is considering a divorce. What should we do?”

If Shen Ruojin is still considered a girl from the Shen family, her reputation would be tarnished if divorced over this incident, making it harder for other girls in the family to find good husbands.

Faced with the onslaught of accusations from relatives, Shen Yu broke out in a sweat, realizing this was a shortsighted decision.

When he first found Tao Sheng, he worried that a girl like her, raised in the countryside, wouldn’t be presentable and would tarnish the reputation of the Marquis’ Mansion. So, he hesitated to acknowledge her. Now he sees Tao Sheng thriving, but Shen Ruojin’s reputation is damaged, and she might be expelled from the Guan family. He starts to regret his initial choice.

If we had publicly announced that Shen Ruojin was not the family’s daughter but that Tao Sheng was, the situation would be very different now.

Everyone argued that they should cut ties with Shen Ruojin. They didn’t want a daughter who was divorced by her husband’s family living in the mansion. Since she wasn’t their biological daughter, it made sense to sever ties.

Shen Yu, who was easily influenced, began to hesitate.

One elder said, “None of this is important now. We must recognize our daughter.”

After all, she was the emperor’s private musician, a true favorite. Who wouldn’t be jealous? It would be better to invite her home quickly.

However, because of the previous conflicts between Tao Sheng and the Marquis’ Mansion, Shen Yu could not approach Tao Sheng. Instead, the uncles and elders would do it for him.

Shen Yu finally agreed to cut ties with Shen Ruojin and let them persuade Tao Sheng to return.

Outside, the father and elders were arguing fiercely. Shen Ci sat in the study, kicking his feet in annoyance. “I can’t stand being in this house anymore. What are my sister and grandmother doing? They don’t care about the family and only embarrass themselves.”

Now, when he went out, people looked at him with pity and contempt.

Amber included herself when discussing family matters, so everyone thought the whole Shen family was the same except for her mother.

What he feared most at first was that recognizing Tao Sheng as his sister would bring shame. Now, Tao Sheng was doing better, while Shen Ruojin, whom he always supported, became a family laughingstock.

Shen Yue felt confused. His parents were now worse than strangers. Tao Sheng wasn’t returning, and Ruojin was exposed. His grandmother also became known for being unreasonable to the elderly.

If he had convinced his father to recognize Tao Sheng, things wouldn’t have reached this point and become the capital’s joke.

That morning, a classmate with a feud with Shen Ci came to mock him, saying his sister was going to be divorced.

Shen Ci grew more annoyed and advised his brother, “Even if Ruojin was unkind and pretended to be sick to deceive father, she is still our family daughter and represents our family’s reputation. Big brother, you should persuade her.Even if she initiates the divorce, it’s still better than being rejected by the Guan family.”

“It’s not a divorce. The Guan family wants to marry Guan Muyun a second wife,” Shen Yue said. “No matter how hard I try, it’s useless. She insists she won’t leave. She’d rather die in the Guan family than go.”

Back then, Shen Ruojin seemed confident and chatted with Shen Yue about her future.