With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

Chaos erupted in the main hall of the General's Mansion.

"My dear Yin'er—your life is so miserable—our Yin'er is such an innocent young girl—and she's been ruined like this—"

Tong lay on the couch, wailing and crying until her voice was hoarse.

Uncle Shen Zhong stood to the side, rubbing his hands, his face turning pale and red in turns. He wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say, and was so anxious that he paced around in circles.

"Madam, please don't cry, Yin'er, she..."

"What do you mean, 'Stop crying'?! That's your daughter! Your daughter was violated, and you didn't even dare to utter a sound!"

Tong grabbed a pillow and threw it at Shen Zhong. Shen Zhong didn't dare to dodge and was hit squarely. He shrank his neck and took two steps back.

Lin Wan'er sat in the corner with her eyes downcast, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes, her voice soft and weak: "Second Aunt, don't upset yourself. Yin'er has always been well-behaved. Maybe someone is deliberately trying to harm her..."

As expected, Madam Tong was ignited, and she pounded on the edge of the bed, crying even harder.

"Yes! You're right! It's all that little bitch Shen Nannan's fault! She's the one who ruined my Yin'er! If it weren't for her, how could my Yin'er have ended up like that! Now the whole capital is laughing at our second wife's family! What's the point of me living anymore—"

She was crying her heart out when the door to the flower hall was kicked open.

With a "bang",

Shen Run strode in, his face ashen. He hadn't even put down his riding whip when he lashed it against the doorframe with a sharp crack, and the flower hall fell silent instantly.

"Who's insulting my sister here?" His gaze swept across the flower hall, finally settling on Madam Tong's face.

"Second Aunt? Say that again?"

Tong's crying stopped abruptly. Her mouth was open, tears still on her face, and she stood there frozen, as if someone had grabbed her by the neck.

Shen Nannan followed behind and walked in, wearing a moon-white dress, her face expressionless.

Ah Chao walked half a step behind her, his eyes lowered, his mask covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of dark, deep eyes.

The moment the three of them stood at the door, the air pressure in the flower hall instantly dropped several degrees.

Tong looked at Shen Nannan, her eyes instantly flashing with resentment and venom.

"Shen Nannan—" she gritted her teeth, "How dare you show your face here! My daughter is like this because of you!"

"Oh, Auntie, you're mistaken."

Shen Nannan walked past A Chao to the center of the flower hall, looking down at Tong Shi on the couch. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, and her arrogant spirit returned, each word piercing to the heart.

"My second sister stole my Radiant Brocade herself and eagerly climbed onto the Crown Prince's bed. Everyone in Peach Blossom Valley saw it. How did it become my fault? Could it be that I forced her to wear my clothes and forced her to sneak into the Crown Prince's tent?"

"You—!" Tong was speechless, her face flushed red, and her finger trembled as she pointed at Shen Nannan.

"I didn't come here today to chat idly with you!"

Shen Nannan's tone turned cold. She took a step forward and stared into Tong Shi's eyes.

"Father fought bloody battles on the border to protect our country, while you embezzled money in the mansion, made a mess of the general's mansion's accounts, and even colluded with outsiders to sell off the Shen family's property."

She paused, then said, word by word, "Tong, what is your crime?"

Tong's face turned pale instantly.

"I didn't! You're making false accusations!" she screamed.

Shen Run snorted coldly from the side and slammed his riding crop on the table: "Slander? Second Aunt, what my sister says goes. You dare say another word?"

Startled by the horsewhip, Madam Tong trembled and shrank back onto the couch, her lips quivering as she couldn't utter a word.

Shen Zhong quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Run-ge'er, your second aunt is just a woman, don't take it to heart—"

"Second Uncle," Shen Run raised an eyelid, not even looking at him, "my sister is speaking, why are you interrupting?"

Shen Zhong was so embarrassed that his face turned red, and he awkwardly stepped aside.

"Come in."

Shen Nannan called out to the door.

Several accountants came in carrying thick ledgers, put them on the table, and spread them out with a clatter. The ledgers were full of records of the deficits of the second branch of the family over the years, each one clearly recorded.

"And this too."

Shen Nannan took out a few sheets of paper from her sleeve, unfolded them, and spread them on the table.

These are the deeds, land deeds, and sales contracts that Luo Fei had previously found out, all bearing Tong's personal signature.

"Second Aunt, you should recognize these things."

Tong glanced down and her face turned ashen.

Shen Nannan sneered.

"This is the contract for your sale of the Shen family's property; it bears your own handwriting and fingerprint! My dear second aunt, what do you need so much money for?"

Tong stared at the stack of papers, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"My little girl..."

Shen Zhong finally couldn't help but speak again, his voice trembling, "Your second aunt... she's confused, but she's still family. Please consider how much she's done for the Shen family all these years—"

"Second Uncle," Shen Nannan interrupted him, her voice not loud, but her tone was colder than that of a teenage girl.

"A urgent report has arrived from the border: Father is trapped, and Vice Minister Qian of the Ministry of Revenue..."

She paused for a moment, glanced at Lin Wan'er standing beside her, and continued,

"The Ministry of Revenue said the national treasury was tight and asked us to cover the shortfall, but now my second aunt has emptied the household's accounts. Do you know what that's called?"

She looked into Shen Zhong's eyes and said, word by word, "This is called destroying your own walls, this is called betraying your own people, this is called—"

She paused, then lowered her voice, as if she were saying something very ordinary: "Treason."

Shen Zhong's face turned pale instantly, his legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand up.

"Treason is punishable by death," Shen Run added casually from the side.

"Second Uncle, you don't want to lose your head, do you?"

Shen Zhong's legs went completely weak, and he could only barely stand by holding onto the edge of the table.

Upon hearing the words "treason," Lady Tong's body went limp, and she rolled off the couch, collapsing to the ground. Her lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Lin Wan'er sat in the corner, her eyes lowered, her fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeves.

Why is Shen Nannan looking at her when she mentions Young Master Qian?

Could it be that they've discovered them...?

She remembered the task that Young Master Qian had entrusted to her; as long as she accomplished it...

She was the wife of a high-ranking official, in charge of finances and grain in the Ministry of Revenue.

Even Shen Nannan has to treat her politely.

She secretly glanced up.

This good-for-nothing is just so strange.

The momentum is just too much...

Why? Why do all the good things belong to Shen Nannan?

Her venomous eyes stared at her.

But then he noticed another gaze.

The masked stable boy stood behind Shen Nannan.

But the moment she looked over, his eyelids lifted slightly.

Just once.

Those eyes were dark and cold, like icy knives, piercing straight at you.

Lin Wan'er broke out in a cold sweat and quickly lowered her head, no longer daring to look.

Shen Nannan didn't notice the brief exchange in the corner; she only looked at Tong Shi on the ground and spoke in a flat tone:

"Now, hand over the management of the household affairs. And return every penny of the money you embezzled."

She paused, her voice turning colder: "I can spare you this time for my second uncle's sake. Otherwise—"

She pointed to the stack of account books and contracts on the table, her voice light and airy: "I'm taking these things with me now to the Dali Temple to see Lord He. I'll have him thoroughly investigate what you've been doing all these years."

He Jinzhi.

These three words are Tong's death warrant. What she fears most now is that ruthless and impartial living devil.

If this matter really escalates to the Dali Temple, not only will the money she embezzled be thoroughly investigated, but the affair between Shen Yin and the Crown Prince will also be brought to light.

At that point, their second wife's family will be completely finished.

"I'll hand it over! I'll hand it over!" Madam Tong immediately nodded, crying, and knelt on the ground, her forehead pounding against the floor tiles with a thud. "I'll hand over the family's assets! I'll return the money! My dear, your second aunt knows she was wrong, please don't send me to the Dali Temple—"