After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

"Snapped!"

"You despicable wretch! You've only been back at the manor for a few days and you've already caused such a terrible disaster! What will the entire court think of your father? What will the people of Great Xia think of the Liu family?!"

A fiery slap landed hard on Liu Yuansheng's already pale cheek.

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the people in front of her, a desolate smile curling at the corner of her lips.

Who would have thought that these people were all her blood relatives?

Seated in the main hall was her biological father, the current Prime Minister Liu Jingyuan; below him were her eldest brother Liu Yunheng and her second brother Liu Yunze.

The one who just slapped her was her stepmother, Su Tinglan. The beautiful and gentle girl beside Su Tinglan was Liu Nianxi, the adopted daughter of the Liu family and her nominal younger sister.

As for Liu Yuansheng, she was just a real daughter of the Liu family who had just been brought back to the mansion from the nunnery.

Perhaps enraged by the self-deprecating smile on her lips, Liu Nianxi, who had been standing beside Su Tinglan, watching her being scolded by her family with a smile, suddenly rushed out and kicked her in the chest, cursing, "You're still laughing? You shameless slut! You think that just because you climbed into the prince's bed, you can transform yourself into a phoenix? You're dreaming! Even a dog wouldn't want a woman like you!"

As soon as Liu Nianxi finished speaking, Liu Yunze stood up, complaining, "I told you we shouldn't have brought her back! She's a nun who's been practicing Buddhism; she should have stayed in the nunnery! So what if she's Father's biological daughter? We already have Nianxi at home. What do we need her for?"

"Second brother, shut up!" Liu Yunheng coldly interrupted Liu Yunze. "It's precisely because Yuansheng is Father's daughter, our own sister, that we're bringing her back to make up for the suffering she's endured all these years. Do you really want to watch your own sister wander far from home and ultimately die far from home?"

Liu Yunze thought to himself that it was good for her to die outside; it would be cleaner to die outside! It would save them from being implicated! But when he met Liu Yunheng's cold and stern gaze, he swallowed his words and turned his face away in a huff, remaining silent.

Liu Yunheng ignored him and focused his gaze on Liu Yuansheng's face, which was almost identical to that of his birth mother, Bai Shi. His tone softened slightly: "Yuansheng, what exactly happened last night? Tell me quickly."

Explain yourself.

Liu Yuansheng clutched her chest, which was throbbing from the kicks, feeling utterly cold and speechless.

Yesterday, she and Liu Nianxi followed Su Tinglan to the Princess's mansion for a banquet. During the banquet, her clothes were soiled by a maid. She went to a side hall to change, but was knocked unconscious on the way. When she woke up, she found herself lying in disarray next to Xiao Jinghan, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

She was terrified, but didn't even have a chance to cry out for justice. She was caught red-handed by Su Tinglan and other noblewomen who "coincidentally" entered the side hall. Then the whole capital knew that she had taken advantage of Xiao Jinghan's drunkenness to climb into his bed and offer herself to him.

Overnight, she went from being a fallen heiress brought back to the Prime Minister's mansion from a nunnery to a shameless and despicable harlot.

But she clearly didn't do anything.

She tried her best to explain, crying until her voice was hoarse, but no one believed her. The simple phrase, "Seeing is believing," shut down all her defenses.

They believed she had ulterior motives and had planned this all along. After years of wandering, her mind had become twisted, and she harbored resentment towards her younger sister, Liu Nianxi, who had occupied her identity for many years. She used this vicious scheme to steal Liu Nianxi's beloved.

How else can she explain it?

Just like before, she didn't steal Liu Nianxi's gold bracelet, but she hid it under her pillow.

She didn't intend to harm Liu Nianxi, but she found poison in her room.

She wasn't stupid; she understood the reasons behind these events. But whenever she tried to explain, Liu Nianxi would burst into tears, saying that she would give her anything her sister wanted!

I beg you, elder sister, to be merciful and not poison your younger sister's life!

Hearing Liu Nianxi's words, Liu Yunheng was able to remain calm, but Liu Yunze would be furious, pointing his finger at her and cursing her for being vicious and harboring evil intentions. If Su Tinglan added a few more words, she would eventually conclude that Liu Nianxi had not committed any wrongdoings, based on the irrefutable evidence.

At first, her father, Liu Jingyuan, was able to patiently listen to her for a while, but when Liu Nianxi cried, Liu Jingyuan softened. Then, with Liu Yunze's commotion and Su Tinglan's instigation, his heart completely sided with Liu Nianxi.

After all, Liu Nianxi was the child he had watched grow up.

To them, she was just a stranger who suddenly appeared and caused them a lot of trouble.

She shouldn't have come back.

At this point, regret is useless.

"I've said everything I needed to say. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

Then, Liu Yuansheng said listlessly.

Liu Nianxi scoffed after hearing this, "You clearly have no way to argue and are speechless! Why pretend to be pitiful and wronged?"

Liu Yuansheng didn't speak, but simply lifted his eyelids and glanced at Liu Nianxi.

Liu Nianxi felt a chill run down her spine from Liu Yuansheng's cold gaze. She blinked, squeezed out tears, and threw herself into the arms of Liu Jingyuan, who had remained silent all along.

"Father, after my sister's outburst, I'm too ashamed to face anyone. I might as well become a nun!"

Liu Nianxi knelt in Liu Jingyuan's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Liu Jingyuan's expression grew increasingly grim.

Liu Yunze, still angry, got up and walked to Liu Nianxi's side, helping her up and saying, "Nianxi, don't cry! If anyone's going to become a nun, it's her! What does it have to do with you?"

Liu Nianxi cried harder and harder, and Su Tinglan couldn't help but step forward to comfort her: "It's alright, Nianxi, don't cry. Your father will stand up for you."

She looked at Liu Jingyuan, frowned, and said, "Master, you need to make a decision quickly, otherwise the gossip outside will flood our Prime Minister's residence!"

Liu Jingyuan glanced at Liu Yuansheng kneeling on the ground, and let out a deep breath, "Place her under house arrest and send her to the Buddhist hall to reflect on her mistakes."

"Discipline in the wall? That's too lenient a punishment!" Liu Yunze said. "If you ask me, I'd give her a good beating! Or just beat her to death and throw her out of the Prime Minister's residence!"

"Yunze, what kind of nonsense are you spouting!" Liu Yunheng shouted angrily. "Yuansheng is our own sister after all, how dare you beat her to death?"

"So what if I beat her to death? What kind of good person do you think she is?" Liu Yunze said. "Have you forgotten what the butcher's family, who adopted her, said? They said she was promiscuous and ungrateful! They kindly adopted her, but she seduced their father and son. She's a born slut!"

"Enough!" Liu Yunheng roared, his anger barely contained. "Words are no proof! How do you know they're telling the truth?"

"It can't be true! Could they have made this up to deceive us?" Liu Yunze said anxiously, "Brother, don't be fooled by her face! This harlot, if you don't kill her to uphold family honor, are you going to wait for the Xiao family to come and marry her off in a grand sedan chair?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the steward, Han Fu, rushed in and said, "Master, Madam, people from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion have arrived."