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

After returning to the Prime Minister's residence, Liu Nianxi cried several times, cursing Liu Yuansheng as she cried.

"Stop cursing! What's the use of cursing until your lips are hoarse?" Liu Jingyuan sighed, sitting in his armchair. "What a tragedy! What a tragedy! You kids are just here to collect a debt from me!"

Liu Yunheng and Liu Yunze sat quietly at the lower end, accepting Liu Jingyuan's reprimand together.

"As the saying goes, 'Those who reap what they sow,'" Liu Yunheng said sternly, his right elbow resting on the armrest of the armchair. He addressed Liu Nianxi, who was kneeling in the hall, sobbing uncontrollably. "Ever since Father brought Yuansheng back, you've been bullying her. You must know that Yuansheng is Father's biological daughter, while you are merely an adopted daughter of the Prime Minister's household. Relying on Father's love and your aunt's favoritism, you've been arrogant and ignorant, constantly bullying and humiliating Yuansheng. Now retribution has come, and your crying is useless."

Liu Nianxi, her eyes red, sobbed softly. Hearing Liu Yunheng's words, she just rolled her eyes at him resentfully.

"Fourth sister, now that things have come to this, I think you should marry that Wang Hanxuan. Otherwise, you'll only be able to become a nun, and even then, you won't be as good a nun as Liu Yuansheng."

Liu Yunze, with his delicate fingers raised, twirled a strand of hair and smiled, "Speaking of which, there's really something about this third sister. You see, anyone who crosses her ends up having a hard time, while those who are good to her live happily ever after!"

"Take the other day for example. I ran into that little maid Ying'er on Zhuque Street. She was dressed much more elegantly than you, you fake rich girl. Those two jade bracelets on her wrists alone are worth at least a hundred taels of silver. They must have been a gift from Third Sister!"

"Second brother, you're becoming increasingly short-sighted these days! You're even eyeing a pair of jade bracelets!" Liu Nianxi wiped away her tears and said angrily, "Besides, my affairs are none of your business. You should mind your own business! Do you know what people outside are saying about you? They're saying you..."

"Shut up, all of you!"

Seeing the two of them arguing, Liu Jingyuan slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "You two shameless bastards, you still have the nerve to argue? If you want to argue, go outside and argue!"

Upon hearing this, the two shut their mouths and dared not utter a sound. Liu Nianxi even crawled a few steps on her knees and leaned against Su Tinglan's chest.

Su Tinglan held Liu Nianxi in her arms, staring blankly at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Liu Jingyuan was equally frustrated.

He looked at his upright but frustrated eldest son; his clever but almost crippled second son whose reputation was ruined; his adopted daughter whom he had pampered for more than ten years and who had become spoiled and domineering; and his stepmother, Su Tinglan, whom he had personally helped to become the head of the household. He sighed deeply.

Retribution, it really is retribution.

These are the only two words he can think of.

He wronged Liu Yuansheng's mother, and even more so Liu Yuansheng herself, so his retribution has come.

But he has fallen to such a state because of Bai Yinzhu.

Thinking of Bai Yinzhu, Liu Jingyuan felt a mixture of love and hate. Unfortunately, all three of his children were born to Bai Yinzhu, and he was only unkind to his daughter Liu Yuansheng, who resembled Bai Yinzhu the most.

"Since things have come to this, there's nothing more to say. Let's pick a day and have the Wang family come to propose marriage."

Exhausted, Liu Jingyuan struggled to his feet and said, "I'm warning you one last time: no one should provoke the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion again, especially Xiao Jinghan! And don't try to use the excuse that Xiao Jinghan was forced to marry Yuan Sheng to provoke her. After all, you've all seen the consequences of angering them! I'm too busy taking care of myself to deal with you!"

"Father, what did you say? You're going to marry me off to Wang Hanxuan?" Liu Nianxi looked up at Liu Jingyuan in disbelief, pleading, "No, no! I don't want to marry him! Father, that Wang Hanxuan is just a son of a concubine! Besides, he's talentless, handsome, and utterly despicable. How could he be worthy of me?"

"Whether he's good enough for you or not, you're going to marry him!" Liu Jingyuan said. "You brought this mess on yourself! I haven't killed you myself, which is already out of consideration for our years of father-daughter relationship!"

Liu Nianxi was shocked and collapsed into Su Tinglan's arms, unable to say anything for a moment.

Her father just said he's going to kill her!

Her father actually wanted to kill her!

Liu Nianxi trembled with fear. In a daze, she vaguely recalled Su Tinglan's words: back then, Bai Yinzhu was forced to her death by Liu Jingyuan...

That was his wife, his lifelong partner!

She had heard how ruthless her adoptive father was, so she dared not make a scene anymore and could only hide in Su Tinglan's arms and cry silently.

Liu Jingyuan's heart clenched as he looked at Liu Nianxi, who was huddled up and trembling.

It's not that I don't feel sorry for her, it's that I really have no other choice. Do I really have to force this adopted daughter to her death?

He never imagined that his two daughters' marriages would end in such an embarrassing and hasty manner.

He knew in his heart that there must have been something fishy about Liu Yuansheng sleeping with Xiao Jinghan back then, and the problem lay with Su Tinglan, but he did not pursue it.

He didn't want to cause trouble for his family because of Liu Yuansheng. Besides, he could also climb up to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion through Liu Yuansheng. He just didn't expect Xiao Jinghan to cherish Liu Yuansheng so much. Because of Liu Yuansheng, he had been suppressing him in the court.

Today's events are also suspicious.

He didn't believe that Wang Hanxuan would stay in the inner flower hall for no reason, run into Liu Nianxi for no reason, and mistreat Liu Nianxi.

This was clearly a meticulously planned revenge.

The target of the revenge was him, Su Tinglan, and Liu Nianxi himself, which means that the other party must have found out something.

Liu Jingyuan was at a loss.

Jin Gongzheng, who was at the height of his power in the court and deeply trusted by the emperor, ended up on the run after opposing Xiao Jinghan. If he were to be punished by Xiao Jinghan as well, his fate would not be much better than Jin Gongzheng's.

He was already past his prime and didn't want to die a peaceful death.

However, he was ultimately unwilling to accept that his daughter, who was not close to him, had fallen to such a state.

just wait.

He will definitely retaliate one day.

"It's settled then."

After much deliberation, Liu Jingyuan said almost ruthlessly, "If you really don't want to marry Wang Hanxuan, then become a monk."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

"Father, Father!" Liu Nianxi, her voice hoarse from crying, lay on the ground pleading, "Father, please don't treat me like this! Your daughter hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Nianxi, get up!"

Su Tinglan grabbed Liu Nianxi and held her in her arms, comforting her in a hoarse voice, "Child, don't cry. You still have your aunt. Don't worry, even if your father doesn't care about you, your aunt will! Your aunt will never stand by and watch you marry that good-for-nothing Wang Hanxuan!"

-

At the same time, in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Liu Yuansheng and others were also awake.

Having just finished his engagement ceremony, Xiao Jingzhu stared in disbelief at Yuan Shi, who was kneeling on the ground with a dejected look on her face. He then looked at his angry father, his indignant sister-in-law, his worried elder brother, his leisurely third brother, and his expressionless third sister-in-law. Suddenly, he felt that this family was so unfamiliar.

"Father, eldest brother, third brother, say something!" Xiao Jingzhuo swallowed hard. "Everything was fine at the engagement banquet, what happened?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiuyan raised his hand to rub his temples and said, "Fourth brother, this is none of your business. Get out of here."

"But son..."

"Get down!" Xiao Xiuyan said. "Just focus on preparing for the wedding. Don't worry about anything at home."

Seeing Xiao Xiuyan's serious expression, as if a storm was brewing, Xiao Jingzhuo didn't dare to say anything more. He stood up, replied "Yes," winked at Xie Qinghe, and left.

As soon as Xiao Jingzhuo left, Xiao Xiuyan immediately said, "Yuanmin, Jinghan said that you let that He family member in. What do you say?"

Yuan was dressed in formal attire, which accentuated her stunning beauty, but her eyes were vacant, her face was as still as water, and she exuded an aura of corruption.

Faced with Xiao Xiuyan's questioning, Madam Yuan remained calm and composed, saying, "Haven't we already arrested him? Why are you asking me? Xiao Jinghan should have already interrogated him thoroughly, right?"

She was self-righteous, even with a hint of sarcasm, but in reality, she was in utter despair because she realized that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hurt Liu Yuansheng in the slightest.

It was as if from the moment she married Xiao Jinghan, she was protected by the gods, surrounded by an impenetrable protective net that no one could break through.

Originally, she thought the He family was a gift from heaven, a weapon she could use to kill Liu Yuansheng.

As a result, when He was trying to assassinate Liu Yuansheng, she was protected by two men. If either of them had arrived a little later, He would have succeeded.

Fate, it really is fate.

Madam Yuan gave a bitter smile, then burst into laughter, her sobbing and wailing making her seem like she'd gone mad. Xiao Jingting saw this and was anxious. He couldn't help but plead for Madam Yuan, "Father, you've wronged Mother. She's always stayed in the inner quarters; how could she possibly know those country women?"

He glanced at Liu Yuansheng with a gloomy look. "As far as I know, that He Shi is the foster mother of my third brother's wife. They have never gotten along. He Shi did this because my third brother's wife infiltrated the mansion and tried to cause chaos at my fourth brother's engagement banquet. Father, you don't blame my third brother's wife, so why are you blaming my mother instead!"

"Did I tell you to speak before you started spouting nonsense?" Xiao Xiuyan said displeasedly after Xiao Jingting finished speaking. "I was asking Yuan Min, did I ask you?"

"But Father..."

"Jingting." Yuan Min called out to Xiao Jingting, "Stop talking. If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. Fine, I admit that I brought He Shi in and instructed her to hurt Yuan Sheng. Is that enough?"

She looked at Xiao Jinghan and sneered, "Anyway, in your eyes, I am so vicious, so intolerant of your wife."

"No, no, no, please don't play the victim or act innocent, making it seem like I've wronged you." Xiao Jinghan wasn't buying Yuan Min's act at all. Seeing her trying to cover up her misunderstanding and confuse the situation, he immediately ordered, "Bring He Shi up."

"Yes."

Servants immediately brought Madam He up. After being taken to the torture chamber, Madam He became much more docile. Upon seeing Xiao Jinghan, she knelt down and begged for mercy, "Your Highness, I know I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again! I will not seek revenge on Liu Yuansheng anymore, I will treat her like a goddess, please let me go, please let me go?"

"Don't rush to kowtow," Xiao Jinghan said. "Take a look and see who this woman is."

He Manniang raised her head and looked at the elegantly dressed Yuan Shi in front of her.

She recognized him immediately. "It's you?"

"Aren't you just a maid from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? Why are you dressed so extravagantly?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Min gasped.

"You mean, she's the maid who came to you that day?"

"Yes." He Manniang tried hard to recognize Yuan Min's face and said, "That's right, it's her. She found me a place to stay and told me when your family was having a wedding. She helped me sneak in and kill Liu Yuansheng."

"Father, did you hear that clearly?" Xiao Jinghan sneered and said to Yuan Min, "Yuan Min, I'm not trying to criticize you, but what kind of people have you found all this time? Not a single one of them is useful. If you had found someone capable of doing anything, Yuan Sheng's life would have been in your hands. So, in the end, it's because you're useless."

Yuan Min's face was deathly pale, and she remained unmoved. Xiao Xiuyan sighed three times in a row, and said with great distress, "Yuan Min! You chose to cause trouble on the day of Jing Zhuo's engagement. Do you even respect me? Are you trying to ruin the reputation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?"

Xiao Xiuyan grew angrier as he spoke. He cleared his throat, straightened up, and said, "Although you are my second wife, you are still the head mistress of the household whom I married through proper channels. Yuan Sheng is your daughter-in-law in name only. Why are you arguing with a child? Besides, this child has always been honest and well-behaved and has never offended you. Even if you don't like her temper and personality, you shouldn't have thought of killing her, right?"

"Yes, I'm really puzzled too. Why would a mother-in-law like you want to drive your daughter-in-law to the brink of ruin? Are you planning to marry your daughter-in-law off to your third brother? You should have said so earlier. Why wait until Yuansheng is married before you start making a fuss?" Xie Qinghe said, resting her chin on her hand with a puzzled look on her face.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Min chuckled self-deprecatingly and lowered her head even further.

She had no intention of marrying her family members to Xiao Jinghan.

She wanted to marry Xiao Jinghan.

Xiao Jinghan refused to marry her and humiliated her, saying that if she gave up on the idea, she would marry his father and spend her life trying to annoy him.

In the end, the only one who felt annoyed was herself.

"It's too late for you to say anything. Your accusations are baseless, and besides, I've never done any of those things you're talking about." Yuan Min roused herself, raised her head, and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Jing Han, Yuan Sheng, I know you don't like me, but I truly didn't send this woman to kill Yuan Sheng. I'm already on the verge of being divorced by the Duke, what's the point of all this fuss? Don't I want to live?"

"It sounds reasonable, but do you believe it yourself?" Xiao Jinghan asked.

"I'm stating the facts," Madam Yuan sighed. "I'm already about to be divorced by your father, what else do you want? How much further do you intend to push me?"

Xiao Jinghan: "What did I force you to do? I'm doing this for myself, and to get justice for Yuan Sheng. You can't be the only one allowed to harm me, while I'm not allowed to seek revenge!"

"Debt collection?" Yuan suddenly became agitated, glaring at Xiao Jinghan, and said, "What do I owe you? Xiao Jinghan, what do I owe you?"

"You owe me a life. I'll be at peace once you're dead," Xiao Jinghan said calmly. "You don't want to acknowledge He Manniang's affair? Fine, I'll ask you, whose child is in your belly?"