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

The moment the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

Xiao Xiuyan, who had been absent-mindedly watching Yuan Min and Xiao Jinghan argue with a sullen face, widened his eyes and asked, "Jinghan, what did you say?"

Xiao Jingting was drenched in sweat, and Madam Yuan instantly looked like she had lost her mind. She stared blankly at Xiao Jinghan, and after confirming what she had just heard, she swayed and almost collapsed to her knees.

Liu Yuansheng was also somewhat shocked.

But beyond her shock, she felt even more sorry for Xie Qinghe.

She wasn't surprised that Xiao Jinghan knew anything, but Xie Qinghe...

Xie Qinghe, who was sitting opposite Liu Yuansheng, was about to drink tea when she heard Xiao Jinghan's words. She almost dropped her teacup, and stood up, clutching her chest, saying, "Pregnant? Good heavens! Yuansheng and I have been trying to have a child for ages without success, and you're pregnant?"

"Yes, she's pregnant," Xiao Jinghan said. "However, she hasn't dared to let anyone know."

Xie Qinghe was completely stunned by her mother-in-law's pregnancy and didn't immediately grasp the implied meaning in Xiao Jinghan's words. She only focused on politely congratulating Xiao Xiuyan, "Congratulations, Father! The addition of a new member to the family is a great joy. Your daughter-in-law congratulates you on fulfilling your wish. I will take good care of you from now on..."

As she was talking, Xie Qinghe realized something was wrong and suddenly stopped.

Xiao Xiuyan lives in the military camp year-round and is rarely home. He has only returned home for a few days during the Mid-Autumn Festival in recent months. So where did Yuanmin's child come from?

If her pregnancy is confirmed, she must be at least a month pregnant, but Xiao Xiuyan did not return a month ago!

Upon seeing Xiao Xiuyan's icy expression, Xie Qinghe immediately realized what was going on.

She sat down blankly, picked up her teacup, silently sipped her tea, and her eyes swept over Yuan Shi. Liu Yuansheng knew that today's matter could not be resolved peacefully, and not wanting Xie Qinghe to be hurt, she thought of an excuse to send her away, "Sister-in-law, could you help me go back and take care of Yan'er?"

Xie Qinghe blinked. "Me?"

"Yes," Liu Yuansheng said. "I was supposed to go back, but I have things to take care of and it's inconvenient for me to go back. Could you go and check on Yan'er for me? I'm really worried about him and I'm afraid he's still awake so late at night."

"Oh, okay, alright." Xie Qinghe vaguely felt that something was not quite right, but still agreed to Liu Yuansheng's request, "Then I'll be right back."

She stood up, bowed to Xiao Xiuyan, and silently left Chongming Hall. Before leaving, she gave her maid a look, signaling her to stay and listen carefully.

Xiao Jinghan glanced in the direction Xie Qinghe had left and said, "Even if we send my sister-in-law away now, she will still find out what she needs to know."

"Jinghan, stop beating around the bush! Tell me clearly, what exactly happened!"

Xiao Xiuyan understood Xiao Jinghan; without solid evidence, Xiao Jinghan wouldn't speak recklessly. However, this matter concerned his reputation. If what Xiao Jinghan said was true, then…

Yuan Min cannot live.

"Father is wise; he will surely understand what I mean," Xiao Jinghan said. "Yuan Shi is pregnant, but the father of the child is not you."

Xiao Xiuyan's tiger-like eyes flashed, showing no doubt about Xiao Jinghan's words. He grabbed the teacup beside him and smashed it against Yuan Shi, "You wretch, tell me, who have you been having an affair with behind my back?"

The teacup landed on Yuan's hair, leaving a bright red welt. Yuan looked sorrowful, her lips twitching as she said, "Who said I'm pregnant? I'm not pregnant, Xiao Jinghan, you're lying!"

"Yes, you don't have a child now, because you had an abortion a few days ago," Xiao Jinghan said. "Should I call the nanny who prepared your medicine and the doctor who dispensed it?"

Yuan Min trembled violently.

Xiao Jinghan continued, "Your family knows very well about this matter. Do you want me to bring someone who knows the inside story to testify for you?"

"Xiao Jinghan!" Yuan Min's eyes widened in fury. "Are you really trying to force me to my death?!"

"I didn't want to force you to your death. It's your own fault, and you can't blame anyone else," Xiao Jinghan said. "If Father doesn't believe me, he can call the royal physician or the imperial physician to examine your pulse. A miscarriage can be detected that way."

Xiao Xiuyan closed his eyes.

What's the point of testing?

Yuan Min's reaction was the best answer.

Liu Yuansheng was horrified. She never expected that Yuan Min had already aborted the child in her womb.

On second thought, Yuan Min's actions were understandable. After all, the child's origins were unclear, and it was evidence of her infidelity to Xiao Xiuyan. How could Yuan Min possibly keep him?

No wonder Yuan Min looked unwell all day. She thought it was because Yuan Min was depressed, but it turns out that the abortion had damaged her health.

Liu Yuansheng suddenly felt unwell, but she was even more confused as to why the Yuan family was targeting her so much, wanting to get rid of her even more than Su Tinglan and Liu Nianxi!

"Well, ha! The wife I, Xiao Xiuyan, carefully selected turns out to be a shameless slut!" Xiao Xiuyan pointed at Yuan Shi and angrily shouted, "Tell me, who is your adulterer? Tell me!"

Yuan shuddered, but kept her mouth tightly shut and didn't say a word.

Seeing that she was intentionally protecting the man she was having an affair with, Xiao Xiuyan became even angrier. He said in a trembling voice, word by word, "I have never treated you badly. I have treated you with the respect due to a principal wife, given you the highest honor, and allowed you to enjoy a lifetime of glory."

"I thought you came from a prestigious family, knew your place, and were virtuous women. Who knew you were so despicable inside, unable to bear loneliness and having an affair with another man, committing such shameful and sordid acts! You have no regard for your chastity or reputation, defiling the Xiao family and committing a heinous crime. It has truly wasted all the years of my kindness to you. You are utterly shameless!"

Such thunderous rage was almost unbearable, not only for Yuan Shi herself, but even for Liu Yuansheng. She experienced shortness of breath and a racing heart. Although she wasn't the one being scolded, she was still impacted by Xiao Xiuyan's anger, feeling uneasy all over.

Xiao Jingting was equally uneasy.

Seeing that Madam Yuan was being berated by Xiao Xiuyan without uttering a sound and gritting her teeth to endure it, Xiao Jingting slid off his wheelchair and knelt on the ground, saying, "Father, I know that Madam Yuan's actions are truly despicable and have betrayed the honor you have given her. However, the affection we have for each other over the years is hard to sever. I beg you to show some leniency. A severe punishment and confinement will suffice as a warning. Please do not impose an overly harsh punishment."

"Don't impose such a harsh punishment?" Xiao Jinghan scoffed, retorting, "Does elder brother mean that Yuan Min has committed such a serious mistake, and all we need to do is lock her up somewhere for a couple of days?"

"Xiao Jinghan, show some mercy!" Xiao Jingting said, biting his lip. "Do you really have to destroy this family to feel at ease? Fourth Brother is getting married soon, are you determined to ruin his wedding?"

"Otherwise, does eldest brother still want the Yuan family to arrange fourth brother's wedding?" Xiao Jinghan retorted sarcastically. "Eldest brother, don't be so quick to defend Yuan Min. I haven't settled the score with you yet!"

Xiao Jingting stiffened, vaguely guessing Xiao Jinghan's purpose. He preemptively struck, "Don't talk nonsense! You've always been a troublemaker since you were little. Because of you, my fourth brother and I have suffered so much for no reason. I even lost both my legs because of you!"

As he spoke, he vigorously slapped his leg, which had long since lost sensation and consisted of only two bones.

"Xiao Jinghan, you stole my position as heir apparent, ruining my future! I'm practically a cripple! How glorious you are now! So glorious that you're going to drive your entire family to their deaths, burn them to ashes, and use that as light to illuminate your own brilliant future!"

"No, no, brother, what you're saying is too terrifying! What do you mean by burning me to ashes to light my way? I don't need that." Xiao Jinghan waved his hand and said, "You always bring up your leg, always saying I broke it, but you've also said that words are meaningless, and everything needs evidence. Do you have any evidence?"

"You're the one who ruined my legs! And you dare to deny it!" Xiao Jingting said, "That year, during the hunting trip at Yujing Mountain, you told me there were deer in the camphor forest and lured me there. As a result, we were ambushed by assassins, which injured me, caused me to fall off a cliff, and broke both my legs!"

Recalling the past, Xiao Jingting burst into tears. "I always thought that we were brothers, that you would never harm me, no matter who you harmed! And you always said that your heart was in the martial world, that you were determined to make a name for yourself there, and that you had no interest in fame or fortune. But what was the result? Heh, you were just using that rhetoric to deceive me. If your heart was truly in the martial world, why would you come back to the capital? Why would you try so hard to get into the Censorate?"

These words left Xiao Jinghan silent for a moment.

However, it only lasted for a short while.

"I was also in Zhanglin at the time. When you were surrounded by assassins, I risked my life to save you. You were injured, and so was I. You fell off the cliff, and I fell off the cliff with you. The difference is that I was skilled in martial arts and protected myself at the critical moment, while you were delicate and weak. You rolled down the cliff and broke your leg."

Xiao Jinghan took a sip of tea, caught his breath, and continued, "You don't remember me saving you, you don't remember falling off the cliff with you, but you remember me telling you about the deer in the camphor forest. At that time, His Highness the Crown Prince also went to the camphor forest. According to you, I would have harmed the Crown Prince?"

Xiao Jingting, panting heavily, struggled to find the words to refute Xiao Jinghan, but couldn't utter a single word. Xiao Jinghan said, "What? Can't speak? Fine, then it's my turn to ask you."

"A while ago, someone instructed members of the underworld to infiltrate Lan Garden and kidnap Yan'er and Yuan Sheng, almost killing them both. I've already interrogated them, and they said they were acting on your orders, so, brother..."

Xiao Jinghan leaned forward. "How are we going to settle this score?"

Xiao Jingting glanced at Xiao Jinghan, his face full of resentment, "How do you calculate it? He's lucky he didn't kill that bastard of your unknown origin."

"Try killing him," Xiao Jinghan said casually. "If you dare touch Yan'er, I'll tear you to pieces."

"You, you dare!"

"What wouldn't I dare to do?" Xiao Jinghan's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he coldly said, "Compared to the sins you shamelessly commit, what I've done is utterly insignificant."

Xiao Jingting trembled, and Xiao Xiuyan swayed even more, asking incredulously, "Third brother, what do you mean?"

Xiao Jinghan leaned back in his chair, glancing at Xiao Jingting and Madam Yuan, who were slumped on the floor, and said, "Father, let's find someone to look at the feng shui. Our family has gotten into a mess over a son having an affair with a concubine."

"What did you say?"

Xiao Xiuyan trembled as he spoke each word, "You, you're talking about them, pfft—"

A mouthful of blood spurted from Xiao Xiuyan's mouth.

"Father!"

Liu Yuansheng hurriedly came to Xiao Xiuyan's side, supported him, and advised Xiao Jinghan, "Don't say anymore, Father can't take it."

"No, I want him to finish what he has to say!" Xiao Xiuyan said, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened!"

Liu Yuansheng frowned as she looked at Xiao Jinghan, who stared at Xiao Jingting and Yuan Shi with a half-smile, exuding a ruthless aura that seemed intent on exterminating them both.

"The matter is very simple. Yuan Min, whom you married, couldn't stand being alone and seduced her stepson. They've been having an affair for years," Xiao Jinghan said. "I only just found out about this myself. I figured it's no big deal whether they make a scene once or twice, so I might as well wait until they've had their fill and then settle the score all at once. Of course, if Father is too proud to deal with them because of past relationships, I can do it on his behalf."

Xiao Xiuyan was originally furious and wanted to rush to the armory to pick out the most suitable weapon to kill the two of them, but after listening to Xiao Jinghan's words, he gradually calmed down.

He only had murderous intent, but Xiao Jinghan would actually kill him.

Yuan Min's death is not a pity, but Xiao Jingting is, after all, his own flesh and blood. Even if he is guilty of heinous crimes, he must spare his life.

Even if he never saw this son again for the rest of his life, he had to keep him alive; otherwise, how could he face his ancestors?

Even tigers don't eat their cubs!

Xiao Xiuyan released Liu Yuansheng's hand, staggered back a few steps, and sat down in the grand chair, saying, "Yuan's virtue is utterly ruined, her depravity is beyond measure, she cannot be allowed to live! Immediately imprison her in a remote, abandoned courtyard, cut off from food and medicine, leave her to suffer from hunger, cold, and illness, and forbid anyone from providing her with any assistance or care until she breathes her last. After her death, remove her from the clan register, bury her in a random place, and never allow her to be buried in the Xiao family again. This is to serve as a warning to everyone in the household: anyone who dares to violate chastity and propriety will suffer the same fate!"

Then, catching her breath and with tears welling in her eyes, she said to Xiao Jingting:

"You unfilial son! My Xiao family has been loyal and law-abiding for generations, never overstepping the bounds of propriety, yet you have emerged as a beast worse than a pig!"

"Have all the principles of propriety, integrity, loyalty, filial piety, and brotherly love that I taught you been wasted on the dogs? How can you face our ancestors and the century-old reputation of my Zhenguo Duke's Mansion?"

He closed his eyes, suppressing the surging hatred and heartache in his heart. His tone suddenly turned cold and resolute, devoid of any fatherly affection: "Considering that you are my own flesh and blood, I will spare your life, but I will not let you off lightly! From today onwards, you are stripped of your status as the eldest son of the family, removed from the genealogy of the direct line, and demoted to a collateral son! You will be immediately sent to the family temple in the suburbs to reflect on your mistakes for three years."

"Furthermore, all your land and shops will be confiscated, and all your servants will be removed, leaving only two lowly old servants to guard you! If you show even the slightest remorse within three years, we may consider further action. If you remain obstinate and unrepentant, you will be confined to the temple for eternity, spending your remaining days in solitude, never to set foot in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion again!"

"From this day forward, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has no place for a rebellious son like you. Set off immediately. If you dare to delay even a moment, don't blame me for disregarding our father-son relationship and punishing you severely according to family law!"

After saying this long passage, Xiao Xiuyan coughed up another mouthful of blood, slumped over, and fainted...