The solemn courtroom grew even more austere with Shen Yiren’s arrival, holding the letter in hand.
Xiao Ba turned and ran over, “Sister, sister! Give me the letter!”
Once he had the letter, he dashed toward the high platform, stood on tiptoe to place it on the desk, and continued shouting as Cang Ming had taught him, “Your Honor, the righteous judge!”
“Your Honor, the righteous judge, please take a look! This is the letter the bad guy wrote to my sister, asking her to meet him outside. Later, my sister fell off a cliff, and it scared Xiao Ba to death! Luckily, I was digging for Ginseng Spirit and used a rope to pull her up. When my sister brought me back, the bad guy and the imposter were getting married!”
Lord Yang had already heard about the events of the Duke’s wedding day. In truth, everyone had their suspicions, but they all assumed the Second Miss Shen would swallow her grievances. No one expected that, four days after the incident, she would bring the accusation before him.
Who knew whose idea it was?
Prince Duan?
Prince Duan currently appeared like an outsider, yet he claimed he just happened to pass by.
Truly unfathomable.
Lord Yang opened the letter, first showing it to Prince Duan, then to Duke Anguo and the Duchess.
The couple were immediately at a loss for how to defend themselves—this was unmistakably their son’s handwriting.
Shen Qingrui glared at Shen Yiren with gritted teeth.
Shen Yiren innocently spread her hands, “I only promised you I wouldn’t report it to the authorities. I never said others couldn’t. Besides, we agreed beforehand—the gold was supposed to be delivered promptly. I walked all the way from the garden to my courtyard and didn’t see a single trace of gold. Clearly, you intended to break your promise.”
“You!” Shen Qingrui wished she could devour her.
Hearing this, Lord Yang couldn’t help but rub his forehead slightly.
Lord Cen and Shen Qingrui had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Shen Yiren.
Zhou Jinyan’s lips curled into a faint smile. Shen Yiren glanced up at him, blinking as if to ask, “What are you laughing at?”
She didn’t think she had said anything wrong.
Zhou Jinyan suppressed his smile but remained silent.
“Lord Cen, Shen Qingrui, do you have anything else to say?”
Shen Qingrui refused to admit it, “Who says the handwriting on the letter must be the Lord’s?”
“Then we must trouble Lord Cen to write it again,” Lord Yang said.
Xiao Ba grew a little worried and looked up at Shen Yiren, “Sister, what if he writes it all wrong? If he writes it wrong, it won’t look the same.”
Shen Yiren frowned, her small face scrunching up. Yes, people could be cunning.
Zhou Jinyan glanced at Lord Yang.
Lord Yang: “?”
Your Highness, why are you looking at me? Do you expect me to explain this to the Second Miss Shen?
“Second Miss Shen…”
“There is no second,” Shen Yiren insisted stubbornly. The Shen family only had one daughter—the original.
“Miss Shen, there’s no need to worry. While a person’s handwriting can be made ugly or neat, their brush style and certain small habits in stroke formation cannot be changed,” Lord Yang explained helpfully. “The Dali Temple has experts in this area who can distinguish them.”
Shen Yiren and Xiao Ba both sighed in relief at the same time, each patting their chests and exhaling a long, heavy breath as their shoulders gradually relaxed.
They looked so much alike.
Even Zhou Jinyan couldn’t help but wonder if the Young Master of the General’s Manor had also been switched at birth? Compared to Shen Zhi’ang, Xiao Ba and Shen Yiren seemed more like biological siblings.
Brush, ink, and paper were already placed before Cen Liangxuan. His raised hand paused mid-air, his brows furrowed tightly.
The Dali Temple had many skilled investigators and handwriting experts. No matter how he distorted his handwriting, they would still recognize the letter as his.
If even a distorted version could be identified, then his act of distorting it would only be seen as an attempt to conceal the truth.
If the handwriting had not been deliberately disguised, it would have been recognizable at a glance.
Why had he written the letter himself in the first place?
But if he hadn’t written it personally, how would Shen Yiren have believed him? If he had appeared near the general’s residence himself, it would have given people even more grounds for suspicion.
Sending someone to deliver a message wouldn’t work either—Shen Yiren was timid and wouldn’t trust unfamiliar faces.
Sending someone familiar would also be risky, as those around her would know it was his personal attendant.
Why had Shen Yiren become so troublesome? In the past, just a few words and a little benefit were enough to coax her into submission.
Now she even dared to take the matter to court!
Cen Liangxuan’s irritation was palpable.
“Lord Cen, if you refuse to write, does that mean you admit guilt directly?” Zhou Jinyan had no patience left to wait and urged unhurriedly, “My dinner time is approaching. Make it quick.”
Cen Liangxuan simply withdrew his hand. Lady Lu, seeing that her son was about to confess, immediately warned him, “Liangxuan, explain yourself properly. Don’t take all the blame alone and tarnish the reputation of the Duke’s estate and your own name.”
The implication was to shift all responsibility onto Shen Qingrui.
Cen Liangxuan looked at his newlywed wife, feeling deeply conflicted.
But when he thought of the reputation of the Duke’s estate, his own reputation, and his career prospects, he had no choice but to sacrifice her.
“Lord Yang, it was all Shen Qingrui who incited me.”
“Cen Liangxuan?” Shen Qingrui’s mind went blank with shock. She had thought that even if the Lord admitted to collusion, he would say it was their shared idea. How had it become her incitement?
Shen Qingrui was so angry she couldn’t even make a sound.
“You… you… you!” She wanted to turn the tables on Lord Cen, but when she thought of her own situation—her father absent, her mother powerless against the Ministry of Justice—she realized she had no one left but Lord Cen and the Duke’s estate.
She could only rely on her husband’s family.
If she took the blame, Lord Cen might compensate her out of guilt, and her in-laws might remember her sacrifice with some gratitude.
In the end, Shen Qingrui said nothing.
“Wow~” Shen Yiren and Xiao Ba quietly celebrated again, whispering, “Isn’t this what they call ‘dogs biting dogs’?”
Xiao Ba shook his head and then nodded. He wasn’t sure, but whatever his sister said must be right.
Fei Yun let out a soft “woof”: Don’t insult dogs.
Shen Yiren and Xiao Ba both turned to look at it.
“Oh, dogs are cuter than them,” Shen Yiren said, stroking Fei Yun’s fur. “The adorable Fei Yun is the prettiest in the world!”
Fei Yun lifted its head proudly.
Zhou Jinyan caught sight of this and asked Cang Ming curiously, “How did she train Fei Yun?”
Cang Ming replied, “With a slap?”
Zhou Jinyan: “?”
Lord Yang announced the verdict. Shen Qingrui was the mastermind, and Lord Cen was an accomplice. The problem was their status made it difficult to pass judgment.
Matters involving the Duke’s estate could not be decided arbitrarily, and Lord Cen’s title had been personally bestowed by the Emperor, so he couldn’t simply be imprisoned.
“Lord Yang, do you not know how to judge according to the law?” Zhou Jinyan retorted.
Lord Yang respectfully replied, “Miss Shen was not seriously injured. The Lady, as the mastermind of the kidnapping, shall receive thirty lashes and one year of imprisonment. The accomplice shall receive twenty lashes and six months of imprisonment.”
“Carry out the lashes first,” Zhou Jinyan said, turning to Shen Yiren. “What do you think should be done?”
“Do they have to be separated? Can’t they just be locked up and beaten together?” Shen Yiren asked earnestly.
Zhou Jinyan was taken aback.
Instantly, a phrase came to mind: locking the door to beat the dog.
“And they must compensate me with one thousand taels of gold!” Shen Yiren demanded. She had reported the crime, and she wanted the gold too.
“Shen Yiren, how can there be someone as shameless as you!” Lady Lu’s face twisted in fury.
Duke Anguo said, “One thousand taels of gold is acceptable, as long as the two of them are spared punishment.”
“Both confinement with flogging and one thousand taels of gold are non-negotiable,” Shen Yiren insisted on her stance.
Zhou Jinyan merely watched.
Lord Yang declared, “Since neither side is satisfied, the case will be postponed for a day. I shall enter the palace and let His Majesty decide.”
Upon hearing that the matter would be brought before the Emperor, Duke Anguo and Lord Cen immediately reacted with refusal. Even the Duchess softened her tone, seeking to negotiate a settlement with Shen Yiren—flogging was acceptable, and so was one thousand taels of gold, but imprisonment was absolutely out of the question.
Seeing how fearful they were of the Emperor, Shen Yiren had an idea. She replied cheerfully, “Then let His Majesty decide.”
Lord Yang rose to enter the palace.
Zhou Jinyan also stood up, extending a hand toward Fei Yun, who immediately ran over and stood by his side.
“It has been some time since I last saw Father Emperor.”