Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

Ying Yufu then recounted the fate of each of her relatives in detail.

The atmosphere fell into a long, heavy silence.

After a long pause, Yuan's voice trembled as she said, "I actually... I actually..."

She felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, unable to accept her future fate.

The old lady glanced at Madam Yuan and scoffed, "It hasn't even happened yet, and everything will change. What's there to be afraid of?"

The feeling of being so distressed that Yuan was almost fainting suddenly stopped.

Yes, it hasn't happened yet, but they've already foreseen the future. Right now, everything has the potential to change.

Didn't Fu'er say that she had already given the divine medicine to the Flying Tiger Army, and that the Flying Tiger Army would soon be secretly heading to the border?

Moreover, at this critical moment, Fu'er suddenly had a miraculous encounter, which means that heaven has given the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion a glimmer of hope.

"Mother, Fu'er is the hope of all of us." She looked at the old lady.

The old lady nodded. "This matter must never be mentioned to anyone else. You all must keep what happened today a secret, understand?"

"My daughter-in-law understands."

"Grandson understands."

Yuan Shi and Shangguan Hong responded in succession.

Ying Yufu looked at Shangguan Hong and said, "However, Second Cousin is about to face another calamity."

"What?" Shangguan Hong was taken aback.

Yuan Shi also looked nervously at Ying Yufu.

Ying Yufu said, "It's about time that Duan Shi came to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to annul the engagement."

However, they were afraid of gossip if they tried to break off the engagement at this time, so the blame could only fall on their second cousin.

The crowd looked furious.

Ying Yufu continued, "In the dream, the Empress held a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, inviting ladies and daughters of various families, as well as young masters, to attend."

My second cousin suddenly went berserk at the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet and made indecent advances towards a young palace maid serving the Empress.

At this point, Ying Yufu looked at Shangguan Hong with great sympathy.

Shangguan Hong remained silent, his usually indifferent and aloof expression revealing a complex and unspoken emotion.

Ying Yufu said, "His Majesty was very angry about this matter. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Duan proposed to break off the engagement with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion on the grounds that her second cousin's character was questionable."

However, the consequences of this incident were not only the annulment of the engagement with the Duan family, but also the fact that the image of the second cousin in everyone's eyes was never the same again.

Furthermore, the incident at the border further damaged the reputation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The old lady then spoke up: "What a Duan family! Back then, when Duan's daughter fell into the water, if it weren't for Hong'er's rescue, she would have drowned in the moat long ago."

In retrospect, there were probably other suspicious circumstances surrounding the Duan woman's drowning back then.

"Grandmother is wise!" Ying Yufu immediately praised, "The Duan family girl falling into the moat back then was a scheme."

"Hmph. What a fine Duan family!"

"The chrysanthemum appreciation banquet will be held the day after my coming-of-age ceremony," Ying Yufu said.

"Tomorrow is Fu'er's coming-of-age ceremony," the old lady said.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out outside.

"Grandma, the Shen family is making a scene, saying they're not satisfied." It was Steward Xu.

The old lady's brows furrowed instantly, and she sneered, "Go to the front hall. I want to see what the Shen family has to complain about."

With that, the group got up and headed to the front hall.

In the front hall, Shiqi, along with her mother and sister-in-law, were being held captive by the Flying Tigers.

Shiqi's father and brothers were kneeling in the front hall at that moment.

His father, Shen San, was a steward in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, in charge of the front courtyard's accounts, and wielded considerable power.

His brother, Shen Shan, was his second uncle's close follower since childhood, and the one who forged his handwriting to frame his second uncle.

Ying Yufu helped her maternal grandmother as they walked and talked:

"In the dream, after the destruction of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Shen, as a servant of the Duke of Huguo's mansion, was also destined to die. However, the indentures of Shen's family fell into the hands of the Duan family. With the intervention of the Second Prince, they were saved."

Moreover, Duan kept his promise and returned the indenture to them, thus freeing the Shen family from slavery and granting them their freedom.

Furthermore, the Shen family had accumulated considerable wealth in the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion over the years. After leaving the capital and returning to their hometown in Xizhou, they transformed themselves into wealthy individuals with the wealth they had accumulated.

Not only that, Shen Shan's son, Shen Ruyun, also began to take the imperial examinations, and eventually he actually passed the palace examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Ying Yufu chuckled, "Look, even a lowly servant can leap over the blood and flesh of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to achieve great things."

A sharp killing intent flashed in the old lady's eyes.

But at the same time, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. The Shen family were just servants of the Duke of Huguo's mansion, so why did the Duan family go to such lengths to vouch for them?

During the early years of war, the Duke of Zhenguo saved Shen San, who was on the verge of death in the heavy snow.

After surviving, Shen San voluntarily sold himself into servitude to his family.

They didn't have the energy to deal with things like indentures at the time, but Shen San insisted, and in the end, they finally got the indentures done.

She walked to the main seat in the front hall and sat down, staring at the father and son kneeling below.

"Madam, I am deeply grateful for the Duke's life-saving grace back then. I have followed the Duke in his campaigns throughout my life, remaining loyal to him. I even once shielded the Duke from a hidden arrow and saved his life."

This old servant dares to ask, why does the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion treat my wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law in this way?

Shen San was filled with indignation, and tears streamed down his face.

Anyone who saw this would see a loyal servant who devoted his life to his master's family.

only--

Ying Yufu whispered a few words in her grandmother's ear.

The old matriarch immediately ordered, "Men, search the Shen family mansion, including the main room, under the bed, and the secret room."

Upon hearing this, the pain and grief on Shen San's face were instantly replaced by shock.

"Madam, what do you mean by this?" he asked almost hysterically.

He panicked completely. How did the old lady know there was a secret room under his bed?

He didn't even tell his wife about that secret room; only Shen Shan knew about it.

Shen Shan, kneeling beside him, was equally terrified. The contents of that secret room must not be found.

Once they're found out, their whole family is finished.

Shen Shan's mind raced, and he tried every possible solution.

But the facts were right in front of them, and they couldn't think of any other way.

a.

We're waiting for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to find those deadly things.

The Shen residence is not far from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Although they were born into the household, they had purchased a residence outside the mansion in recent years, which was a special permission granted by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Furthermore, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has even planned to return the indenture to Shen San's family, freeing them from slavery and restoring their commoner status.

This matter has been put on hold only because of the war on the border.

After about two incense sticks' worth of time, the Flying Tigers returned carrying large wooden crates.

Opening several large wooden crates revealed a series of account books.

Yu Li said, "Besides these eight large wooden boxes for storing account books, there are also about 200,000 taels of gold, 2 million taels of silver, and 12 boxes of other jewelry and jade hidden in the secret room of the Shen residence."

In addition, they also found the Shen family's properties in the capital and their ancestral home in Xijiang, including thousands of acres of fertile land, more than fifty shops, more than thirty manors and estates, and a gold mine.

Hearing this shocking number, everyone present, whether master or servant, stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

My goodness! How could such wealth belong to a single servant?

Even ordinary noble families, how much property could they possibly have?

But this Shen family, as servants born into the family, actually possesses such an astonishing amount of property.

They even have a gold mine.

Shen San and his son Shen Shan looked ashen-faced.

Shiqi's mother and sister-in-law, who were not far away, were also stunned.

They had no idea that their family was so wealthy!

The old lady slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was no gentleness in her eyes, but only a chilling and murderous look.

"Shen San, will you confess voluntarily, or will you be punished according to family rules?"

Shen San's eyes were vacant.

After a long while, he let out a bitter laugh from his throat.

"This old servant has nothing to say. Now that I have been discovered, this old servant is willing to submit to the law."

"father!"

Shen Shan cried out in frustration.

Shen San ignored him, closed his eyes, and prostrated himself on the ground, wailing, "Old Madam, this old servant knows he was wrong, this old servant deserves to die, it was all because this old servant was blinded by money."

These things were all done by the old servant alone; his wife and children were unaware of them.

"I beg you, Madam, to spare my family for the sake of my lifelong service. I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

After saying that, a ruthless glint appeared in Shen San's eyes. Suddenly, he sprang up and crashed into a pillar not far away.