Pin Shanhe

Shen Ting'an also looked reproachful: "You knew perfectly well what happened on our wedding day, yet you still took Fu'er to the Xuan Prince's mansion at this critical juncture. Were you afraid the scene wouldn't be big enough?"

Shen Xiucheng couldn't help but mutter, "I just wanted to help my little sister find her true Mr. Right!"

"What did you say?"

"No...it's nothing."

Shen Fu quickly interceded, "Please don't blame Fifth Brother. It was my own initiative to go with him. Fifth Brother has finally returned to the capital, so naturally I hope he can stay in the capital and not go back to the Northwest."

Shen Xiucheng quickly gave him a grateful look.

What a loyal friend!

This left others somewhat helpless.

"You, all you do is protect him."

Although the siblings often bickered and argued, they had the best relationship because they were the closest in age.

Shen Xiuwen suddenly asked, "Even if you went to the Xuan Prince's mansion, why did you suddenly fall into the water? Was it really an accident?"

Shen Fu's heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself that her second brother truly lived up to his reputation as the "Cold-Faced Judge" of the Dali Temple. His keenness and intuition were truly extraordinary.

To avoid worrying my family, it's best not to tell them the truth.

"There were many koi in the lotus pond in the backyard of the Prince's mansion. I wanted to get a closer look, but the pebbles on the bank were too slippery, and I accidentally slipped in. There was no one around at the time, so..."

"How could you be so careless? Luckily, the Xuan King arrived in time to save you, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"That's right, you really have to be careful in the future!"

No one else suspected anything, but a strange look flashed in Shen Xiuwen's eyes.

His intuition told him that things weren't that simple.

Since his younger sister didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press her further.

It seems that the Xuanwang Mansion is a place of trouble; it would be best to stay away from it in the future.

……

Shen Fu stayed at home for two days before she finally regained some strength.

Just as he was thinking of going to the Xuanwang Mansion to settle accounts with someone, the other party came knocking on his door.

Upon seeing the man appear, she was immediately filled with anger.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?"

The man raised an eyebrow: "Is this how you treat your savior?"

"..."

He did save her, but so what?

If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone through all of this.

Shen Fu didn't want to argue with him, so she simply got straight to the point.

"Who is that woman?"

"What woman?"

"Don't play dumb. Don't you know what's going on in your own household?" Seeing his reluctance to admit it, she grew increasingly angry. "Could it be someone you admire? You can't even manage the people around you, yet you talk about military orders being absolute. What right do you have to command the entire army?"

This time, the man did not get angry; instead, his gaze held a meaningful quality.

"Are you jealous?"

"..."

Are you kidding me?

How could she possibly be jealous of him? She was clearly settling scores with him very seriously, wasn't she?

Shen Fu became increasingly convinced that his refusal to answer her questions directly, instead opting to evade the issue, was clearly an attempt to protect that woman.

He then coldly warned, "Don't forget our deal. If you dare to break the contract, I'll just kill you."

Seeing her puffed-up face, the man couldn't help but feel much better.

He came to see her every night for the past two nights.

Seeing her lying unconscious on the bed, so weak she looked like a candle about to disappear in the wind.

Now he even dares to threaten him; it seems he's recovered quite well!

He finally gave an "explanation".

"She was a secret guard in the Xuanwang Mansion. That day you accidentally broke in, and she thought you were sent by the enemy to steal information, which is why she wanted to kill you."

This is obviously fake, but as long as it can appease her, that's enough.

Shen Fu was clearly not so easily fooled. "You should at least ask clearly. Do you think the people of your Xuanwang Mansion can treat human life so lightly?"

"The battlefield is fraught with danger; a single misstep can give the enemy an opening. Sometimes, it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

"This is the capital, not a battlefield!"

When that woman attacked with her sword, her eyes clearly held intense jealousy and twisted hatred.

This shows that she knows herself and has been planning this for a long time!

The thought that she almost died at the hands of that woman made it clear that she would never let this go!

"So, I've already punished her."

"What do you mean?"

He took care of it secretly by himself?

Even if punishment is necessary, shouldn't we at least ask for her opinion as the person involved?

If she's not satisfied with the punishment, she won't let it go easily.

"Is one hundred lashes enough? She won't be able to get out of bed for at least a month!"

Shen Fu had heard of that torture whip.

It is said that it was set up on the battlefield to punish enemy spies; one lash would tear the skin and flesh, leaving it a bloody mess.

One hundred lashes would probably kill him!

Even if the case is handed over to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, the most they can do is convict someone of attempted murder.

This punishment is indeed excessive!

Shen Fu couldn't help but feel suspicious. "Isn't she one of your trusted confidantes? How could you bring yourself to use such force?"

"Precisely because they are people close to me, they need to be punished even more severely for their mistakes; otherwise, how can I gain the respect of others?"

The man's tone was firm and authoritative, carrying an unquestionable air of authority.

Since he said that, I'll just have to believe him this once!

"What about my fifth brother...?"

"I have already granted your wish and allowed him to stay in the capital. What more could you possibly want?"

It's not that I'm dissatisfied, it's that I'm extremely satisfied!

Shen Xiucheng has been grinning from ear to ear these past few days, he's practically waking up laughing in his dreams.

The rest of the Shen family were also very happy. The young master of the Shen family had returned in glory from the battlefield, bringing honor to the family. This was a great joy.

But... could it be that he did this because of himself?

Wouldn't that constitute "favoritism"?

After all, no one expected that Fifth Brother would get such a high position.

If word gets out, and the dignified King Xuan disregards the law and engages in favoritism and corruption, wouldn't that ruin his lifelong reputation?

Little did she know, the man saw right through her thoughts.

"The Golden Guard is the emperor's personal guard. You don't think the rank of Lieutenant General can be given out so easily, do you?"

"General Shen fought bravely and fearlessly on the front lines, achieving remarkable military exploits. I have long planned to inform His Majesty after the war ends and promote him accordingly."

"When you arrived that day, the imperial edict was already on the desk in the study. I was merely helping to deliver it."

Shen Fu was stunned, and it took her a while to react.

So even if they didn't go, the matter was already settled?

Why would he say something that could cause misunderstanding?

If she had known the truth sooner, she wouldn't have argued with him, and the verbal conflict wouldn't have escalated into a physical altercation, ultimately leading to her running away in a state of utter confusion.

If none of these things had happened, she wouldn't have met that woman and almost lost her life.

In the end, the conclusion was still that it was his fault!