Shen Mingzhu watched coldly as Song Xuan, looking disheveled and being held down on the ground by the guards, stared at her. A thought crossed her mind. Seeing that Shen Mingzhu remained silent, Song Xuan thought he might have succeeded. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, it's all because of you... It's because His Majesty wanted to take action against you that we suffered and were treated like this."
As he spoke, Song Xuan started to cry on the spot. Tears and snot streamed down his face. He looked at the people in front of him and pleaded, "Your Highness, please do something for us! The Song family has really been having a hard time these days. If this continues, we might not even be able to stay in the capital."
"Cousin!" Song Xuan wiped his tears and cried to Shen Mingzhu, "After all, we're related by blood. You can't just watch us being forced to death by the Emperor, can you?"
Shen Mingzhu didn't quite believe that Shen Mingyuan would take action against the Song family because of her. She just couldn't figure out why he did it.
She raised her eyebrows and calmly continued to ask, "So what on earth did you do to make His Majesty angry?"
Song Xuan, held down on the ground by the guards, looked at Shen Mingzhu disheveledly.
Seeing that Shen Mingzhu was just calmly sipping tea from her cup, Song Xuan thought that his words had softened her heart. So he gritted his teeth and put on an even more pitiful look.
"Your Highness, it's all because of you... It's because His Majesty wanted to take action against you that we, the Song family, suffered such a great disaster... Your Highness! How could you just watch us being forced to death by His Majesty!"
As he spoke, Song Xuan managed to squeeze out tears from his eyes that were almost squeezed into a line by his fat. He sobbed and said, "Your Highness, the Song family has been targeted every day these days. If Your Highness doesn't stand up for your natal family, the Song family may have no place to stand in the capital!"
"Cousin!!"
Getting more and more excited, Song Xuan struggled to break free an arm from the guards. He raised his sleeve to wipe his tears and cried even more desperately, "After all, we're blood relatives. You can't just stand by and watch His Majesty push the entire Song family to a dead end!"
Facing Song Xuan's emotional plea, Shen Mingzhu didn't even bat an eyelid. She didn't believe that Shen Mingyuan would take action against the Song family because of her. A family that relied on women marrying into high - ranking families and lived an idle life was not worth targeting!
Moreover... the Song family didn't have a good relationship with her mother. Shen Mingzhu guessed that there must be some feud that she didn't know about. Otherwise, how could her mother, who valued family so much, not have contacted the Song family for so many years?
Maybe... she could ask Aunt Chaoyan about the relationship between the Song family and her mother next time?
With Shen Mingyuan's meticulous mind, he would never ignore those difficult old foxes in the court and instead deal with these so - called aristocratic families. Shen Mingzhu was really curious now about how the Song family got involved in Shen Mingyuan's hatred towards her.
"What on earth did you do to make His Majesty take action against you? If you don't tell me, I can't save you."
Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows and didn't even put down her teacup. Her calm gaze swept over Song Xuan who was kneeling on the ground.
Song Xuan was stunned. A flash of panic crossed his small eyes. He quickly knelt down and continued, "No! Absolutely not! Your Highness! Please, His Majesty is just venting his anger on us because of you. How could you just sit back and do nothing?"
The more urgently he tried to clear himself, the more it showed that he was guilty. He didn't even dare to look up at Shen Mingzhu and Xie Lang. His body was covered in cold sweat.
"Really? If the Song family is so innocent, why are you still worried about this?" Shen Mingzhu chuckled. She took the water handed by Chuntao to moisten her throat and continued, "His Majesty regards me as his dear elder sister. How could he make things difficult for you because of me?"
Xie Lang looked at Song Xuan, who seemed to have crawled out of a dog hole, with a smile. His tone was gentle, but his eyes were as sharp as a knife. "Why are you so scared now? Sooner or later, the truth will come out. I'm sure that with His Majesty's wisdom, he will double his comfort and may even promote you three ranks."
[Bah, this Song Xuan is really brainless. He thought he could hide it from me and Shen Mingzhu? Idiot. He even came to bother me and Shen Mingzhu. I'll throw him and that so - called Lvshu into the moat sooner or later!]
"Ugh!"
Shen Mingzhu almost choked on the tea in her mouth. She couldn't help but cough twice, and her face looked a bit strange.
"Your Highness."
Thinking that Shen Mingzhu agreed with Xie Lang's words, Song Xuan was immediately shocked. He crawled forward a few steps, trying to grab the hem of Shen Mingzhu's skirt. The guards quickly stepped forward and dragged Song Xuan back like a dead dog, not caring that he was covered in dirt.
"Your Highness, you mustn't! You must talk to His Majesty and save the Song family! Raiding the family will disgrace our ancestors. How can the Song family still interact with other noble families in the capital after this?!"
"I also think what the consort said is right."
Shen Mingzhu looked at Song Xuan sweating profusely with cold eyes. She reached out to brush a strand of hair from her forehead and said with a faint smile, "A thorough investigation will clear the Song family's name."
"Isn't this a good thing?"
"No! No!! Ah! Your Highness!"
Song Xuan waved his short and fat hands wildly in front of him. His crying grew even louder as he was held down on the ground by the guards. "The loyalty of the Song family can be seen by the heavens!"
"Really?!"
Suddenly, Shen Mingzhu slammed the teacup in her hand on the ground, shattering it. Song Xuan didn't have time to dodge, and the remaining tea splashed all over him. His fine clothes were now a mess of dirt and tea, making him look more like a fat pig that had just rolled in the mud. He was huffing and puffing heavily.
"But I heard that in the past few months, the Song family has had frequent contacts with the Zhou Prime Minister's mansion. Not only do the younger generations often chat together, but even your father often visits with generous gifts... What's going on?!"
"This..."
Song Xuan never expected that although Shen Mingzhu had lost her power and married an unworthy playboy, her influence was still so deeply rooted.
How did she know?!
The Song family thought their contacts with the Zhou mansion were very secretive, but they were still discovered by Shen Mingzhu's people.
Song Xuan was sweating profusely. His eyes were full of fear as he looked at Shen Mingzhu. He took a deep breath, trying to muddle through.
"This... this... Your Highness, you're... framing us!" Song Xuan continued, sweating all over, "No, no, no! It's all a misunderstanding! Actually..."
As he spoke, Song Xuan subconsciously glanced at Xie Lang. There was a bit of hesitation in his eyes. Finally, as if making up his mind, he said, "This... this is because the legitimate son of the Zhou family wanted you to marry him, so he came to us!"
"Your Highness! The Song family really didn't do anything!"
Song Xuan cried sincerely, with tears all over his face.