RWNEFE -Chapter 383 If Anyone’s to Blame, Blame Shen Lanxi!

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“Zhao Zheng, I knew it! These past two days, you’ve been coming and going early and late. There had to be something going on—it was all for Zhou Yunxue, wasn’t it?”

“Her reputation is already in the mud, and you still care about her? Are you trying to make our Yong’an Marquis Mansion life too complicated?”

After hearing Zhou Rulin explain the situation, Chen Suizhu immediately started screaming and causing a scene.

She didn’t hold back at all in front of them, shoving Zhao Zheng so hard he staggered.

“Yunxue was wronged! If it weren’t for the accident in the lake back then, she’d be the Lady of the Yong’an Marquis Mansion now. What does that have to do with you, Chen Suizhu?!”

“Zhao Zheng, I knew you still care for that wretched girl. So many years have passed, and I’ve been running around the mansion every day, working hard to manage it. And you? All you have is the empty title of Marquis. If I hadn’t been planning and working behind the scenes, the Yong’an Mansion would have long fallen to ruin. You, the Marquis, would be poor and unknown!”

“You… what do you women know? Women and petty people are hard to maintain…”

Even Zhou Rulin, fully prepared, felt his head nearly explode from their shouting.

“Lanxi, aren’t you going to try to calm them down?” Zhou Rulin asked.

Shen Lanxi sat calmly to the side: “It’s just a few insults. They’re not fighting. If they really fought, and one of them died, that’d be fine too.”

Seeing her so detached, Zhou Rulin had no choice but to intervene.

“Enough! Are you two trying to obstruct the investigation?” Zhou Rulin slammed the table.

Only then did Zhao Zheng and Chen Suizhu reluctantly stop.

“I am the officer personally appointed by His Majesty. If you continue to act like this, don’t blame me for reporting to the Emperor and having you punished!” Zhou Rulin warned sternly.

Zhao Zheng pouted angrily, silent, while Chen Suizhu was too scared to speak.

“Chen Suizhu, back then, you went out to the lake with Lady Yunxue. Tell us exactly what happened that day! How did she fall into the water? If you dare hide the truth, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Zhou Rulin’s face was stern.

Chen Suizhu’s heart trembled. She lowered her head and instinctively looked at Zhao Zheng. Seeing him turn his head away, completely unconcerned with her, she clenched her teeth in anger.

“When Yunxue fell into the water, Zhou Yunyan and I were folding the willows by the shore. By the time we heard her cries and rushed over, she was already in the water. We didn’t see how she fell in.”

Shen Lanxi: “Why wasn’t Yunxue with you?”

Chen Suizhu’s fingers clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Seeing Chen Suizhu remain silent, Zhao Zheng shouted angrily: “Speak up!”

Chen Suizhu trembled, about to argue back with Zhao Zheng.

Shen Lanxi: “As far as I know, Yunxue wasn’t close to you. Why did you take her along to the lake?”

“Who started the whole lake trip?”

Chen Suizhu blinked rapidly but soon composed herself.

“Chang Yu suggested it. Chang Yu and Yunxue were closer.”

Shen Lanxi: “You’ve always been close to the Princess and hostile toward Yunxue. Why did you go along when Chang Yu invited Yunxue to the lake?”

Chen Suizhu glared at Shen Lanxi, her face dark.

“Speak quickly! Are you trying to obstruct the investigation?” Zhao Zheng slammed the table again.

This time, Chen Suizhu lost her temper and jumped up, shouting back.

“Zhao Zheng, I am your wife! Yunxue is another woman’s! You dare shout at me for someone else?!”

Shen Lanxi: “You’re dodging the question. Are you trying to disrupt the investigation? Was Yunxue falling into the water related to you? Did you push her?”

Chen Suizhu panicked: “Shen Lanxi, don’t falsely accuse me! Yunxue fell in because of her own carelessness! What does that have to do with me? If you keep slandering me, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Shen Lanxi’s eyes were icy: “If it really has nothing to do with you, why are you unwilling to answer truthfully?”

Chen Suizhu choked, her breath shallow.

“Did I hit a nerve?”

Chen Suizhu reflexively screamed: “No!”

Zhao Zheng also grew anxious. He knew Chen Suizhu well enough to see that she was clearly hiding something.

Zhou Rulin: “You’d better tell the truth. Do you want to take the blame for pushing Yunxue into the water yourself?”

Chen Suizhu shivered with fear.

“Lord Zhao, your wife is clearly hiding something,” Shen Lanxi pressed further.

Zhao Zheng, now too angry to care about old grudges with Shen Lanxi, barked: “Did you push Yunxue into the water? Speak!”

Chen Suizhu trembled, unable to meet Zhao Zheng’s gaze, clearly guilty.

“What really happened that day?” Shen Lanxi’s voice grew even colder.

Zhou Rulin: “Chen Suizhu, confess everything. I can still plead for you before the Emperor.”

Under the three’s questioning, Chen Suizhu finally broke down, crying uncontrollably.

“The Princess invited us to the lake. Later, the Princess had something come up and didn’t go, but we had already agreed to give—”

Zhao Zheng’s eyes were bloodshot, looking ready to devour someone.

“Just say it!”

Seeing Zhao Zheng’s reaction, Zhou Rulin quickly intervened to calm Chen Suizhu, who was trembling from fear.

“Now is not the time to be angry. First, let’s clarify what happened.”

Zhao Zheng sensed something was off. If Yunxue fell in because of him, he would indirectly be responsible for her.

Shen Lanxi: “Tell us exactly what you know.”

After being startled, Chen Suizhu had almost accidentally revealed everything. Now that she had calmed down, she regretted it and wanted to slap herself.

How could she expose the Princess?

“This is all Shen Lanxi’s fault!” Chen Suizhu angrily looked at her.

Zhao Zheng: “What do you mean?”

“Back then, Shen Lanxi was untouchable in the palace. She overshadowed both the Princess and the Prince. The Shen family was exiled, and there was nothing we could do. Yunxue, always following Shen Lanxi, looked down on us in the capital. We just wanted to teach her a lesson.”

Zhao Zheng shouted: “So you pushed her into the water?!”

Chen Suizhu’s eyes flashed with anger: “We didn’t push her! We just wanted to ignore her, to let her know that once Shen Lanxi left, no one would be friendly with her. Who knew she would be so unlucky—just going to the lake, and she falls in!”

“If anyone’s to blame, blame Shen Lanxi. Yunxue was caught up in her as well. Maybe while she was at the lake with us, feeling our dislike and brooding, she lost her footing and fell into the water?”

Zhao Zheng glared furiously at Chen Suizhu: “That’s ridiculous reasoning! You’re just making excuses!”

Chen Suizhu tried to struggle against Zhao Zheng. If someone hadn’t stopped her, her long nails would have scratched his face.

“Zhao Zheng, I am your wife! You actually suspect me for a dead woman’s sake? Zhao Zheng, you’re a cold-hearted, heartless bastard! Marrying you was the blindest mistake of my life!”