RWNEFE -Chapter 666 Shen Chengfeng and Shen Emei Come to Blows

Shen Conglian glanced at his third brother. Just the thought of speaking with the person in the palace made him feel uneasy and afraid.

“Third Brother, seniority must be observed. Yuanhao is returning to marry, so naturally Yuanhao should come first. So… the matter of speaking to the palace should be left to you.”

Shen Congli was not a fool—he also did not want to go speak to the palace.

If not for the family ties, he would have preferred to stay as far away from that person in the palace as possible.

“Second Brother, Yuanhao isn’t in a hurry. He hasn’t even begun to meet prospective matches yet. Chengfeng has already found one, and Yuanhao hasn’t even returned. Why not let Chengfeng finalize his marriage first?”

Shen Conglian naturally wanted to settle his grandson’s marriage quickly. The Gao family’s official rank was there for all to see, and Gao Mingyue, their legitimate daughter, had been carefully investigated by both him and Madam Liu—there should be no mistakes.

But he still did not want to go speak to the palace.

That person truly inspired fear. So many members of the Shen family had already suffered losses, and not much time had passed since then. Such a harsh lesson could not be forgotten so easily.

Shen Congli, however, had an excuse. He pointed to his ear, then waved his hand without saying a word.

In his condition, not to mention entering the palace—even speaking with ordinary people was difficult.

Shen Conglian looked at his third brother, then sank back into his chair.

“Perhaps we should wait until Yuanxu returns.”

Chengfeng was his grandson; how could his marriage be settled without informing Yuanxu, his father?

Shen Conglian quickly persuaded himself with this reasoning.

They had thought that once the sons returned, the Shen family would flourish again and regain its former glory. Unexpectedly, just as they were about to welcome them back, trouble arose at this critical moment.

Yesterday, dark clouds had gathered heavily in the sky; today, snowflakes began to fall.

At court, Shen Lanxi had just praised the auspicious snowfall as a sign of a bountiful year. No sooner had she left court than a guard reported that Shen Chengfeng and Shen Emei had gotten into a violent fight in the street.

“The cause was that Gao Mingyue was secretly meeting a scholar outside and was discovered by Shen Chengfeng. Somehow it was later uncovered that this scholar had been introduced to Gao Mingyue through Shen Emei.”

Shen Lanxi understood immediately.

“Shen Chengfeng believes this was a trap deliberately set by Shen Emei?”

The guard replied, “Yes.”

She found it curious—the scheme had been carried out far too crudely.

“If Gao Mingyue was meeting someone privately, why didn’t she choose a more secluded place? And why did Shen Chengfeng happen to see them?”

The guard quietly mentioned a name.

“It may be connected to this person.”

Shen Lanxi immediately let out a cold laugh. She was still in the prime of her life, yet those below her were already impatiently scheming and competing.

“I imagine there must have been many onlookers in the street,” she said. Such scandals were naturally best spread as widely as possible.

“Your Majesty is wise,” the guard replied.

Shen Lanxi’s expression turned cold. “If Shen Emei and Shen Chengfeng damaged any property in the street, they are to compensate at full value. If any innocent passersby were injured, they must apologize and pay medical expenses. After that, both are to be confined in their residence for six months.”

“Yes!” The guard immediately went to the Shen residence to deliver the order.

When the Emperor spoke, it was as good as an imperial edict. The Shen family had only just quieted down, and now trouble had begun again.

Did they not realize that His Majesty was treating them coldly?

The news of the Shen siblings fighting in the street quickly spread throughout the capital.

Shen Conglian and Shen Congli had barely seen the palace guards off before they summoned Shen Emei and Shen Chengfeng.

“You two, kneel.”

Seeing their elders’ ashen expressions, Shen Emei and Shen Chengfeng hurriedly knelt obediently on the floor.

“You two—who struck first?” Shen Conglian asked directly, no longer expecting Shen Congli to speak.

Shen Chengfeng glanced at his grandfather guiltily and said in a low, aggrieved voice, “It was I who struck first.”

Shen Conglian already knew what had happened, and naturally felt sorry for his grandson.

But when he turned to look at Shen Emei—her face still defiant even while kneeling, as though she were beyond instruction—his anger flared.

“Family scandals should not be made public. Even if Emei conspired with outsiders to plot against you, you could have spoken about it at home and let the elders decide. How could you expose it in the street?”

“When siblings scheme against each other, what will outsiders think of our Shen family?”

If Shen Emei had been his own granddaughter, he would already have used the family rod. Why should he have to endure looking at this rebellious girl’s expression?

Shen Chengfeng regretted striking her as soon as it was done.

“Grandfather, I know I was wrong. But Shen Emei plotted against me—she didn’t even care about the Shen family’s reputation. I just couldn’t swallow that anger.”

Seeing his grandson’s lowered head made Shen Conglian feel even more distressed.

This grandson had always been outstanding since childhood, surpassing Shen Emei in everything. The two had competed with each other since they were young; he knew this well.

As long as they did not harm one another, the competitive spirit of youth was understandable to elders like them.

But this time, Shen Emei had known full well that Gao Mingyue was already in marriage negotiations with Shen Chengfeng, yet still did something so despicable—it was practically no different from harming family.

“Great-uncle, you can’t listen only to Shen Chengfeng’s side. I don’t even know that scholar. He saw Gao Mingyue behaving improperly with the scholar, became angry out of shame, and took it out on me.”

Shen Emei was not foolish enough to admit anything at this moment.

Someone like Gao Mingyue—wouldn’t it be better if she actually married into Shen Chengfeng’s household?

“You’re saying you didn’t introduce that scholar to Gao Mingyue?” Shen Conglian did not believe her at all, but for the sake of fairness forced himself to ask.

“That’s right. I swear it. If I arranged for that man to approach Gao Mingyue, then let me be confined in the inner quarters for the rest of my life!”

Shen Chengfeng understood Shen Emei’s ambitions. Hearing such a vicious oath, he turned to look at her.

Though the oath was severe, he still did not trust her. In the academy, she had often set traps for him.

“Emei, are you telling the truth?” Shen Conglian looked at her seriously.

“Of course. What benefit would I gain from finding a man to approach Gao Mingyue? She’s so foolish—wouldn’t it be better if she married Shen Chengfeng?”

Shen Conglian’s face darkened with anger.

Shen Chengfeng also flushed with rage. “If no one had discovered Gao Mingyue’s disgraceful behavior with that scholar, wouldn’t she have married me while carrying such filth into my household?”

Shen Conglian glared at Shen Emei again. At such a young age—what a vicious heart.

Shen Emei said calmly, “Why don’t you question the scholar and Gao Mingyue? Catching a thief requires evidence. If I did it, you’ll know as soon as you ask.”

Shen Chengfeng calmed down somewhat. No matter how much he disliked Shen Emei, he had to admit she had a point.

“Grandfather, please send people to the Gao residence, and also to bring in that scholar.”

The scholar was easy—a commoner could be brought in by a few servants.

But the Gao family held official rank. After thinking for a moment, Shen Conglian decided to visit personally to question them.

“His Majesty has already confined the two of you for six months. Reflect properly at home,” Shen Conglian said. Then, fearing the two youngsters might still act recklessly, he added a warning:

“You know His Majesty’s temper. Don’t bring trouble upon yourselves. If something happens to you, I won’t be able to save you!”