TSWRLM -Chapter 298 If You Don’t Want It, Neither Do I

No one expected that Shen Qingchi would suddenly confess that it was she and Madam Mo who had given poison to Marquis Qingyuan. No one imagined that Marquis Qingyuan would become so furious as to strangle his own daughter in public.

Even after killing Shen Qingchi, Marquis Qingyuan felt no satisfaction. He grabbed the sword nailed to the pillar and lunged toward Shen Qingyue and Shen Qingyu: “Bastards! The mother and daughter are worthless, and you two are no better! Die!”

His eyes were wild, completely consumed by madness.

The guests panicked and scattered, and the officers from Jingzhao Mansion were intimidated by his aura, unable to step forward.

Shen Qingyu, already restricted by a neck injury, was now terrified, his legs giving way, and he collapsed to the ground after barely a few steps.

“Old man’s gone mad! Second brother, save me!”

Shen Qingyu screamed, but Shen Qingyue had already fled outside. Seeing Marquis Qingyuan charging at him, Shen Qingyu panicked, urinated in fear, and fainted.

Fortunately, Shen Qingyuan acted in time and knocked Marquis Qingyuan unconscious.

Seeing Li Mingde hiding among the crowd, Shen Qingyuan snapped: “Lord Li, why aren’t you helping? Are you waiting for him to wake up and continue killing?”

“I’m coming, I’m coming! I’ll handle it right away.”

Li Mingde then called the officers, had Marquis Qingyuan bound tightly to prevent further harm, and ordered Shen Qingyu to be taken for treatment. Shen Qingchi’s body was also carried away.

Once the hall returned to calm, Li Mingde cautiously asked Shen Qingyuan: “Miss Shen has admitted that she and the late madam gave poison to the Marquis. Can we close the case?”

Shen Qingyuan said nothing, giving him a sharp look.

Li Mingde shrank back and hastily corrected himself: “There are still suspicious details in this case. I will send people to investigate immediately.”

The incident all began with Madam Yao being poisoned and losing her child, with the most obvious clue being the box of pastries.

Xing’er had been too scared to resist. Under questioning, she truthfully confessed that she had secretly poisoned the pastries.

Shen Qingyu had given her money and promised to take her as a second wife. Tempted, she agreed to help frame Chun Xi that day.

With Xing’er’s testimony, Li Mingde immediately ordered Shen Qingyu to be brought back to Jingzhao Mansion for interrogation.

The doctor had confirmed that Marquis Qingyuan was infertile, so the paternity of Madam Yao’s child still needed to be verified. However, since the poisoning of Marquis Qingyuan happened many years ago, tracking it now would be difficult.

Li Mingde was at a loss, but Shen Qingyuan handed all the witnesses and evidence directly to him.

The poison had been given by Madam Mo. While it had indeed been placed in Shen Qingchi’s dumplings, Shen Qingchi was only five years old at the time. Even if she knew Madam Mo had put something in the dumplings, she might not have understood what it was.

Li Mingde sighed: “It’s a pity Miss Shen has died. There’s no point in pursuing this now.”

“Your words are mistaken, sir. Though my little sister Chi’er has passed, she left behind a one-month-old daughter. If this case is left vague, and this child grows up being misled against us, wouldn’t it cause even more trouble?”

Chun Xi spoke firmly but reasonably.

Li Mingde quickly asked: “Then, according to Madam Shen, how should we resolve this matter?”

Where Shen Qingyuan went, Chun Xi followed in thought. She considered carefully: “Though Chi’er was young and ignorant at the time, she concealed the truth all these years, which led to today’s tragedy. Even if she wasn’t the mastermind behind poisoning her father-in-law, she still has the crime of covering it up, right?”

Li Mingde had no talent for solving cases and had relied on Shen Qingyuan for over a decade to maintain his position. Now that Shen Qingyuan was in the Censorate, Li Mingde feared old grudges. When Chun Xi mentioned Shen Qingchi’s crime of concealment, he dared not contradict her, quickly agreeing: “Madam is correct.”

Chun Xi continued: “In that case, I ask that you issue a public notice explaining why Chi’er died and what crimes she committed. Also, request a ‘Severance of Kinship’ letter from the Grand Tutor’s Mansion, stating that this child has no relation to the Qingyuan Mansion. If anyone tries to mislead this child in the future, we’ll have proof of her innocence.”

Chun Xi’s concern was reasonable, but the words “Severance of Kinship” enraged Madam Zhao: “This child carries the Marquis’s blood! Her mother just died, and you want to post public notices defaming her mother and sever ties with the child? Are you even human, Chun Xi?”

Madam Zhao was so agitated that spit flew onto Chun Xi’s face, utterly breaking her composure as the Grand Tutor’s matriarch.

Chun Xi silently stepped back and sighed: “Aunt, as you saw, the Marquis was enraged over his infertility and nearly killed his second and third sons. He probably hates this child as much. I want the Severance of Kinship letter to protect her.”

Chun Xi’s words were sincere, and Madam Zhao, recalling Marquis Qingyuan’s murderous rage, felt a shiver of fear.

What if he went mad again and broke into the Grand Tutor’s Mansion to kill?

Moreover, since Qingyuan Mansion no longer recognizes this dead girl, why should the Grand Tutor’s Mansion keep her?

Even though Shen Qingchi is dead, she carries the stigma of poisoning her father. Even if the Grand Tutor’s Mansion raises the child, she will be implicated. She won’t have a proper marriage, let alone any prospects.

If Chun Xi is right, this child could grow up ungrateful, turning against the Grand Tutor’s Mansion—what a disaster that would be.

The more Madam Zhao thought, the more uneasy she felt. She declared loudly: “Shen Qingchi tried to poison her father; such a daughter-in-law is not recognized by our mansion. Since this child has returned to her maternal family, she has no relation to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion!”

Chun Xi had suggested the Severance of Kinship letter, and now Madam Zhao felt justified in agreeing.

Yun Wantang tried to mediate: “Sister-in-law, so much has happened today. Let’s return home and discuss with mother before deciding.”

Chun Xi added: “Yes, Aunt, this child is your legitimate granddaughter. If something happens to her at Qingyuan Mansion, wouldn’t you be heartbroken?”

Chun Xi’s tone made it seem like she was eager to pass off the hot potato, and Madam Zhao, fearing trouble, glared at Yun Wantang: “You need not say anything. Unless I die, I will never let this child enter the Grand Tutor’s Mansion again!”

In front of Li Mingde, Madam Zhao immediately wrote the Severance of Kinship letter.

After leaving the Marquis’s Mansion and boarding the carriage, Yun Wantang disapproved: “Sister-in-law, you were too impulsive today. Chun Xi actually cares about this child; she deliberately provoked you.”

Madam Zhao scowled at her: “You have no idea what it’s like. If you hadn’t interfered, the Grand Tutor’s Mansion wouldn’t have been embarrassed with Shen Qingchi. And Shen Qingchi, at five years old, was already helping her mother poison her father. Who knows what she would have done in the future if she hadn’t been caught?”

Yun Wantang: “……”