Chapter 27: So You Admit It

Now that he knew the truth of Heng'er's birth, Shen Yishu had truly managed to get a hold on her. Heng'er was destined for greatness and a future of boundless splendor; he could not be subjected to scrutiny because of his origins.

She let out a silent sigh, and with no other choice, she turned back to cast a cold glance at Shen Yishu. Changing her direction, she walked toward a secluded spot. "Say whatever it is you have to say now."

Seeing Dou Hongyan's silent admission, Shen Yishu’s eyes turned bloodshot. "So you admit it? That bastard Shen Yuheng is the product of you and an adulterer?"

As the words left his lips, Dou Hongyan's gaze turned razor-sharp, landing on Shen Yishu’s face, which was distorted with fury.

He did not notice her seething anger and continued his reckless tirade. "I wondered why a woman with your venomous heart would adopt a child. So, he is just an inferior, lowly spawn. A child born of your wild man has no place in my Marquis’s estate, nor does he deserve the surname Shen—"

"Liuyun!"

Dou Hongyan spun around, her expression icy and her red lips parting decisively. "Slap this foul-mouthed creature! Let him see who it is that doesn't belong."

In this world, no one was permitted to have an opinion on Shen Yuheng's existence, let alone a piece of trash like Shen Yishu.

"You dare!"

"Is there anything I do not dare?"

Shen Yishu blustered before Dou Hongyan, expecting her to grovel, but he received no such reaction. He lost his composure and lunged forward, his hand raised to strike her face, but Liuyun had already acted on Dou Hongyan's command.

A resounding slap landed firmly.

It snapped Shen Yishu out of his rage-induced delirium. He was stunned. Clutching his rapidly swelling cheek, his lips drained of color, he pointed at Dou Hongyan and Liuyun, his mind a complete blank as he struggled to speak.

"You bitch! You lowly servant!"

Shen Yishu completely broke down. His eyes red, he shoved Liuyun aside and grappled with her, stumbling toward Dou Hongyan in a desperate attempt to vent his malice.

In his loss of reason, he did not notice the sharp gust of wind approaching from behind. Only when a stone struck his head did he grunt in pain, clutching his bleeding scalp as he turned back in fury. Upon catching sight of that imposing, majestic figure, he was frozen by the cold, heavy gaze cast upon him.

Soon, anger clouded his judgment once again. "Who are you? How dare you commit an assassination in the Marquis's estate! Someone, come here!"

"Guards! Seize this intruder who has broken into the estate! Take him down!"

His fingertips were sticky with blood, and the slap mark on his face made him look utterly ridiculous as he shrieked without a shred of dignity.

Soon, the clan elders, who had not yet traveled far, returned to apprehend the "thief." Xiao Ze strolled to Dou Hongyan’s side, arched a brow at the disheveled Shen Yishu, and curled his lips into a sneer.

To live like this—it would be better not to live at all.

"That's him! He broke into my estate to assassinate me and dared to wound me!" Seeing his support arrive, Shen Yishu pointed at Xiao Ze and glared. "Do you even know who I am?"

He waited, full of triumph, for the others to announce his name so he could witness the panic on Xiao Ze's face. But when he turned back, he saw that it was the elders who were trembling with fear. He blinked in confusion.

"Your Highness!"

The most senior elder, his beard quivering, nearly fainted from shock. His cane slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor. Trembling, he hurriedly knelt, prostrating himself with deep trepidation. "This humble servant failed to welcome you properly. Greetings, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live for a thousand years—"

"Greetings, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince."