Chapter 31: The Proof
Shen Yurou froze where she stood. The cold blade was already pointed at the front of her neck.
Slowly, she removed her hand from Wang Gege’s wrist.
"I apologize for my rudeness, Young Master..." Her voice trembled slightly.
As she spoke, she carefully stepped back. She had barely moved a single step when Xie Rong suddenly moved his sword.
The blade swept through the air.
Shen Yurou’s eyes widened. Before she could react, the cold edge was already resting against the side of her neck.
Her entire body instantly stiffened. The movement had been fast... Fast enough that she could not even see clearly how he had done it.
A thin strand of hair drifted to the floor and the entire hall seemed to hold their breath.
Nobody moved or spoke as they were worried they might be the next one with the sword on their necks.
Shen Yurou could feel the cold steel pressed lightly against her skin. Her breathing became uneven because she finally understood Xie Rong was not threatening her.
If she moved again without permission... The sword would move too.
"My sword usually wouldn’t cross the line..." Xie Rong’s hoarse voice slowly echoed through the silent hall. "Unless someone else crosses mine."
Lu Wenyuan swallowed hard. The sword resting against Shen Yurou’s neck made even breathing feel difficult. But after a brief hesitation, he still stepped forward. His hands were already clenched tightly inside his sleeves.
"Young Master Xie." His voice remained respectful and careful, "I apologize for my wife’s rudeness."
His gaze briefly landed on Shen Yurou before returning to Xie Rong, "She was merely concerned for her family’s servant and acted impulsively." He lowered his head slightly, "I ask the Young Master to show mercy."
Nobody dared interrupt and the hall remained deep in silence.
After all, the person standing before Xie Rong was not just Shen Yurou. It was an entire family.
The sword never moved. The cold blade remained pressed lightly against Shen Yurou’s neck.
"Mercy?" Xie Rong repeated the word softly.
The moment the word left his mouth, he suddenly bent forward and coughed. A mouthful of dark blood splattered onto the floor.
The sight instantly caused several people in the hall to gasp.
"Young Master!" Mo Yan stepped forward immediately.
Wang Gege’s face turned pale.
"Husband!" The hand holding his arm tightened instantly.
The poison was clearly getting worse. Yet Xie Rong merely wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. His grip on the sword never loosened.
When he raised his head again, his pale face somehow appeared even colder than before.
"You ask me for mercy." Xie Rong’s hoarse voice echoed throughout the hall before his gaze landed on Lu Wenyuan.
"Tell me, Scholar Lu." The faint smile on his lips disappeared, "If the poisoned tea had entered my wife’s mouth instead of mine..."
The sword shifted slightly. The cold blade brushed against Shen Yurou’s skin.
"Would you still be standing here asking for mercy?"
The hall fell silent.
Lu Wenyuan’s face turned pale. A moment later, he suddenly dropped to his knees.
"I beg for Young Master Xie’s mercy." His forehead touched the floor, "I ask the Young Master not to blame my wife for acting impulsively."
Xie Rong stared at him for a moment.
Then he slowly lowered the sword, not because he forgave them but because his body couldn’t hold any longer. He swiftly turned the sword before returning it to Mo Yan.
"Mo Yan." Xie Rong called weakly.
"This subordinate is here." Mo Yan replied right away.
"Bring Chuntao and as I ordered earlier... no one will leave this residence until we finish investigating."
"Yes, Young Master." Mo Yan bowed his head lightly, receiving the command.
Xie Rong no longer spared anyone another glance. The matter was already settled. Whether they were willing or unwilling no longer mattered.
His body swayed slightly the moment he took a step.
"Husband..." Wang Gege’s voice softened, "Let’s go home."
Xie Rong only gave a weak hum in response before she carefully guided him toward the entrance.
Chuntao was escorted by two guards and followed closely behind. The remaining guards of the Xie family surrounded the group as they left the hall.
No one dared to stop them.
The atmosphere remained suffocatingly tense until the last guard finally disappeared beyond the gates of the Shen Residence.
Only then did everyone release the breath they had been holding.
The pressure Xie Rong brought with him seemed to leave together with him.
Silence lingered for only a moment before a crisp sound echoed throughout the hall.
Shen Yurou’s head snapped to the side. The force of the slap was so great that she nearly lost her footing.
Everyone froze and Madam Shen stared in disbelief.
Master Shen stood before her, his hand still raised. His chest rose and fell heavily. The anger on his face was no longer concealed.
No longer restrained. For the entire ordeal, he had remained silent. He had watched, listened and endured. But the moment Xie Rong left the residence, the last thread of his patience finally snapped.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Shen Yurou, "Was it you?"
The question exploded from his mouth.
Shen Yurou slowly turned back. A red handprint was already forming on her cheek. Her lips trembled, "Father..."
"Answer me!" Master Shen roared. His voice shook with rage. "Was it you?!"
The entire hall fell silent. No one dared make a sound and even breathing felt like a sin because everyone could hear the fear hidden beneath his anger.
Xie Rong had been poisoned inside the Shen Residence. If this matter truly involved the Shen family... Then what awaited them would not be as simple as an explanation.
"You..." Master Shen pointed a trembling finger at Shen Yurou. The more he looked at her, the angrier he became.
"I knew something was wrong!" His voice echoed throughout the hall. "I knew there was something hidden behind all this!" He took a step forward.
The fury in his eyes made Shen Yurou instinctively step back, "When you suddenly insisted on swapping the marriage."
"When you and your mother lied to my face and told me Taotao was suffering from a high fever the night before the wedding." His chest rose and fell heavily, "I should have investigated further!"
The regret in his voice was impossible to miss. At that time, he had found the entire matter strange. Strange enough to question it.
Yet Madam Shen had assured him repeatedly that Shen Taotao’s illness was genuine. Shen Yurou cried and begged. In the end, he had allowed himself to be persuaded.
Now, looking back at everything that had happened, he felt as though he had been blind.
"Tell me!" Master Shen’s voice suddenly rose again.
"Was the marriage swap your idea from the beginning?"
Shen Yurou’s face instantly lost color, "Father, I—"
"Answer me!"
The shout startled everyone.
Even Lu Wenyuan frowned because this was the first time he had heard about Shen Taotao supposedly having a high fever before the wedding.
On the day of the wedding, when he was informed that he would be marrying Shen Yurou instead of Shen Taotao, he was overjoyed.
Because from the very beginning, that had been his goal. The person he wanted to marry had always been Shen Yurou.
At that time, he had simply believed fate was finally on his side. That Heaven had answered his wishes. He never questioned how the change happened and never questioned why the Shen family suddenly agreed because none of those things mattered to him.
All he saw was Shen Yurou standing in bridal attire. That alone had been enough.
But now, looking back at everything that had happened, Lu Wenyuan suddenly felt a chill run through his body.
If Shen Yurou truly had something to do with the marriage swap, then she had deceived not only the Shen family but him as well.
And if she was truly involved in Xie Rong’s poisoning... Then the matter was even more serious because he was her husband.
Three days ago, he might have been nothing more than a poor scholar. Now he was tied to Shen Yurou’s name, reputation and mistakes.
If the Xie family decided to pursue the matter to the end and discovered Shen Yurou’s involvement, nobody would care whether he knew about it or not.
"Father!" Lu Wenyuan suddenly stepped forward.
The sudden interruption immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
His gaze swept across the hall before stopping on Master Shen, "I can prove it."
The hall instantly fell silent.
Master Shen frowned, "Prove what?"
Lu Wenyuan took a deep breath then he turned toward Shen Yurou.
"I can prove that Yurou was not involved in Young Master Xie’s poisoning."
The moment those words fell, Shen Yurou’s eyes widened.