Although she and Geng Liangcheng had no children, Geng Liangcheng still had cousins, and the Geng clan remained a large family. As Geng Liangcheng’s wife, her own family would also be disgraced because of this—unless these clans expelled both of them from their lineages.
"Your Highness!" At that moment, two stooped, white-bearded men dressed meticulously approached, supported by a young man. They bowed. One was the Geng clan leader, the other the clan leader of Madam Geng’s maiden family. The Geng clan leader said, "This old man also finds the rumors hard to believe. We beg Your Highness to judge fairly. If it is indeed true that our Geng clan has produced such a criminal, we will surely expel him from the clan!"
Madam Geng’s clan leader echoed the sentiment.
Expulsion from the clan was an extremely severe matter—one’s name would be struck from the clan register, and even in death, they could not be buried in the ancestral graves. With no one to make offerings, they were doomed to become wandering ghosts. Fortunately, Geng Liangcheng had no descendants. If he had, his future generations would be left without protection, vulnerable to bullying.
Shen Yueshan had anticipated all of this. If not for these circumstances, why would dealing with Geng Liangcheng require such elaborate efforts? Thus, the evidence they demanded—both witnesses and physical proof—was complete.
The witnesses included Sang Yin, two lieutenant generals who had attempted to rescue Geng Liangcheng, and countless others who had witnessed the confrontation between Geng Liangcheng and Shen Yungan beneath the city tower that day. The physical evidence was an agreement Geng Liangcheng had signed with the Turkic king, mistakenly believing that Xiao Juesong would come to his rescue, under the persuasion of Xiao Changtai. This agreement was later discovered among the letters left by Xiao Changtai.
Shen Yueshan first called forth the witnesses, who recounted the events one by one. With each statement, Madam Geng’s face grew paler. Finally, when the physical evidence was presented, the Geng clan leader immediately declared Geng Liangcheng expelled from the clan.
Madam Geng, heartbroken and anguished, still shook her head, unwilling to believe any of it.
Sang Yin had initially felt some guilt. He knew Geng Liangcheng had sided with His Majesty, intending to seize an opportunity to assassinate the Northwest King. To frame him with the charge of colluding with the enemy felt morally uneasy. But when he saw the agreement Geng Liangcheng had signed with the Turkic king, Sang Yin’s unease vanished completely.
"Sister-in-law, confined to the inner quarters, you may be unaware of Geng Liangcheng’s actions. I hereby issue an order granting you a divorce from him. You may return to your family," Shen Yueshan said. In truth, he suspected that as Geng Liangcheng’s wife, Madam Geng might not have been entirely ignorant of his deeds. But he had no wish to be merciless.
By divorcing Geng Liangcheng, she would sever all ties with him. With Shen Yueshan’s explicit permission for the divorce, even upon returning to her clan, no one would dare treat her with disrespect.
"Ha ha ha ha ha…" Madam Geng suddenly burst into manic laughter. When her laughter subsided, her eyes burned with hatred and resentment as she glared at Shen Yueshan. "What a hypocrite, this Northwest King! My husband would never betray the Northwest to collude with the Turks! It must be you... You discovered that he resented you for your ruthless impartiality in executing our son, and that he had sent word to the court. So you went to such lengths—feigning death, attacking the Turks—all just to ensure his demise!"
As she spoke, her gaze swept deeply over Sang Yin, Wei Ya, and the others. "Just you wait! He aims to become the emperor of the Northwest! He has no loyalty to the court. If any of you choose to remain faithful to the sovereign, my husband’s fate will be yours—every last one of you—"
After her furious cry, Madam Geng raised her hand, clutching a dagger, and plunged it violently toward her own heart.
Just before the dagger could pierce her body, a fine needle struck her wrist, numbing it. The blade only managed to graze the surface, causing a minor injury. Powerless, she collapsed."Zhenzhu, stop Madam Geng's bleeding!" Shen Xihe had sensed from the moment Madam Geng appeared that she wasn't there to seek justice or to force Shen Yueshan to publicly convict her husband before the crowd.
She had come for revenge, to plant seeds of disaster for Shen Yueshan. If she had truly managed to shed blood after delivering her speech today, even if it didn't sway the common folk much, figures like Sang Yin would likely have harbored doubts in their hearts.
It wasn't a matter of distrusting Shen Yueshan, but some matters were so shocking that they inevitably bred suspicion.
Thus, Shen Xihe had kept a close watch on Madam Geng. Fortunately, she acted swiftly enough. Xiao Huayong, who was in the carriage with her, had intended to intervene, but with Xiao Changfeng nearby, any move from Xiao Huayong wouldn't have escaped his notice. Shen Xihe restrained him.
Shen Yungan and Shen Yueshan were different from her after all.
They had fought alongside Geng Liangcheng on the battlefield, and Geng Liangcheng hadn't actually committed treason—he had merely sided with His Majesty. To some extent, both of them still cherished old sentiments, making them more lenient and reluctant toward Madam Geng. Xiao Changfeng's gaze swept over Shen Xihe; the Crown Princess's grasp and foresight of human nature had left him deeply impressed.
Not only did she have to deduce Madam Geng's intentions, but she also had to intervene at the perfect moment. If she had acted too early, before Madam Geng revealed the dagger, it might have seemed as though Shen Xihe was preemptively silencing her out of guilt. If she had acted too late, Madam Geng would have succeeded in planting a subtle thorn in the hearts of the Northwest King's closest allies.
A tiny thorn, perhaps unnoticed at first, but once conflicts or disagreements arose with the Northwest King in the future, that thorn would stir. The insignificant wound it had festered over the years would suddenly rupture or even rot, becoming incurable.
For many, dying to prove one's integrity was an immensely shocking act.
However, this shocking scene never came to pass. Shen Xihe's perfectly timed intervention turned it into a farce for Madam Geng instead. The onlookers clearly saw the integrity and magnanimity of the Shen father and sons, as well as the narrow-mindedness and hatred-blinded ugliness of Madam Geng.
At this thought, Xiao Changfeng couldn't help but glance at the Crown Prince, who was also partially visible. Xiao Huayong was currently gazing at his wife with full admiration, even a touch of infatuation. He wasn't putting on a show for Xiao Changfeng; it was instinctive for him to delight in witnessing Shen Xihe's decisive actions, admiring her unreservedly, never tiring of the sight.
To Xiao Changfeng, this scene confirmed that the Crown Prince was utterly and devotedly under the Crown Princess's thumb.
And indeed, he was utterly devoted—just not in the way Xiao Changfeng imagined, as a case of female dominance over male weakness.
Madam Geng's farce thus came to an end. After today's spectacle, no one would ever believe another word she said, no matter what she did in the future.
Madam Geng was taken into the residence, where her injuries were treated. The needle Shen Xihe had shot from her bracelet hadn't yet lost its effect. Shen Xihe specifically came to visit the bedridden Madam Geng, dismissing the servants: "What are you thinking about, Madam?""
Madam Geng, aware that Shen Xihe had ruined her flawless plan and left her in this awkward position, averted her eyes, refusing to look at her.Shen Xihe sat down by the bed instead: "Allow me to guess. You must be aware that I would send someone to escort you out of the prince's mansion unscathed. After you leave, you plan to hang yourself at the mansion's main gate tonight, believing that such an act will surely yield some result."
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