Chapter 9:

Chapter 9:

"So, just because a mere servant claimed I bribed the guards and stole the ledgers, you assumed me guilty without even asking for an explanation?" Shen Yuhan's voice cut through the main hall like a cold blade. Her gaze swept toward the kneeling Xiao Ling before rising to face her father and Su Wanning. "Is a servant beside second sister more trustworthy than the legitimate eldest daughter of this family?"

A pin-drop silence fell over the hall.

She turned, slowly, her expression cold and unreadable. "Mother always pretends she doesn't favor either daughter," she said with a sneer, "but tell me, if it had been Ming'er or Ah Zhu kneeling here today, accusing second sister of bribing the guards, would you have brought her before Father to be judged? Would you have allowed second sister's name to be so casually tarnished—just as you're doing to mine?"

Su Wanning's lips parted, but no words came. Her face, carefully trained in elegance and composure, froze for just a moment. Her inner thoughts were frantic—Am I that foolish to let my only daughter's name be ruined in front of everyone? Of course not.

But outwardly, she only offered a gentle, practiced smile. "Of course, Yuhan. No matter who my child is, if any of you had broken the rules of this household, I would have brought you before your father to seek justice. Even if it were Yulan, or Yanli, or Yanxu."

She sighed, and her tone softened like warm silk. "But Yuhan, we're not speaking of your younger siblings now—we're speaking of you. As the elder sister, shouldn't you set an example instead of dragging them into your mess?"

A flicker of approval crossed Shen Zhirui's face as he sneered. "Ha! Sensible? From her? If this girl knew what sense was, would she have committed such a shameful act at such a young age?"

Shen Yuhan didn't bother responding to their barbed remarks. Instead, she turned toward the trembling figure still kneeling nearby. "You said I bribed the guards to steal the ledgers?" Her voice dropped into something far more dangerous—calm, cold, and precise.

Xiao Ling, who had been feeling proud just moments ago, stiffened. Meeting Shen Yuhan's gaze was like staring into a pit of knives. Her heart skipped. Her lips parted to speak but quivered. Still, she nodded.

Before Shen Zhirui could jump in again, Shen Yuhan crouched gracefully in front of the maid and stared directly into her eyes. "Then tell us in detail—what exactly did you see that day, when I allegedly bribed the guards?"

Xiao Ling instinctively looked toward Su Wanning for reassurance. But before she could even shift her neck fully, Shen Yuhan's hand moved—slender fingers pinched her chin and tilted her head back, forcing her to meet those pitch-black eyes.

"Don't look around," Shen Yuhan said softly, chillingly. "Look at me. Into my eyes. And answer clearly."

Xiao Ling's body trembled. She had rehearsed her lines with Shen Yulan and Madam Su a dozen times, but now her mind went blank. Still, she managed to choke out: "That day… I saw you hand a pouch of silver to one of the guards. You said something to them before they left. Then they returned later… with a stack of ledgers wrapped in silk."

Shen Yuhan smiled faintly. "My, how vivid your memory is. You must have a photographic mind."

"Master!" Xiao Ling turned frantically to Shen Zhirui. "What I said is true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"She's already confessed," Shen Zhirui snapped. "Yuhan, what else do you have to say in your defense?"

"Father," Shen Yuhan replied evenly, "she is lying. I never bribed anyone. This servant is fabricating lies to frame me."

"You're lying!" Xiao Ling shrieked. "Master, I swear I'm telling the truth! Eldest Miss really did it! Guards—say something!"

At her signal, the two bribed guards stepped forward with forced solemnity.

"Yes, Master," one of them said. "It's as Xiao Ling said. That day, Eldest Miss came to get the ledgers. We tried to stop her, but then—"

"…Then I gave you a pouch of silver, and your integrity vanished," Shen Yuhan finished smoothly, amusement flickering in her tone. "You brought me the ledgers I supposedly needed to steal. That's your story, yes?"

The guards paused, unsure of what to say, but then nodded eagerly. "Yes, exactly as Eldest Miss said!"

Shen Zhirui rose from his seat, slamming his hand against the tea table with a loud bang. "So you admit it now, Shen Yuhan?"

Before she could speak, Shen Yulan's delicate sobs rang out. "Sister… if you needed the ledgers, you could've just asked Mother. She would've helped you. Why go behind everyone's back…"

"Yuhan…" Su Wanning's face crumpled with disappointment. "Child, how could you do this? It's good that you finally admitted it. Hurry and apologize to your father. Accept your punishment."

But Shen Yuhan only blinked at them. Then her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Admitted? When did I ever admit anything?"

She stepped forward, her voice louder now as she addressed the entire hall. "Look at them. Listen to what they said. They claimed they tried to stop me. But when given silver, they gave in. What does that say? That for the right price, they'd do or say anything. Even betray this family. Even lie."

She turned to Shen Zhirui and dramatically knelt in one swift, dignified motion. "Father," she said calmly, clearly, "they accused me of bribery. But I accuse them of colluding with others to ruin my name."

Then, without hesitation, she kowtowed—once, twice, thrice—each strike of her forehead against the floor loud and sincere.

"I ask you to be fair and bring justice to your daughter," she said, lifting her head with unshed tears glimmering in her lashes. "Please."

This sudden shift in the air left everyone present speechless.

Shen Zhirui raised his hand, wanting to scold her, to berate her—but no words came out. His mouth opened and closed, his anger momentarily silenced by the weight of her plea and the clarity of her reasoning.

Even Su Wanning and Shen Yulan were taken aback, their expressions flickering with momentary panic. The story had twisted too fast, too sharply, leaving them with no time to adjust their act.

This Shen Yuhan... is becoming more and more unpredictable.

The same thought echoed in the minds of everyone present.