Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

But Shen Zhiyi remained silent, his eyes fell on Xie Shumei, full of disgust.

Seeing that Shen Zhiyi still didn't say a word, Xie Shiyuan became ruthless and stood up suddenly, striding over to Xie Shumei.

"You rebellious girl, you have done such a shameful thing and brought trouble to the family." Xie Shiyuan was furious and raised his hand to slap Xie Shumei hard.

The slap was so powerful that Xie Shumei, who was originally kneeling, fell to the ground and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth again.

She looked at Xie Shiyuan in horror, her eyes filled with tears.

"Dad, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again." Xie Shumei cried and begged for mercy.

Xie Shiyuan remained unmoved, his face gloomy as he ordered his servants sternly, "Go and ask the family law."

The servant took the order and turned around and left in a hurry.

"Dad, Dad... I know I was wrong, please don't hit me. Aunt, please save me. Aunt, you have always loved me the most, please persuade my cousin to forgive me this time." Xie Shumei cried and begged for help from Xie Ningqiu, her voice was so shrill that it was unbearable to hear.

Xie Shiyuan turned a deaf ear to Xie Shumei's pleas for mercy. Although he loved his daughter, he also hated her for what she had done. She could have provoked anyone else, but Shen Zhiyi.

"Yier, Mei'er has been punished. She is your sister after all. Isn't that enough?" Xie Ningqiu said anxiously, his eyes full of resentment.

"Yier, don't you listen to your mother's words?" Xie Ningqiu spoke again, with a hint of trembling in her voice.

But no matter what Xie Ningqiu said, Shen Zhiyi did not give any response.

Soon, the servant brought a whip and a cane. Seeing this, Xie Shiyuan knew that if Xie Shumei wasn't punished, the matter wouldn't be resolved. He gritted his teeth, picked up the whip nearby, and lashed Xie Shumei hard.

"Snap, Snap!" The sound of whips rang out in the yard, and Xie Shumei screamed in pain.

"Cousin, I won't dare to do it again, please forgive me..." Xie Shumei's plea for mercy became weaker and weaker, and her body kept shaking under the whip.

Xu watched from the side, feeling distressed, but she did not dare to stop Xie Shiyuan. She could only cry and beg Shen Zhiyi for forgiveness.

Shen Zhiyi continued to watch all this quietly, without a trace of pity in his heart. This was the punishment they deserved. Only by making them realize their mistakes could similar things be prevented from happening again in the future.

After a long time, Xie Shiyuan finally stopped. Xie Shumei's body was covered with many bleeding whip marks, and her cries for mercy became very weak. He looked at Shen Zhiyi breathlessly, waiting for his response.

At this moment, Shen Zhiyi's attention was suddenly attracted by a small movement.

A head popped out of Tao Jiuxi's door, then instantly retreated like a frightened rabbit. Shen Zhiyi's eyes flickered slightly, and the next moment, he took a step and walked towards Tao Jiuxi's house.

He gently opened the door and walked into the house.

Tao Jiuxi was sitting by the bed, with a hint of uneasiness in her eyes. Her face was a little pale, obviously frightened by the noise outside.

"Axi, why don't you sleep a little longer?" Shen Zhiyi's voice was as gentle as the spring breeze, completely different from the stern look he had just had outside.

"How can I sleep when you're making so much noise outside?"

Shen Zhiyi reached out and gently touched Tao Jiuxi's head with gentle movements.

"Are you still dizzy?" His voice was full of worry.

"I'm not dizzy anymore. There must be something wrong with the pastry yesterday. Mu'er is still sleeping now." Tao Jiuxi frowned slightly. Thinking of what happened yesterday, he still felt a little scared.

"It's okay, it's just that the girl ate too much. You stay in the room for a while, don't come out, the matter is not resolved yet." Shen Zhiyi's tone was firm and gentle, making people feel extremely relieved.

"Ah."

Tao Jiuxi didn't say much. She knew that at this time, she should trust Shen Zhiyi.

She would not plead for anyone. If Shen Zhiyi had not been rational yesterday, what a terrible situation she and Shen Zhiyi would have to face today.

Whenever she thought of that outcome, she would feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, Shen Zhiyi's actions can also let his mother know their determination to prevent such a thing from happening again next time.

Shen Zhiyi returned to his seat in the center of the courtyard. His figure was like a silent sculpture, and he remained silent even after sitting down. His eyes were deep and cold, making it impossible to peek into his inner thoughts.

Xie Ningqiu was extremely anxious. She could no longer bear the pain in her heart and said in a trembling voice, "Yier, please spare Mei'er. It was your mother who gave you the medicine. If you want to blame someone, blame your mother."

As soon as she finished speaking, tears began to fall like beads from a broken string. Her eyes were filled with regret, but her heart was also filled with anger. She was angry at her son's stubbornness, why couldn't he just give in? She was also angry at her son's ruthlessness, how he could be so cruel to his own family.

At this time, after a short pause, Xie Shumei cried even more sadly. Her cry was shrill and desperate, as if it was going to drown out the entire yard.

Xie Ningqiu looked at her son's indifference and her niece's pain, and became increasingly anxious: "Are you asking your mother to kneel down for you?"

As she spoke, she pretended to kneel down.

Just as Xie Ningqiu's knees were about to touch the ground, Shen Zhiyi finally made a move. He reached out and held Xie Ningqiu firmly.

A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including helplessness and pain.

"Mother, if you're not afraid of losing your son, then please don't do such things again. If he does something wrong, I can't blame you, as you're my mother. However, please consider carefully whether I can bear the consequences."

Upon hearing this, Xie Ningqiu's body trembled slightly as if struck by lightning.

She never expected that Tao Jiuxi was so important in her son's heart, so important that her son would turn against her for her; so important that her son was using her to threaten her at this moment.

She felt more and more resentful towards Tao Jiuxi, who was hiding in the house.

But what she cared more about was whether Shen Zhiyi could be more soft-hearted and let Xie Shumei go.

"Mother will not force you to take a concubine in the future. Can you please spare Mei'er for my sake today?"

Shen Zhiyi naturally wouldn't let Xie Shumei off so easily. He turned his head slightly and said to Xie Shiyuan, "Uncle, what do you think we should do?"

Xie Shiyuan was delighted to see that Shen Zhiyi at least called him uncle. He knew that as long as Shen Zhiyi still recognized him as his uncle, the entire Xie family would not be implicated.

"Mei'er has done such a shameless thing this time. She will be locked up in the ancestral hall for seven days and then sent to Huici Temple to practice Buddhism for a year. Your aunt will take away the power of housekeeper. Yi'er, what do you think?" Xie Shiyuan carefully asked Shen Zhiyi about the arrangements.

"Nephew, I will obey your orders." Shen Zhiyi's voice was still cold, but there was a hint of helplessness in his tone. If it were anyone else, he might have killed them directly, but he had to consider his mother.

When Xie Shumei heard this, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

She didn't expect her father would punish her in this way after beating her. She felt a black screen before her eyes and almost fainted.

Mrs. Xu was also stunned on the spot, her heart filled with regret. She shouldn't have spoiled this ignorant daughter without any bottom line. She had to listen to her daughter instead of living a good life, thinking that as long as her daughter hooked up with Shen Zhiyi, the family business would be able to reach a higher level.

Now that she has ended up in this situation, she really regrets it.

"Today, I will say goodbye to my grandmother and will not bother my uncle anymore." Shen Zhiyi stood up, his tone revealing a hint of determination, and he was about to leave.

"Yier, where are you going?" Xie Ningqiu's face was full of anxiety. He quickly stood up and chased after him, stretching out one hand as if trying to grab Shen Zhiyi.

"It doesn't matter where I go, at least I won't be drugged by my closest relatives." Shen Zhiyi stopped, turned his head slightly, and looked at Xie Ningqiu with cold eyes.

When Xie Ningqiu heard this, his body shook violently, his face turned pale instantly, and then his legs went limp and he fainted on the ground.