The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

As soon as Shen Zhizhi stepped into the courtyard, she saw Shen Qinshou supporting Shen Hongsheng as they stormed in, their eyes filled with anger that seemed to want to burn her to ashes.

"Shen Zhizhi! What kind of sorcery did you cast on the Second Prince?!"

Shen Qinshou's gaze was cold and sharp. He strode forward, pointed at her, and his face was so ferocious that he was almost unrecognizable.

In an instant, the situation changed drastically; the Second Prince was inexplicably so intimate with this vile woman.

Not only did he show her great care, but he also sent people to retrieve the glass bottle and the luminous pearl from the East Sea that had once been given to him, and then gave them to Shen Zhizhi.

If I hadn't already pawned some of my belongings for money, the losses would have been incalculable.

Shen Hongsheng was furious.

His expensive sandalwood canopy bed, which he often showed off when relatives and friends came to visit, was now being given away by the Second Prince to Shen Zhizhi.

How could he possibly show off any decent treasures in the future? It infuriated him.

Thinking of this, Shen Hongsheng's cloudy eyes filled with disgust as he stared straight at her. "It must have been you who spoke ill of A-Shou in front of the Second Prince. She is your sister. How could you be so cruel?"

Shen Zhizhi found it all laughable.

Vicious? When the original owner was starving and freezing here, did they ever think they were vicious?

The Prime Minister's mansion is large and powerful. What they have taken away from their courtyard is nothing to them. They will not change their extravagant lifestyle because of these things.

Shen Hongsheng's eyes flashed with hatred, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces. "You are so close to the Second Prince before you have even left your family. You are just like your mother, shameless."

"Father is rather amusing."

Shen Zhizhi glanced at him lazily and said sarcastically:

"While my sister is entangled with the Second Prince, she is also having an ambiguous relationship with the Third Prince. Father knew about this, but he did not do much to stop it. Who is shameless here?"

After thinking for a moment, I realized that the text did not describe how Shen Zhizhi's mother and Shen Hongsheng met. But judging from what Shen Hongsheng said, could it be that the original owner's mother forced herself on him?

Or is it that Shen Hongsheng is just in the habit of spouting nonsense and tarnishing the original owner's mother's reputation?

Shen Zhizhi sighed helplessly, "What kind of mess is this?"

"You! You filthy woman!"

Shen Qinshou, unable to contain her anger at her veiled mockery, completely forgot about the day she was kicked and took two steps forward, raising her hand to slap her across the face.

Shen Zhizhi nimbly retreated, barely dodging the slap that was coming at her.

Then, he turned to the side, stretched out his long leg, and kicked out with lightning speed.

"what--!"

With a scream, Shen Qinshou suffered another severe blow to her abdomen, collapsing to the ground, clutching her stomach and drenched in cold sweat.

"Ah Shou!"

Shen Hongsheng was stunned by this sudden scene. After regaining his senses, he hurriedly bent down to help Shen Qinshou, who was lying on the ground in great pain.

It's bad enough that his youngest daughter has become so audacious and reckless, but when did she even start learning martial arts?

"Father! She has no respect for her elders! You must stand up for A-Shou!"

Shen Qinshou was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face. She gripped Shen Hongsheng's sleeve tightly with both hands. Her pitiful appearance made it hard to imagine that she was ruthless.

"Shen Zhizhi! You are simply, utterly lawless! Guards, take Miss Shen to the ancestral hall and carry out family discipline."

Shen Hongsheng was very satisfied with his second daughter; she was ambitious and could also make the princes very happy.

Even without the Second Prince as her backer, she still has the Empress's own son—the Sixth Prince, Chu Yan.

In comparison, what good is it for Shen Zhizhi to have the Second Prince's backing? The position of Crown Prince is still uncertain.

Seeing that the guards following behind Shen Hongsheng were about to come forward to arrest her, Shen Zhizhi slowly retreated, secretly thinking of a way to escape.

"Stop it all!"

A furious shout rang out, and the guards who were surrounding them instantly stopped.

Shen Zhizhi stared intently.

Shen Chao was dressed in court robes, his eyes filled with coldness, his robes swaying with his steps.

He had just finished court when the Second Prince stopped him, showering him with sarcastic remarks, constantly referencing the Prime Minister's residence. He was initially puzzled by this, until the Second Prince warned him as he was leaving.

"If Shen Zhizhi is ever bullied again in the future, even if she pleads for her, I, Your Highness, will not let her off."

He then had the answer in his heart.

Upon returning to the Prime Minister's residence, he rushed to Shen Zhizhi's courtyard without even taking off his court robes. Seeing this scene, he was glad that he had arrived in time.

"Big brother!" When Shen Qinshou saw Shen Chao, tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. "Big brother, you must stand up for Ah Shou and Father! It's one thing for Third Sister to hit me, but she's also unfilial and talks back, making Father feel heartbroken."

Shen Chao pursed his thin lips, his dark eyelashes casting shadows beneath his eyelids, making it impossible to discern his expression.

He walked slowly over, gazing at Shen Zhizhi with eyes full of heartache. "Zhizhi, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, big brother," Shen Zhizhi smiled.

She might not be able to beat others, but an old man and a delicate, scheming woman together would be no match for her.

Shen Chao looked around and frowned.

Her courtyard was so dilapidated, and after he returned to the city, he hadn't cared about her basic needs. If it weren't for the Second Prince's reminder, he didn't know how long it would have taken him to find out.

Shen Hongsheng looked up in astonishment, "Chao'er, she did it first—"

Before he could speak, Shen Chao turned his head and interrupted him, "Father, I am not blind. I saw everything that just happened."

Shen Hongsheng knew he was in the wrong, and he couldn't really stand up for himself in front of his son. After all, the Shen family's long-lasting prosperity was partly due to his outstanding military achievements.

Shen Chao's gaze turned cold as he stared at the two guards who had just tried to surround him. "And you two, you even tried to harm your master? Go and receive your punishment."

"Yes!"

Shen Zhizhi knew that Shen Chao's actions were merely intended to serve as a warning to the servants of the Prime Minister's residence, so that they would not dare to bully her again in the future.

Shen Chao glanced coldly at Shen Qinshou: "Second sister is not feeling well, so go and ask a doctor to take a look."

Seeing how protective Shen Chao was of her, the two knew they couldn't cause her any trouble today. They glared at Shen Zhizhi resentfully and turned to leave.

After seeing the person walk away, Shen Chao turned around and said with concern, "Zhizhi, I've been so busy with court affairs lately that I've neglected you and didn't even know you had suffered these grievances."

"Big brother, I'm not wronged. I even kicked her just now, so I didn't lose out." Shen Zhizhi shook her head with a smile, her tone relaxed as if she didn't care about what had just happened.

Shen Chao nodded slightly.

I witnessed her martial arts skills on the street that day; she could easily handle anyone in the Prime Minister's mansion who hadn't learned martial arts.

But who was her teacher?

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Chao, unable to contain his curiosity, asked with surprise in his eyes:

"Who taught you this martial arts? Why have I never seen such strange moves before?"