I've been bullied and humiliated for thirteen years; when I wake up, I'll be bloodthirsty.

Chapter 246 A Strange Secret

"Father!"

"Father!"

"Uncle! How could you do this!"

Sheng Junye, who had just been forcibly dragged away by the guards but had managed to escape and run back, exclaimed in shock.

Sheng Junyi's expression was complicated, and Sheng Yunjiao's eyes reddened with shock.

Even Madam Sheng couldn't help but speak up, advising, "Brother, shouldn't we discuss this matter again? After all, this is a family matter of the Sheng family. Shouldn't we... shouldn't we tell sister-in-law? Yes, tell sister-in-law. Yangyang, Yangyang is also a distant relative of sister-in-law..."

Madam Sheng had been planning to marry Lu Yangyang to her son, but if Lu Yangyang were to be driven out at this time, all her schemes would fall through.

She simply couldn't find a better candidate than Lu Yangyang.

She couldn't help but glare at Sheng Yunzhu. That girl had always been cunning, and now she was ruining her plans again.

She looked at the Duke of Sheng's face with worry. No, she absolutely couldn't let Lu Yangyang be kicked out. She quietly took a few steps back and whispered something in the maid's ear.

But before the maid could take two steps, Duke Sheng stopped her, shouting, "Stop! What are you trying to do?"

The maid's legs went weak, and she knelt down with a thud.

Duke Sheng ignored the maid and instead looked coldly at Lu Yangyang: "Guards, drag Lu Yangyang away, give her fifty lashes, and banish her from the capital, never to return."

Upon hearing the Duke of Sheng's punishment of Lu Yangyang, Sheng Yunzhu was filled with resentment. Lu Yangyang had ruined her face, and her father was just going to let it go with a few lashes and send her away? The root of the problem must be eliminated; if Lu Yangyang were kept alive, her status would never be legitimate.

The best outcome would have been to eliminate Lu Yangyang while the opportunity was still available.

But at this moment, she dared not say a word. She bit her lip tightly, not daring to reveal her dissatisfaction in front of the Third Prince. The Third Prince had already done her a favor by helping her get justice; if she asked for anything more, the Third Prince would surely think she was being unreasonable.

But it's really hard to let Lu Yangyang go like this.

The Third Prince was also somewhat puzzled. The Duke of Sheng was not a kind-hearted man; he certainly wouldn't pity an orphan girl. So why was he treating Lu Yangyang so differently? Was the so-called punishment really going to be so lenient, just to end things like that? Lu Yangyang had publicly slashed his daughter's face; was he really just letting her go like that? No, it couldn't be that simple. Could it be… because of the Crown Prince?

The Third Prince's gaze deepened.

Duke Sheng had a bitter pill to swallow.

All his plans were completely disrupted today. Sheng Yunzhu's face was ruined, so this pawn was mostly useless. He still had Lu Yangyang to use, but in front of everyone, if he did not acknowledge Lu Yangyang's background, he would have no choice but to expel Lu Yangyang first.

He was the one who was most frustrated.

Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing we can do right now.

Duke Sheng gritted his teeth and ordered the guards in his mansion, "Take her down!"

The guards of the Duke of Sheng's mansion knew that Lu Yangyang was strong and not easy to deal with, so they did not dare to relax their guard at all after receiving the order. A dozen or so men gripped their weapons and cautiously surrounded Lu Yangyang from all sides, approaching her step by step.

Lu Yangyang stood in the center of the crowd, slowly waving the mask in her hand, a strange smile playing on her lips.

Her appearance was strikingly beautiful and intense. As she matured, her beauty became even more flamboyant, especially her excessively bright eyes, which could easily overshadow her features. When she wore a mask, this radiance gained an air of mystery. After the Crown Prince gifted her the first mask, he continued to send her new ones frequently. In the past two years, he had sent her over a dozen masks, each with a different design and pattern, ranging from phoenix tails and butterflies to peonies and peonies—all extremely ornate. This even sparked a small trend of wearing masks in the capital. However, because Lu Yangyang appeared infrequently, and because imitators could never replicate her mask perfectly, this trend didn't last long.

Now that she has removed her mask, revealing the remaining red scar, it looks somewhat frightening at first glance. However, when the corners of her lips turn up, it gives off a bewitching feeling. It doesn't look ugly, but rather has a kind of alluring beauty that describes a demon.

Many people were secretly alarmed by what they saw.

Even the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince were somewhat lost in thought.

As the Fifth Prince looked at the girl standing in the sunlight, his heart began to pound uncontrollably, as if it wanted to leap out of his chest.

He had never met anyone like Lu Yangyang.

How could there be such a person?

She was just a dark, thin, ugly, and lowly creature back then, someone who would make anyone feel disgusted just by looking at her. How did she end up looking like this?

The guards were already closing in on Lu Yangyang.

Lu Yangyang looked past the crowd at Duke Sheng and suddenly asked, "Duke Sheng, are you planning a rebellion?"

"Lu Yangyang, what nonsense are you spouting?" The Duke of Sheng was so shocked by her earth-shattering question that he roared angrily.

Lu Yangyang looked completely innocent: "Am I wrong? Banishing me from the capital and forbidding me from ever returning—what, does the capital belong to you, Duke Sheng? Isn't it said that all land under heaven belongs to the emperor? At least His Majesty's decree should be the deciding factor in whether I can return to the capital? Duke Sheng, could it be that…"

"Shut up! Stop talking nonsense!" Duke Sheng interrupted her hastily before she could finish speaking.

"I only said I would send you out of the capital. If you have the ability to come back, that is your own business and has nothing to do with me or the Duke of Sheng's mansion. From this day forward, you have nothing to do with the Duke of Sheng's mansion," the Duke of Sheng said decisively.

"No relation whatsoever? Never to be related? Are you sure?" Lu Yangyang asked.

"Yes, forever." Duke Sheng could not allow Lu Yangyang to continue spouting nonsense; he had to get rid of her as soon as possible, or who knew what might happen.

So he waved to the guards to hurry up and drag her away.

"Wait a minute," Lu Yangyang turned to look at Sheng Yunzhu, who was being protected by the Third Prince. Sheng Yunzhu was instinctively startled by her gaze.

Having come to this point, would Lu Yangyang still have any hope for the Duke of Sheng's mansion?

Sheng Yunzhu met Lu Yangyang's eyes with hatred. Why didn't she die? Why didn't she die?

Lu Yangyang said to Sheng Yunzhu, "See? I have severed all ties with the Duke of Sheng's mansion. Since that's the case, it's time for this story to come to an end."

“When I came to the Duke of Sheng’s mansion, you gave me a maid named Yuanxing, whom I liked very much. Later, she secretly reported my whereabouts to you several times, and I got angry and sent her away.”

"I never expected that when I saw her again later, I would learn a strange secret."

"Sheng Yunzhu, so Yuanxing's younger brother and sister-in-law are your own brother and sister!"