Seeing how frightened Wu Liang and his wife were, Shen Shixu pressed his advantage. "If you tell us the truth, I won't pursue the matter of your scheming against my brother. Otherwise..."
Sometimes, it was better not to spell everything out. That left endless room for the imagination, especially when threatening someone.
By then, Wu Liang and Madam Wu were trembling at the punishments they had imagined, desperately searching their memories for anything related to Wu Qiaoyun.
Xiao Jinyi, however, quietly asked Shen Shixu, "Are you really going to let them off for scheming against Brother Shen?"
Shen Shixu deliberately leaned close to his ear and whispered. His warm breath brushed Xiao Jinyi's fair, jade-like ear, turning it red as though it had been boiled.
"I only said I wouldn't pursue their scheming against my brother. I never said my parents wouldn't, or that my brother wouldn't. Besides, aren't you still here?"
Xiao Jinyi couldn't resist pinching his cheek and scolded him with a laugh. "You little sly fox!"
Had Wu Liang been calm, he would have noticed the loophole in Shen Shixu's words. But Shen Zexi's earlier remarks had scared him witless, so he failed to catch it.
Wu Liang appeared to dote on Wu Qiaoyun. Even when rumors had spread that she was serving two husbands, he had done nothing to her or cut back on her comforts. Instead, he had continued treating her just as before.
Anyone who knew about it would have called him a doting father.
In reality, however, he felt little fatherly love for Wu Qiaoyun. He had raised her with such care only to use her as a bargaining chip to curry favor with the rich and powerful.
He had never expected Wu Qiaoyun to become anyone's lawful wife. He had raised her