Sheng Li, upon hearing this, felt a moment of anger and embarrassment, but she quickly dismissed it with a哼哼, "Father, don't speak so harshly. What do you mean by using others? It's because they want to curry favor with me."
"Are there not many people who have wanted to curry favor with me over the years?"
As the only child of the Sheng family, many people had tried to curry favor with her over the years, all wanting to gain something from her.
These words caused General Sheng and his wife to look at Sheng Li as if she were an idiot, leaving them speechless. How could Sheng Li be so foolish?
"Sheng Li, you weren't like this before," Madam Sheng said, unable to accept it.
Sheng Li used to be obedient, sensible, and well-behaved. Now she was foolish, cruel, and selfish. How had she become like this?
Sheng Li secretly pouted, her expression instantly changing to one of docility and gentleness. She hugged Madam Sheng's arm and said coquettishly, "Mother, don't be deceived by outsiders. You know my nature best."
Before Madam Sheng could say anything, she added, "Mother, lend me your secret guards. My secret guards are too useless."
Madam Sheng immediately withdrew her hand, her voice filled with suspicion, "Why do you need my secret guards? Where are your secret guards?"
"They're all dead, along with their families. They were too useless."
Sheng Li said it as if she were talking about the weather, "I need your secret guards for something important. Just give them to me, Mother. After all, the entire Sheng family belongs to me."
Madam Sheng's hair stood on end. She looked at Sheng Li as if she were a stranger. Was this still her daughter?
Those secret guards were chosen by her and her husband for Sheng Li since she was young. They had been by her side for over ten years, and despite their hard work, Sheng Li had ordered them to commit suicide with their families, simply because she thought they were useless.
"Scoundrel!"
General Sheng pointed at Sheng Li, his anger palpable. "I'm telling you, the Sheng family does not belong to you. Also, I will discipline you with family law when we get back."
"On what grounds!"
Sheng Li's anger flared up instantly. "I am your only child. If you don't give the entire family to me, are you going to give it to outsiders?"
"I'm warning you, if you dare give what's mine to outsiders, I will not let you off."
Since childhood, everyone had told her that the entire family belonged to her, and she could do whatever she pleased.
General Sheng's expression changed, and he struck Sheng Li, knocking her unconscious.
"Husband..." Madam Sheng began, but General Sheng interrupted her with a raised hand.
"Madam, please find a doctor. I suspect something is wrong with Sheng Li; her emotional changes are too drastic."
"I understand what you mean, husband. We'll find a doctor on the way back."
After General Sheng and his wife had a doctor examine Sheng Li, Mo Lingxi also learned about the incident from his secret guards.
At that moment, he was discussing with Zi Cheng how to achieve their goals through the Prime Minister.
Upon hearing the news, he frowned, "Sheng Li is poisoned?"
The secret guard lowered his head slightly, "Yes. The doctor could not determine the specific poison Sheng Li was afflicted with."
"However, the doctor said that the poison Sheng Li has might be related to her change in temperament, and the doctor cannot detoxify it."
Mo Lingxi waved his hand, dismissing the secret guard. He suspected that the mastermind had poisoned Sheng Li and understood the mastermind's intentions.
"Uncle, this move by the mastermind is quite ruthless, killing two birds with one stone."
Zi Cheng's face was cold, "Now that Sheng Li's poisoning has been discovered, General Sheng and his wife will only dote on her more. This will make it easier for Sheng Li to cause trouble."
Mo Lingxi nodded with a cold glint in his eyes, "There's no need to worry too much about this. General Sheng and his wife are not people who would disregard right and wrong for their daughter.
"We just need to keep a close eye on Sheng Li, and we'll find a way to uncover the mastermind's tracks."
He had been investigating people who had grievances with the Sheng family for a long time but couldn't find out who was harming the Sheng family and Tao Lengshuang.
This matter seemed more complicated than it appeared.
Zi Cheng nodded in understanding, "Uncle, since the mastermind's target is General Sheng, why don't you talk to General Sheng about the situation? Perhaps General Sheng can think of something?"
Mo Lingxi pondered for a moment and decided to visit General Sheng later to see if he could find any useful clues.
Later that evening, Mo Lingxi quietly arrived at the Sheng residence.
The current residence of the Sheng family was not the previous one. The previous residence was bestowed by the emperor. General Sheng, now a commoner, could no longer live in the imperial residence and had moved to a residence owned by the Sheng family.
Only General Sheng and the loyal housekeeper of the Sheng family knew about Mo Lingxi's arrival.
In the study.
General Sheng bowed respectfully and said with genuine concern, "I heard you were at the border, and I knew it was your plan. Are you well?"
Mo Lingxi's expression was slightly indifferent, "I am well."
General Sheng, knowing the other's personality, sighed with pity, "If only... but what's the use of saying this now? I fear the empire will fall before long."
With the emperor no longer acting like an emperor and ministers not acting like ministers, the empire was in turmoil. No matter how loyal he was, he couldn't do anything.
Mo Lingxi's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his words carried a hint of menace, "General Sheng, please wait a little longer. Everything will get better soon."
General Sheng's dim eyes instantly lit up, and he bowed again with some excitement, "If there is anything you need my help with, please do not hesitate to command me. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Mo Lingxi softened his tone, "General Sheng, you are too kind. I am not here on official business this time, but on personal matters."
General Sheng looked puzzled, "May I ask what personal matters you are here for?"
Mo Lingxi explained in detail how the mastermind intended to harm Tao Lengshuang, emphasizing that the mastermind was targeting Tao Lengshuang because of Sheng Li.
"Does General Sheng have any clues about this?"
General Sheng thought for a long time but couldn't recall anything suspicious. "My family has no dealings with anyone surnamed Tao, nor do we know anyone surnamed Tao."
"But from what you said, this Tao Lengshuang is implicated by my family, which makes it even stranger."
Mo Lingxi: "General Sheng, among those who have grievances with you, who do you think would resort to such methods to scheme against you?"
General Sheng replied that there were many, many of them being despicable and shameless scoundrels who were adept at using such insidious tricks to harm others.
"I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If I find any clues, I will send you a message."
Mo Lingxi carefully examined General Sheng's appearance, and then thought of Madam Sheng, Sheng Li, and Tao Lengshuang's appearances. His suspicions grew stronger.
Had he misunderstood, or was the situation truly like this?
However, upon closer consideration, Sheng Li did not resemble General Sheng and his wife at all, whereas Tao Lengshuang bore a striking resemblance to General Sheng and his wife. This was clearly not right.
It seemed he needed to investigate this matter thoroughly.
Meanwhile.
Tao Lengshuang and her son, along with Aunt Shen Er and others, were preparing the things needed for the New Year. Various items needed to be prepared in advance, especially the sewing of new clothes.
Outside, snow was falling heavily, and the world was covered in ice and snow. However, the main hall was still warm, and the cold was not felt much.
As everyone was chatting and laughing, Tao Lengshuang heard someone calling out to Aunt Shen Er, "Aunt Shen Er, is someone from the village looking for you?"