Chapter 84

The little maid trembled and said, “I heard the young marquis say that they were in a room together, with the young marquis lying on the bed, and Shi Yu on top of him.”

Uncle Zhong glanced at Xie Tingzhou’s expression, worried that he might be too angry, and quickly poured a cup of water.

“Your Highness must not be too agitated. It’s good that you now know what kind of person Shi Yu is, so you can wake up early and cut ties cleanly.”

Although Xie Tingzhou didn’t know what two people could do on a bed with one on top of the other, he knew Shi Yu well enough to be sure she wouldn’t have any romantic feelings in such a situation. But the thought still annoyed him—that fool had known Shi Yu longer than he had.

Uncle Zhong, full of expectation, was just waiting for the prince to give the order to expel that boy from the residence, thus fulfilling his mission.

Xie Tingzhou took the teacup and said calmly, “Get up.”

The maid glanced up and slowly stood, remembering Uncle Zhong’s instructions to leave nothing out, and softly said, “There is one more thing I forgot to mention.”

Xie Tingzhou motioned for her to continue.

The maid said, “Before Shi Yu came to the front hall, the young marquis said that the two of them had already promised to be together for life.”

Clink—

The teacup lightly hit the table, and Xie Tingzhou’s face turned dark.

The maid, frightened, dropped to her knees again.

Xie Tingzhou squinted his eyes. “Did he really say that?”

“Absolutely,” the maid kowtowed, “several people in the hall heard it.”

Uncle Zhong seized the opportunity to persuade, “Your Highness, as the saying goes, it’s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a single marriage. Since they have promised to be together for life, why don’t we help them with a modest gift and wish them a long and happy life together?”

Xie Tingzhou coldly replied, “Wish them a long and happy life together? Is Pei Chunli worthy?”

Uncle Zhong broke into a sweat. Oh heavens, it seems the prince is not only refusing to let go but even planning to forcefully break them up and take Shi Yu for himself. What a heartless act.

The problem is… Uncle Zhong found it difficult to articulate, only thinking to himself.

Listening to Pei Chunli’s description, Shi Yu seemed to be the one on top. The problem is, the prince doesn’t look like someone who would be on the bottom either. Haven’t they realized this issue yet?

Just thinking about it made Uncle Zhong feel embarrassed.

He wanted to say more, but Xie Tingzhou already put his hand on his forehead, “Enough, all of you leave.”

Uncle Zhong quickly shut his mouth, “Then we won’t disturb your rest any longer.”

Leaving the room, Uncle Zhong let out a long sigh.

He had thought the task assigned by the old marquis would be simple, but who knew it would be so difficult? The responsibility was heavy and the journey long.

If things couldn’t be resolved from the prince’s side, then perhaps they needed to approach Shi Yu.

……

As night fell, Shi Yu led people to the general’s mansion.

Shen Yan and Madam Shen had already retired for the night. Hearing that someone was heading straight for the storeroom, they hurriedly dressed and rushed over.

The storeroom doors were wide open, with ten people moving things out.

Madam Shen gasped in shock and scrambled forward to block the way. “What are you doing?!”

She turned to Shi Yu, her voice filled with malice, “What exactly do you want?”

A chair was placed at the storeroom door. Shi Yu sat there, unmoved, calmly saying, “I’m here to take back what is mine.”

Shi Yu raised her chin slightly, “Continue moving.”

Shopkeeper Lu stood nearby, checking the inventory, and called out, “The young master said to keep moving, hurry up.”

“This is the general’s belongings,” Madam Shen trembled with anger, “Shi Yu, you are going too far!”

“Who is going too far?” Shi Yu stood up from the chair, “Who took advantage of my father and brother’s deaths, held an unauthorized funeral for me, and tried to seize the family property?”

Shen Yan arrived a bit later than Madam Shen and heard this last part. She stood in the hallway, staring blankly at the people moving things in and out, seemingly in a daze.

Shi Yu noticed her and gave her a cold glance, “Did you really think you could get what you wanted?”

Madam Shen pointed at Shi Yu, trembling with rage, “I-I’ll report this to the authorities! You broke into private property and are committing theft.”

“Go ahead,” Shi Yu stood on the steps, looking down, “Send someone right now. Are you too scared? Do you want me to do it for you?”

Madam Shen was caught between a rock and a hard place.

She didn’t dare report because once the authorities were involved, Shi Yu being alive would be exposed, along with their unauthorized funeral. At best, it was a fight over inheritance; at worst, it was treason.

They thought they had a hold over Shi Yu, but Shi Yu had a hold over them as well.

The mansion had guards, but she couldn’t call them because few people knew the truth. The more people knew, the greater the danger. She could only watch helplessly as the gold and jade artifacts were moved away.

In her panic, Madam Shen finally saw Shen Yan and grabbed her, “Think of something!”

Shen Yan bit her lip and said, “Let her take them.”

“What?” Madam Shen was shocked, “These are our belongings. How can we let her take them?”

Shi Yu sneered, “Your belongings? These are my mother’s dowry. How dare you claim them as yours.”

Madam Shen’s chest heaved with anger. Suddenly, driven by rage, Shen Yan tried to stop her, but it was too late. Madam Shen pulled out the hairpin from her head and lunged at Shi Yu.

Madam Shen was no match for Shi Yu. Shi Yu caught her wrist and pushed her to the ground, leaving her disheveled and embarrassed.

“Mother!” Shen Yan rushed over.

Shi Yu looked down at the two of them, “Nominally, you are still Madam Shen. Of the things my father left, I only want his armor. Everything else is yours. But my mother’s belongings, I will take them all.”

Madam Shen brushed her hair back, “If Shen Zhong’an could see you now…”

“You should think about what he would think of you now,” Shi Yu interrupted, “Would he regret marrying you?”

Madam Shen felt as if she had been struck. She stood in a daze for a moment before suddenly laughing bitterly.

She wasn’t always like this.

When she first heard she was to marry Shen Zhong’an as his second wife, she had refused, thinking a man who spent his life at war would be uncouth and crude, with no sense of romance.

But when she secretly saw him upon his return to the capital, he wasn’t as she had imagined.

The general was handsome, sitting atop a tall horse, receiving the adoration of the people with such grace and charm.

She had a change of heart then and eagerly looked forward to marrying into the Shen family.

But reality shattered her illusions.

She still remembered Shen Zhong’an’s words on their wedding night, “I did not want to marry you, but now that we are married, you are part of the Shen family.”

See, to him, she was just part of the family.

There was no care, only courtesy.

Under the same roof, they were as distant as strangers. His heart was always with his deceased wife.

She later learned that it was the Marquis of Cheng’an who had forced him into the marriage. Back then, Shen Zhong’an’s position wasn’t as solid as it would later become, so he had been forced to comply.

His two children were always with him, never handed over to others. She bore the title of “mother” without any of the responsibilities.

When she became pregnant, her joy was tempered by resentment.

Whenever she complained, Shen Zhong’an remained silent. The more she spoke, the less he came home, eventually only returning once every year or two.

He roamed the battlefield while she lived in solitude, and her resentment festered, turning her into the bitter woman she had become, making the general’s mansion the way it was now.