Sinking in Yunnan?

Why would my fourth sister mention him?

Shen Wan felt something was off, so she asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Shen Wei was a little embarrassed to speak, afraid that someone would overhear, so she leaned closer to Shen Wan before saying, "The thing that Third Aunt was worried about has happened..."

Shen Wan didn't react for a moment, so Shen Wei could only explain in more detail.

Shen Wan's brows furrowed into a knot.

What is the third wife worried about?

When Hongkui was pregnant, the third wife worried that the second wife would protect her and keep the child, which would damage the reputation of the young master of the Marquis's mansion and lead the other young masters astray. Sure enough, her words came true, and it happened to the third wife's own son, Shen Dian.

Shen Dian was led astray.

The Third Madam never allowed Shen Dian to touch the maids around him. She often reprimanded the maids serving in Shen Dian's courtyard. Anyone who dared to seduce the Third Young Master would be beaten to death. The maids kept to their duties, and Shen Dian dared not act recklessly.

He thought Shen Li was the same as him, but although the second wife warned him, Shen Li agreed on the surface but ignored her in private. In dealing with the Hong Kui matter, he made Shen Dian realize that it didn't really matter if they touched each other, as long as they didn't have a son born out of wedlock before the wedding and affect the marriage proposal.

Then--

All the maids in the courtyard, whether beautiful or not, were taken advantage of by Chen Dian.

Shen Wan was unaware of this matter because it hadn't become a big deal, but when the Fourth Madam found out, she gave the Fourth Young Master, Shen Dan, a severe reprimand.

The Fourth Madam has no say in what happens to Shen Dian, but she will never let her own son off lightly if he dares to be unchaste.

When the Fourth Madam was scolding Shen Dan, Shen Wei overheard it by chance and learned about Shen Dian's mischief towards the maid. She hadn't taken it to heart, and she wasn't one to gossip. She brought it up with Shen Wan because she had seen Shen Dian on her way to the Ling Prince's mansion.

Shen Wei said, "I saw Third Brother enter the Hundred Flowers Pavilion..."

Shen Wan frowned, recalling the sight she had seen that day of the young master Wu with his arm around his shoulder. She asked, "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

Shen Wei nodded repeatedly, "Not only did I see it, Chunlan saw it too."

As Shen Wei spoke, Chunlan nodded emphatically.

Shen Wan's expression turned sour.

The Marquis's family rules strictly forbid descendants from entering brothels and other places of pleasure. If a young master from the Marquis's family has been found to frequent brothels, people will definitely question the laxity of the family rules, which will inevitably affect the marriage prospects of other young masters in the family, not only Shen Dan, but also her elder brother.

Shen Wan's marriage to Shen Du is like a fishbone stuck in her throat. In her previous life, her elder brother couldn't get what he wanted. In this life, if she is held back by these people and her elder brother and Princess Huai'an can't be together in the end, she will be so angry that she will die!

Didn't the old lady often remind them to prioritize the reputation of the Marquis's mansion? Now that her own grandson treats the family rules like a fart, she'd like to know how the old lady will punish Shen Dian when she finds out.

Then there's Shen Dian. He's already gone too far by harming the maids in his own courtyard. He even dared to go to brothels for thrills. The Third Madam deeply resented Young Master Wu's frequenting of brothels and ordered him to go to the brothels to arrest him, yet he still dared to knowingly commit the crime.

Shen Wan grew angrier the more she thought about it, and Shen Wei said, "Should I tell Third Aunt about this?"

Shen Wei didn't want Shen Dian to do anything that would damage the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, and hoped that the Third Madam would keep an eye on him. However, the Third Madam was narrow-minded, and the Fourth Madam never allowed her to meddle in other people's business. Now, Shen Wei listened to Shen Wan the most, and even the Fourth Madam had to come in second place.

If she didn't know about this, that would be fine, but if she did, Shen Wan would definitely intervene. The second and third branches of the family were going to separate, and she wouldn't be so idle as to meddle in other people's business. But as long as they were still living in the Marquis's mansion, Shen Wan wouldn't allow them to tarnish the Marquis's reputation.

Shen Wei trusted her, which is why she told her about this. Fourth Madam's concerns were valid. Shen Wei's marriage was better than Shen Rong's, which was enough to make Third Madam jealous. If she were to tell her about Shen Dian, Third Madam would be even more furious with Fourth Madam. If Third Madam were to cause some trouble, Fourth Madam would be in deep trouble.

Moreover, it would be a shame not to take advantage of such a good opportunity to sow discord.

Shen Wan gestured for Shen Wei to come closer and whispered something in her ear. Shen Wei's eyes widened in surprise.

Shen Wei was a little worried, "Won't my second and third aunts start fighting again?"

Shen Wan smiled and said, "Don't you like watching a show?"

Shen Wei, "..."

Big sister Yan'er is bad.

But she likes it.

Shen Wei stayed at the Ling Prince's residence for a full hour before leaving.

The next day, after lunch, Shen Wan felt a little sleepy and prepared to go to bed for a nap. Just as she was about to undress, Dong'er rushed in and said, "Your Highness, someone from the Marquis's residence has come to tell you to go back immediately. They say the Marquis intends to have the Third Young Master beaten to death..."

Shen Wan, “…???”

If Shen Dian were to sleep among the willows and flowers, his father would be furious. Shen Wan knew this, but surely it wouldn't warrant the beating to death of Shen Dian?

The old lady only had one grandson, Shen Dian. If her father was beaten to death and Shen Dian was killed, wouldn't the old lady want to die?

What exactly happened to make my father so angry?

Feeling uneasy, Shen Wan immediately ordered a carriage to be prepared so she could return to the Marquis's residence to check on things.

Inside the study.

Xie Jingyan was looking at the account books when Chen Feng brought in tea and reported, "My lord, something has happened again at the Pingyang Marquis's residence. They've sent someone to invite the Princess back."

Xie Jingyan frowned.

The Pingyang Marquis's mansion only has a few masters, yet the troubles they cause are almost comparable to those of the imperial family.

Feeling uneasy, Xie Jingyan wanted to accompany Shen Wan back. He didn't believe there was anything Shen Jing couldn't handle that required Shen Wan's return.

As Shen Wan stepped out the door, she saw Xie Jingyan coming from the study. Xie Jingyan said, "I'll go back with you."

Shen Wan said, "I can go back by myself."

“I’m not at ease,” Xie Jingyan said.

"..."

“Family scandal, Father won’t be happy for you to know,” Shen Wan said in a low voice.

"..."

This time it's not just a family scandal, but a very serious one.

The young master of the Marquis's mansion frequents brothels and taverns, and the old lady even protects him and doesn't allow him to be severely punished. If she wants her son-in-law to do the same, how can Shen Jing manage him?

It's certain that Xie Jingyan is going, and his father will only deal with the matter more severely in order to make an example of him.

Xie Jingyan is no ordinary person like Chen Dian. He is not only virtuous but also a romantic. It would be a great injustice for his father to take the opportunity to reprimand him.

No matter what Xie Jingyan said, Shen Wan wouldn't let him go. Xie Jingyan knew that Shen Wan was stubborn, so he didn't insist. However, he didn't go, but he sent someone. Usually, when Shen Wan went out of the mansion, only Zhao Qi secretly protected her. This time, he also sent Chen Feng.

Shen Wan didn't intend to hide the matter of the Marquis's residence from Xie Jingyan; he could send whoever he wanted to follow her.

He led Yinshuang toward the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, and once there, they boarded a carriage and headed straight for the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

As Shen Wan stepped into the Marquis's residence, Shen Wei quickly came to greet her, her face pale and looking terrified.

When Shen Wei approached, Shen Wan asked, "What happened? Why did Father order Third Brother to be beaten to death?"

Shen Wei shook her head, her voice trembling, "I don't know either. Steward Zhou led people to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to arrest Third Brother. After returning to the manor, Uncle was furious and wanted to beat Third Brother to death. Father and Second Uncle fought desperately to stop Uncle..."