As Shen Huaixu looked at the newly built grave mound, his eyes were no longer indifferent; instead, they held a madness and obsession.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if he had met a lover he had not seen for a long time.

"dig."

At his command, Zheng Zhiyi immediately led his men to dig.

At that time, Nan Yao and Madam Nan were on their way here.

Madam Nan still held onto a sliver of hope, saying, "Wanwan came back and told me she was wrong, that she would never leave us again, and that she wanted to see Zhizhi. So I told her that everything should be alright."

Nan Yao frowned and scolded her: "You, if she really knew she was wrong, why didn't she come to apologize to me? Why did she secretly go to find you on her own?"

Nan Yao sighed, "I heard that a group of people came to Yangjia Village. I hope it's just a coincidence."

Upon hearing this, Madam Nan's heart also jumped into her throat.

But she was still trying to comfort herself.

Nothing will happen. No matter how ruthless Nan Wan is, she is still a member of the Nan family, and Nan Zhi is her sister. She will not betray the Nan family.

When the two arrived at the top of the mountain, Madam Nan's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the coffin, which was already mostly unearthed.

"Wanwan, you actually lied to your mother?"

"Nan Wan, you unfilial daughter!"

When Nan Wan saw Nan Yao and Madam Nan appear, she felt guilty for a few seconds. Soon, she stiffened her neck and said, "Father, Mother, after all, my sister married Brother Shen. She was born to Brother Shen and will die to Brother Shen, so her body should belong to Brother Shen."

Nan Yao and Madam Nan were almost furious.

Nan Yao knew that now was not the time to cause trouble for Nan Wan. In order for Nan Zhi to rest in peace, he hurriedly went to beg Shen Huaixu.

"Young City Lord, I was wrong to have failed in my duty to raise my daughter. Please don't blame Zhizhi. She is dead. Please forgive her and let her rest in peace."

Shen Huaixu did not spare him a single glance in response to his pleas.

Nan Yao gritted his teeth and knelt down.

"My lord, I beg you, I beg you..."

Madam Nan was about to kneel down as well, and Shen Huaixu finally showed a hint of expression on his face, but it wasn't forgiveness, but rather annoyance.

He looked at Zheng Zhiyi: "Pull them away, don't let them get in the way."

Zheng Zhiyi was somewhat moved by Nan Yao and Madam Nan's behavior, but when he thought about what he had found out before—that they hadn't treated Shen Huaixu very well—he lost all sympathy.

He had someone pull the two apart.

At this time, the coffin was carried out and loaded onto a horse-drawn carriage.

Shen Huaixu mounted his horse, ready to depart.

Madam Nan cried her heart out from behind: "My lord, aren't you trying to kill us two old people?"

Shen Huaixu paused slightly as he rode his horse. He instructed Zheng Zhiyi, "Arrange for two people to guard them. They are not to die without my order."

"Father, Mother, please take care of yourselves." Nan Wan glanced at Nan Yao and Madam Nan, then followed Shen Huaixu.

There were no extra carriages in the procession.

She can't ride a horse, so Shen Huaixu must have personally taken her.

Unexpectedly, before she could even reach Shen Huaixu's horse, Zheng Zhiyi stopped her.

"Miss, please wait. The young city lord says you cannot come along."

Nan Wan was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Zheng Zhiyi placed a stack of silver notes in her hand and chuckled, "Isn't the meaning quite obvious?"

Watching Zheng Zhiyi ride away on horseback, Nan Wan, finally realizing that she had been used by Shen Huaixu, let out a piercing scream.

"Shen Huaixu, how dare you lie to me—"

Shen Huaixu brought the coffin back to Qingzhou, intending to bury it according to the rites for the young city lord's wife.

Although Zheng Zhiyi had guessed it, he was still very surprised.

The old city lord was extremely displeased when he found out.

“I heard from Deputy General Zheng that the woman didn’t treat you very well before. If you hate her, you can dig her up and whip her corpse. Why do you want to bury her in the mausoleum according to the etiquette for the young city lord’s wife?”

The old city lord was already on his deathbed. When he saw Shen Huaixu, although he saw a bit of his former self in him and was quite satisfied, he still disapproved of Shen Huaixu's actions.

It's worth noting that Shen Huaixu announced this news to the public as soon as he returned.

Moreover, many people saw what Shen Huaixu looked like on the day he entered the city.

Many noble ladies were captivated by him, and numerous high-ranking officials and nobles had already expressed their desire to marry their daughters into his family.

He is dying soon. When Shen Huaixu takes over, there will definitely be many twists and turns. Marrying a noblewoman will help him stabilize his position as city lord.

Now that Shen Huaixu has done this, if those high-ranking officials and nobles find out, they will think that their daughters will only be second wives when they marry into the family, and they will back down.

Shen Huaixu knew, of course, what he was worried about.

He said firmly, "She is my wife. If you can tolerate her, I will become the young city lord. If you cannot, I will take her away right now."

The old city lord was almost furious.

He thought that Shen Huaixu was still young and had been raised by a peasant woman, so he would definitely be obedient. Who would have thought that he would be so rebellious?

Is there any way to do this?

Chu Haoting is a complete idiot. Giving him the position of city lord would have been the end of it for Qingzhou.

Although Shen Huaixu was not raised by him, his knowledge and conversation showed the demeanor of a city lord.

He had no choice but to agree, but on one condition: Shen Huaixu had to choose a noblewoman to marry before he died.

Shen Huaixu agreed.

The old city lord was somewhat gratified.

But later, when those noble ladies came to visit, they all ran away in fright.

When the old city lord learned that every time a noble lady visited, Shen Huaixu would have her kowtow and offer incense to Nanzhi's memorial tablet, he felt that his lifespan had been shortened by several months.

Sure enough, he died of anger two months after Shen Huaixu returned to Qingzhou.

Before he died, he held Shen Huaixu's hand and told him that he must marry a noblewoman who could help him, otherwise he would not die in peace.

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