Chapter 632: Adding Fuel (1)

The Shen Mansion is in an uproar right now.

Perhaps Shen Wan's suggestion that Shen Yue marry into the Wang family as a co-wife finally made Shen Yue panic. When Shen Yue couldn't find a solution, she made a bold move and escaped from the Shen Mansion. Before leaving, she packed up all the valuable gold and silver in the house and gave a large carrying pole to Chen Ruoqiu.

Shen Wan was naturally furious and yelled at Chen Ruoqiu: “I asked you to keep an eye on her, how could she run away?”

Chen Ruoqiu was naturally terrified. She loved her daughter, so she hadn't completely imprisoned Shen Yue as Shen Wan had suggested. However, she hadn't expected Shen Yue to exploit her love for her daughter. Now that Shen Yue had escaped, she didn't know what to do. She said to Shen Wan, "We've sent people to look for her, Master. Yue'er definitely didn't mean to do this. She was just scared..."

Even at this point, she still didn't know she was wrong and was still making excuses for Shen Yue. Shen Wan sneered, "She's afraid? If she's afraid, would she marry someone else? If she's afraid, would she leave home on her own? If she's engaged, she'll be a wife; if she runs away, she'll be a concubine. I, Shen Wan, don't have such a shameless daughter!"

"How can you say that about her?" Chen Ruoqiu's eyes widened. "That's your daughter!"

Shen Wan has always regarded himself as a civil official. It is rare for him to say such harsh words, and he even scolded his own daughter. Chen Ruoqiu couldn't believe her eyes. After Shen Wan said this, he looked at Chen Ruoqiu with a flash of impatience and disgust in his eyes, and turned around and strode out of the house.

Chen Ruoqiu sensitively noticed that something was wrong with Shen Wan and almost collapsed to the ground. She grabbed Shiqing's arm and dug her nails into it. Shiqing turned pale in pain, but she didn't dare to move.

Word of the commotion in Qiushui Garden quickly spread to Rongjing Hall. Old Madam Shen sipped her tea leisurely, then smiled nonchalantly at the news. "Go ahead, go ahead, Chen Ruoqiu! You really think you're a new daughter-in-law." After a pause, she continued, "Like mother, like daughter. Each of them gives me so much worry."

Mother Zhang carefully patted her shoulder and said, "I wonder if the person looking for the Third Miss has found her yet?"

"Why would I care about him?" Old Madam Shen was furious. "I don't know how capable she is. She'll be back in disgrace soon. She's brought shame upon the Shen family. I'm leaving it to the Third Brother to deal with. I don't want to get involved in these trivial matters." She suddenly thought of something, frowned, and asked, "Is the Third Brother still running to the West Courtyard?"

Madam Zhang nodded. "The Third Madam and the Third Master have been bickering a lot lately. The Third Master has been going to the West Courtyard more frequently, often staying there for most of the day."

Old Madam Shen nodded, her eyes gleaming with a gleam as she said, "In that case, it's time to make a clear decision. Give the third child a son soon. I want to have grandchildren." She sneered, "That idiot Chen Ruoqiu should also see his own worth. Mother Zhang, go and do something. Things have been going badly for the Shen Mansion since we entered. It's time to have a wedding to get rid of the bad luck."

Mother Zhang nodded in agreement.

That night, when Shen Wan was still to return to his room, Chen Ruoqiu began to wonder. In the past, even when he was out socializing, he'd always send a servant to deliver a message, but today, he was nowhere to be found. Thinking back to the fight she'd had with Shen Wan earlier, she felt a surge of anxiety. A woman's age, after all, tends to fade, not as fresh and youthful as a young woman, but for a man, it's the perfect age. Now that Shen Wan and her were at odds, it would be disastrous if someone discovered he was taking in a new woman. Chen Ruoqiu was different from Ren Wanyun. Any lingering feelings she had for Shen Gui had long since been eroded by his successive women in his courtyard. As long as she could maintain her position as mistress of the household, Ren Wanyun cared little for anything else. Chen Ruoqiu, however, had monopolized Shen Wan's favor for years. Old Madam Shen was right: Chen Ruoqiu was inherently jealous, and she wouldn't tolerate Shen Wan having another woman.