Chapter 638 Return (1)

The General's Mansion in Dingjing City was once a riot of splendor, viewed with respect by outsiders. Whenever the General's Mansion was mentioned, people would recall the mighty general's heroic deeds and his heroic presence on horseback.

However, ever since the eldest wife's separation from the Shen family two years ago and their expulsion from the Shen clan, the General's Mansion has been declining at a noticeable rate. Although Shen Gui and Shen Wan have tried their best to restore the former glory of the General's Mansion through their careers, the paths of civil servants and military officers are fundamentally different. Civil servants rely on their brains and their mouths, and achieving merit takes a long time. Military officers, on the other hand, can earn the respect of the people simply by winning a battle and beheading a few enemy leaders.

After the General's Mansion declined, although it still had a name, it was no longer as popular as before. It had finally regained some attention in the past few days, but as good news doesn't travel far, bad news travels a thousand miles. The most surprising thing was the current incident. A rumor had been circulating among the neighbors since some time, saying that Shen Wan, the third master of the Shen family's third branch, was planning to divorce his wife.

Of the three sons of the Shen family, besides Shen Xin, Shen Gui, though smooth-talking, was too attracted to women, making his actions less clear. Unlike his second brother, Shen Wan was a man of integrity and not overly lustful with women. While he would occasionally flirt with colleagues in brothels, he never caused any messy or disturbing incidents. He was also very careful about his reputation, and in the eyes of others, he was a man of great social skills and talent. If he could persevere for a few more years, he would probably rise to a higher position.

The wives of the officials also had a good impression of Shen Wan, not for any other reason, but because Shen Wan doted on his wife and daughter, and there was no other woman in the backyard. The wives of the officials inevitably had some troubles in each courtyard, and they were always jealous and envious of Chen Ruoqiu. After all, it was not easy to meet a husband who only treated one person well.

Who would have thought that at this critical juncture, when Shen Yue had already gotten married, Chen Ruoqiu and Shen Wan suddenly came up with the idea of divorcing his wife.

The rumors in the market were all very detailed, so they said, "That's right. I heard it's because Third Madam Shen is childless. Look, there's not a single grandson in the Shen family now. We can't let the family line end here. Not to mention that Second Master Shen brought concubines into the house one by one, he did have two sons in the past. But Third Madam Shen never had a son, no wonder she's anxious now."

"That's true. Mr. Shen San has a good career after all. It's a pity that he doesn't even have someone to inherit such a huge family business in the future."

"Mrs. Chen herself is not very fertile and has not been able to give birth to a son for so many years. She also doesn't allow her husband to take a concubine. It's really rude. Ordinary people would never say such things. If I were Master Shen San, I would definitely not be able to stand it."

"She won't even let him take a concubine? Tsk, such a ruthless and jealous woman, and she's childless, which is really unique. Madam Shen San is really pitiful."

Rumors circulated throughout Dingjing City all favored Shen Wan. Chen Ruoqiu had once been a renowned talent, born into a scholarly family, and extremely popular among the noble ladies. But this time, both the common people and the women who had previously flattered or befriended her were unanimously accusing her of wrongdoing. Perhaps it was because Chen Ruoqiu had previously lived an overly blissful life, inciting envy. Now that that bliss was showing signs of crumbling, everyone was either gloating or taking advantage of her misfortune.

In the Shen Mansion, Chen Ruoqiu smashed the white porcelain vase in front of him with a "bang". The vase fragments flew onto the ground, and the ground was covered with debris. Chen Ruoqiu was still not satisfied, and overturned the teacup on the table to the ground. He did not dare to express his poetic and artistic feelings, and let Chen Ruoqiu make such a big noise.