Chapter 87 The True Story of My Own Life

Shen Shu was slightly taken aback, and slowly raised her head, meeting Lin Wei's deep and complex eyes.

His eyes held none of the disgust and aloofness she had anticipated; instead, they held a gentleness and determination.

"Why didn't you take the umbrella?" Lin Wei asked softly, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible concern.

Shen Shu pursed her lips, not answering immediately.

She had assumed that after hearing her conversation with Wen Lanting, Lin Wei would choose to leave and become a stranger to her from then on.

"You...didn't you already know? Why did you still..." Shen Shu finally spoke, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Lin Wei nodded slightly: "I heard you, but so what?"

Shen Shu was stunned.

She never expected Lin Wei to accept all of this so calmly, let alone say such a thing.

"Don't you think... I'm scary?" Shen Shu asked in a low voice.

Lin Wei reached out and wiped away the tears on Shen Shu's face: "I'm glad you let me know."

If he had known sooner, he wouldn't have let Shen Shu bear all of this alone.

He will help her make these people suffer even more.

Shen Shu's eyes reddened slightly, and the tight defenses in her heart seemed to loosen a little at this moment.

"You don't mind me using you? Aren't you afraid I have other motives?"

Shen Shu's voice carried a hint of probing.

Lin Wei said in a deep voice, "If you really have other purposes, then I will become part of your purpose."

She looked at Lin Wei, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Why...?"

Shen Shu's voice trembled slightly. She couldn't understand why Lin Wei was so tolerant of her.

Lin Wei placed the umbrella in Shen Shu's hand: "Didn't the Imperial Advisor say long ago that you are my destined one? I will protect you and I will protect you no matter what lies ahead."

Shen Shu's hands trembled slightly as she gripped the umbrella tightly.

Lin Wei coaxed softly, "From now on, you won't mention breaking off the engagement again, will you?"

Shen Shu dared not look at him, nor dared she reply.

But Lin Wei knew that Shen Shu had agreed.

As he spoke, he summoned Shi Feng and asked him to take Shen Shuxian back.

Seeing that he wasn't coming with her, Shen Shu asked, "Where are you going?"

Lin Wei's face darkened as he recalled the words Shen Shu and Wen Lanting had spoken in prison.

"Go and do something very important."

...

The Bo Gong Mansion.

As soon as Shen Shu returned, she ordered someone to find Zhao Mama. Now, Shen Shu was the only mistress left in the entire Bo Gong Mansion, and all the servants obeyed her.

They quickly apprehended Zhao's mother, who was trying to escape to Baizhou.

It turned out that after Wen Lanting was imprisoned, Zhao Mama still held onto the hope that the Duke would rescue the Madam, so she continued to wait for news in the mansion.

But now things have turned out like this, with the masters of the mansion either dead, insane, imprisoned, or fleeing, completely shattering Zhao Mama's illusions.

So he hurriedly packed his things, intending to leave the capital.

But before he could even leave the mansion, he was caught red-handed by the servants.

"Mother Zhao packed up her valuables and planned to escape!"

"Second Miss! Spare me!"

Zhao's mother knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Shen Shu sat in the chair, coldly watching the scene before her, without a trace of pity in her eyes: "Mama Zhao, you are an old servant of the Uncle's mansion, you should be loyal and devoted, yet you have committed such a theft, and now you want to just walk away?"

Zhao's mother trembled all over, her forehead red and swollen from kowtowing: "Second Miss, this old servant was confused for a moment. This old servant only wanted to go back to visit relatives... not to abscond!"

Shen Shu sneered: "Visiting relatives? Bringing all your valuables on a visit? Zhao Mama, do you think I'm a three-year-old child who's easy to fool?"

Zhao's mother's face was ashen, and her lips trembled as she couldn't speak.

Shen Shu stood up, slowly walked to Zhao Mama, and looked down at her: "You absconded with the family's valuables and attempted to escape. Such behavior should, in principle, be handed over to the authorities."

“But… considering your years of service to the Earl’s mansion, I don’t want to make things too difficult for you. If you can atone for your sins, I might consider letting you go.”

Upon hearing that there was a chance for change, Zhao Mama's eyes lit up with hope, and she hurriedly kowtowed, "Second Miss, please tell me what you want this old servant to do, I will do it, I just beg you to spare this old servant this time."

Shen Shu's gaze was cold, but her tone was calm: "Who exactly is my biological mother?"

She initially thought Wen Lanting's words were just rambling nonsense, an excuse to save his life.

After all, she and Shen Xiao have exactly the same facial features. If they weren't twins, what else could they be?

Since Wen Lanting had said so, she had no choice but to consider it carefully.

What if... what if she really isn't Wen Lanting's biological daughter?

Once the thought arose, it grew wildly in her heart like weeds, and she couldn't suppress it no matter what.

Now, she can only seek answers from Zhao's mother.

Zhao's mother stiffened, a hint of hesitation and fear flashing in her eyes.

How did the second young lady find out?

"Second Miss, if I were to tell the truth, Madam would not let this old servant off the hook."

Shen Shu sneered: "Wen Lanting? She can barely protect herself now, how can she let you go? If you don't talk, I'll have someone send you to the government right now. Not only will you not be able to escape, but you'll also be charged with theft and absconding, and you'll never be able to turn your life around."

Zhao Mama trembled, and after weighing the pros and cons, she finally relented: "Second Miss, this old servant will tell you everything..."

"Madam actually has a twin sister, who is your mother... Back then, your mother and a merchant were engaged to each other, and your maternal grandfather originally did not agree to the marriage."

"But who would have thought that this merchant was actually the long-lost biological son of the current prime minister? Now, this marriage has become a perfect match."

"At that time, the lady had been married into the Duke's mansion for two years, but unfortunately the Duke was not ambitious. Although he had a title, he had no real status. If your mother had married the son of the prime minister, who would have held real power, her status would have surpassed that of the lady."

"The lady was unwilling to accept this, so she plotted against your mother, making the duke believe that your mother was the lady... that's how you came to be."

"And your mother lost her virginity before marriage, which prevented this marriage from taking place."

"Madam and your mother are twins, children born to the same man... so they naturally look alike. That's how we fooled everyone, and we only told the outside world that you and the eldest daughter are twins."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shu felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to her heart. She never imagined that such a shocking secret was hidden behind her background.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, then looked sharply at Zhao's mother: "And then what? Where did my mother go?"

Zhao's mother trembled and continued, "Your mother's reputation was ruined because of that incident, and she was also jilted. She became very depressed. Later, she may have returned to Baizhou... but she never returned to the Wen family."

Shen Shu's fingernails dug deeply into her palm: "That Shen Qiushan defiled my mother, and my mother never said anything?"

Zhao's mother said with trepidation, "What's done is done, what else can be said..."

Shen Shu's eyes were icy cold, and she exuded a chilling aura: "She just tolerated it? Let Wen Lanting take everything from her and ruin her life?"

Zhao Mama lowered her head, not daring to look Shen Shu in the eye: "Your mother... she is gentle and kind, and felt that the matter was already settled and there was no way to change it, so she could only silently endure it. The madam also promised that as long as she did not reveal that the person she lost her virginity to was the Duke, she would raise the child well after she gave birth and make you the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shu understood everything.

No wonder Wen Lanting was willing to be so ruthless towards her.

It turns out that she wasn't Wen Lanting's biological daughter at all.

Baizhou...

She needs to go.

Seeing that she had already asked what she wanted to know, Shen Shu looked at Zhao Mama and said, "You're quite sensible. Since you've told me what I wanted to know, I naturally won't make things difficult for you. However, you still have to do something for me."