Zhao Xiangxue's expression froze, and she stammered.
Even if Shen Cong is predicted to be a jinx to his wives, she has no choice but to bite the bullet and jump into the fire.
She wiped away her tears and said, "It's too late to say anything now. So what if our horoscopes don't match? I have no choice but to marry her."
Then, gritting her teeth, she continued, "But other things can't be skimped on. I want you to make a big show of bringing the betrothal gifts to the Zhao family. You absolutely can't wrong me."
Qu Jingyun scoffed upon hearing this: "You want us to make such a big fuss over such a small matter? Are you kidding me?"
“This is no small matter; this is General Shen’s son marrying his principal wife.” Zhao Xiangxue stared wide-eyed at Qu Jingyun.
But Qu Jingyun frowned and asked in return, "General Shen's son? What General Shen's son is this?"
She looked at Shen Yunting with displeasure and questioned, "Don't tell me you have another son outside."
"How could that be?" Shen Yunting denied without even thinking, "I only have two sons."
Zhao Xiangxue was shocked by what she saw and quickly sat up straight, asking, "What do you mean by this?"
"It's nothing." Qu Jingyun smiled and was about to say something when she was interrupted by Shen Cong, who couldn't stand it any longer.
Shen Cong stepped forward and directly asked Zhao Xiangxue, "The Shen family has two sons, one of whom is not in the capital, and the other is me. I'd like to know who exactly is under your blanket?"
When Zhao Xiangxue saw Shen Cong appear behind Qu Jingyun, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
She pointed at him with her index finger: "You, how did you get there?"
"Why can't I be here?" Shen Cong scoffed, then questioned, "Then where do you think I should be?"
"You keep saying that I dragged you into the private room, didn't you even see my face?"
Zhao Xiangxue finally realized something was wrong. Her gaze fell on the high bulge of the quilt, and she stared in astonishment.
If Shen Cong is there, then who is the person next to him?
In a panic, Zhao Xiangxue dodged to the side and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.
Seeing this familiar scene, Shen Cong finally felt much better.
Zhao Xiangxue finally mustered up the courage to pull back the blanket, revealing Xiao Liu's smiling face.
Xiao Liu jumped up, pouting, and said, "Madam, I was dressed neatly and did nothing to her. You must stand up for me. I don't want to marry someone like that."
Qu Jingyun nodded, then said to Zhao Xiangxue, "Why is it such a big fuss when a servant of my Qu family is delivering betrothal gifts?"
"But it seems that my servant does not want to marry Miss Zhao, and nothing has happened between the two of you before, so why don't we call off this marriage?"
Zhao Xiangxue sat on the ground in a daze, and it took her a long time to react.
He glared at the family of three in front of him with hatred.
"You plotted against me?"
“It wasn’t us who schemed against you, it was you who schemed against me,” Shen Cong interrupted her.
Even now, is there anything he doesn't understand?
The thought of almost letting Zhao Xiangxue succeed made him feel nauseous.
"I..." Zhao Xiangxue wanted to continue speaking, but she watched helplessly as the family of three in front of her changed their expressions.
His overwhelming aura rendered her speechless.
"You think you can outsmart us?" Qu Jingyun sneered.
He then said, "I sympathize with you because your parents are forcing you to marry into the Qian family against your will, but that is not a reason for you to scheme against my son."
Unexpectedly, Qu Jingyun even knew about this matter. Zhao Xiangxue couldn't help but speak up and accuse, "What do you know? I have no other choice. Lord Qian is almost old enough to be my father. He has also caused the deaths of two wives. I will die if I marry him."
Zhao Xiangxue made a desperate accusation, bursting into tears of genuine emotion.
“But this has nothing to do with us. We can’t sacrifice our son’s happiness for the rest of his life to fulfill your wishes.” Qu Jingyun took a deep breath, a hint of reluctance showing on her face.
"The only person in this world who can save you is yourself. Since you have the guts to scheme against us, why don't you have the guts to stand up to your family?"
"After all, if you marry someone out through scheming, the future won't be any better."
"As a fellow woman, I don't want to use any other methods on you. Consider today's events as a lesson for Shen Cong, and I can pretend nothing happened."
“But if you insist on plotting against Shen Cong, I don’t mind ruining your reputation.”
After saying this, Qu Jingyun sighed and finally said, "You'd better take care of yourself."
Without giving Zhao Xiangxue another glance, he turned and strode away.
The father and son followed behind in small steps, leaving Zhao Xiangxue alone, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Take today's incident as a lesson learned. Be more careful in the future and don't let others lead you by the nose."
Shen Yunting patted Shen Cong's shoulder lightly, looking helpless.
"If it were your father, what would you do?" Shen Cong couldn't help but ask.
His response was met with looks from Shen Yunting and Qu Jingyun as if they were staring at a fool.
Shen Yunting sighed helplessly: "If I were you, this would never have happened in the first place. My alcohol tolerance wouldn't allow me to be schemed against, let alone what happened afterward."
"I wouldn't be foolish enough to easily believe what others say."
His words were no different from pointing his finger at Shen Cong and calling him stupid.
Shen Cong felt embarrassed and quickly said, "I understand, stop talking."
He looked frustrated and dejected.
But then he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Where is Brother Yun?"
"I've already had someone send him home." Qu Jingyun couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Shen Cong smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything more.
After this incident, Shen Cong became noticeably more vigilant.
The next day, after court, when he saw Yun Xiujin again, he looked listless and as if he had been deeply shocked.
"What's wrong with you?" Yun Xiujin asked hurriedly.
Shen Cong hesitated, wanting to say something but unsure what to say, and could only manage a bitter smile.
Seeing that the other party had no intention of speaking, Yun Xiujin did not press the matter and changed the subject, saying, "Have you heard something? Lord Qian has been imprisoned."
Shen Cong was suddenly stunned. Could this Lord Qian be the Lord Qian that Zhao Xiangxue was talking about?
He then asked, "What's wrong with him?"
“Just last night, a maid from his household went to the Dali Temple to accuse him of harming his two wives and abusing his maids in the mansion. The evidence was conclusive. After learning of this, the Emperor immediately issued an edict to convict him, confiscate his property, and exile him to Lingnan.” Yun Xiujin’s voice grew softer and softer.
Upon hearing this, Shen Cong was at a loss for words.
After responding, he bid farewell to Yun Xiujin and left.
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