Chapter 71 Of course I'll protect you
The winter morning was bitterly cold.
The osmanthus trees in Wen Gui Courtyard have stopped blooming recently, their branches and leaves are slightly withered, contrasting against the gray sky.
There is no sunshine today.
Inside the main room, the underfloor heating was burning warmly.
When Shen You slowly woke up, she was still a little dazed. The curtains beside the bed were drawn, blocking out the light of day.
A slender, fair arm peeked out from under the quilt, but quickly withdrew after touching the cool air that had just left the blankets.
She turned over, her eyes still sleepy, and stretched out two fingers to lift the curtain. "Green Ivy, what time is it?"
Her voice was slightly hoarse.
A single sentence brought back her memories, and the absurd passion she had experienced at Chenfeng Courtyard the previous night suddenly flooded her mind, making Shen You much more awake.
Upon hearing the noise, Green Ivy quickly brought in a washbasin, saying, "Miss."
She put the things down and went forward to hang up the curtain.
The first thing that caught her eye was the slightly open neckline of her own daughter, where the marks, like blooming red plum blossoms, made the originally elegant and refined woman even more charming and alluring. Green Ivy's ears turned red instantly, and she looked away uncomfortably.
this...
The Duke has gone too far.
Her daughter was carried back by him last night. From the moment she got off the carriage until she entered the bed, she was completely wrapped in a cloak, and no one could see a thing about her.
I initially thought the young lady had gone out with the Empress and gotten drunk, but I never expected it was because of this...
Zhenguo Gongping usually appears overly sharp and cold, but unexpectedly, he turns out to be like this when he's with his own daughter.
Poor girl, with her delicate skin, these marks all over her body, who knows how long it will take to fade.
Green Ivy was lost in thought, her movements slowing as she helped Chen You out of bed. She was brought back to her senses by Green Ivy's wave of her hand. "What are you thinking about?"
"...I wasn't thinking about anything..."
She picked up a dress from the rack and helped Shen You change, casually saying, "Miss, when we returned to our courtyard just now, I think I heard the master ask the second young lady to go to his study to find him. I wonder what important matter he wanted to discuss."
Chen Xiangning has never been one to enjoy socializing with outsiders, and nowadays she rarely goes out.
What good thing could Shen Yao be asking Shen Xiangning to go to his study?
Still feeling uneasy, Shen You went to the study after washing up and having breakfast.
In the depths of winter, the flowerbeds and trees of the Shen family mansion were no longer as lush and green as before, and a cold wind blew, causing the hem of the girl's plain-colored dress to flutter.
As Shen You turned the corner of the corridor and approached the study, he heard the sound of cups and saucers shattering on the floor.
Immediately afterward, Shen Yao flew into a rage, shouting, "It was an arranged marriage!"
"You have no choice but to agree to this marriage!"
Chen Xiangning's voice was extremely cold, "I've said it before, I won't marry."
"You have no choice but to marry me! It's not up to you!"
“Father, I am your daughter, not an object for you to use to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy.”
Inside the room, Chen Xiangning looked at Chen Yao with a face full of disappointment.
But Shen Yao didn't think there was anything wrong with what he was doing. "What's wrong with the heir of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion?"
“He is about your age, and he has just returned to the capital. There isn’t even a concubine in his courtyard.”
"Don't take your good fortune for granted!"
People outside now think that Chen Qiurong is seriously ill and unable to see guests, but they don't know that Chen Qiurong has lost her mind and has been secretly sent by Shen Yao to a manor in the suburbs.
Right now, the Shen family truly lacks a matriarch.
Given Shen Yao's status as the Marquis of Chengde, he could easily find a new wife.
Outsiders, unaware of the situation at the Shen residence, all assumed that Chen Qiurong was still safely residing there.
For the sake of saving face, Shen Yao had no choice but to abandon his idea of remarrying.
However, without a matriarch, the social interactions among officials' wives and noblewomen in Lin'an City would become difficult.
The Shen family already possessed only a noble title but no official position. If they were to lose connections and influence, they would become even more inferior in Lin'an City.
That's why Shen Yao had the idea of making the most of his two daughters' marriages.
With Chu Xiao protecting her, along with the assets left to her by her mother and Madam Shen, and her own quick wit and shrewd planning, Shen You is someone he absolutely cannot touch.
But Chen Xiangning is different; she has nothing, making her the easiest to manipulate.
"You know he doesn't have a single concubine in his courtyard, but do you know that after recovering from his illness in Jiangnan, he frequented brothels every day, was uneducated and incompetent, and even beat someone to death in the street?"
A lingering fragrance choked me slightly.
She didn't expect her future husband to be accomplished, but at least he had to be of good character. However, the young master of the Wen family in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion was even more outrageous than Shen Linhui before.
There are many rumors in the capital about this young master of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion who has just returned. Does Shen Yao really think that she doesn't know anything because she stays at home?
"...You, you're spouting nonsense without any evidence!" Shen Yao hadn't expected Shen Xiangning to know all this, but after a brief moment of speechlessness, he once again adopted the imposing manner of an elder, "It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, so what's wrong with frequenting brothels and theaters!"
What's wrong with beating someone to death in the street? Without evidence, who in Lin'an City would dare to openly criticize the young master of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion?
"Father!"
Chen Xiangning stared at Chen Yao in disbelief, her already cold expression gradually turning deathly pale.
In short, I will not marry.
"I'm your father! I naturally have the final say in your affairs!"
“You have enjoyed wealth and honor only because you are the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s family. Now it is time for you to contribute to the Marquis’s family.”
"You better behave yourself..."
"Bang—"
The atmosphere in the study was frigid, but before Shen Yao could finish speaking, the door was pushed open.
"Is that so?"
Shen You's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it was impossible to ignore.
With a casual sweep of those beautiful almond-shaped eyes, an invisible aura of intimidation was added, bearing a resemblance to the Duke of Zhenguo.
What are you doing here?
Shen Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone unfriendly.
Now that the father and daughter have met, they are practically at each other's throats.
Shen You stood next to Shen Xiangning, reached out and pulled her behind him.
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips as she looked at Chen Yao and said, word by word, "Come and see how my good father sells his daughter for personal gain."
"presumptuous!"
"How dare you speak to your father like that! It's utterly disrespectful!"
Shen Yao was so angry that his chest heaved rapidly, and he was panting heavily.
The smile on Shen You's lips never faded; his voice was soft and gentle, yet his words were enough to make Shen Yao slump into the armchair.
"Father, have you ever heard the saying, 'If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too'?"
"If our daughter is rebellious, it's because she learned it from you."
"you...!"
Shen Yao clutched his chest, and it took him a while to barely suppress the anger rising within him.
"What's the point of saying all this? Are you just having a childish argument here?"
He looked past Shen You and stared straight at Shen Xiangning, his tone icy.
"Ning'er, your father will never harm you."
"I have already reached an agreement with Madam Wen regarding this marriage. After the New Year, the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion will send over the engagement letter. Put away those inappropriate thoughts and just wait to get married."
After saying that, he glanced at Shen You, scoffed coldly, and left in a huff.
The study door was flung open with great force, and the biting winter wind rushed in, blowing the Xuan paper on the desk to the ground.
The wind also lifted the hems of the two girls' skirts.
Chen Xiangning's hands and feet were ice cold, and her hands, which were hanging at her sides, unconsciously clenched into fists, her whole body tense to the extreme.
Many images flashed through her mind in an instant: Shen Yao's gentle words to her when she was young, Chen Qiurong's constant reminders to marry into a wealthy family, and the scene where Shen Linhui mischievously pushed her into the pond, yet Shen Yao and Chen Qiurong did not reprimand him in the slightest.
The chaos made it difficult for her to escape.
However, the next moment, a weight fell on my shoulder.
A cloak carrying a faint scent of osmanthus flowers enveloped her entirely.
Drive away all those annoying sounds and images.
Chen Xiangning subconsciously turned her head and, under Shen You's worried gaze, tears fell one after another.
"...Eldest sister..."
Shen You held her shoulders and gently comforted her, "It's okay."
"If you don't want to get married, your older sister won't let you."
Chen Xiangning's eyes were slightly red.
She didn't know if she could handle this matter on her own without her older sister.
But now that her older sister is by her side, she instinctively wants to rely on her.
Shen You led her out of the study and back to Wen Gui Courtyard together.
The sky is overcast today, and there is no sunlight.
In the courtyard outside the study, a cold wind blew, and amidst the falling leaves, the two leaned on each other and slowly walked forward.
Wen Guiyuanli—
When Granny Zhao saw that the two young ladies looked unwell, she quickly instructed Green Ivy and Wisteria to prepare hot tea and bring over the white fungus soup that was simmering on the stove in the small kitchen.
Shen You and Shen Xiangning entered the room together. The floor heating was warm. She touched Shen Xiangning's cold hands and instructed Zhao Mama to bring the hot water bottle.
Hot tea, white fungus soup, and hot water bottles were all placed in front of Shen Xiangning.
The three women, including Granny Zhao, wisely refrained from asking further questions. After preparing everything, they left the room.
Shen You placed the hot water bottle into Shen Xiangning's palm, poured her a cup of tea, and handed it to her before getting up and entering the inner room.
She came out shortly afterward.
He was holding a small black wooden box in his hands.
Chen Xiangning had finished her cup of hot tea, and her fingertips had regained some warmth. She looked up at Chen You and asked, "Elder sister, what is this?"
Shen Yourou smiled gently and opened the wooden box.
Inside were the land deeds and documents of Zhuangzi and Puzi.
"this...?"
Chen Xiangning was a little taken aback.
Shen You pushed the wooden box in front of her, her beautiful eyes shining with a gentle light, "From now on, all of these are yours."
Shen Xiangning came to her senses and realized that Shen You was giving her a share of his business.
She immediately pushed the box back, saying, "Elder sister, I can't accept it."
“These are… left to you by your late wife and grandmother, I cannot accept them.”
Madam Shen left some of her properties to Shen You, but Shen Linhui and Shen Xiangning were also her grandchildren, so she naturally left things for them as well. However, these properties are now in Shen Yao's hands, and it may not be easy to get them back in the short term.
If Chen Xiangning wanted something to rely on, the estate, the shops, and the steady stream of money were the most important things.
The wooden box was pushed halfway before being stopped by a slender finger.
Shen You looked at Shen Xiangning and said, "This is your birthday gift for next year's birthday. It should have been yours anyway, but I'm giving it to you in advance."
Using a birthday gift as an excuse at least gives it a more formal name.
With tears welling in her eyes, Chen Xiangning stared blankly at Chen You.
After a long pause, he slowly nodded.
"Thank you, elder sister."
Seeing that she had finally accepted the gifts, Shen You's smile deepened. "As for Wen Tingyuan of the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion..."
"Don't worry, as long as you don't want to get married, no one can make things difficult for you."
Chen Xiangning wiped away the tears on her face. "Then what should we do?"
"Whether those rumors from Jiangnan are true or false can be found out by sending someone to investigate."
Shen You lowered his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.
After a moment, he looked up and said, "The Yong'an Marquis's mansion will send the engagement letter after the Spring Festival, so we still have time."
She already had a plan in mind, and her tone was much more relaxed now.
Shen Xiangning understood her meaning, pursed her lips, and finally slowly curved her lips into a smile.
"Eldest sister, thank you."
If it weren't for Shen You, even if she could come up with a solution, she probably wouldn't be able to find anyone to do it.
Shen You smiled, opened the lid of the white fungus soup bowl, and handed her the porcelain spoon, saying, "You are my only sister."
"If I don't protect you, who else should I protect?"
Her voice was gentle and natural, soothing away all the anxiety in Chen Xiangning's heart.
In the spacious room, the candlelight was bright yet soft, enveloping her entirely, as if she were radiating pearly light, making her appear incredibly gentle and beautiful.
A tingling sensation rose in Chen Xiangning's nose, and tears fell into the white fungus soup.
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