Chen Zhao ignored Cheng Rujin and walked to the old lady's sedan chair, giving it a slight hand, acting as if he were a junior in the family.
The eldest wife of the Shen family, Mrs. Chen, also came out to greet them.
"Aunt is here, please come in."
"I haven't seen Qingyu for a while. She's getting more and more beautiful."
Su Qingyu looked at Chen's concerned eyes and sneered in her heart. She just felt disgusted when she saw Chen like this.
Her marriage to Shen Zhao was arranged ten years ago when the old masters of both families were still alive. In recent years, the Shen family has become more and more powerful, and Chen has wanted to cancel the engagement. She has often given her the cold shoulder in private, thinking that she is not worthy of Shen Zhao.
After Master Shen San passed away in her previous life, Chen's attitude towards her changed, becoming a completely different person. At the time, she thought Chen had finally seen her good side and accepted her. However, she never expected that everything was just a trick.
After Third Master Shen's sudden passing, the first and second wives barely had time to grieve before they began vying for power and property. Su Qingyu, not only from a marquisate but also with a maternal family that was a royal merchant, was the support Shen Zhao needed most. Chen's apparent demeanor was simply a desire to hasten the marriage.
When the group entered the banquet hall of Qingyuan Residence, they saw the old lady of the Shen family sitting on the kang by the window. She was wearing plain clothes and her eyes were red and swollen.
Seeing Madam Su come in, she hurriedly asked the maid beside her to help her stand up, and stepped forward to hold Madam Su's hand, "Sister-in-law, you are here? Come and sit down."
Madam Su helped her sit down and said comfortingly, "My sister-in-law, I am so sad. Zhixiu passed away so suddenly. You must take care of yourself."
"I just can't get over this. He's not even thirty years old yet, hasn't even married or had children, how could he have met with such misfortune?" Old Madam Shen said, and then she pinched the cotton handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her eyes twice.
Chen was worried about Shen Zhao's marriage, so she stepped forward and advised: "Mother, aunt, you are old, don't be too sad, otherwise it will hurt your health."
He then instructed Chen Zhao, "Take Qingyu with you to burn incense for your third uncle. Be careful to protect her and don't let anyone bump into her."
Shen Zhao bowed in response and took Su Qingyu and Cheng Rujin to burn incense.
Along the way, Shen Zhao kept talking to Su Qingyu about the recent trivial matters of the Shen family. His tone was intimate, and there was no sign of resistance to this marriage.
Su Qingyu glanced at Cheng Rujin beside her and saw that she had been biting her lower lip tightly, looking at Chen Zhao with resentment from time to time, and she was almost about to pounce on Chen Zhao.
And Shen Zhao would give Cheng Rujin a look from time to time, which was comforting at first and then a direct warning.
Su Qingyu shook her head slightly, a self-deprecating smile on her lips. She thought how blind she was in her previous life that she didn't even notice the way these two people were flirting with each other in private.
Because of the difference between men and women, a small mourning hall was set up in the inner courtyard, and the female family members all burned incense in the inner courtyard.
The place for burning incense was not far from Qingyuanju. The housekeeper from the inner courtyard was guarding it, and several young ladies from the Shen family were kneeling and burning paper.
Su Qingyu walked forward respectfully, took the incense handed to her by the old woman, knelt down and kowtowed three times.
While kowtowing, Su Qingyu sincerely apologized to Mr. Shen San in her heart. She said that she might disturb his funeral and asked him not to blame her, as she had no choice.
After muttering to herself, she stood up, lit the incense, and stepped aside.
When I returned to Qingyuanju, Shen Yue, the third daughter of the Shen family, was bringing in ginseng soup for the old lady.
"Grandma, please at least drink a few sips, otherwise your body won't be able to bear it." Shen Yue, dressed in mourning clothes, advised from the side.
Shen Yue is the concubine daughter of the eldest wife of the Shen family. Her biological mother died early, and she was raised as a legitimate daughter by Chen's side since she was a child, and was also registered under Chen's name.
In her previous life, Shen Yue and Su Qingyu were good friends. She spoke up for Su Qingyu several times and even did not hesitate to contradict Chen.
After Third Master Shen passed away, the Shen family's first and second branches fought fiercely for power. However, the leaders of the two branches combined were no match for the ability of half Third Master Shen. The Shen family encountered a series of disasters and was once in dire straits.
Six months before Su Qingyu was killed, Chen Yue was married to Prince Duan as his second wife at the behest of Chen Shi. Prince Duan was already in his forties and had dozens of concubines in his harem.
Su Qingyu begged Shen Zhao several times for this matter, but failed to change the Shen family's mind. At that time, the old lady was seriously ill and slept all day. Chen's hand was all over the place, and Shen Yue finally married into the Prince Duan's mansion.
Madam Shen didn't drink the soup and ordered Shen Yue and Shen Zhao, "Take the two young ladies of the Su family down to talk. Don't neglect them."
Shen Yue and Shen Zhao bowed in response and took Su Qingyu and Cheng Ruijin out of the main room.
Because it was a funeral, not an ordinary gathering, the few people did not want to talk and laugh, so they found an elegant flower hall to chat.
"Someone, bring the best purple bamboo shoots. Sister Qingyu likes them." Chen Zhao opened his thin lips slightly, and looked at Su Qingyu with a pair of sparkling peach blossom eyes.
"Thank you, Brother Chen Zhao. It's amazing that you still remember that I like to drink purple bamboo shoots. Oh, by the way, I'm afraid my cousin is not used to drinking purple bamboo shoots, right?"
Chen Zhao didn't know what he was thinking, and blurted out: "Bring another pot of osmanthus tea and a spoonful of linden honey."
After saying this, he was stunned and subconsciously looked at Su Qingyu. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Su Qingyu had turned around and was talking to Shen Yue.
Cheng Rujin's aggrieved expression immediately relaxed, and she said with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Chen Zhao."
When the servants served the tea, Su Qingyu looked at Cheng Ruijin's flower tea and asked, "Even the servants of the Shen family know about my cousin's preference?"
Shen Yue hadn't heard what Shen Zhao had just said, and was extremely surprised. "What kind of drinking method is this? Why haven't I seen this before?"
Su Qingyu explained, "My cousin is from Jiangnan and likes sweeter scented tea. We always have it on hand at home."
Shen Yue became even more suspicious and muttered, "Is Miss Cheng's reputation so famous? Even the servants in our mansion have heard about it?"
Chen Zhao was flustered and explained, "I heard Sister Qingyu say that before, so I gave the order just now."
But he also felt that he could no longer entertain guests here. If Su Qingyu found out, things would be troublesome.
Then he stood up and said, "I still have to write an obituary for my third uncle, so I'll go back to the study first. Yue'er will keep me company."
Less than a cup of tea after Shen Zhao left, Cheng Rujin put his hand on his forehead again and whispered, "I feel a little dizzy. Can I go to the guest room to rest for a while?"
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