Chapter 674: Muddy Waters (1)
A shocking secret broke out in Dingjing City.
First, early in the morning, before daybreak, a middle-aged man knelt at the gate of the yamen, beating a drum and complaining that the Third Master of the Shen Mansion, Shen Wanqiang, had abducted a commoner's wife as a concubine, a crime condemned by heaven and earth. Though born with the appearance of a lowly, lowly person, the man somehow inherited a gifted eloquence, practically eloquent. His eloquence, interspersed with singing, was so captivating that it soon attracted a large crowd of onlookers. Within half an hour, the entire capital of Dingjing knew about the incident.
Thanks to the recent heated legal battle between the Chen and Shen families, the people of Dingjing City have become quite familiar with the legendary concubine, Chang Zaiqing. Shen Wan's willingness to divorce his wife of many years for her, even without any regard for her feelings, has fueled widespread speculation. Some gossip has revealed that Chang Zaiqing is the daughter of an old friend of General Shen's. She is well-educated, gentle, and elegant, even more charming than Chen Ruoqiu, and even pregnant with Shen Wan's child. Naturally, people's hearts are tilted towards Chang Zaiqing.
But early this morning, the middle-aged man and a young man knelt at the gate of the yamen and beat the faces of those who had said that Chang Zaiqing was a good person.
They say Shen Wan kidnapped someone's wife, but no one is stupid. Liuzhou and Dingjing are quite far apart. Chang Zaiqing had come to the Shen residence on her own initiative, claiming to be unmarried. As for the claim of forcibly seizing a woman, I'm afraid Chang Zaiqing paid for her herself. It seems Shen Wan, a man of intelligence and refinement, ultimately failed to see Chang Zaiqing's true colors. He'd been keeping someone else's wife for so long, he must have grown cuckolded.
As for what the man said, no one doubted it. Firstly, he was holding the marriage certificate, with Chang Zaiqing's name written in black and white, along with the official seal. Secondly, the young man who accompanied him looked exactly like Chang Zaiqing, but seemed more silent and bewildered.
Everyone pointed and talked, treating it like a joke that only happened once in decades. It's said that wealthy families are prone to gossip, but no one expected the master of a wealthy family to be so foolish. In the past, this matter could have been suppressed; it wouldn't have spread throughout Dingjing so quickly. But today, this man appeared suddenly, beating the drum to complain so early in the morning, making it difficult to suppress it. Besides, the officials in the yamen were also sensitive to others' expressions. Now that Shen Wan's entire family was imprisoned, who would care about Shen Wan's reputation? They just joined in the joke.
In a remote courtyard in the Chen Mansion, Chen Ruoqiu listened to the news that Shiqing had heard from outside, and laughed so hard that he fell backwards.
She was becoming increasingly lazy, and her appearance was becoming even more unkempt. The more she behaved, the less welcome she became within the Chen family. But she probably didn't care much. Her life now rested on bringing down the Chen family, and Chen Ruoqiu had undoubtedly accomplished that.
Chen Ruoqiu had indeed done it. After being married to Shen Wan for so many years, she knew something about his lifeblood. Adding up bits and pieces of information, and bribing someone who worked for Shen Wan, she delivered this evidence to Shen Wan's mortal enemy. She waited anxiously for news, and finally received good news.
Chen Ruoqiu's love for Shen Wan was as deep as her hatred for him. Shen Wan had made her so miserable, so she would never let Chang Zaiqing and Shen Wan have an easy time. When she learned that the entire Shen family was imprisoned, Chen Ruoqiu was relieved. However, she didn't expect that the next day, it would be revealed that Chang Zaiqing had a husband and son.
I never thought that after a lifetime of shrewdness, I would actually lose to such a woman who abandoned her husband and children. Chen Ruoqiu was originally laughing crazily, but as she laughed, she felt a bitter taste in her mouth. If she had been calmer, not so anxious, and sent people to Liuzhou to investigate, perhaps the result would not be like this. Shen Wan, who can't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes, knew Chang Zaiqing's identity. Even without Chen Ruoqiu saying anything, he would have hated Chang Zaiqing even more.
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