The rustling whispers pulled Shen Feng back to reality. Once he came to his senses, his heart skipped a beat. Even if he was slow to react, he knew he had gotten himself into trouble.
He stiffly raised his head, meeting Madam Shen's dark eyes directly, and his heart sank to the bottom.
It's over, completely over.
His carefully cultivated image of a loving wife collapsed, and the people on Chu Taifu's side seized on his mistakes, inevitably leading to an impeachment.
His Majesty already harbored some dissatisfaction with him, and if today's events were to reach His Majesty's ears, Rushan would also suffer as a result.
At this moment, Shen Feng had only one thought in his mind. He was preoccupied with his reputation and career, completely ignoring his mother's pale face beside him.
He didn't know why he had acted so inappropriately on such an important occasion, he only remembered leaving the banquet after receiving Ye Rou's message.
Then, he inexplicably became known as the "adulterer" in everyone's eyes.
Su Jinyang sneered loudly, his arms crossed and his posture extremely unrestrained, almost as if he wanted to throw Shen Feng's face on the ground and stomp on it. "Everyone says that Marquis Shen is deeply affectionate towards Madam Shen and has not taken a concubine for many years. He is a well-known good man in the capital. But now it seems that he is nothing more than that."
After saying that, Su Jinyang smiled and looked at the dark-faced Shen family members, still not satisfied, and continued to mock them, "That's right, a man who can't even treat his own daughter well, how good can his character be?"
As he uttered his last word, the atmosphere froze, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Many guests felt that Su Jinyang's words made sense. Even they noticed Madam Shen's extremely unpleasant expression, but Marquis Shen didn't care at all. He didn't love his wife as much as the rumors outside suggested.
A person's subconscious reaction cannot be faked.
Shen Feng stared at Su Jinyang with a sinister look, hating him so much he wanted to grind his teeth.
This matter has nothing to do with him, so why is he getting involved?
Song Zhiyu was quite pleased with himself; his third brother's fighting prowess remained as formidable as ever, leaving the Shen family speechless.
Seeing this, Old Madam Shen glared at Chen Feng with a look of disappointment. Although she was furious, she still had to clean up the mess.
"You mentioned to me before that you intended to take Ye Rou as a concubine, saying that it would give Ru Shan a more legitimate identity."
At the time, Mother did not agree, thinking that she would wait until all the affairs of the household were settled before discussing it, so that the children could be mentally prepared. "Old Madam Shen took the initiative and downplayed the nature of their affair."
In Madam Shen's view, it was common for men to have three wives and four concubines. Moreover, how could a dignified marquis like Shen Feng really stay with one woman for the rest of his life? It was perfectly normal for him to take a concubine.
Taking Ye Rou into the household was a last resort.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng immediately realized what was going on. Although he felt somewhat wronged by Ye Rou's words, he still went along with Madam Shen's wishes for the sake of his own reputation.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mother. Rushan was raised by me personally when he was young, and we have a deep bond. I did not want to separate you and your mother, so I came up with this idea."
He described his selfish motives as being for Chen Rushan's sake, and his high-sounding manner made Song Zhiyu twitch her lips and roll her eyes, losing all her elegance.
She was the one who brought these two lovers together, finally freeing them from having to be together in secret anymore.
The Marquis of Chengen's residence is going to be very lively in the future.
Song Zhiyu curled his lips in schadenfreude, standing not far away and leisurely enjoying the pale and ashen faces of the Shen brothers.
"If Your Excellency wishes to take a concubine, naturally no one will stop you. But one cannot have it all; there is no such thing as a free lunch."
"The Marquis is, after all, a high-ranking official of the court, a man of considerable standing. If he truly cares for Ye Rou, he should first take her into his household. He mustn't do anything that would be beneath his dignity and make him a laughingstock."
The eldest princess already looked down on Shen Feng, and now it was even worse; her tone of voice was also somewhat cold.
She had long seen that Shen Feng was not a good man, full of scheming and treacherous methods. However, he had never revealed any flaws, so the princess did not say much. She simply kept her distance from the Chengen Marquis's mansion to avoid getting involved.
Shen Feng was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. Every word the princess said felt like it was tearing at his face, making him extremely embarrassed.
If Shen Feng still doesn't understand that there's something fishy about this matter now, he'd truly be a fool.
Song Zhiyu still felt the fire wasn't burning bright enough, and she wasn't willing to let Ye Rou disappear as if nothing had happened.
She smiled mischievously, a hint of mockery in her eyes, "After all, Aunt Ye is Young Master Rushan's mother, and she has been living in the mansion for some time now. She gets along very well with everyone in the mansion, and treats Eldest Sister like her own daughter."
My father wants to take her as a concubine, and I'm happy for that. I don't think my eldest sister and the other brothers will have any objections.
Her words directly expressed her attitude and stance, and her tone was relaxed and natural, showing no sign of reluctance.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to the Shen brothers and Shen Jinshu, their gazes burning with anticipation for their answer.
Shen Jinshu was caught in a dilemma. She still needed her mother, so she couldn't afford to break ties with her.
But on the other side was her biological mother's hopeful gaze, leaving her feeling like she was being roasted on a fire, unable to choose either side.
Seeing this, Mother Shen clutched her chest and took two steps back, feeling distressed.
She never expected that the children would be so casual about Shen Feng taking a concubine, especially Shen Jinshu's hesitant expression, which felt like a sharp knife stabbing into her flesh.
The child she had cherished and raised like a precious jewel was not on her side at the crucial moment.
She hesitated, about to say something, when suddenly her arm was firmly grasped by Old Madam Shen.
Madam Shen's cloudy yet sharp gaze fell on Madam Shen, and then she lowered her voice, her words carrying a hint of reassurance.
"Now is not the time to make a scene. I know you're upset. Let's deal with this after the birthday banquet. Let's not give others a reason to laugh at us."
If his own family members start making trouble, then Marquis Chengen will truly become a laughing stock in the entire capital.
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