For a moment, Shen Nian's mind went blank. Then he grew eerily calm, so calm it seemed he had not heard her wounding words at all. In a cold voice he said: "Mother must be confused. If, as you just said, you slept alone after marrying Father, then how can Shen Qing be a Shen descendant?"
"Even if Mother wishes to speak nonsense, there should be some basis. At least I bear some resemblance to Father — the soldiers of the North Frontier would not be mistaken. But this 'Shen descendant' of yours does not look like Father in the least. Surely Mother is not trying to confuse the Shen bloodline and put a stable hand's son in my place as Marquis Zhenbei?"
Shen Qing stood there utterly stunned. He looked from Wen shi to Shen Nian, his mind a muddle, unable to follow what they were saying.
Finally he turned to Wen shi, his voice trembling: "Mother, what are you talking about?"
He had always been greatly favored by Wen shi since childhood. But now she did not even glance at him, only sneered at Shen Nian: "I am your mother. Do you think I wouldn't know whether you are Shen Yi's son?"
Shen Nian said nothing.
Wen shi's face twisted with madness: "Since you've caught me today, good. Let's make things clear. If you don't yield your position to Shen Qing, then I will tell everyone in the capital that you, Shen Nian, are not Shen Yi's son. Then even in death, Shen Yi won't find any peace, will he? Today, unless you kill everyone standing here, rumors will spread."
Shen Nian knew she was right — rumors were the most damaging thing of all.
Even if he were Shen Yi's son, if Wen shi said he was not, who would dare say otherwise? Old Madam Shen lay bedridden from a stroke; the Shen household was under Wen shi's control; and as for Shen Qing — he certainly did not want to die. Those ministers who disliked him would seize the chance to submit memorials without hesitation.
Then, whether he was Shen Yi's son or not, Shen Yi would become a laughingstock. In the future, when people spoke of Shen Yi, they would not remember the hero of the North Frontier, but a man who could not even tell his own son apart. His merits and honors would be forgotten, leaving only mockery and contempt.
Shen Qing indeed did not want to die. Since childhood, Wen shi had taught him that everything in the Shen family was his. When Shen Nian returned to the capital and became Marquis Zhenbei, Shen Qing burned with jealousy, feeling that Shen Nian had stolen what was rightfully his. He tried to take it back — and was soundly thrashed by Shen Nian for his trouble.
Thinking back on all those days he was forced to study made him sick even now.
Yet even so, he had always regarded Shen Nian as his elder brother, and Shen Yi as the father he admired. Sometimes he envied Shen Nian — Shen Yi rarely returned to the capital, so why could Shen Nian stay by his side, while he himself did not even deserve a single glance from Shen Yi?
Now his mind was reeling. He was no fool; from Wen shi's words, he could tell that he most likely was not Shen Yi's son. But Wen shi was threatening Shen Nian for his sake.
Panic rose in Shen Qing's heart. He looked at Wen shi and pleaded: "Mother, this isn't true. Brother is brother, and I am me — right?" Call him cowardly, call him absurd — he only wished tonight had never happened, and that everything could go back to the way it was.
Wen shi paid Shen Qing no heed at all. She fixed her eyes on Shen Nian: "Have you made up your mind?"
Shen Nian looked back at her and asked in a low voice: "So it was because of this that you turned against Grandmother?"
"She's old and wanted to meddle in things that weren't her concern," Wen shi said, somewhat smugly. "She must have gotten wind of some rumor and started poking into my past — how could I allow that? Fortunately, she couldn't take the shock. The moment she heard you weren't her real grandson, she gave out — couldn't even manage to call me a poisonous woman. As for Shen Qing, I don't know how he got suspicious of me. The old hag is already bedridden, and if Shen Qing wants her alive, so be it — she can't talk anyway."
"You knew about this too?" Shen Nian turned his calm gaze to Shen Qing.
Shen Qing shook his head in confusion. That night he had not been able to sleep, and while wandering around, he had seen Old Madam Shen's personal maid slip out of someone's courtyard and head toward Wen shi's courtyard in the dead of night. He had found it odd at the time — what was she doing? But it was late, so he thought nothing more of it.
The next morning, when he went to pay his respects to Old Madam Shen, he found her laid low by a stroke. Everyone in the courtyard claimed to know nothing. At the time, grief-stricken, he had a nagging feeling that Wen shi was involved. He was terrified — terrified that Wen shi had harmed Old Madam Shen. He wanted to tell Shen Nian, but did not dare.
In the end, he could only personally brew the medicine for Old Madam Shen and make sure she drank it, to prevent Wen shi from trying anything more.
He was not good at keeping secrets. Once, when Shen Nian was away, he had confronted Wen shi. She had collapsed on the ground in tears, saying it was not like that — that no one had come to her courtyard that night. Shen Qing thought, perhaps he had simply seen wrong.
But every time he looked into Old Madam Shen's deep, knowing eyes, he felt fear and self-loathing — fear of Wen shi, and disgust at himself.
Shen Nian turned back to Wen shi. "Why did you do all this?"
"Why?" Wen shi murmured. "Because they owe me this. Shen Yi. The old hag. All of them — because of them, I became what I am today."
Suddenly, her eyes gleamed. "Back then, that old hag bullied me because I was an orphan, with no one to rely on, living as a dependent in the Shen household. She drugged me, had Shen Yi violate me, and forced me to marry him. I already had someone I loved — but there wasn't a single decent person in the Shen family, and they tore us apart. So what do I care whether Shen Yi lives or dies? I want that old hag to lie in bed regretting every single day, and I want Shen Yi to find no peace even in death."
"You're lying." Shen Nian clenched his fists. "Father would never do such a thing." The Shen Yi he remembered was not a tender father, but he was an upright man — he would never be capable of this.
"Lying?" Wen shi laughed. "If you don't believe me, go down to the underworld and ask your hypocrite of a father whether he's worse than a beast. If he didn't feel guilty toward me, why did he keep silent about everything that happened in the Shen family?"
Shen Nian gritted his teeth.
Just then, a weary, aged sigh came from behind him. "In In those days, the Shen family was a powerful and noble clan, and you were an orphan. If Shen Yi truly had violated you, a concubine's status would have been more than enough — it wouldn't have prevented him from marrying a high-born wife later."
Shen Nian did not turn around. Wen shi's face twisted as if she had seen a ghost. Shen Qing did turn, stammering: "G-Grandmother..."
Old Madam Shen did not look at him. She walked slowly to Shen Nian's side, fixed her calm gaze on Wen shi, and said: "In those days, Shen Yi had fallen for someone he should not have loved. He was stubborn to the bone — his father had him flogged until his skin split open, and still he refused to back down."
"Shen Yi and his father had reached a complete deadlock. That was when I thought of you. You were raised by my side, and you had feelings for Shen Yi. You knew your status did not match his — you even said you would accept being a concubine. That day, I brought a cup of wine laced with medicine and said to you: if you drink this, you will become Shen Yi's wife; if not, let these words be as if never spoken, and I will find you a good match in the future. You did not hesitate — you chose that cup. And you became Shen Yi's wife. How, then, has it become that Shen Yi forced you?"
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