Chapter 9

“Sigh!” The Old Matriarch let out a long sigh. “I understand everything you are saying! But only when you are well can they be well! If you cannot become the Clan Heir, they will never have good days ahead of them!”

Shen Yun said, “Grandmother, please stop. No matter what happens, your grandson will not divorce his wife or seek a separation. The position of Clan Heir must always be confirmed with the consent of the elders and stewards of our Shen clan. No matter how great the power of the Empress and the Crown Prince, can they truly interfere in the internal affairs of our Shen clan? Besides, I am grown now; I am not someone who can be easily manipulated.”

The Old Matriarch fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, “Yun’er, is it because you still haven't forgotten that child, Daoling, that you refuse to separate from the Zhou clan?”

Shen Yuanyu’s ears practically perked up. Who was Daoling? Could it be a former flame of her father's?

Shen Yun appeared somewhat embarrassed. He coughed and said, “Grandmother, why bring up those things! Daoling—I forgot about her long ago!”

Shen Yuanyu couldn't help but curl her lip. Men were always saying one thing while meaning another; the more her father said this, the more it proved that the woman named Daoling was deeply etched into his heart and difficult to forget.

Shen Yun said, “Enough, enough! Please, don't worry about these things anymore. At your age, you should just enjoy your blessings and stop managing these trivial affairs. As for the matter of the Clan Heir, your grandson will handle it himself. It is getting late; I will call someone to escort you back. You don't sleep much as it is; if you miss your window of drowsiness, you'll end up staring at the ceiling all night again.”

After much persuasion, he finally managed to convince the Old Matriarch to return.

Shen Yun saw the Old Matriarch out, then turned back to the inner chamber. Seeing his daughter still lying on the bed pretending to be unconscious, the corner of his mouth twitched. He said indifferently, “The Old Matriarch has already left. Stop acting and open your eyes!”

Startled, Shen Yuanyu snapped her eyes open and sat up, unable to help but ask, “You... how did you know?” She didn't believe for a second that her father could tell she was faking a faint just by checking her pulse.

Shen Yun walked over and, with great disdain, brushed his wide sleeves against the spotless edge of the bed before sitting down beside her. “When I picked you up just now, your body was tense. You only relaxed once you knew you had entered Changle Hall. Your father is no fool; if you had truly been unconscious, you wouldn't have reacted that way.”

Shen Yuanyu felt embarrassed. It was her own fault—she had a new soul inside her, and her father was such a super handsome man. Being held in the arms of such a "stranger," it would have been stranger if she hadn't reacted that way. She just hadn't expected her father's insight to be so sharp; he truly was an old fox.

Meeting those eyes filled with wisdom, Shen Yuanyu’s heart raced, unsure of how her father intended to deal with her. “Since you already knew, why did you help me act and coax Great-Grandmother?”

Shen Yun couldn't help but glare at her. “If I didn't act along with you, was I supposed to tell her that you were fooling her?” Even with such a glare, Shen Yun did it with such elegance and brilliance that one dared not look him directly in the eye. Shen Yuanyu was almost stunned. It was said that the Shen clan was filled with a dazzling array of handsome men; she hadn't believed it before, but after witnessing her biological father's charm, she was starting to believe it.

Shen Yuanyu finally confirmed one thing: her father was still very fond of her. In her memories, because she was his first child, her father had always doted on her. He was deeply passionate about calligraphy, possessing a unique style and great skill that made him quite famous among the scholar-gentry.

Influenced by her father, the original owner of this body also loved calligraphy. Her father had taught her how to hold and move the brush since she was a child, having her copy his own works. Because their interests aligned, the bond between father and daughter was very deep.

Later, when Concubine Bai gave birth to her father's illegitimate son, her father gradually shifted much of his energy toward the newborn younger brother. She had become jealous of the brother's favor, and as her father became busier with external affairs, she drifted away from him.

However, thinking back on this past year at the manor, if her father hadn't sent someone to check on her every half month, she might have been picked clean by Concubine Bai until not even her bones were left.

Her father had done more than his duty toward her!

Shen Yun poked her head with his finger. “Staying at the manor for a year has finally paid off; you've finally learned to use your brain!” A hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.

Her father was quite open-minded, and Shen Yuanyu breathed a secret sigh of relief. She couldn't help but ask, “Father, you aren't actually going to divorce Mother, are you?” She had already offended her Great-Grandmother, and with Concubine Bai lurking like a tiger, if a stepmother were to arrive as well, her life would truly become unbearable.

“Didn't you hear my conversation with your Great-Grandmother? Naturally, I won't. Don't worry about these things; your father will handle everything. On the other hand, you've been out in the cold wind for so long, and it's snowing—do you feel unwell anywhere?”

“Cough, cough!” Hearing her father say this, Shen Yuanyu suddenly felt an itch in her throat and her head grew heavy. She couldn't help but cough a few times.

Shen Yun frowned slightly. Just then, Ruixin finished brewing the ginger soup and called out to the Master at the door. Shen Yun called her in and personally took the ginger soup to feed Shen Yuanyu. Ruixin’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. The Master was usually a very fastidious man, but even with his son, he had never been this attentive and caring.

It was simply that Shen Yun felt guilty, thinking that his daughter had suffered much during her year at the manor. Shen Yuanyu, however, felt a faint warmth welling up in her heart.

Shen Yuanyu said, “Father, I don't want to go back to the manor anymore!”

Shen Yun raised an eyebrow. “Seeing how you acted today, I assume you realize where you went wrong in the past?”

“Your daughter should not have been provoked into competing with the Second Branch, nor should she have been so gullible as to fall easily into a trap designed by others. My greatest mistake was acting arrogantly and making enemies everywhere, so that when trouble arose, no one besides Father was willing to speak up for me! My personal guilt is small, but I should not have implicated Father, Mother, and my younger sister!”

She paused, then continued, “During this past year at the manor, I often reflected on the past. It feels like a dream. I will never commit those wrong and foolish acts again!”

The expression on Shen Yun's face softened, and a faint, charming smile played on his lips. “That is correct! I, Shen Yun, am a man of great wisdom and strategy; how could my beloved eldest daughter be so foolish, arrogant, and senseless! Since you have figured it out, your father will naturally find a way to let you stay.”

Shen Yuanyu felt greatly relieved, yet also found it somewhat funny. Her father was truly narcissistic, but such a father was actually quite lovely.

After a few more words, Shen Yun instructed Ruixin, “Bring some hot water and use a warm towel to massage her knees. Yu'er knelt on the wet, cold ground for half an hour; we mustn't let any illness take root.”

As Ruixin was about to agree, Shen Yuanyu felt a bit bashful. “It's fine, I'm okay!”

Shen Yun's face darkened. “Nonsense. You cannot follow your whims at a time like this!”

Ruixin hurried out. Seeing no one else in the room, Shen Yuanyu bashfully lifted her skirt and untied the cloth wraps on her knees. Shen Yun looked as if he couldn't believe his eyes. “You... you...” He couldn't help but laugh again. “You little rascal.”

A moment later, Ruixin brought in the hot water and pressed a warm towel against Yuanyu's knees. This time, Shen Yuanyu did not refuse; if she actually developed arthritis from kneeling, it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

While enjoying Ruixin's service, Shen Yuanyu asked Shen Yun, “Father, how are Mother and Eighth Sister? I want to go see them.”

“They are doing well. It is late; go see them tomorrow!”

Shen Yuanyu said, “I am truly worried about them. I can only feel at ease once I've seen them.”

Shen Yun looked at his daughter with some suspicion. “You no longer resent your mother?” Because the Zhou clan was of low birth, people often whispered in her ear that it was her mother who had ruined her. Consequently, she had always harbored resentment toward her mother and had never been close to her.

Shen Yuanyu lowered her eyes slightly. “In the past, it was all my fault. Every time I think of it, I feel deeply sorry to Mother and feel very ashamed!”

Shen Yun nodded slightly. In this era, lineage was of utmost importance. Not only were scholars and commoners forbidden from intermarrying, but top-tier aristocratic clans even avoided contact with lower-ranking clans. It was understandable that the former Shen Yuanyu resented the Zhou clan's low birth for dragging down her own status. However, he did not hold such heavy prejudices like most people; it was best that Shen Yuanyu had come to understand this.

“The Zhou clan does not yet know you have returned. If you go now, it will only cause more trouble. Rest for the night and go pay your respects to her tomorrow!”

Shen Yuanyu could only nod. At this moment, the busy Ruixin brought in a bowl of dark medicinal soup. Shen Yun said, “I personally wrote this prescription. Drink it quickly to work up a sweat; this ailment will clear up in a few days. I don't quite trust those mediocre doctors outside!”

Looking at her quite narcissistic father and then at the dark soup, Shen Yuanyu thought to herself: *Father, could you please just let those mediocre doctors treat me instead!*

Shen Yun's gaze was earnest, and she truly could not refuse. Gritting her teeth, she drank the entire bowl of medicine in one gulp.

After giving her a few more instructions and leaving Ruixin to keep watch over her through the night, Shen Yun returned to the outer study to rest.

Meanwhile, the Qiantui Hall where the Second Branch resided was still brightly lit. The Second Madam, Princess Huyang, and the Fourth Miss, Shen Yuanzhen, had not yet retired. Princess Huyang was a noblewoman in her early thirties. Even though she was in her own bedroom, her hair was still styled in a peony bun, adorned with a gold-inlaid ruby hairpiece. Combined with her bright red jacket embroidered with gold thread peonies, she was truly a dazzling sight.

She was quite beautiful, and because she took good care of herself, she looked like a sister when standing next to the Fourth Miss, Shen Yuanzhen. However, her expression was arrogant, always carrying a sense of haughty and unrestrained tyranny that made people afraid to approach her. She had always taken pride in her imperial lineage, naturally looking down on ordinary people.

Having just heard the report from her maid, Shen Yuanzhen said to her mother with schadenfreude, "Mother, that little wretch went to the Shaohe Courtyard and was left outside by Grandmother. She knelt for half an hour before she fainted."

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Princess Huyang's eyes. "That is truly gratifying!"

Shen Yuanzhen muttered, "But then Eldest Uncle brought the Old Matriarch, and she was taken back to Changle Hall. It's too easy for her. I don't know what kind of aphrodisiac Eldest Uncle gave the Old Matriarch, but she's biased toward them in every way!" She sounded extremely indignant.

Thinking of that elegant and jade-like Eldest Uncle, Princess Huyang's expression turned grim. Years ago, she had also been a fan of Shen Yun and had pursued him passionately. To her dismay, Shen Yun remained indifferent to her royal blood but showed deep affection for that woman of low birth. Unable to bear the humiliation, her love turned to hate, and she married Shen Yun's brother, Shen Hui.

Every time she thought about how she had disregarded etiquette and shame to tie her burning heart to him, only for him to discard her feelings like worn-out shoes, her heart felt as if a piece had been gouged out!

A cold sneer escaped her lips: *Shen Yun, oh Shen Yun, sooner or later, I will make you kneel before me and lick my toes.*

She heard her daughter grumbling beside her, "Are we really letting that little slut off just like that? It's too easy for her! Mother, why did you agree to let her return to the manor back then?"

Princess Huyang sneered, "If the Old Matriarch hadn't pressured me, how could I have let that little slut set foot in the Shen manor again!"

"Then what do we do now?"

"Don't worry, Mother naturally has ways to make that little slut suffer unto death!" *Shen Yun, since you love this daughter so much, then I will destroy her completely.*