Since the passing of Lord Xie, Ruan Jiu had been in low spirits.
It was not only because of her deep affection for Lord Xie but also because of the words he had said before his death.
She didn't know whether she should tell Xie Jingchu about it.
If she didn't tell him, she always felt as if she had done something wrong.
As a result, every time she saw Xie Jingchu, she felt extremely guilty.
Chun Tao saw Ruan Jiu sitting in a daze in front of the dining table. Her chopsticks were constantly moving, but she never brought the food to her mouth.
She couldn't help but say, "Miss Cousin, even if you're feeling sad, you should eat more."
In these days, Ruan Jiu had visibly lost a lot of weight.
It made Chun Tao feel heart - ache.
Hearing the voice, Ruan Jiu came back to her senses.
She let out a long sigh and shook her head.
There was like a boulder weighing on her heart, and she really had no appetite.
Just then, the young servant from the gate came to report.
He said that Shen Yu was outside asking for an audience.
So, Ruan Jiu ordered Chun Tao to remove the lunch first.
Chun Tao replied helplessly.
Ruan Jiu saw Shen Yu walking in with a large box in his arms. She couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
Since the day they had cleared up their misunderstandings, Shen Yu hadn't given her anything for a long time.
"I wonder what brings you here today, Young Master Shen?"
Ruan Jiu poured a cup of tea for Shen Yu, but her tone was full of estrangement.
Shen Yu placed the box on the table.
He directly said, "These are the deeds of all the shops and mansions the Shen family owns in Qinzhou. Father said that you've suffered a lot since you were separated from the family when you were young. These are meant as compensation for you."
Ruan Jiu smiled and said, "You know I won't take them."
Since she had decided to cut off all ties, there was no reason to accept these worldly possessions.
Shen Yu pursed his lips and persuaded, "A Jiu, please accept them. After all, in a few days, we'll be leaving Qinzhou. Maybe... maybe we'll never see each other again."
Leaving Qinzhou?
Ruan Jiu frowned tightly.
The Shen family was in a difficult situation in the capital now. Returning to Qinzhou was the best choice.
"Are you going somewhere else?" Ruan Jiu asked.
"Back to the capital." Shen Yu lowered his eyelids.
The capital?
Ruan Jiu pinched her fingers and asked, "Have all the troubles in the capital been resolved?"
Shen Yu swallowed hard and replied in a solemn voice, "Yes, they've all been resolved."
Hearing this answer, Ruan Jiu's frown deepened. She clearly didn't believe it.
After all, it wasn't easy to dispel the emperor's doubts and jealousy.
Shen Yu then said, "A Jiu, I know there's nothing we can do to make up for what we've done to you, but I hope you can accept these things. It will make us feel more at ease."
Ruan Jiu's eyes lit up, and an idea came to her mind.
"I actually have something I need your help with."
"What is it?"
Hearing that Ruan Jiu was asking for his help, Shen Yu was naturally overjoyed.
However, this emotion quickly flashed across his eyes.
He didn't know if he could still be of help to her.
"I hope that after you go to the capital, you can help me find out about Fourth Master's background." Ruan Jiu said.
Since the people who had come to investigate Xie Jingchu's background in Qinzhou before were from the capital, it was likely that Xie Jingchu's background was related to the capital.
She was naturally relieved to entrust this matter to Shen Yu.
She immediately added, "But this must never be known to Fourth Master."
After hearing this, Shen Yu frowned tightly, and his expression was complicated.
Ruan Jiu saw Shen Yu's embarrassed expression clearly.
Then she smiled and said, "If it's inconvenient, then forget it."
Shen Yu gritted his teeth and quickly said, "Don't worry. Leave it to me."
Anyway, as long as it was what Ruan Jiu asked, he would definitely do it.
"Then I'll thank you, Young Master Shen." Ruan Jiu said with a smile.
Shen Yu pursed his lips. "Then what about these things..."
Ruan Jiu smiled. "I'll keep these things for you for now. When you return to Qinzhou in the future, I'll definitely return them to you with both hands."
Since she was asking for his help, it was not appropriate to refuse these things.
She would find an opportunity to return them to him later.
Shen Yu nodded.
This was fine.
He just didn't know if there would be such an opportunity.
"A Jiu, from now on... take good care of yourself."
There was a glint of tears in Shen Yu's eyes. He looked at Ruan Jiu with reluctance for the last time.
Watching Shen Yu's departing back, Ruan Jiu felt an inexplicable sense of uneasiness in her heart.
Ruan Jiu opened the box curiously.
She saw the deeds inside, which were just a few newly - bought mansions and shops of Shen Yu's.
The old Shen family mansion and the land of the cloth - making workshop were not among them.
If they were not going to return to Qinzhou, why didn't they give her the deeds of these properties as well?
This was really strange!
Moreover, when she asked Shen Yu to help investigate Xie Jingchu's background in the capital just now, Shen Yu's reaction was also very strange.
Logically speaking, since the crisis of the Shen family in the capital had been resolved, with the power and influence of the Shen family, investigating such things should be a piece of cake.
Why did Shen Yu look so embarrassed?
Thinking of this, Ruan Jiu immediately called out, "Chun Tao, quickly call Qin Yuan here!"
Since Shen Yu left the Xie Mansion, Ruan Jiu's eyelid had been twitching non - stop.
She always felt that something big was going to happen.
Sure enough.
At night, Ruan Jiu heard a knock on the door. She immediately got up and opened the door.
She saw Xie Jingchu standing outside with a solemn expression.
This made Ruan Jiu even more uneasy.
"Have you found out anything?"
Xie Jingchu nodded.
"Something has really happened to the Shen family."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu was shocked. She clenched her fists and pretended to be calm as she asked, "Is it serious?"
Xie Jingchu continued to nod. "Regarding the matter of Shen Ruoxi before, someone reported it to the emperor, saying that the Shen family colluded with powerful officials and harmed the common people. After the emperor learned about this, he was extremely angry.
Now, the people from the Court of Judicial Review have quietly come to Qinzhou and taken Shen Wenshan away."
The Shen family had already been envied by the emperor because of their great wealth.
Now that such a thing had happened, wasn't it just like handing a knife to the emperor and letting him do whatever he wanted?
"What are the Shen family's plans now?" Ruan Jiu asked with a frowning voice.
Xie Jingchu frowned tightly and said in a solemn voice, "Mrs. Shen is preparing to go to the capital to atone for her sins with her life."
What?!
Ruan Jiu's body went weak. She stared at him in disbelief with wide eyes.
Xie Jingchu quickly held Ruan Jiu in his arms. "A Jiu, the Shen family didn't want to implicate you, so they've been hiding this matter from you."
Ruan Jiu's heart tightened instantly.
No wonder Shen Yu had come here today to give her those deeds.
Because once they were convicted, that was all that would be left of the Shen family.
Ruan Jiu's eyes suddenly became a bit moist.
Although she had never thought of returning to the Shen family and had been determined to cut off all ties with them.
But why did her heart feel so painful after hearing this news?
"Where are they now?" Ruan Jiu asked in a trembling voice.
"By the time I got the news, they were already packing their luggage." Xie Jingchu replied.
Hearing this answer.
Ruan Jiu ran towards the Shen Mansion without hesitation.
She had just lost her grandfather. Was she going to lose her family again?