The Shen Family's wealth equal to that of a nation is truly well-deserved.
As soon as Ruan Jiu stepped into the Shen Mansion, she was immediately stunned by the resplendent and magnificent sight before her.
However, her eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper.
No wonder the Shen Family was feared by the Emperor. Such extravagance was almost comparable to that of the imperial palace.
"Yan'er, I've already had your room tidied up. See if you like it.
If there's anything missing, just tell me right away, and I'll send someone to take care of it at once." Qin Shuang kept chattering away.
After all, this was Ruan Jiu's first time back at the Shen Family. She was afraid of missing anything.
Qin Shuang's enthusiasm made Ruan Jiu feel a bit uncomfortable for a moment.
She scratched her head awkwardly. "Just call me A Jiu."
"Okay, okay, A Jiu."
At present, the most important thing was not to enjoy a comfortable life.
So, Ruan Jiu directly said, "Mother, have someone remove all these things from the mansion tomorrow."
She pointed at the room full of rare treasures with her finger.
"Don't you like them, A Jiu?" Qin Shuang asked.
Ruan Jiu shook her head. "The Shen Family was feared by the Emperor precisely because of its great wealth. At such a critical moment, it might be taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives."
These words woke Qin Shuang up.
She nodded in agreement.
Then, Shen Yu motioned for everyone to sit down and talk.
Ruan Jiu sat down and got straight to the point.
"Why did the matter in Qinzhou reach the Emperor's ears so quickly? Do you know who did it?"
If they wanted to break the deadlock, they needed to know who the enemy hiding behind was.
Shen Yu replied, "It was the Imperial Censor Zhou Chang who impeached the Shen Family in front of the Emperor. But there was Prime Minister Gu Kexing behind Zhou Chang."
Then, Shen Yu told Ruan Jiu about the current situation in the court and the Shen Family's predicament one by one.
Currently, there were two political factions in the court.
One was the faction led by Prime Minister Gu Kexing, consisting of all civil officials.
The other was the faction led by Grand Tutor Zhao Yuan, consisting of all military generals.
Prime Minister Gu had always wanted to win over the Shen Family. He had shown favor to Shen Wenshan several times, but Shen Wenshan remained unmoved.
After all, the situation in the court was complex. As a merchant family, the most taboo thing was to take sides.
Previously, the war on the border was in a tight situation, and there was a shortage of military supplies. But Prime Minister Gu had repeatedly blocked the Emperor from allocating military funds.
Helplessly, Grand Tutor Zhao had to find Shen Wenshan and ask the Shen Family for help.
Shen Wenshan felt sorry for the common people on the border, so he secretly provided assistance.
After Prime Minister Gu found out, he regarded the Shen Family as a thorn in his side and deliberately sowed discord between the Emperor and the Shen Family.
That was why the Shen Family intended to leave the capital.
"But why did the Imperial Censor know about what happened in Qinzhou so quickly?" Ruan Jiu asked.
Since the Shen Family already had the intention to stay away from the capital, why would Prime Minister Gu keep sending people to watch the Shen Family all the time?
Shen Yu frowned. "It was Shen Ruoxi who did it."
Sure enough, it was just as Ruan Jiu had guessed.
Shen Yu continued, "That day, because Mother was nostalgic, she spared her life. Unexpectedly, she actually defected to Gu Kexing and is now his seventh concubine."
This really surprised Ruan Jiu.
She had seen Gu Kexing once in the court before. He was old enough to be Shen Ruoxi's father.
"We shouldn't have let her go that day!" Qin Shuang said angrily.
Unexpectedly, they had released a tiger back to the mountains!
No wonder Qin Shuang wanted to commit suicide to atone for her sins.
Shen Ruoxi was raised by her own hands, and it was she who let her go personally.
If not for this, the Shen Family could have safely withdrawn from the treacherous court.
"Since the matter started because of Shen Ruoxi, isn't Gu Kexing afraid that the truth will be revealed and it will implicate the Prime Minister's Mansion?" Ruan Jiu asked.
Shen Yu's eyebrows furrowed even deeper. "Because in the current situation, we can't admit that Shen Ruoxi is an adopted daughter of the Shen Family."
Ruan Jiu pinched her chin.
That was indeed the case.
Originally, this matter was easy to solve. They just needed to explain the truth to the Emperor.
It was just a fight within the Shen Family's mansion and couldn't be regarded as colluding with powerful officials and harming the common people.
But unfortunately, now Shen Ruoxi was already Gu Kexing's person.
If they told the truth, it would mean admitting that Shen Ruoxi was a member of the Shen Family.
Gu Kexing could let her use the identity of the adopted daughter of the Shen Family to fabricate some things about the Shen Family's contempt for imperial power, and the Emperor would surely believe it.
Maybe Gu Kexing would even take the opportunity to tie Grand Tutor Zhao and the Shen Family together and drag them all into the water.
Ruan Jiu frowned tightly. "Does Grand Tutor Zhao know about this?"
Shen Yu nodded. "It was Grand Tutor Zhao who sent someone to tell us that this matter must be taken on by one person, so Mother..."
"However, Grand Tutor Zhao said that he would try his best to protect the Shen Family at that time." Qin Shuang said.
After hearing this, Ruan Jiu squinted her eyes, and a glint of coldness flashed in them.
Was this really to protect the Shen Family or to protect himself?
Ruan Jiu held Qin Shuang's hand. "Listen to me. Even if Mother commits suicide to atone for her sins, in the future, Gu Kexing will still use Shen Ruoxi to cause trouble for the Shen Family.
By then, with no one to testify, Shen Ruoxi can just make random accusations."
Ruan Jiu paused for a moment and then continued, "Gu Kexing used Shen Ruoxi's hand. In fact, he wasn't trying to bring down the Shen Family but to bring down Grand Tutor Zhao!"
The downfall of the Shen Family would bring no benefit to Gu Kexing at all.
Even if Shen Ruoxi was a bit beautiful, Gu Kexing didn't need to do something that was laborious and unprofitable just to help her take revenge.
Shen Yu nodded meaningfully.
But the worry on his face became even stronger. "Then is this deadlock unsolvable?"
Ruan Jiu closed her eyes and calmed down.
She counted the intricate relationships in the court in her mind.
The Emperor's extreme anger was undoubtedly because he feared the Shen Family.
If...
Thinking of this, a flash of inspiration came to Ruan Jiu, and she suddenly opened her eyes.
She looked at Shen Yu and said, "Brother, immediately send someone to tell Grand Tutor Zhao to contact the court officials who are on good terms with him and impeach the Shen Family severely in the morning court tomorrow."
Hearing this, Shen Yu couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Why?"
Shen Wenshan was still locked up in prison now!
Ruan Jiu smiled and explained, "The Shen Family's great wealth alone is not enough to make the Emperor fear them. What the Emperor fears is the collusion between the extremely wealthy Shen Family and the court officials.
Think about it. If no one in the court is willing to stand up and speak for the Shen Family?"
Shen Yu suddenly understood.
It would mean that the Shen Family hadn't colluded with anyone in the court.
"Okay, I'll go and do it right away!"
After saying that, Shen Yu couldn't wait to stand up and walk out.
Qin Shuang looked at Ruan Jiu with tears in her eyes, her expression full of pride.
She didn't expect her daughter to be so intelligent.
"A Jiu, the Xie Family has raised you well. I... I'm so ashamed..." Qin Shuang said choking with sobs.
After hearing this, Ruan Jiu lowered her head shyly.
"A Jiu, can... can I hug you?"
As soon as the words were out, a tear rolled down Qin Shuang's face.
Ruan Jiu raised her head.
She bit her lip. She wasn't used to being close to others.
But after seeing the disappointment in Qin Shuang's eyes, her heart softened.
She threw herself into Qin Shuang's arms.
Qin Shuang hugged Ruan Jiu excitedly, her body trembling uncontrollably.
A pleasant fragrance of agarwood wafted into Ruan Jiu's nose, making her a bit greedy.
Her eyes couldn't help but sparkle.
Was this...
Was this the smell of mother?