In the Shen Mansion.
Shen Wenshan and Qin Shuang were sitting upright in the middle with铁青 (livid) faces. Ruan Jiu was sitting on one side, looking serious.
And Shen Yu was standing in the middle, with his head down, constantly fidgeting with his fingers, like a child who had done something wrong.
"Yu'er! I've told you to be careful in the palace. Why did you meddle in that business?" Qin Shuang said with helplessness in her eyes.
It turned out that the girl who fell into the water today was Zhou Chang's daughter.
Not only did Shen Yu save the girl, but he also put his own clothes on her in full view.
Now, Zhou Chang was shouting that everyone had seen Shen Yu and his daughter hugging each other wet, and he insisted that Shen Yu marry her.
This matter had even reached the ears of the Emperor.
Shen Yu raised his head, looking innocent, and said, "I didn't jump in to save her on purpose. I was pushed in. Besides, I couldn't just swim up by myself."
He was extremely depressed!
Not only was he pushed in for no reason.
He just wanted to do a good deed and save a life, but he never expected to get into such a mess.
"You could have saved her without taking off your clothes!" Shen Wenshan scolded in a low voice.
Shen Yu murmured softly, "I saw that the girl was completely soaked, and there were so many eyes staring at her. She looked so pitiful."
"Now look what happened. Zhou Chang is making a fuss about you marrying his daughter," Shen Wenshan sighed.
It was Zhou Chang who had framed Shen Wenshan and sent him to prison before. How could he be willing to form a marriage alliance with the Zhou family now?
Ruan Jiu frowned and said, "Father, don't blame him. I'm afraid he was set up. Even if he didn't give his clothes to that girl, Zhou Chang would probably still force him to marry."
Shen Wenshan frowned tightly. "You mean this was all deliberately arranged?"
Ruan Jiu nodded. "Why was it exactly Zhou Chang's daughter who fell into the water, and why was it exactly Big Brother who was pushed in?"
Shen Wenshan's frown deepened.
Everyone knew that there was Gu Kexing behind Zhou Chang.
It must have been Gu Kexing who had instigated this, aiming to tie the Shen family to them.
Shen Wenshan slapped the table and stood up. "This Gu Kexing is simply despicable!"
Such underhanded means were really disgraceful.
Qin Shuang quickly stepped forward and gently patted Shen Wenshan on the back. "Husband, calm down. Since things have come to this, we might as well let Yu'er marry her as a concubine. She's just a commoner daughter. She won't be able to cause much trouble."
"Even if she's a commoner daughter, she's still Zhou Chang's daughter! I will never allow her to enter our Shen family's door!" Shen Wenshan roared angrily.
Just thinking about Zhou Chang made Shen Wenshan grind his teeth in anger.
"But what about the Emperor..." Qin Shuang was a little worried.
The matter had already escalated.
If Shen Yu still refused to marry after the Emperor issued the order, it would be a crime of defying the imperial order.
Shen Wenshan snorted. "Let the Emperor issue the order if he wants to. I'll just find an excuse to drive this unfilial son out of the family. Anyway, our A Jiu is so smart. I can rest assured leaving the Shen family's business in her hands."
"Husband, don't say such angry words!" Qin Shuang tried to persuade him.
"Yeah, Father, you can't just abandon me!" Shen Yu pouted.
"What do I need you for! To marry a concubine into the mansion to annoy me and make me feel bad!" Shen Wenshan turned his head to the side, looking unhappy.
Shen Yu had no choice but to pout and look at Ruan Jiu. "A Jiu, please speak up for me. Father always listens to you the most."
Ruan Jiu frowned.
This girl had to be married.
But she always felt something was wrong.
After thinking for a while, she said, "Even if Zhou Chang wants to form a marriage alliance with the Shen family, he should marry his legitimate daughter over as the main wife."
Hearing this, Shen Wenshan became even angrier. "Humph, it's obvious that he Zhou Chang looks down on our Shen family, so he's just stuffing a commoner daughter over."
Ruan Jiu shook her head.
Since they had already made this plan and even asked the Empress Dowager to help.
Going to such great lengths, it definitely wasn't as simple as just stuffing a commoner daughter.
However, she hadn't quite figured out what the problem was for the time being.
Ruan Jiu said, "How about I go and meet this commoner daughter first and then make a plan?"
First, she had to figure out what conspiracy was hidden behind this matter.
Since things had come to this, they could only do as Ruan Jiu said.
As for driving Shen Yu out of the family, it was just Shen Wenshan's angry words.
How could he bear to do that to his own son?
On the other side, after hearing what had happened in the palace today, Zhou Ru immediately rushed to the Censor's Mansion.
"Big Brother, didn't we agree to marry Linglong over? Why was it that little girl Zhao Di who fell into the water?" Zhou Ru asked anxiously.
Zhou Chang sighed. "Alas, it's all those servants' fault for pushing the wrong person! I originally thought Linglong could marry over and be the main wife. Now, at most, Zhao Di can only be a concubine."
He was still counting on Shen Yu inheriting the Shen family's business in the future, so that Linglong could become the mistress of the Shen family.
By then, all the property of the Shen family would belong to the Zhou family.
"Big Brother, don't be too anxious. Although that little girl Zhao Di is usually quiet, at least she has a good appearance.
Men are all lustful creatures. As long as Zhao Di can capture Shen Yu's heart, why worry that she won't be promoted to the main wife in the future?" Zhou Ru tried to persuade him.
These words made Zhou Chang feel a little better.
Zhou Ru continued, "Big Brother, you have to hurry up with this matter. Once it's done, I can also speak up for you more in front of the Prime Minister."
"Okay, I'll go and ask the Emperor to issue an imperial order for the marriage tomorrow!"
No matter what, he had to get Zhou Zhaodi into the Shen Mansion first.
-
The Drunken Moon Tower
was a restaurant owned by the Shen family in the capital.
Ruan Jiu chose to meet the girl here because she was afraid of attracting too much attention.
When she saw Zhou Zhaodi push the door open and walk in gracefully.
Ruan Jiu hadn't seen Zhou Zhaodi's appearance clearly when she fell into the water yesterday. But seeing her today, she was different from what Ruan Jiu had imagined.
She never expected that Zhou Chang, who looked so sneaky, could have such a graceful daughter.
"I'm Zhou Zhaodi. Greetings to Miss Shen," Zhou Zhaodi said humbly and politely.
However, just from her name, it was obvious that she was not favored in the Zhou family.
"Miss Zhou, there's no need for such formalities," Ruan Jiu said, raising her hand to signal Zhou Zhaodi to sit down and talk.
"I wonder why Miss Shen invited me here today?" Zhou Zhaodi asked directly.
Ruan Jiu smiled. "I thought Miss Zhou would first thank my brother for saving your life yesterday."
Hearing this, a flicker of panic flashed across Zhou Zhaodi's eyes.
Although it was just a flicker, Ruan Jiu still caught it.
"I should indeed thank Young Master Shen for saving my life," Zhou Zhaodi said, clenching her fingers.
"So you're going to marry him in return?" Ruan Jiu's eyes narrowed.
Zhou Zhaodi bit her lip. "I know I'm not worthy of Young Master Shen, but..."
Before Zhou Zhaodi could finish, Ruan Jiu interrupted her directly. "Since you know that, how about Miss Zhou go back and have a good talk with the Censor. Let him not send anyone to our Shen family."
"No!" Zhou Zhaodi blurted out in a hurry.
After meeting Ruan Jiu's sharp eyes, she quickly lowered her head and tightened her fingers.
Stuttering, she said, "Father said I'm already an impure woman. If the Shen family refuses the marriage, no one will marry me in the future."
A flash of surprise crossed Ruan Jiu's eyes. It seemed that there were some things she didn't know.
So, she said, "It's not impossible for you to marry into the Shen family, but I prefer to talk to straightforward people."
Zhou Zhaodi looked up, full of confusion.
Ruan Jiu hooked the corner of her lips and smiled. "How about Miss Zhou first tell me why it was you who fell into the water yesterday instead of your legitimate sister?"
Hearing this, Zhou Zhaodi's eyes became panicked, and even her breathing became rapid.
She tightly bit her lips, and the fingertips of the hand under the table turned white.
After struggling in her heart for a moment, she finally managed to say, "It... it was my plan!"