GBP Chapter 23 is to avenge Shen Mo's burning.
Chapter 23 is to avenge Shen Mo's burning.
“Cong An, if you could wake up, you should be supporting the Shen family with your father now. Alas.”
Shen Zhan looked at his son on the bed, feeling a mix of emotions.
He was a man of few words and disliked crowds, so he left all the affairs of the household to Old Madam Shen.
The effects of the medicine on Shen Cong'an had worn off, and he could hear the people inside the room talking. Judging from their voices, he knew that the person who had come was his father, Shen Zhan.
"Father."
A young voice rang out; it was the second brother, Shen Nian'an.
Immobilized, Shen Cong'an immediately remembered what the servant had said that morning: the medicine was gone...
If what that servant said is true, then his long coma was all due to his second brother's machinations.
"Nian'an is here."
Shen Zhan's voice said, "Then you should keep your elder brother company. His Highness the Crown Prince will be visiting you soon. Make sure nothing goes wrong and have the house thoroughly cleaned."
After giving his instructions, Shen Zhan strode away.
Shen Nian'an's voice then rang out.
"Are they all deaf? Go and call someone to clean up!"
His tone was angry.
Before long, only Shen Nian'an was left in the room. He walked to the bedside and pretended to tidy up the bedding for Shen Cong'an, but in reality, he forcefully grabbed Shen Cong'an's neck.
"You'd be so much better off dead! But I can't let you die. Only if you live will His Highness the Crown Prince remember the Shen family! Shen Cong'an! That's all the value you have."
Shen Nian'an's voice was terrifying and insane.
Just as Shen Cong'an was about to run out of breath, she heard someone walking towards her from outside the door, and Shen Nian'an released the person.
"Hmph, don't worry, I won't kill you now. You still have some use. But once you die, everything in the Shen family will belong to me. So you're going to die eventually, it's just a matter of time."
Shen Nian'an whispered in Shen Cong'an's ear, putting on a caring act as she tidied Shen Cong'an's clothes, smoothing out the marks left by the pressure. The person outside the door also came in.
"Second uncle."
Shen Mo gave a perfectly executed salute.
He was a little awkward when he first entered the Shen residence, but after observing and learning for a period of time, Shen Mo's bowing movements have become quite proper.
"Ah."
Shen Nian'an nodded, not surprised by Shen Mo's appearance, but he couldn't say he liked Shen Mo.
"Your father needs to rest. After you've paid your respects, don't come to clean for him anymore."
"Yes."
Shen Mo nodded and walked to Shen Cong'an's bedside.
"Father, I didn't quite understand what the teacher taught me today. I'll pay my respects to you now and go to study. Please rest well, and I'll come again tomorrow."
Shen Mo obediently stepped back. As a child, he didn't even notice that red marks were slowly appearing on Shen Cong'an's neck.
It was caused by Shen Nian'an using too much force just now.
Not long after Shen Mo left, Shen Nian'an also left. It wasn't until servants started cleaning the house that Shen Cong'an's fear gradually subsided.
Until Shen Nian'an attacked him, he remained skeptical of everything. He couldn't believe his second brother would poison him and render him unconscious...
But the truth told him that Shen Nian'an not only wanted him unconscious, but also wanted him dead, all for a title! Shen Nian'an actually killed his own brother!
That's absolutely unethical!
After leaving Shen Cong'an's courtyard, Shen Nian'an went to find Old Madam Shen.
"You said you want to enter the imperial court as an official?"
Madam Shen could hardly believe her ears.
"Yes, since His Highness the Crown Prince is visiting my elder brother this time, Mother can take this opportunity to talk to him about this matter. He will definitely give me a recommendation because of his friendship with my elder brother, otherwise, to put it bluntly, Mother, if my elder brother were to suddenly pass away someday, our Shen family would have to rely entirely on Xie Wanru. I don't want to live a life where I have to watch her every day anymore."
Shen Nian'an felt particularly upset when she thought about the humiliation she had felt over the past two years.
"Also, I promised Rou'er that I would bring her to the manor in three days. Mother, please have someone prepare a courtyard for her."
"Shen Nian'an!"
Suddenly, Madam Shen slammed her hand on the table.
"Are you now in charge of the Shen family? Do you think you're some kind of important person who can do whatever you want? If you want to become an official, go and beg His Highness the Crown Prince yourself. My old face is worthless; I can't get it by begging."
Madam Shen was already troubled about how to host a banquet for the Crown Prince's visit when Shen Nian'an arrived.
“Mother, do you want to be subservient to Xie Wanru for the rest of your life? I want to become an official so that our Shen family can hold our heads high and not be controlled by others. Look at the state she is in the mansion now! She is always fooling around and having secret meetings with outsiders. Now the servants are saying that who knows how many men have gone into her room!”
Shen Nian'an looked furious, as if she had really seen Xie Wanru having an affair with a man.
Recently, Xuancheng has entered the coldest period of the year, so Xie Wanru asked the steward, Xiao Xie, to prepare more rice and flour. Now, hundreds of people come to the Xie residence every day to receive relief meals.
Moreover, with the end of the year approaching, Xie Wanru needed to check the accounts with Xiao Xie, the housekeeper, and settle the profits of the shops under her management for the year. In reality, there were only a few people coming and going at Meiyuan, not as exaggerated as Shen Nian'an said.
“I told you Xie Wanru wasn’t a good person, but my mother didn’t believe me and always went along with her. It’s been two years now, what has she done for our Shen family? Other families’ sisters-in-law get new clothes for winter, but what has my sister-in-law Xie Wanru done? Heh, I haven’t seen a single thing.”
Shen Nianqing was playing with a handkerchief and embroidering, but after a long time, she hadn't finished anything.
"Alright, you two shut up. If you're so capable, go earn it yourselves and don't bother me."
Old Madam Shen waved her hand, ignoring Shen Zhan's concerns. She was already exhausted from managing the entire Shen family, and now she had to listen to the two young ones' incessant chatter.
She also harbored some resentment towards Xie Wanru. She had been married into the family for two years, and although she had been well-behaved and never bothered anyone, she had never shared any of Xie Wanru's burdens, let alone run errands for the men in the household.
If Xie Wanru were willing to move around more, Shen Zhan wouldn't have been relegated to a sinecure.
“Mother, when you asked me to marry her, you said that as long as I married a daughter of the Xie family, the Xie family would definitely help me enter the court. But two years have passed, and our Shen family has gained nothing. We have been deceived for nothing.”
Shen Nian'an's anger showed no signs of abating.
Despite all his efforts in planning, he still has nothing.
You can't just... kill his father and inherit the Marquis's mansion.
"Back then was back then, and now is now. I never expected that even though she's joined the Shen family, her heart isn't with them."
Madam Shen frowned.
"You too, it's been two years and you still haven't won her heart. An'er, she's the one you married with great ceremony. If you put your heart into her and give birth to your child soon, even if she doesn't care about us in the future, she'll still think about your child."