Shen Yun's words were met with Su Xiaoqi's agreement, and the couple soon appeared at the Imperial College.
At that time, Chen Jia'an's essay had received high praise from the Libationer of the Imperial College.
He was told his writing was excellent, with an air of transcendence, and that he had a good chance in the upcoming grand examination.
The Libationer's praise temporarily eased Chen Jia'an's shock and repressed feelings from his encounter with Fang Gu.
But soon he saw his young servant, Shou'er, peeking his head around the corridor as if he were a thief.
It instantly reminded him of Fang Gu's visit.
His blood surged, and he called Shou'er to a secluded spot, scolding him without a word.
Then he asked, "What is it?"
"Young master, young master, Lord Shen, Lord Shen has arrived."
"What... Oh, you useless fellow, why didn't you say so sooner?"
Upon hearing that a powerful minister, his future elder brother-in-law, had arrived, Chen Jia'an rushed out in a hurry.
Halfway there, he turned back and pointed at Shou'er, scolding him for his lack of awareness.
How could he not have reported such important news earlier?
And acting like a thief.
"You, you, you useless..." After scolding, Chen Jia'an ran out like the wind.
Unexpectedly, when he reached the entrance, Shen Yun was not there.
Chen Jia'an thought he had left after waiting too long. As he muttered,
Zhang Lei suddenly appeared, pointing to the large tea house opposite the Imperial College, signaling him to go to the second floor.
Chen Jia'an looked up from afar and seemed to see Shen Yun waving at him.
He was delighted and trotted up.
Whether he was admitted to the Imperial College or whether he could write good essays.
All of this was inseparable from Shen Yun's cultivation.
He was truly remarkable.
There were some problems he didn't know how to solve when he held them in his hands, but as soon as they passed through Shen Yun's hands and he received a little guidance, he immediately understood.
Chen Jia'an ran up to the second floor of the tea house.
The door to the private room had already been opened.
He immediately saw Shen Yun and his wife seated in the main seats.
Perhaps because he had done something wrong.
Chen Jia'an's heart suddenly felt uneasy when he met Su Xiaoqi's pure and clear eyes.
Then, without any pleasantries, Shen Yun directly asked, "Do you know a courtesan named Fang Gu?"
"Ah..." Chen Jia'an was struck as if by lightning and couldn't react for a long time.
"I..." I don't know, I... Chen Jia'an's heart clenched.
They knew, they had found out.
He knew it, he knew some things couldn't be hidden.
His face immediately fell into a mournful expression.
He reflexively wanted to lie and say he didn't know.
But meeting Shen Yun's all-knowing gaze, he finally lowered his head and admitted it.
"Good, tell me about it." Shen Yun's face remained cold, his voice low and steady.
Chen Jia'an didn't resist at all, truthfully recounting how he met Fang Gu, how he was led by her to do things he shouldn't have,
And how Fang Gu was like sticky candy, impossible to shake off once encountered.
"So you are very troubled now, thinking about how to get rid of her?" Shen Yun saw through his thoughts.
Chen Jia'an nodded, his face full of dejection.
He had a feeling he was about to lose everything.
"Alright." Shen Yun glanced at Su Xiaoqi, stood up, and walked out.
Alright?
Alright for what?
Chen Jia'an was stunned.
Did his future elder brother-in-law not intend to make things difficult for him?
It made sense. Who was Fang Gu? Merely a woman of pleasure.
If he slept with her, at worst he could bring her home and take her as a concubine.
What was he worried about?
No, the reason he was so anxious was because he remembered Shen Mingzhu had told him.
Her brother said he would only marry one wife in his life and treat her wholeheartedly.
She hoped her future husband could also do this.
Chen Jia'an, who was full of admiration for the gentle, lovely, and intelligent Shen Mingzhu, had readily agreed.
But he had only agreed in words.
He hadn't taken it to heart.
After all, looking at the entire Daliang Dynasty, from the emperor to the ministers, and even commoners, few could guarantee they would have only one woman in their lives.
When he had promised Shen Mingzhu, he had intended to try his best to uphold it.
But sometimes, when things developed to a certain point, he couldn't control their progression.
"Lord Shen..." Chen Jia'an stood up with great unease.
Su Xiaoqi, however, said, "Young Master Chen, in light of the cooperation between the Su and Chen families for the past two years, I advise you not to approach Mingzhu again."
"Madam..." Chen Jia'an was immediately depressed.
What did this mean? Was the marriage they had discussed so amicably called off?
Su Xiaoqi felt that this matter couldn't end so vaguely.
She immediately told him that Shen Mingzhu would not accept him if his heart was not entirely devoted.
Su Xiaoqi was about to explain further.
Shen Yun said, "I hope Young Master Chen will watch his words. The Su and Chen families are merely business partners. As for anything else, there is nothing.
If you speak nonsense and ruin Mingzhu's reputation, you know my temperament."
After Shen Yun finished speaking, he took Su Xiaoqi's hand and turned to leave.
Su Xiaoqi, fearing he didn't know Shen Yun's methods, kindly reminded him, "If you don't know, take reference from the Su Bincheng family in Mianzhou."
Su Bincheng, Su Bincheng...
As a person from Bashu, who didn't know Su Bincheng of Mianzhou City?
Although their family was far away in Bashu, they were implicated by their association with the deposed Crown Prince, now King Ping, and were sentenced to exile.
Later, through connections in the court, they exhausted their family fortune to have the exile changed to confiscation of property.
The current Su Bincheng could only guard an empty house, and all the shops under the Su family's name were confiscated.
The Su family's money also filled the national treasury.
Chen Jia'an felt as if he were soaked through.
He was terrified.
He knew that Su Xiaoqi's words were not just a threat but the truth.
Because with Shen Yun's current capabilities, he could do it.
"But... but I will handle it properly and will never cause trouble for Mingzhu." Chen Jia'an sobered up and tried to salvage the situation.
The Shen family now was not what it used to be.
Rumors were circulating throughout the capital that the Shen siblings were the lost offspring of the Ning Prince's manor.
As long as they returned to the Ning Prince's manor, the titles of Crown Prince and Princess would be theirs.
And if he married Shen Mingzhu as agreed, he would also have a share of these resources.
But now, it was all gone.
Gone!
Chen Jia'an spent a long time chewing on the news before slowly digesting it.
These were words spoken by Shen Yun himself, and he had no room to refute them.
After Shen Yun and his wife left, he buried his face in the desk and cried his heart out.
After crying, he felt he should do something, so he immediately wiped away his tears and went to Chen Jinji.
He wanted to talk to Shen Mingzhu again.
He couldn't give up just like that.
But he was destined not to find Shen Mingzhu that day.
After extracting the truth from Chen Jia'an's mouth, Shen Yun, while angry, immediately took two actions.
One was to have someone secretly watch Fang Gu.
A courtesan who had been designed by him to be driven out of the capital and to the south, suddenly returned.
And in such a manner, no one could simply overlook it.
Shen Yun went to investigate this matter.
Su Xiaoqi, however, had already sent someone to find Shen Mingzhu.
She tactfully informed her of the matter.
Shen Mingzhu was stunned at first.
Then she began to cry.
After crying for a while, she calmly wiped her tears, stood up, and bowed to Su Xiaoqi.
She said there were still matters at the shop and she would go back to take out the baked bread.
Those were samples, and she had to taste them herself.
Su Xiaoqi didn't stop her, but sent Zhang Yu to accompany her.
Shen Mingzhu's earlier strength was all a pretense.
She was very sad and hurt.
Chen Jia'an was the sole object of her affection during her youth.
When she saw how loving her elder brother and sister-in-law were, she also wished for such a beautiful love.
Coincidentally, Chen Jia'an appeared.
He was gentle and considerate, and his words were sweet.
Through their long interaction, they had much to talk about.
She thought this was for a lifetime.
She realized that a lifetime was so short; closing her eyes and opening them again, the world had already passed before she could fully appreciate it.
She returned to Chen Jinji and mechanically completed the tasks she needed to do.
Walking on the street, listening to the noisy sounds around her, her heart felt momentarily numb.
She wished she could just keep walking, walking like this, and then she wouldn't have to face the current predicament.