Chapter 596: Chapter 594: The Transmigrated Woman Who Self-Destructed 18 Times (Part 25)
"Shen Zheng’an is actually still alive. Brother, what should we do?" Shen Nanqiao was truly anxious, this was something she had never anticipated.
Didn’t they say Shen Zheng’an had perished at sea? How is it possible he’s back? Not only did he return, but he also ended up on the same deserted island with the Sixth Prince. This is too much of a coincidence.
If Shen Zheng’an is not dead, sooner or later he will set fire to the Marquis Mansion. She didn’t think Shen Zheng’an would do nothing once he knew the truth.
"We can’t move against Shen Zheng’an right now." Shen Zhengjie rubbed his temples with a headache, "At least not now, or else we might get burned ourselves."
They weren’t royal sons or grandsons. It wasn’t like they could escape with just a cut in salary, a demotion, or even confinement. A wrongful step could lead to exile or death.
"Luckily, we were careful about those past matters. Even if Shen Zheng’an and the Sixth Prince investigate in secret, they haven’t found anything pointing to us. We definitely can’t expose ourselves now."
"Then what should we do?" Shen Nanqiao was genuinely flustered. First, Chu Chen appeared, and now Shen Zheng’an was back alive. Nothing seemed to be going their way, and things were even becoming a bit out of control. How could she stay calm?
Shen Zhengjie said, "Actually, Shen Zheng’an has no direct conflict with us. That matter is unrelated to us siblings." Shen Zhengjie analyzed, "Without absolute assurance, we really shouldn’t act against him. He doesn’t know about that matter yet. As long as our positions remain unshakable before he investigates, even if the truth is exposed, the loss of the Marquis Mansion wouldn’t matter. At most, he would only be dissatisfied with us, not daring to do anything against us."
Shen Nanqiao gradually calmed down. "You mean, in the future, you will be an important minister in the hands of the Sixth Prince, and I... the Empress. Even if Shen Zheng’an is dissatisfied, he wouldn’t dare to do anything to us?"
This could actually work!
After all, they weren’t the ones who did that thing; it was their mother, who died early.
Thinking of this, Shen Nanqiao felt some resentment toward her mother, Pan Family. If she hadn’t done that stupid thing in their past life when Shen Zheng’an rose up, he might have looked after her a bit.
In this life, they returned with the purpose of dealing with Shen Zheng’an for various reasons, mostly because Shen Zheng’an would definitely ruin the Marquis Mansion because of her mother’s affair. After all, when Shen Zheng’an exposed the matter later, many people in the Marquis Mansion knew and chose to help keep it hidden, which angered him greatly.
She got dragged into it.
Her brother was implicated due to the Fourth Prince’s matters. In their past life, he did many things following the Fourth Prince and was eventually held accountable, leading to his demise. All these things were later uncovered by Shen Zheng’an.
But this life is different. They have decided to sever ties with the Fourth Prince and align with the Sixth Prince. Naturally, they wouldn’t put their hearts and souls into assisting the Fourth Prince in those matters again.
"As long as you understand." Shen Zhengjie exhaled, "It’s not yet an irreversible situation, so let’s wait for Daoist Bai Hong to visit first."
Shen Nanqiao nodded, hopeful. It should be soon, right? Once Daoist Bai Hong visits, he might help dissolve the marriage contract between her and the Fourth Prince.
During dinner, the old madam of the Marquis Mansion suddenly said, "Since Zheng’an was falsely accused, and now the injustice has been cleared, his name should be restored to the family genealogy."
Her expression was calm as she raised her eyes to glance at Shen Jun.
Shen Jun was displeased. That debt-collecting and infuriating son, he truly didn’t want him.
He looked towards the dignified Shen Zhengjie on the side. This was his idea of a perfect son, but of course, he wouldn’t share this thought with anyone.
"Let the second young master handle this matter." Shen Hong said, looking somewhat fatigued. He had disagreed with the second young master’s actions before, immediately removing someone from the genealogy upon making a mistake. It was too hasty. Not to mention that His Majesty hadn’t even implicated the Marquis Mansion; if they were really involved, removing a name wouldn’t be that simple.
Now that his nephew was proven innocent and the matter had surfaced, it only made people laugh at them.
"Second young master, tomorrow you will bring Zheng’an back. He was indeed wronged before." Shen Hong said.
Shen Jun reluctantly agreed. He had no choice; Shen Zheng’an hadn’t committed a crime. He couldn’t just ignore it; he had to bring him back.
"In any case, our Marquis Mansion’s name hasn’t been stained with the reputation of corruption, which is a good thing." The old madam said, "I’ve heard Zheng’an will participate in the upcoming imperial exam. If he achieves a good rank again, it would be an honor for the Marquis Mansion."
Perhaps it’s due to old age, but with both a good son and grandson, the old madam saw things more clearly than before.
However, things often don’t develop as people wish.
The next day, Shen Jun, uncharacteristically, got up early and went to Shen Zheng’an’s residence with a stiff face to seek him.
He felt somewhat angry inside, thinking Shen Zheng’an had grown too arrogant. Ever since His Majesty restored his title, the boy hadn’t sent any message to the Marquis Mansion, which only angered him more as he thought about it.
The gatekeeper, hearing it was the second master of the Marquis Mansion, hurriedly went inside to report.
Soon, Shen Jun was invited in, feeling somewhat uncomfortable at being treated like a guest.
Upon seeing Shen Zheng’an, he couldn’t help but say, "You have become rather impressive now. It’s been days, and no news has reached the Marquis Mansion, nor have you visited. Have you forgotten?"
"Wasn’t I removed from the family registry by you? I’m no longer part of the Shen Family, and there’s no father-son relationship between us," Shen Zheng’an lounged in a seat, his playboy demeanor unchanged. Having been removed from the family registry, he no longer needed to be oppressed by the duty of filial piety, "Didn’t you, Second Master Shen, and the family elders say that you couldn’t bear having such an embarrassing son, and removed me from the registry, ending our father-son relationship?"
These words came from the mouth of this Second Master Shen himself, so he couldn’t really blame Shen Zheng’an.
He didn’t particularly want such a father either.
"You..." Shen Jun, his face filled with rage, pointed at Shen Zheng’an. Facing Shen Zheng’an’s indifferent manner only fueled his anger. Yet, as Shen Zheng’an said, he had, indeed, declared that he couldn’t afford to have a shaming, cheating son, not only removing him from the registry but also severing their father-son ties.
Later, when Shen Zheng’an was robbed, news of his death arrived.
He hadn’t even considered taking care of his son’s affairs, given he had long stopped seeing Shen Zheng’an as his son.
It was only after the old madam intervened that the Marquis Mansion held a funeral.
Shen Zheng’an took a sip of tea, unfazed by Shen Jun’s anger.
"Please leave, Second Master Shen, I took your words back then to be true."
"In truth, you never cared about having me as your son, so why force it today? No one will be happy this way."
Having been around Shen Jun for many years, how could Shen Zheng’an not know? His father didn’t hold any parental affection for him at all, rather treating him as an enemy. The reason was the death of his mother being blamed on him.
Initially, he believed these words too, feeling sorrowful and for a long period, he blamed himself for causing his mother’s death through his existence.
But one day, he realized things might not have been so simple.
