usatvline Chapter 352 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 352 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 352 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis's Marquisate VS The Frail and Early-Dying Eldest Son of the Marquis's Family (27)
Shen Huaizhi entered Lord Shen's study after being informed by a servant.
Lord Shen had his back to the door and was looking at the bookshelf behind his desk, seemingly lost in thought.
Shen Huaizhi bowed to himself and said, "Huaizhi greets Lord Shen."
Lord Shen only came to his senses when he heard the voice. He turned around and said gently, "Huaizhi is here. Is something the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Shen Huaizhi stared intently at Lord Shen, the elder he had always admired and respected. Shen Huaizhi had never thought that he was not his child, but things had come to this point, leaving him no choice but to believe it.
Shen Huaizhi took a deep breath, bowed to Lord Shen again, and then said, "This morning, the Lady of the Marquis sent people to seal the small gate between my residence and the Marquis's mansion. I came to ask if Lord Shen intends to drive Huaizhi out of the Marquis's mansion?"
Lord Shen remained silent. He hadn't expected his wife to act so quickly. He hadn't even had a chance to inform Shen Huaizhi, so why hadn't anyone in the manor reported it to him?
Lord Shen had been hesitant about how to tell Shen Huaizhi about this, but now he could no longer avoid it.
Lord Shen sighed, took a small box from the bookshelf behind him, walked to Shen Huaizhi's side, and patted Shen Huaizhi's shoulder with one hand.
“Huaizhi, these days there have been one thing after another happening in the city. Your mother is so worried that she has started to believe in gods and Buddhas.”
You saw what happened to your sister Xi'er a few days ago. Your mother was angry with me, but she took it out on you.
The household is in chaos right now. If I don't go along with your mother's wishes, I'm afraid her health won't be able to take it. Child, I'll have to trouble you.
The manor is in such a mess right now, sealing the gates is for your health's sake, in case you get into trouble again.
Now that you're married and have established a family, it's time to take care of your own home.
I have some banknotes and deeds to shops and estates here, consider them as an advance share of my estate for you.
Of course, giving you these things doesn't mean we're kicking you out of the manor. This is about dividing the property but not the family. You can continue living in that small courtyard.
Now that you're married and grown up, it's time for you to build your own future. You'd better live up to expectations; your father is waiting to see your achievements, hahaha…”
Shen Huaizhi held the brocade box handed to him by Lord Shen, his heart completely calm.
If he were truly a son of a concubine in the Marquis's household, and was treated differently by the Marquis's wife because he was hindering the fortunes of the legitimate children, he would be separated from the family.
Lord Shen, as a father, said that he would divide the property but not the family, but in reality, he was biased towards his legitimate children.
He has been abandoned; he has to earn his own future!
Shen Huaizhi should have been indignant, but now that he knew he wasn't Lord Shen's biological child, he had no reason to be angry or indignant.
Lord Shen has supported him for 18 years. Whatever the reason, he has given him a stable and wealthy life. What more could he ask for?
Shen Huaizhi did not accept the brocade box. He put it back on his desk and then said to Lord Shen, "Lord Shen, while our parents are alive, we should not separate our households. It would be unreasonable for me to accept these things now!"
Huai Zhi is already married, and I can support my wife myself from now on.
Shen Huai took two steps back, then knelt down and performed a grand salute to Lord Shen. Lord Shen hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, but Shen Huai insisted on kowtowing to Lord Shen.
Then, Shen Huaizhi straightened up from his knees and said to Lord Shen, "Thank you for raising me all these years. I am deeply grateful."
I accept any decision made by the household, but I know that Huaizhi will not be able to visit you and Madam Hou as often in the future. I hope you will take good care of yourself.
After saying that, Shen Huaizhi staggered to his feet, bid farewell, and prepared to leave.
After taking two steps, Shen Huaizhi stopped again.
"By the way, because I'm not feeling well, my wife plans to take me to the estate to recuperate for a while. I can't say exactly how long, maybe two or three months, or maybe a year or two."
After I leave, I'll trouble Lord Shen to take back the small courtyard where I lived; please don't let it fall into disrepair.
After Shen Huaizhi finished speaking, he walked straight away. Lord Shen reached out to call him back, but ultimately remained silent.
Lord Shen had a bad feeling. Why did Shen Huaizhi's behavior seem like he wanted to completely sever ties with the Marquis's mansion?
Did he sense something? But how could that be?
Only then did Lord Shen belatedly realize that during this meeting, Shen Huaizhi had consistently addressed him as "Lord Shen" and had never called him "father" again...
Stepping out of the study, Shen Huaizhi felt a sense of relief. He knew he couldn't have what he had longed for, so he had no choice but to give it up.
Shen Huaizhi originally thought he would have regrets, but after truly letting go, the shackles in his heart were unlocked. It turned out that there was nothing he could not truly let go of.
Shen Huaizhi walked briskly towards the outside of the mansion, but on the way he ran into Shen Yichen, whose health was gradually improving.
"Brother, you just saw Father and are you leaving the manor? Is Father free right now?"
Shen Huaizhi cupped his hands in greeting, but did not mention his own business, only replying, "Well, there's no one else in the study right now, you can go directly there."
Shen Yichen hadn't had much contact with his nominal older brother, and felt awkward about exchanging pleasantries, so he only said a few dry words before making an excuse to leave.
Shen Yichen came to talk to Lord Shen about the renovation of the ancestral hall. It had rained a few days ago and the hall was leaking. After the report was submitted, someone was asked to hurry up and repair it.
Matters concerning the ancestral hall are of great importance and cannot be delayed for even a moment.
Shen Huaizhi found it somewhat intriguing: an ancestral hall?
Shen Huaizhi never even visited the Shen family's ancestral hall!
When Shen Huaizhi was young, he was seriously ill and in poor health, so Lord Shen decreed that he could skip the annual ancestral worship ceremony.
Later, as Shen Huaizhi grew older, whether it was because they deliberately ignored it or forgot about it, no one came to call Shen Huaizhi every time they held ancestral worship ceremonies.
Looking back now, the reason Lord Shen wouldn't let him go to the ancestral hall was simply because he wasn't a member of the Shen family at all!
He's no longer a member of the Shen family, so how could he still go and worship the Shen family's ancestors?
It's likely that his name won't even appear in the Shen family's genealogy.
After leaving the Marquis's residence, Shen Huaizhi turned around, took one last look at the residence, and left without looking back.
From this point on, he had no further connection with the Marquis of Xuanping's residence!
Shen Huaizhi returned to his small courtyard, where Su Jinyue was arranging for people to move her dowry out.
Instead of using the Marquis's carriage, Su Jinyue found the head of the hot spring estate, Lin, and arranged for a carriage from the estate to transport her dowry.
Su Jinyue was extremely busy, but when she saw Shen Huaizhi return, she immediately went to check on him to see if he was alright.
Shen Huaizhi was initially feeling somewhat dejected, but upon returning to the courtyard and seeing the lively servants and the vibrant Su Jinyue, his heart seemed to be infected, and his mood improved considerably.