Chapter 32: The Shen Family
"Everyone leave."
Master Shen’s voice rang across the hall, ordering every relative to leave. If this matter continued spreading, the Shen family would become a laughingstock before the Xie family even made their move.
The relatives immediately rose from their seats. Even the servants hurriedly lowered their heads and retreated.
Within moments, the once-crowded hall became empty. The doors closed and silence descended.
Master Shen stood in the middle of the hall while Madam Shen’s face had already turned pale. Shen Yurou remained standing where she was and Lu Wenyuan stood beside her.
Only the four of them remained.
After confirming everyone had left, Master Shen slowly looked at his wife before shifting his gaze toward Shen Yurou.
The anger he had been suppressing finally surfaced completely.
"Now." His voice was low, "Tell me everything."
Shen Yurou felt her throat tighten and the pressure inside the hall was suffocating. Instinctively, she turned toward Lu Wenyuan and grabbed his sleeve.
"Husband..." Her voice was noticeably weaker than before. "What are you doing?"
She still could not understand why he had suddenly spoken up earlier. Why he had claimed he could prove her innocence.
She had expected him to protect her, to stand beside her but not to make things more complicated.
Lu Wenyuan lowered his gaze and looked at the hand clutching his sleeve. He did not speak and the silence made Shen Yurou increasingly uneasy.
Finally, he let out a long breath before he gently pulled his sleeve from her grasp.
The movement was not rough but it was enough to cause Shen Yurou’s heart to sink.
"Husband...?" She called again, looking slightly confused.
Lu Wenyuan let out a long sigh. Three days ago, marrying Shen Yurou had felt like the greatest victory of his life. Today, it suddenly felt like a burden he could not shake off.
"Yurou." His voice was noticeably quieter than before, "Stop hiding it."
His eyes narrowed slightly before continuing asking, "Did you do it?"
The question instantly caused Shen Yurou’s face to turn pale because from the sound of it, it was clear, there was no concern in his voice.
"What do you mean, husband?" Shen Yurou asked.
"I mean..." Lu Wenyuan lowered his head and whispered near her ear, "If this matter is traced back to you, neither of us will escape unscathed."
His voice was low as he finished his words, "So, stop lying and tell me the truth."
Shen Yurou’s eyes widened. She stared at him as though she had never heard him speak that way before.
During the past three days, Lu Wenyuan had treated her gently. He spoke softly, accommodated her wishes, and rarely showed any displeasure in front of her.
Yet now, listening to his words, Shen Yurou suddenly understood something. The person standing before her was not worried that she would be wronged. He was worried that she might drag him down with her.
Master Shen’s frown deepened as he watched the two of them going back and forth. The anger he had been suppressing quickly resurfaced.
"I asked you to present your proof." His sharp gaze landed on Lu Wenyuan, "But instead, you are questioning her."
His voice gradually became colder. "Scholar Lu, do not tell me you stood up in front of everyone and claimed you could prove her innocence when you have no proof at all."
The hall instantly fell silent.
Shen Yurou’s heart skipped a beat. Madam Shen immediately looked toward Lu Wenyuan as well because that was the question everyone wanted answered.
Earlier, he had spoken with such confidence and such certainty. As though he truly possessed evidence capable of clearing Shen Yurou’s name.
But after everyone left, he had done nothing except question his own wife.
Lu Wenyuan’s expression stiffened.
The silence alone was enough to make Master Shen’s face darken further.
"Well?" Master Shen took a step forward, "What proof do you have?"
Lu Wenyuan clenched his fists inside his sleeves. Then he slowly spoke, "I do have proof."
The words instantly attracted everyone’s attention. Shen Yurou looked at him in panic because she herself had no idea what proof he was talking about.
Lu Wenyuan turned toward Master Shen. "The entire time before the return visit..." He paused briefly, "Yurou never left my side."
The moment those words fell, Shen Yurou’s eyes widened. She looked genuinely shocked as she finally understood what Lu Wenyuan had been planning to say all along.
"Yurou and I were together the whole time." His voice gradually regained some confidence. "From the day of our marriage until this morning, she rarely left my sight."
He looked toward Master Shen, "So it would be impossible for her to personally prepare the poison, hide it in Chuntao’s room, and arrange everything herself."
Master Shen’s expression changed slightly. Although the explanation did not completely clear Shen Yurou of suspicion, it did create a problem.
If Lu Wenyuan was telling the truth, then Shen Yurou could not have personally carried out many of those actions.
Madam Shen’s eyes immediately lit up.
"That’s right!" She quickly stepped forward, "Wenyuan has been with Yurou constantly since the wedding." Her voice carried a hint of relief, "If he is willing to testify for her, then how could Yurou be the one behind all this?"
Master Shen remained silent. His fingers slowly tapped against the armrest of his chair.
The explanation sounded reasonable but the more he considered it, the less satisfied he became.
After a long moment, he let out a cold laugh, "Scholar Lu."
Lu Wenyuan immediately lowered his head. "Father."
Master Shen’s gaze lingered on him, "You speak as though this matter has already been settled."
The hall fell silent.
"You claim Yurou never left your side." He continued as his eyes dimmed sharply, "And because of that, she could not have poisoned Young Master Xie?"
Lu Wenyuan hesitated briefly before replying, "That is not what this son-in-law means. I merely wish to say that she did not have the opportunity to personally arrange such matters."
The moment the words left his mouth, Master Shen’s expression darkened further. "Personally?"
He repeated the word slowly. Then he suddenly laughed. "A servant may prepare the poison... A maid may deliver it and a single order is enough for another pair of hands to carry out the deed."
His sharp gaze landed on Shen Yurou. "Since when does the mastermind need to dirty their own hands?"
Shen Yurou’s face immediately lost color.
Madam Shen stepped forward, "Husband, Yurou would never—"
"Enough." Master Shen’s voice was not loud, yet it instantly silenced her. He slowly rose from his seat. His eyes swept across Madam Shen, Shen Yurou, and finally Lu Wenyuan.
"Do you know what angers me most?"
No one dared answer.
"It is not the poisoning."
The three of them immediately looked up.
Master Shen sneered, "Poisoning can still be investigated... The culprit can still be found." His expression gradually turned grim, "What angers me is that the Shen family has now become a joke."
The words struck like a hammer.
"Young Master Xie was poisoned during his return visit, in my residence... Under my roof." His voice grew colder with each sentence. "By tomorrow morning, every noble family in the capital will know."
Madam Shen’s face grew paler by every second and Shen Yurou’s hands trembled inside her sleeves.
Master Shen looked toward her, "And you."
Shen Yurou immediately lowered her head. "Father..."
"Do not call me Father." His voice cut through the hall, "When the marriage was exchanged, did you think of the consequences?"
Shen Yurou’s breathing stalled.
Master Shen laughed coldly, "Do not look so surprised. Did you truly believe I knew nothing?"
The hall instantly fell silent.
His eyes narrowed, "The story was riddled with holes."
Madam Shen’s lips trembled, "Husband..."
Back then, she had truly believed they had deceived everyone. Yet hearing his words now, she suddenly realized how foolish that assumption had been.
Master Shen slowly sat down, "I simply chose not to pursue the matter." His voice was calm, "The Xie family received a daughter from the Shen family. Yurou obtained the marriage she desired. You protected your daughter."
His gaze moved toward Lu Wenyuan, "And Scholar Lu... I believed you married the woman you wished to marry."
The hall remained silent.
"Since everyone appeared satisfied, I saw no reason to uncover what was already buried."
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Master Shen’s expression gradually darkened. "But now?"
His hand slammed heavily onto the table. The loud sound echoed throughout the hall.
"Now Xie Rong has been poisoned."
The three of them flinched.
Master Shen slowly rose to his feet once more, "Tell me." His gaze fixed upon Shen Yurou, "Was it worth it?"
No one answered and after a long moment, Master Shen let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again, the anger on his face had largely faded, replaced by the cold composure of a man calculating the consequences before him.
"Whether you did it or not no longer matters."
Shen Yurou’s body stiffened as Master Shen looked at her.
"What matters is that Young Master Xie must never find the answer within these walls." His voice was calm, "Clean up the mess you have made, Yurou."
Every word landed heavily inside the hall.
"And before Young Master Xie sets foot in this residence again, there must not remain even the slightest trace for him to follow."
Every three of their expressions changed slightly because they all understood what those words meant.
Master Shen was not seeking justice... He was protecting the Shen family.