Upon hearing these words, Shen Yuanzhu fell silent.
Her room was filled with various trinkets, all gifts from Xie Xuchuan over the years.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t sad, but she had long anticipated this outcome.
She simply hadn’t expected that Xie Xuchuan would change his heart even before their marriage was finalized.
Shen Yuanzhu pressed a hand to her chest, where a sudden pang of pain had struck, and muttered with a shake of her head, “If he insists, then let it be.”
“Let it be? What do you mean, let it be?”
Ling’er widened her eyes, her face filled with shock.
Luo Shi said, “Naturally, she means the marriage should be abandoned.”
Wiping the crumbs from the corner of Shen Yuanzhu’s lips, Luo Shi sighed, “Getting another woman pregnant before marriage already shows his poor character.
“Not to mention, taking Jiang Wansu as an external concubine is utterly absurd.
“And on top of that, Young Master Xie wants to place that illegitimate child under your name? Such open humiliation toward our young lady proves he is no good match.”
Other matters aside, Xie Xuchuan had to go and stir up this issue of legitimizing a child.
How many years had her mistress suffered because of Shen Yanhuai?
Now, even before marrying, Xie Xuchuan was already wounding the young lady’s heart with such matters…
Luo Shi clenched her palm, seething with anger.
Shen Yuanzhu nodded in agreement.
Her parents had once been deeply in love, but later, her father still took a concubine.
Not only did he have Shen Yanhuai with the concubine, but he also fathered Shen Yuanqiong with her while her mother was still in confinement after childbirth.
If Shen Yanhuai was a thorn in her mother’s eye, then Shen Yuanqiong was a dagger to her heart.
It was after Shen Yuanqiong’s birth that her mother began preparing her dowry and secretly established the Jade Pavilion.
A loving couple ended up with nothing but wariness and regret, which was why her mother taught her from a young age that only gold and silver would never betray her.
Hold tight to wealth, and there will always be a way out.
Seeing Shen Yuanzhu lost in thought, Luo Shi continued, “The Xie family may appear prosperous now, but hidden dangers lurk beneath the surface.
“Xie Xuchuan, as the eldest legitimate grandson, has a rarely seen twin brother, which is already unusual.
“When the mistress arranged the engagement between you and Young Master Xie, she once said that there must be something abnormal about Xie Qi.
“The eldest branch has its secrets, while the second branch of the Xie family is like a profligate scoundrel straight out of a storybook, jumping around in the merchant guild to steal the limelight, notorious for being difficult and troublesome.
“The third branch’s Xie Jingyuan is a good and promising one, but unfortunately, he belongs to the third branch and is destined not to inherit the Xie family’s business.”
Xie Xuchuan’s father, Xie Boyu, as the head of the eldest branch, was rather mediocre.
Xie Boyu could only maintain the family’s legacy but could not expand the Xie family’s foundation.
It would be better if Xie Jingyuan took over the Xie family, but unfortunately, he is still young, and the Xie family has no tradition of dividing the family estate.
In the future, when Xie Jingyuan marries and has children, it remains to be seen whether he can endure his mediocre elder brother controlling the Xie family’s power and suppressing him for a lifetime.
“Xie Boyu himself is mediocre, and his son is no better. An eldest branch incapable of upholding the family…”
Luo Shi shook her head, “Within ten years, the Xie family will surely face turmoil.”
After Shen Yuanzhu’s mother passed away, it was Luo Shi who had been guiding her. Though Luo Shi was only a nanny, she possessed foresight and insight into worldly affairs.
Under her guidance, Shen Yuanzhu had grown exceptionally astute.
Everything Luo Shi said, Shen Yuanzhu had already considered before meeting Xie Xuchuan.
Resting her chin on her hand, she said with little enthusiasm, “If Xie Xuchuan insists on legitimizing that child, our marriage can only be abandoned.
“With the second and third branches of the Xie family eyeing him covetously, he is burying such a huge hidden danger for himself. It shows that this man truly…”
With her eyes downcast, Shen Yuanzhu was sullen, swallowing the words “foolish and dull” and replacing them with “naive.”
She married into the Xie family to leverage their influence and develop the Jiecui Workshop.
Having affection for Xie Xuchuan was merely an added bonus to this marriage. Even without affection, she could still be the legitimate granddaughter-in-law of the Xie family and obtain the Xie Family Farming and Weaving Manual.
But Xie Xuchuan had to set his sights on her silver and property—what kind of scheme was that? It was truly unbearable.
Seeing Shen Yuanzhu and Luo Shi in no hurry, Ling’er slapped her thigh and said, “You two speak so lightly, but the marriage alliance between the Xie and Shen families—how could it be so easily called off?”