Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 2

Shen Lingjun was in a daze at the moment. Even if the most terrifying demons and monsters stood in front of her, she would not react much. She simply bowed to Mo Chonggui and then turned to go back to the mansion.

Qin Shaoze felt a chill run down his spine. He and Liu Manman bowed respectfully to Mo Zhonggui, not daring to show the slightest disrespect, for fear of offending this formidable figure.

Mo Zhonggui ignored Qin Shaoze and Liu Manman, his gaze fixed on Shen Lingjun's back.

Qin Shaoze also noticed the strange look that Mo Zhonggui was giving Shen Lingjun.

Why does he see Shen Lingjun that way?

Could it be that he is interested in Shen Lingjun?

Qin Shaoze had his doubts, but naturally dared not ask.

Mo Zhonggui said nothing, and led the Dongchang group away on horseback.

Qin Shaoze could only put it aside for the time being and quickly put the matter out of his mind. He spent a long time with Liu Manman, feeling reluctant to part, before they finally separated and returned to their residence.

......

As soon as Shen Lingjun returned to the mansion, he changed into plain clothes.

She was a married woman, but after her father and brothers passed away, she still had to observe three months of mourning.

Qin Shaoze returned shortly afterward, and Shen Lingjun went straight to him.

She stood upright in front of Qin Shaoze, dressed in white without any makeup, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

“My lord, I don’t need you to keep my status as the wife of the Marquis’s family. Since you want to marry Miss Liu, then let’s get a divorce.”

Although she and Qin Shaoze have been married for three years, they actually don't have much interaction.

On the second day of his marriage, he went to fight on the northwestern border. During the three years, he only returned to Kyoto once, and even then, he left in a hurry.

After consummating the marriage, he never touched her again.

It's probably because he and Liu Manman were already deeply in love.

Since that's the case, she granted his wish to be with Liu Manman.

Upon hearing the word "divorce," Qin Shaoze's expression immediately changed, and he flatly refused.

"No! I will never divorce you! Your father and brothers have just passed away, and you are in a time of grief and helplessness. What kind of person would I be if I abandoned you now?"

Shen Lingjun wanted to sneer.

So he knew that she had just lost her father and brother and was going through a period of grief and despair.

But he just happened to choose this time to marry his true love, his concubine, into the Marquis's mansion!

I'm afraid it's because her family is now weak and no one can support her, so she immediately changed her attitude and became so unscrupulous!

His reluctance to divorce was simply because he didn't want to be accused of being heartless and ungrateful. His wife had just fallen on hard times, and he was already taking a new lover; if word got out, the public would condemn him to death.

Just then, Qin Shaoze's mother, Old Madam Qin, rushed in.

She had already overheard Shen Lingjun saying he wanted a divorce, and she looked very anxious.

"Lingjun, don't say such silly things!"

Grandma Qin stepped forward, took Shen Lingjun's hand, and spoke earnestly.

"Rui'er has only just turned three. If you want a divorce, what will happen to Rui'er?"

Shen Lingjun froze abruptly.

Oh yes... and there's also Rui-ge'er.

Her son, Qin Xuanrui.

She became pregnant with Rui Ge'er on her wedding night with Qin Shaoze.

Rui Ge'er was her greatest comfort in this widow-like marriage.

She didn't have much affection for Qin Shaoze. Although she was hurt by his betrayal, she was still determined to divorce him.

But he couldn't bear to part with Rui Ge'er.

Even if she gets a divorce, the Qin family will absolutely not allow her to take Rui Ge'er with her.

Seeing that Shen Lingjun was in a dilemma, Old Mrs. Qin knew that she had persuaded her, and patted her heavily.

"Lingjun, please don't say such hurtful things again. Rui-ge needs you, you can't get a divorce. As for that Miss Liu, Shaoze and I both guarantee that we won't let her threaten your position."

Shen Lingjun did not speak.

She was someone who couldn't tolerate any injustice. Since Qin Shaoze had betrayed her and kicked her when she was down, she wouldn't stoop to staying in the Marquis's mansion any longer.

But Rui Ge'er is indeed a difficult problem for her.

She gritted her teeth, her mind in turmoil and torment.

Grandma Qin felt she had Shen Lingjun's Achilles' heel and victory was assured. Shen Lingjun had always doted on Rui Ge'er; she would never abandon the child and insist on a divorce.

Grandma Qin and Qin Shaoze went outside.

Shen Lingjun's mind was in complete chaos. She slumped into a chair, feeling a splitting headache.

What should she do now?

How can we take Rui Ge'er away from the Marquis's mansion?

Shen Lingjun was extremely annoyed. He returned to his Weixia Courtyard and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution.

The courtyard was quiet. Shen Lingjun noticed that Qin Xuanrui was not there and asked the maid Dou Niang, "Where is Brother Rui?"

The damselfly replied, "The old lady called me to Shou'an Courtyard to play."

Shen Lingjun then got up and, with Dou Niang in tow, headed to Shou'an Courtyard.

She was in a bad mood, so she walked along the lakeside path, where there were few people, and it led to the back gate of Shouan Temple.

As Shen Lingjun entered Shou'an Courtyard, she heard Qin Xuanrui's sweet voice coming from the garden in front: "Mother!"

Even though Shen Lingjun was in a bad mood, a smile appeared on her face at this moment. She thought that Qin Xuanrui had seen her, so she stopped and waited for her son, who, as usual, ran towards her.

However, she did see Qin Xuanrui's small figure behind the flower bushes in front of her. He didn't run towards her, but instead ran straight to Liu Manman and threw himself into her arms!

"Mother!"

Qin Xuanrui hugged Liu Manman tightly, pressing his little face against hers affectionately. Liu Manman was both surprised and delighted, tears welling up in her eyes, and she kissed him several times.

It's a heartwarming and touching scene of a child and their mother reuniting after a long separation.

Shen Lingjun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, as if he had been nailed down by a huge ice stake, and stood frozen in place!

Her son Rui... actually called Liu Manman "mother"?

Over there, Liu Manman picked up Qin Xuanrui and spun him around several times, making Qin Xuanrui giggle.

Liu Manman put him down, looked at him carefully, and was filled with mixed emotions.

"Rui'er... are you doing well in the Marquis's mansion? How is Madam Shen treating you?"

Qin Xuanrui immediately looked aggrieved: "She's not nice to me at all! She won't let me play, she won't let me eat candy, and she makes me learn manners every day! She's so mean! Mother, I only want you!"

Liu Manman glanced at Wang Mama, Qin Xuanrui's wet nurse, who shook her head at her, indicating that she could rest assured.

Liu Manman knew that Shen Lingjun had always believed Qin Xuanrui was her biological son, so how could she possibly treat him badly? She just didn't spoil him, and therefore disciplined him more strictly.

Meanwhile, Granny Wang took the opportunity to whisper in Qin Xuanrui's ear that Shen Lingjun was not his biological mother, which was why she treated him so badly. She told him to keep this a secret, that his biological mother was waiting for him to reunite with her outside, and that his biological mother was the one who truly loved him.

Qin Xuanrui was only three years old, how could he distinguish right from wrong? Granny Wang spoke ill of Shen Lingjun every day, which made him full of resentment towards Shen Lingjun. He longed for his own mother, but he dared not show it in front of Shen Lingjun.

Liu Manman was well aware that this was unfair to Shen Lingjun, but she had no other choice.

She became pregnant with Qin Xuanrui not long after she and Qin Shaoze got together three years ago.

At that time, the Shen family was at its peak. Qin Shaoze was intimidated by the power of the Yue family and did not dare to bring Liu Manman back to the Marquis's mansion. Qin Xuanrui could only be born as an illegitimate child who could not be seen in the light of day.

Liu Manman was unwilling to accept this, and Qin Shaoze also felt sorry for her, so they came up with a solution.

At that time, Shen Lingjun was also about to give birth, so Qin Shaoze took Liu Manman, who was six months pregnant, back to Kyoto. The two women gave birth at almost the same time, and Qin Shaoze used Liu Manman's child to switch Shen Lingjun's child.

In this way, Qin Xuanrui could be raised openly and legitimately in the Marquis's mansion as the legitimate son, and was even granted the title of heir apparent.

However, Qin Xuanrui still needed to acknowledge Liu Manman in the future, so Liu Manman sent his wet nurse, Granny Wang, to Qin Xuanrui's side to teach him from a young age that she was his real mother, so that he wouldn't actually mistake Shen Lingjun for his mother.

Liu Manman also felt that Shen Lingjun was quite wronged, but what could she do when she occupied the position of the Marquis's wife?

I can only ask her to help raise my child for a few years.

This was the fate of these women in ancient times.

Liu Manman said gently to Qin Xuanrui, "Alright, Rui'er, don't worry. Mother will be entering the Marquis's mansion soon, and then you will be able to see Mother often. But your relationship with Mother is still a secret. You must not tell anyone outside. You must still call Shen Shi Mother, understand?"

Qin Xuanrui looked reluctant, but he still agreed.

"Rui'er, you're such a good boy!" Liu Manman took Qin Xuanrui's hand. "Mother will take you to play!"

The mother and son ran off laughing.

Grandma Qin and Qin Shaoze watched from the side, their eyes full of smiles.

After Liu Manman and Qin Xuanrui disappeared from sight, Qin Shaoze said to Old Madam Qin, "It seems that there are no problems with the mother-son relationship between Rui-ge'er and Manman. The only question is how they will recognize each other in the future..."

Grandma Qin didn't think it was a big deal at all.

"That's easy. The Shen family has already fallen, hasn't it? For the sake of your reputation, don't divorce the Shen family yet. Wait a year or two, until the storm has passed, then find a way to make her disappear. No one will care. At that time, make Manman your legal wife, and Xuanrui will still be the legitimate son. They will naturally be mother and son, isn't that enough?"

Qin Shaoze fell silent when he heard the words, "Find a way to make her disappear."

Grandma Qin sighed, "Shaoze, you need to understand the situation. Manman is the Emperor's personally appointed Divine Physician, and the first female physician in Beiyi. She will greatly benefit your career. As for Shen Lingjun..."

She paused for a moment after saying this.

"The Shen family did indeed take good care of you and promote you in the past, but what about now? Shen Wei and Shen Jingyang are both dead, and they died in battle. The Shen family is finished. If Shen Lingjun has anyone to blame, it's only because of her bad luck. She's useless and shouldn't have occupied the position of the mistress of the Marquis's mansion."

Qin Shaoze frowned: "Then I'll wait until after some time before divorcing her..."

Old Madam Qin glared at him: "Divorce what? Have you forgotten that the Marquis's mansion is entirely supported by her dowry? If she divorces us, she has the right to take all the dowry with her. What will we do then? Starve? ... Only if she dies can her dowry remain in the Marquis's mansion!"

Qin Shaoze remained silent again, offering no rebuttal, which clearly indicated his acceptance of Old Madam Qin's statement.

In the distance, Shen Lingjun, his face deathly pale, retreated step by step.

The conversation between Old Mrs. Qin and Qin Shaoze, word by word, fell into her ears like a giant hammer, smashing into her mind, making her dizzy and unsteady.

...Rui'er is not her biological child at all!

Qin Shaoze had already started an affair with Liu Manman three years ago, and they even had a child together.

That's not all; they actually kept her in the dark and made her raise Liu Manman's child!