She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Shaoheng approached her yesterday and told her that they would discuss today the matter of requesting that he be named the heir apparent. Madam Shen would definitely not let it go and would surely expose their affair.

If his affair were exposed, at most he would lose his position as heir apparent, or at worst be expelled from the clan. But with the protection of the old lady, he would live a life free from want.

But only death awaited her.

Shen Shaoheng proposed that his younger sister enter the mansion to replace her in order to deal with Madam Shen's troubles. His sister had already agreed and told him to hide in the inner room after dinner.

She refused, saying that such a physical examination would only be done by a midwife, so she wanted Shen Shaoheng to bribe the midwife trusted by the Marquis of Chengen.

Shen Shaoheng had many concerns. If he made a wrong move, he would not only fail to win over the person, but would also hand over his incriminating evidence against them.

He relayed a quote from his sister: "Your sister said that if you hadn't protected her, she would have had countless clients and would have no reputation for innocence. She's just taking the medical exam in your place. If it can save your life, it's nothing to her. If you can't live, she won't live either."

She eventually agreed.

Shen Shaoheng took her clothes, dressed his sister in the same way, and sent her into her courtyard.

Fortunately, he had already turned her maid to his side, which allowed him to deceive everyone.

Aunt Mei was relieved that the Marquis of Chengen hadn't seen her many times, except for a few times when he was ill.

Madam Shen had always treated her as a pawn, and had exempted her from paying her respects on ordinary days.

She was practically invisible in the household. Her younger sister looked almost identical to her, and only those who knew her could tell the difference, which allowed her to get away with it.

Aunt Mei looked at Shen Qingtan and said gratefully, "Miss, thank you for saving my life."

Even though Shen Shaoheng was fully prepared, she was still uneasy, worried that her sister would endure humiliation to perform a physical examination for her, prove her innocence, and save her life.

To protect her reputation, the master of the mansion would sell her to a brothel.

She was a woman from a brothel; in their eyes, she was nothing more than a plaything, and no one cared about her dignity or feelings.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qingtan reached out and pulled her out of the abyss, so that she would no longer have to live a precarious life.

"If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would never have been free in my life." Aunt Mei's tears rolled down her cheeks. After her family fell into ruin, Shen Qingtan was the only person who had no ulterior motives towards her and was willing to lend a helping hand to save her. "From now on, you are my benefactor. If there is anything I can do to help you, I will repay you."

Shen Qingtan saw her own reflection in Aunt Mei; the two of them were in the same boat, because the people of the Chengen Marquis's mansion had dragged them into the turmoil for their own benefit.

When she saw Aunt Mei standing there helplessly, her fate in the hands of others, awaiting judgment, she couldn't help but feel compassion.

In her past life, she was blinded by family affection and never dreamed that her loving parents would scheme against her.

It wasn't until she learned the truth before her tragic death that she realized that their kindness towards her had always been calculated and never genuine.

It shouldn't have happened; they shouldn't have been dragged into this and ended up with such a tragic death.

The ones who are at fault are Marquis Chengen and Madam Shen, and they are the ones who deserve to die!

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "It's just a small favor."

“Even a small act of kindness is not something everyone is willing to do.” Aunt Mei kept this kindness in her heart and said softly, “I will come to thank you in person after I have settled in.”

Shen Qingtan agreed and left with her maid, heading towards Old Madam Shen's courtyard.

-

When Madam Shen and Shen Shaoheng returned to Jufutang, she waved away the maids who were serving her and ordered her trusted maid to guard the door.

They left from the front hall and returned to Jufutang. Shen Shaoheng explained everything to Madam Shen.

And the plan to use Aunt Mei's sister to replace her and undermine Madam Shen.

After hearing that something had happened to Aunt Mei, they rushed over and asked Old Madam Shen to keep things in order to prevent the situation from escalating beyond control.

When Madam Shen thought of the wicked things Madam Shen had done, she was filled with rage.

"That vicious woman Liu came up with such a treacherous scheme to harm you; she practically left you no way out." Old Madam Shen's face was full of anger, her eyes filled with hatred.

Madam Shen's given name was Liu Deyin. Her maternal family was the Yongyi Earl's Mansion, but it has declined and is not as prosperous as it once was.

After calming her anger, Madam Shen got down to business: "The matter between you and Aunt Mei is true. Aren't you afraid that letting her go like this will cause trouble?"

Her idea was to send Aunt Mei to a farm to be cared for.

"No, if she hadn't reminded me, I would still be confused."

Shen Shaoheng escaped a calamity, but instead of feeling the joy of victory, he felt rather listless.

When he was young, Madam Shen selected four beautiful maids to serve him, and also chose four lovely little maids to be his playmates, so he grew up surrounded by women.

When he was thirteen or fourteen, those beautiful maids, at Madam Shen's behest, tried to seduce him. But being young at the time, he only thought they were maids trying to climb the social ladder.

It wasn't until the incident caused by Shen Qingtan's return home that he realized what had happened. After carefully reviewing the events that had occurred around him, he understood that Madam Shen had intentionally raised him to be a dissolute man who was obsessed with women, cockfighting, and dog racing.

And just as Madam Shen had planned, he became a scoundrel, and the brothel became his second home.

He was attracted to Aunt Mei, the only woman he met among all the women in the world.

He felt that she was different from the women in the brothel, and that he had some genuine feelings for her.

Because of him, she was drawn into a conspiracy, and she inevitably felt a little guilty.

She wants freedom, so let her go, and then we'll be even.

“If she were still a member of the Chengen Marquis’s mansion, who knows what my dear second aunt would do to her again.” Shen Shaoheng curled his lips, looking indifferent: “If she leaves the Chengen Marquis’s mansion and something happens to her in the future, it will not involve me.”

As if lost in thought, Madam Shen said with a sigh, "This is her fate. If she hadn't been so sentimental and protected her sister's innocence, no one could have saved her today."

Aunt Mei's younger sister was not an ungrateful person either; she was willing to endure humiliation for her sister's sake, and the bond between the two sisters was truly rare.

She thought of her deceased eldest son and daughter-in-law, her expression filled with grief.

"Heng'er, you must strive to live up to your potential. Your grandmother will protect your title." Old Madam Shen said firmly, "What is rightfully yours will not be taken away by anyone."

The old man intended to toughen up his eldest son, so he sent him to serve as an official in a remote area. Once his term was up, he was to be transferred back to the capital and then be appointed as the heir apparent.

After three years of service away from home, the eldest son performed exceptionally well and made many contributions. When he was transferred back to the capital to report on his work, the second son took the initiative to leave the capital to pick up the eldest son's family.

Finally, they encountered robbers on the way. The eldest son and his wife were killed, and the second son was seriously injured.

She was devastated and fell ill.

At that time, Madam Shen was very obedient, taking care of her illness without taking off her clothes, and also handling the funeral arrangements for her eldest son and daughter-in-law.

Madam Shen offered to take care of Shen Shaoheng so that she could focus on recovering from her illness.

She thought Madam Shen would be a dignified matriarch, so she entrusted Shen Shaoheng to Madam Shen's care.

Later, she overheard some rumors that her eldest son and daughter-in-law were killed by her second son.

At that time, she became suspicious and, in order to test her second son, proposed that the title be returned to Shen Shaoheng after he grew up.

Her second son readily agreed, which dispelled half of her suspicions. She then carefully observed Madam Shen's attitude towards Shen Shaoheng.

Madam Shen doted on Shen Shaoheng, saying that she pitied him for losing his parents at a young age and treated him like her own son.

Even after Shen Shaohuai was born, Madam Shen never mistreated Shen Shaoheng, which put her mind at ease.

It wasn't until nine years ago that she discovered the truth: the robbers were led there by her second son, who even killed his own elder brother for the sake of a title.

She realized it too late; Shen Shaoheng had already been spoiled rotten by Madam Shen.

That is why, even though Shen Shaoheng was incapable of shouldering the great responsibility, she still insisted on letting him inherit the title.

To maintain the overall situation, she did not tell Shen Shaoheng about this.

Because Shen Shaoheng is incompetent, if he knew that his second uncle and second aunt were enemies, he would not be able to hide his hatred, and instead they would find out and kill him.

“Grandmother, I didn’t want to fight for it originally.” Shen Shaoheng knew he was a good-for-nothing, indulging in pleasure and not interested in an official career: “They forced me to.”

Even if it means destroying the Chengen Marquis's mansion, he will not let the second branch of the family inherit it!