Chapter 33: No More Patience
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By the third blood test, Dou Hongyan’s patience was nearly exhausted.
She tenderly applied medicine to Shen Yuheng’s fingertip, then cast a cool glance at Shen Yishu, who had clearly lost himself to obsession. She took Shen Yuheng’s hand and let another drop of blood fall into the bowl.
The two thick drops of blood spread across the water, making its tranquil surface tremble once, then again. The crimson blooms drifted apart, then slowly drew together, colliding as lazily as bubbles in the air.
“Look! They haven’t merged!” Shen Yishu shouted excitedly.
Several people changed expression and leaned over to look. Once they saw what was happening in the water, they furrowed their brows and shook their heads with a sigh.
“Has the old master lost his wits? How could anyone insist that his own son isn’t his real son?”
Shen Yishu froze and stared at the bowl in astonishment. At some point, the two drops of blood had already merged perfectly, gently swaying in the water.
His vision went black, and his blood roiled.
In a daze, he looked around at the people of the marquis’s household, disappointment filling his eyes. His heart turned cold, as though he had fallen into an icy pit.
Then he suddenly seized Old Madam Shen by the arm. His face ashen, he questioned her word by word.
“Mother, tell me. Have you also been won over by the Dou family? Have you joined everyone else in deceiving me?”
Perhaps Shen Yishu’s expression was simply too dreadful.
The sight of him interrogating his own mother became too much for the two elders to bear.
They glared at him, their beards trembling as they scolded him.
“Shen Yishu! She is your own mother! You were gone for more than a decade, and the moment you return, this is how you behave? Is this how you show filial respect to your mother?”
He really had gone mad!
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Dou Hongyan coolly interjected, “As they say, those who stay near vermilion become red, and those who stay near ink become black. Our old master was never like this before.”
That was true!
Her words reminded the two elders of something. They exchanged a glance and nodded, finding her reasoning convincing.
Just look at Shen Yuheng, who had been raised in the marquis’s household. What a fine child he was—he had passed the provincial examination at thirteen and brought endless honor to the family.
Dou Hongyan continued to fan the flames without even raising her head.
“Our marquis’s household is a distinguished hereditary family. We cannot let others make a laughingstock of us. The old master must have spent too long in the countryside and picked up those vulgar habits. If he goes out with such poor bearing, he is bound to bring shame upon the family.”
“He should read more and cultivate his refinement again.”
“That is proper.”
“Indeed. No one in this household has ever behaved in such a way or brought disgrace upon the family. Poor Yishu must have forgotten his true nature after all these years away.”
“It is best that he regain his proper upbringing as soon as possible.”
“…”
With just a few words, they arranged Shen Yishu’s future for him.
Only Shen Yishu was unwilling.
“I finished my studies long ago. Do not listen to that woman’s slander!”
Dou Hongyan replied, “Only with an education can one pursue office. When the time comes, I will find the old master some official position or another. It is still better than idling at home.”
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“I was born into a marquis’s household. How could I stoop to some minor official post? If word got out, it would only disgrace our family!” Shen Yishu declared righteously.
But Liu Xin’er’s eyes shifted.
She wanted to seize this opportunity for an official position.
She cast Shen Yishu a discreet glance, her eyes full of suggestion. Biting her lip, she said, “Husband, for the sake of our future, let us endure this for now.”
Shen Yishu was about to refuse again.
But Liu Xin’er’s tears began to fall at once. Sniffling pitifully, she put on an expression of doing everything for Shen Yishu’s sake. His heart immediately ached for her.
With a dark expression, he reluctantly agreed. “Very well, I will study. It is not as though I have forgotten everything I learned before.”
He did not forget to disparage Dou Hongyan.
“Xin’er is considerate, gentle, and virtuous. That is what a proper wife should be, unlike you, whose words and manners are so vulgar.”
From the corner of her eye, Old Madam Shen noticed Dou Hongyan’s displeased expression, and alarm bells rang in her mind.
She hurried forward and rebuked Shen Yishu.
“That is enough! You have clearly been bewitched by some seductive vixen and lost all sense of right and wrong. You do not even know who truly treats you well. Go study at once. You are not to come out and receive guests until you have finished!”
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