Chapter 67: The Truth

Chapter 67: The Truth

Shen Yichen couldn't stop shaking—from rage, from revulsion.

He gripped Cheng Yi's hand tightly, his teeth grinding together.

"Yan Qiushui... husband, Shen Yuzhu's biological father is named Yan Qiushui. It's him, right?"

He was already almost sure of everything, but he still wanted Cheng Yi to confirm it.

Cheng Yi nodded.

Yan Qiushui was the Yan family's son who had been betrothed to Shen Yunhe.

Back then, when Shen Yunhe latched onto the Yan family, he really was exceptionally talented and had a certain charm.

But why would anyone fund you on just a promise?

So a betrothal was arranged between him and Yan Qiushui. He promised to marry Yan Qiushui in style once he passed the imperial exams.

The Yan family was gambling too—if he passed, they could climb the social ladder through him; if he failed, no big deal, since taking in a respectable scholar as a live-in son-in-law wasn't exactly a loss.

But to everyone's shock, Shen Yunhe not only passed—he got the top score, becoming the Zhuangyuan.

The whole family was over the moon, thinking they'd finally rise in status and shoot up the ranks. Yan Qiushui especially got himself ready, waiting for the top scholar to marry him in grand style.

But instead came news that Shen Yunhe had fallen head over heels for the Duke of An's youngest son.

After years of support and waiting, how could the Yan family just take that lying down?

But even before the engagement news spread, Shen Yunhe had already been pressuring and bribing the Yan family to help him pull off the deception against the Duke of An's household.

Shen Yunhe promised that as long as the Yan family played along and helped him hide the betrothal so he could smoothly marry into the Duke's household, he'd repay them a hundred times over once he made it big.

A rich merchant family from some prefecture—no matter how loaded they were back home—was still just a bunch of lowly traders, worthless in the face of real power.

Even if Shen Yunhe married Yan Qiushui, all the Yan family would get was a measly top scholar.

A top scholar was a big deal in small towns, but in the capital, right under the emperor's nose, a top scholar was at the bottom of the barrel. If he got sent to some backwater prefecture as a nobody official with no prospects, he could rot in obscurity his whole life.

But if Shen Yunhe could marry into the Duke of An's household, that was a straight shot to the top.

That was a Duke—second only to the emperor! A top scholar, even with a meteoric rise, could never dream of reaching that height in his whole life.

Anyone with half a brain knew which choice to make.

Plus, if the Yan family played their cards right, they'd have this leverage over Shen Yunhe forever. Let him climb as high as he wants—with this secret in their pocket, he'd have no choice but to dance to the Yan family's tune.

So the Yan family could change their standing, ride his coattails to glory, expand their business tenfold, a hundredfold, even become imperial merchants...

Nothing would be off the table.

The more the Yan patriarch thought about it, the more fired up he got. This wasn't breaking a promise—it was a better deal, a godsend for the family.

So when the Duke of An sent people to look into it, the Yan family had already gotten the local officials and the academy on the same page, fully prepped. What the investigators got was a completely different story.

No mention of any betrothal—just tales of how brilliant he was, how poor and struggling. Even the fact that he'd once been a child groom for a wealthy family left no trace at all.

Not long after, Shen Yunhe married Gong Sunyin, the Duke of An's youngest son.

But in everyone's rush for profit, one person got overlooked: Yan Qiushui.

He'd been the Yan patriarch's favorite son. It was his love at first sight for Shen Yunhe that led to the betrothal and all those years of support.

The Yan family had backed Shen Yunhe for years, and Yan Qiushui had waited for him and loved him just as long.

His love for Shen Yunhe had long been etched into his bones. Yet in the end, the fruit he'd carefully grown was snatched by someone else—and he wasn't even allowed to complain or kick up a fuss.

He couldn't accept it.

Yan Qiushui fought tooth and nail against breaking the betrothal, but the Yan family had already chosen profit. His father locked him in the house for two whole years, and no amount of desperate begging or suicide attempts changed a thing.

Until finally, he found a chance to escape and headed to the capital alone. He'd confront Shen Yunhe and demand answers—if it came down to it, he'd rather burn it all to the ground.

But when he finally made it to the capital, he found Shen Yunhe had already married Gong Sunyin—and they had a two-year-old legitimate eldest son.

Gong Sunyin wasn't just noble-born—he was stunningly brilliant. Everywhere he went, he turned heads, radiating a light you couldn't look away from.

Yan Qiushui watched Shen Yunhe show up everywhere with him, watched him shower Gong Sunyin with affection and tenderness, handling him like a precious treasure in every little move.

The always-proud Shen Yunhe was even humble and deferential around him, tiptoeing with every step.

Yan Qiushui went crazy with jealousy—burning with hate and envy.

During their years of betrothal, the two had clearly been head over heels for each other.

Consumed by jealousy, Yan Qiushui became convinced Gong Sunyin had stolen his man and taken his place—that everything Gong Sunyin had should've been his.

So he went to find Shen Yunhe.

Shen Yunhe must've been scared out of his mind at the time, but he quickly sweet-talked Yan Qiushui.

He then set Yan Qiushui up in a hidden courtyard somewhere in the capital, where Yan Qiushui became his kept man—and later got pregnant with Shen Yuzhu.

Yan Qiushui stayed a hidden mistress for over four years, until the Duke of An fell and Gong Sunyin died soon after, at which point he entered the household as a secondary husband, bringing three-year-old Shen Yuzhu with him.

The whole thing was handled super quietly, so hush-hush that many people didn't even know Shen Yunhe had picked up a secondary husband. Those who did know were misled by Shen Yunhe's vague explanations into thinking Yan Qiushui was just a widower who'd come seeking refuge from Shen Yunhe's hometown.

Quite a few people even thought Shen Yunhe was a stand-up guy—especially in the years after, when he treated this secondary husband with cold indifference and treated Shen Yuzhu, his stepson, like his own flesh and blood.

Those unaware of the truth thought: isn't Shen Yunhe's conduct nothing short of honorable?

As for Shen Yuzhu, Shen Yunhe publicly claimed he was two months younger than Shen Yichen.

In reality, he was three months older.

Honestly, Minister Shen's attempt to cover things up was totally unnecessary—downright pointless.

Whether Shen Yuzhu was younger or older than Shen Yichen, the fact remained he was Shen Yunhe's biological son—and that alone proved Shen Yunhe had kept a mistress.

At the time, Shen Yichen was barely three—too young and clueless to understand anything. Even his father's death didn't really hit him until later.

Not long after, Wang Shuci married in. His once-doting father grew colder and colder toward him, to the point where they barely even saw each other. The household servants, sensing which way the wind was blowing, changed their tune too. His loving maternal grandfather and uncles were all dead and gone...

By the time Shen Yichen finally figured out what was going on, there was no place left for him in the household. The little boy endured endless bullying and scorn—but at least he still had his older brother to lean on.

Young as his brother was, he was still Shen Yunhe's real legitimate eldest son.

His brother was only two years older than Shen Yichen, yet he used his little body to shield Shen Yichen for two years—until he was found drowned in the backyard fish pond.

Shen Yichen still can't bear to recall that scene, yet every time he closes his eyes, it's all he sees.

His elder brother's small body floated in the fish pond, so still, not moving at all.

He couldn't bring himself to go near, his hands and feet felt like ice, he couldn't hear anything, as if all sound had vanished from the world.

It wasn't until his brother's body was placed in front of him that Shen Yichen finally passed out.

"Brother... his face is so pale, his eyes tightly shut, his hands..."

Shen Yichen trembled all over, his lips frighteningly white, panic in his eyes, tears falling silently. He was so terrified he was beside himself, as if he were back on the day his brother drowned.

"There, there, Chen'er, it's okay... It's alright, it's all over now."

Cheng Yi held him close, his heart aching, and the gentler his tone, the more terrifying the darkness in his eyes.

Shen Yichen curled up in his arms, his body still trembling violently.

Cheng Yi spoke to him softly until he slowly calmed down, then asked quietly if he wanted to continue.

Shen Yichen thought of how strange his brother had been in the days before he died, of the tiger tally of the Annanzhou Army that his brother had secretly entrusted to him, and of his father...

"Husband, I want to know how my father and brother truly died. I've waited so many years. Before, I didn't have the means to investigate. Now that the truth is right in front of me, I have no reason to back down, and I can't."

"Very well."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Cheng Yi could only signal Mo Zheng to continue, though he kept his young husband's hand tightly held in his.

To understand Gong Sunyin's death, you have to go back to the case of Duke An's rebellion.

During the years he was married to Shen Yunhe, the man had been nothing but gentle and considerate, catering to his every whim.

In all those years, Shen Yunhe never once raised his voice to him, never spoke a single harsh word.

Thus, during the time Duke An fell from grace, Shen Yunhe kept him confined to the residence under various pretexts, and Shen Yunhe deceived those around him into keeping him in the dark about the outside world, all under the guise of protecting him.

At first, he suspected nothing. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was far too late.

His father and brother had been executed, and their entire family was wiped out. His brother, the Empress, had been imprisoned on charges of having an illicit affair and died shortly after. Gong Sunyin lost everything overnight.

He refused to believe his father would rebel, or that his brother would have an affair with a guard. He begged Shen Yunhe to help him uncover the truth.

But it was only then that he saw the man for who he really was.

Shen Yunhe pretended to agree to help, but in private he not only did nothing, he secretly blocked every path: he distanced his old friends in his name, and one by one replaced the guards and servants he trusted...

By the time Gong Sunyin came to his senses, he had become utterly alone.

Already in despair, discovering his husband's hypocrisy was a blow too great to bear, and his health deteriorated day by day.

Worse still, he stumbled upon the revelation that Shen Yunhe's ingratitude was not merely out of fear of being implicated, but that he was very likely involved himself.

For his husband had grown extremely close to the Wang family.

The Wang family at that time was not what it is now, but they were already a force to be reckoned with.

Most importantly, the head of the Wang family had long been at odds with his father—the two were known enemies to all.

And in the palace, Consort Wang was equally the sworn enemy of his brother, the Empress. The two had clashed for decades, and Consort Wang had schemed against his brother on several occasions, seeking to destroy him and take his place.

Gong Sunyin immediately thought of the so-called illicit affair—without a doubt, Consort Wang was behind it.

Then came the downfall of his father and brother. It was all a trap, a scheme devised by the Wang family and Consort Wang.

As for his husband, what role he had played, he could not know, but he was certain that Shen Yunhe was by no means innocent.

He had escaped execution because he was married off, but he refused to believe that if his father had truly rebelled and stormed the palace, his husband would have been completely unaffected in officialdom.

Yet the fact was, his husband had not only faced no ostracism, but had been transferred from the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of Personnel, with a promotion at that.