Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Concubine Song and Concubine Mei proposed stripping Shen Qinglan of his clan membership, but brothers Shen Qingquan and Shen Huairen absolutely refused to agree.

Old Master Shen naturally sided with these two sons—after all, convening the ancestral hall ceremony to cast someone out of the clan was no joke. Even if it was just for show, it required careful consideration.

So, Old Master Shen pretended to hesitate for a moment, then acted as if he had been "persuaded" by the two, abandoning such a ruthless idea.

However, in private, he quietly had word leaked to the families of the already-married Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingbai that the Shen residence would almost certainly be implicated and exiled because of Han Zhang!

He did this for no other reason than to prepare to drive out the Second and Third households.

As always, Old Master Shen was a calculating man.

He had previously favored the Second and Third households because Concubine Song and Concubine Mei knew how to vie for his favor and butter him up, and the children of those two households appeared filial and obedient, making him feel they were worth investing in.

However, ever since Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingbai had married into high-status families, the Second and Third households felt they'd gotten too big for their britches and started treating their old man with less respect.

In recent years, not only had they stopped being any help to him, but he was already grateful they weren't constantly working against him!

So what do you do with people who've outlived their usefulness and won't fall in line?

Simple—you cut them loose.

As a man with multiple wives and concubines, Old Master Shen was never short of children. Without the Second and Third households, his household still had other sons and daughters by lesser concubines.

It was just that those children, because their mothers weren't favored enough and they themselves weren't outstanding enough, kept a low profile in the household on most days.

But with the right upbringing, even average kids could pull their weight for the family.

On the other hand, the Second and Third households not only were always dragging him down but were also at each other's throats with the legitimate branch. If he didn't seize this opportunity to drive them out, then in the future when Lan Ge'er became the Emperor Consort, what if he cut back on the perks he gave his mother's family out of spite for these people?

Old Master Shen felt he knew his son quite well.

Lan Ge'er had a stubborn personality—he'd rather lose eight hundred to take down a thousand of his enemies, and would never give his enemies the satisfaction, not even for a second!

If Concubine Song and Concubine Mei and the others weren't properly dealt with, then the benefits and glory belonging to the Emperor Consort's maternal family could end up in the hands of Shen Mother's people—the Rong clan down in Jiangnan.

This was absolutely something Old Master Shen could not allow. He had risked the nine-clan extermination penalty to do so many things for Han Zhang—he couldn't let someone else walk away with the spoils!

So the Second and Third households had to go.

...

As expected.

After learning that the Shen family was likely to be implicated, Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingbai were scared out of their wits and raced back to the mansion to talk it over with their birth mothers.

And Concubine Song and Concubine Mei didn't even blink—the second they heard, they gritted their teeth and made the call:

"Split the clan! Get us adopted out! We need the Old Master to split us off and send us out!"

According to Han Zhang's crimes, if the three-clan penalty kicked in and they were all exiled, the Shen family would certainly suffer.

And as Old Master Shen's concubines and illegitimate children, even if they split off from the household, they'd still be caught in the net—unless they formally cut ties with the clan or got adopted out, there was no way to dodge it.

They had originally chosen to become concubines for the sake of wealth and glory—who the hell would be willing to go into exile and suffer with that washed-up old man?

Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingbai had come back to break the news precisely because they were thinking the same thing.

Although they were already married and wouldn't be implicated, if their birth mother and brothers got exiled, they'd be stranded in the capital on their own, and life with their in-laws would get rough.

So their birth mother and brothers had to be saved. As for their biological father...

Well, since Dad dotes on Lan Ge'er so much, let him bask in his precious son's filial devotion!

Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingbai had been nursing grudges over how unfairly they'd been treated back in their unmarried days.

Even though they knew damn well their father hadn't actually shortchanged them, and that their legitimate brothers and sisters only lived better because the legitimate wife padded things with her own dowry money.

But who cares?

They called her "Mother" too, didn't they? So why did she play favorites?

When the sons of the Second and Third households learned of the news, they naturally jumped on board—hell, who'd pick hardship when they could have the good life?

So, within just two days of the news being leaked, the Second and Third households were kicking up a fuss again.

Concubine Song threatened: "Master, don't blame me for being cold-blooded. I'm laying it all out today. You can worry about father-son ties all you want, but I've got to carve out a path for my kids to live. If you won't give us a way out, then don't blame me for burning your household down!"

Concubine Mei, on the other hand, took a softer tack: "Master, think of the children too. At a time like this, it never hurts to keep an escape route open. If the storm blows over, all you'd have to do is say the word and we'd be back."

"And if the worst comes to worst... with our two households on the outside, at least we could pull strings and smooth things over for you, right?"

"Master, you are the children's biological father. They carry your blood. Even if they're adopted out, would they truly not acknowledge their own father? Wouldn't that earn them a reputation for being unfilial?"

It all sounded high and mighty, but everyone understood that when it truly came to that point, so-called "filial piety" was nothing but empty talk.

Back in the old days, status mattered more than blood—once you were adopted out, you were someone else's kin, plain and simple.

Although he had long known that these two concubines and their children were not people who could share hardship, Old Master Shen still felt a twinge of discomfort when it actually came down to it.

Never mind, never mind.

Let it be.

Wasn't he equally selfish?

All he could say was that his kids had truly inherited their parents' "fine qualities"—either sharp and self-serving, or stubborn as mules (specifically referring to brothers Shen Huaizhi and Shen Qinglan).

But then again, this was the path the Second and Third households had chosen for themselves.

If they wouldn't stick around for the hard times, they couldn't blame anyone for cutting them out of the good times. You can't have your cake and eat it too in this world.

"Fine, fine! You've gotten too big for your britches now—this old man can't rein you in anymore!"

Old Master Shen feigned impotent rage, flinging his sleeves as he roared, "If you want to be adopted out, then go! Just don't live to regret it so hard you're sick to your stomach!"

With that, he turned to the other concubines and lesser-born children in the room, saying coldly: "Anyone else who wants out, speak up now—I won't stand in your way!"

On the surface, it was a tantrum to save face, but really, it was a chance to flush out the fence-sitters and the restless ones, so they wouldn't stick around and turn into liabilities later.

He was going to be the Emperor Consort's father-in-law in the future, and the Shen family was headed for imperial in-law status. The household had to be swept clean—otherwise, with rotten descendants, no amount of wealth or glory would survive three generations.

Sure enough, among the remaining concubines and lesser-born children, a few timid souls stepped forward, some avoiding eye contact, others mumbling their assent.

"Master... Father... we're sorry..."

"You—you lot—!"

Seeing this, Old Master Shen stumbled back a step on the spot, clutching his chest and "passing out" from rage.

When word spread, high society in the capital erupted in mockery.

"That old geezer Shen Houde, does he really have zero self-awareness? Expecting anyone to have his back? What a joke, hahaha!"

...

And so.

By the time the Han family was hauled into the capital, the only Shens who came to visit were the three siblings—Shen Qingyue, Shen Huairen, and Shen Qingquan.

Along with Chai Wenxuan of the Jinyang Marquis Manor (Shen Qinglan's third ex-fiancé).

That's right, Chai Wenxuan!

As mentioned before, Chai Wenxuan was a flirtatious, fickle sort. He'd called off the engagement not because he'd stopped liking Shen Qinglan, but because he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, and Shen Qinglan simply refused.

After all, when he first sought the marriage, Shen Qinglan's reputation was already tarnished—if he hadn't genuinely loved him, he'd never have come knocking.

So over the years, he'd never quite left his heart.

And the harder to get, the more alluring. In Chai Wenxuan's eyes now, Shen Qinglan was practically his unattainable dream.

So when he heard the Han family had fallen, his first thought was pure joy.

If Shen Qinglan would just divorce Han Zhang, wouldn't he be able to sweep him off his feet?

It didn't matter that Lan Ge'er had once looked down on him; now that his husband's family had fallen and his own father seemed useless, he'd likely have nowhere left to turn.

If he swept in now to save the day, Lan Ge'er would surely be won over!

Chai Wenxuan was lost in happy fantasies.

Shen Qingquan was initially angry about this, but after mulling it over, he'd lost count of the concubines his husband had brought home thanks to his wandering eye—he was numb to it by now.

Now adding his second brother into the mix didn't seem like much of a stretch.

After all, the Chai family was wealthy and influential. He no longer loved Chai Wenxuan, only wanted the good life and status. Having his second brother enter the household would give him an ally in the back courtyard to look out for each other—so why not?

So.

When Chai Wenxuan tentatively suggested that Shen Qinglan divorce and remarry, the calculating, self-serving Shen Qingquan dropped his old lovesick act and played the devoted, loyal brother.

He pulled Shen Qinglan aside to talk some sense into him.

"Second brother, I know I did you wrong back then, but no matter what, we're full brothers. Now that mother is gone and father is so heartless, if we siblings don't support each other, what ground will we have to stand on?"

"Second brother, I know you love him, but can love put food on the table or clothes on your back? The journey into exile is brutal—people die on the way... You've lived in silk and satin your whole life; how could you survive that kind of hardship?"

"Besides, only by getting out of this jail can you even try to help the Han family, right? If you don't divorce and remarry, what good will following them into exile do? You'll just suffer and slow them down."

"You and I both know Chai Wenxuan's nature. What's in that head of his besides chasing skirts? He's a pushover."

"He still has a soft spot for you. If you're willing to swallow your pride, shed a few tears, and beg him, he might actually send his own men to escort the Han family safely to exile!"

"Second brother, don't doubt it—Concubine Sun in my household came in already pregnant with her ex-husband's kid."

Even though he was over him, Shen Qingquan couldn't help but gripe bitterly:

"That bastard would take in every tearful girl and pretty boy in the world into his harem!"

Shen Qinglan: "..."

Really?

He'd never realized Chai Wenxuan was such an oddball before!