Chapter 1

of the twentieth year of Xuande's reign, within the Su family mansion.Su Qingyu's face was pale and haggard, she beat on the locked door with all her might.Three days ago, my grandmother fell ill. I w...In the winter of the twentieth year of Xuande's reign, within the Su family mansion.

Su Qingyu's face was pale and haggard, she beat on the locked door with all her might.

Three days ago, my grandmother fell ill. I went back home to visit her. As soon as I stepped into the room where she lived before she got married, she was locked inside.

She hasn't eaten or drunk anything for the past three days. It's winter, and her body can't take it anymore.

Su Qingyu's heart felt a twinge of unease.

"Bang."

The crisp sound of a lock being picked echoed from outside, the door creaked open, but the person who entered surprised Su Qingyu.

"Cousin How is it you"

The visitor is Su Qingyu's distant cousin, Cheng Ruijin. Cheng Ruijin's mother is her aunt by marriage, and the two have been living at Su's house.

And Cheng Ruijin was still holding a two-year-old child by the hand. She had never seen this child before, and Cheng Ruijin was unmarried as well.

But this child's features... are remarkably similar to those of her husband, Shen Zhao.

"Cousin, don't waste your effort. You will never leave this house for the rest of your life. Our husbands have brought a doctor."

Chen Ruijin's voice was soft, but her face was clearly filled with smugness. She had waited for this day for so long, it felt like she was running out of patience.

Su Qingyu looked coldly at Cheng Ruijin, "Husband Who are you calling husband Do you have any shame Thinking about him is useless, you'll never be able to marry into the Shen family."

Even if I die, you can't possibly marry into the family.

The Shen family's status is far too high for someone like Cheng Ruijin, the descendant of a criminal, to even dream of. Let alone becoming the main wife, even as a concubine, Cheng Ruijin wouldn't be qualified.

Cheng Rujin, hearing this, not only did she not get angry, but she burst into laughter a few times. Then, gritting her teeth, she said: “I naturally have my own way, but in a while, it will be hard on elder sister. Don't scream too loudly.”

Su Qingyu's heart sank. She asked, "What do you want to do"

As soon as the voice fell, Shen Zhao walked in from outside, followed by a middle-aged man.

The child saw Shen Zhao and ran towards him, "Daddy hug, daddy hug me."

Even though she already had a guess in her heart, Su Qingyu still felt dizzy for a moment.

"Shen Zhao, didn't you say that you... wouldn't have children Where did this child come from"

She had been married to Shen Zhao for three years but they had not consummated their marriage. Shen Zhao's excuse was that he couldn't do it. She bore the pressure from the Shen family alone and secretly studied pharmacology. Since Shen Zhao didn't even have a concubine, she didn't suspect anything and instead cared for him everywhere, fearing he would feel inferior and depressed.

Because she had no children, she was given a hard time by her mother-in-law and ridiculed by her sisters-in-law. She endured all of this silently.

She could hardly believe it. Shen Zhao and Cheng Ruijin had actually had a child! Su Qingyu's heart felt like it was being ripped out by a sharp blade, pain so intense that her whole body trembled.

Cheng Ruijin walked step by step to Su Qingyu's side, his voice gloomy: "Cousin, he's not unable to, it's that he can't face you."

"Besides being the daughter of a marquis's household, what makes you superior to me If not for my family background holding me back, how could I possibly lose to you"

For Cheng Ruijin, family background was like a thorn embedded in her heart. Fortunately, three years of forbearance were not in vain.

Su Qingyu glared at Cheng Ruijin and asked, "When did you start"

Cheng Ruijin slightly raised her chin, arrogantly leaned towards Su Qingyu, and whispered, "You're talking about the first time Let me think, it was at the funeral of the third master Shen. His elders were discussing how to get you two married during the period of filial piety while he was in his study making love with me."

So he's not bad, he knows what he's doing when we're in bed.

Su Qingyu looked at Shen Zhao in disbelief, her voice trembling as she said.

"Shen Zhao, how could you do such a thing Look into your heart and ask yourself, how have I treated you these past few years"

Ever since Master Shen left, the first and second branches started vying for power. It was I who wholeheartedly supported you, using all my dowry money to help your business. I even went to ask your uncle and cousin for help.

"I will still bear the insults of your mother, for without a child, I have become a sinner in the Shen family."

I'm afraid you're overthinking things, even considering adopting a child, as if it were the only way to fulfill your life, even if marriage and intimacy never happen.

"Shen Zhao, you have no heart."

By the end, Su Qingyu had given it her all.

Shen Zhao looked at Su Qingyu with a blank expression, his face cold and hard, only the depths of his eyes rippling.ce were not in vain.Su Qingyu glared at Cheng Ruijin and asked, "When did you start"Cheng Ruijin slightly raised her chin, arrogantly leaned towards Su Qingyu, and whispered, "You're talking about the...