"My lady, the General is back! He has already arrived at Shouqing Courtyard." Qingyao rushed into the room, her voice trembling with excitement.
Hearing this, Shen Yiru paused, the tea cup midway to her lips, before she subconsciously bolted to her feet.
Wangzhou is back? It has been two years since they parted. By all rights, hearing that her husband had returned should have filled her with joy. Yet, for some unknown reason, she felt a sudden, sharp panic. If the General intended to return home, why had he not sent word ahead?
"Is the General alone?" Shen Yiru asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Qingyao pursed her lips, hesitating. "My lady... the General has returned with a beautiful woman by his side."
Shen Yiru’s heart sank, and her strength seemed to vanish, forcing her to sink back into her chair.
"My lady, please, do not fret yet. Perhaps there is a special reason the General brought this woman back," Qingyao said, rushing forward to comfort her.
Shen Yiru took a deep breath, forcing herself to regain her composure. She rose again. "Come, let us go to Shouqing Courtyard."
Qingyao hurried to follow.
At Shouqing Courtyard, Shen Yiru pushed open the door. She saw a young, delicate-looking woman in red robes kneeling before Old Madame Li.
"Sun Jingyou pays her respects to Grandmother," the woman said.
Li Wangzhou stood behind the woman in red, and as soon as she finished her greeting, he bent down to help her up. The tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable.
The sight pierced Shen Yiru’s chest like a blade. She reached up to clutch her heart, stumbling, nearly losing her footing. Qingyao rushed forward to steady her.
"My lady..."
"I am fine," Shen Yiru said, waving a hand to signal Qingyao to step back.
Her husband had returned after two years only to strike her such a blow, yet she refused to appear weak in front of them. She steadied herself, composed her features, folded her hands before her, and bowed to Old Madame Li. "Greetings, Grandmother."
Seeing Shen Yiru had arrived, Old Madame Li waved her over with a smile. "Ah, Yiru, you are here. Come, stand by Grandmother."
As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Li Wangzhou and the woman beside him.
Shen Yiru walked forward and stood before the Old Madame. The older woman took her hand and looked at Li Wangzhou with a stern expression. "Wangzhou, Yiru is your wife. You two are the rightful couple who have bowed to heaven and earth. Even if you wish to take a secondary wife, you must have Yiru’s consent. If you break Yiru’s heart, I will not stand for it."
After speaking, Old Madame Li gave Li Wangzhou a pointed look, signaling him to step forward and soothe Yiru.
Shen Yiru took in the subtle exchange between the two. Her heart grew even colder. She had hoped that, at the very least, her grandmother-in-law would truly protect her. She had not expected that the older woman would stand against her from the start.
Realizing this, Shen Yiru pulled her hand away without hesitation and took a step back, distancing herself from Old Madame Li. The Old Madame blinked in surprise, then glanced at the expressionless Shen Yiru before nudging her chin toward Li Wangzhou.
Li Wangzhou, however, only pulled Sun Jingyou closer. "Jingyou is my savior. The battlefield is treacherous; had it not been for her, I would be dead. Furthermore, Jingyou is already over two months pregnant. For the sake of my heir, I must take her as my secondary wife. It is not a matter of whether anyone agrees or not."
Hearing such heartless words from Li Wangzhou, Shen Yiru could not help but raise her eyes to study this familiar stranger. He was in his military uniform, broad-shouldered and imposing, still looking as powerful as ever. But in Shen Yiru’s eyes, the man before her no longer glowed as he once had.
She looked at Sun Jingyou, who was leaning against Li Wangzhou with a fragile, dainty air, her tear-filled eyes brimming with feigned grievances. Shen Yiru let out a scoff. She was the rightful wife—was she not the one who should be aggrieved? She had not even said a word yet, and this woman, who had entered through the back door, was already playing the victim. How skilled she was at acting weak.
Shen Yiru stepped forward, but Li Wangzhou reacted as if facing a mortal enemy, shielding Sun Jingyou behind him. He glared at Shen Yiru with sharp, piercing eyes. "What are you trying to do to Jingyou? I have already told you, she is my savior and is carrying my child. If you are wise, you will nod your head and accept her as a secondary wife. The two of you should live as sisters, on equal footing, in harmony. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Shen Yiru retorted, meeting his gaze with equal sharpness.
Li Wangzhou had never seen such an aggressive side to Shen Yiru and was stunned for a moment. Then, his face darkened with rage. "You dare defy your husband? I never knew I had married such a shrew! You are riddled with jealousy; for this alone, I could..."
Before Li Wangzhou could utter the word "divorce," Old Madame Li interrupted him. "Wangzhou, enough nonsense. This happened suddenly; Yiru just needs time to process it. Is there nothing we can discuss calmly?"
With that, Old Madame Li walked up to take Li Wangzhou’s arm, then reached out to take Shen Yiru’s. Shen Yiru stepped back to avoid her touch. The Old Madame’s face darkened, but she refrained from scolding her. She understood well enough that the General’s Manor could not function without Shen Yiru; otherwise, there would be no one to cover the household's massive expenses.
She looked at Nanny Cao standing behind her. "Miss Sun is with child. Take her to the Mengyun Courtyard to get settled."
"Yes," Nanny Cao replied, stepping forward.
Sun Jingyou cast a pitiful look toward Li Wangzhou. He patted her hand and nodded, telling her to go with the nanny. Sun Jingyou followed Nanny Cao, casting longing glances back at him every few steps.
Seeing that Old Madame Li had ordered her own personal nanny to tend to Sun Jingyou, Shen Yiru gave a cold laugh. "Grandmother just said that for a secondary wife to enter the house, it requires my consent as the primary wife. Why then has she already been received? It seems Grandmother’s words are just as easily discarded. It is no wonder Li Wangzhou would act in such a way, favoring a mistress over his own wife. As the beam is crooked, so are the rafters."
Old Madame Li had never seen such defiance from Shen Yiru. After a moment of shock, she recovered and began to clutch her chest, feigning a fit of violent coughing. "Cough, cough, cough..."
After a long while, seeing that Shen Yiru did not rush forward to support her as she usually would, the Old Madame was forced to awkwardly smooth her own chest to stop the coughing.
Seeing this, Li Wangzhou stepped up to support the Old Madame and glared at Shen Yiru. "You are skilled in medicine, yet you stand by and watch as Grandmother coughs like this! You are truly cold-hearted and vicious."
Li Wangzhou’s disdainful tone struck deep into Shen Yiru’s heart. She closed her eyes, took a long breath, and stood her ground. "If others treat me with respect, I return it twofold. If others bully me, I will repay them tenfold. That is my principle. If you bully me, do not expect me to respect you or protect you!"
With that, she ignored the livid faces of Li Wangzhou and the Old Madame, flicked her sleeves, and turned to walk away. Qingyao followed immediately.
"Shen Yiru, stop right there! I will divorce you..." Li Wangzhou’s roar echoed behind her.