Volume One, Chapter Seventy-Six: Dark Secrets in the Backyard

"Come over here." Shen Yuan knew that Shang Chuyun was bold in coming, but also had many concerns, so her hesitation in coming over for a long time was just to prevent him.
Shang Chuyun should have known that if she didn't go over, Shen Yuan might not be willing to speak, and since he asked her to come over, there must be nothing he couldn't let her know now, so she walked towards him.
So close that she can clearly see the words written by Shen Yuan - "Shao Yan?"
Shen Yuan knows that she has seen it, so he also casually says, "Let's hang this word in the house, so that you can see it all the time."
Shangchu Yun realized belatedly, "Is this meant for me?" Otherwise, why would he want her to be able to see it all the time?
Shen Yuan nodded, "Exactly." And his expression seemed to say, 'You don't think it suits you, do you?'
This is saying that she always goes against his will when they are together, so he wants her to be silent. This person is really domineering, like the saying "officials are allowed to set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps."
She didn't hold her breath for too long, but she went back to the main topic because she still needed to ask Shen Yuan about the matter regarding the Shen Duke Mansion. "Very well, then please go ahead and speak, and I will listen quietly," she said. So, it should be fine for her to just listen without saying anything.
Shen Yuan pulled out a scroll from the bookshelf and laid it out on the desk.
Shang Chu stretched his neck to take a look, and then heard Shen Yuan say, "This is a map of our Shen Duke's Mansion."
It is not surprising why Chen Yuan had a map of his own mansion, but Shang Chuyun just nodded lightly.
"This area is the front yard, and this area is the backyard." Chen Guogong Mansion is quite large, unlike ordinary official residences, but in terms of layout, it seems ordinary. At least Shang Chuyun has not seen anything wrong with it so far.
"This is where we live." The map marks the Linyuan Pavilion, which Shangchu Yun is already aware of. This place is named after Shenyuan because it is where he lives.
Seeing that Shang Chuyun did not express any opinions and just nodded, Shen Yuan timely asked, "Have you not noticed anything strange here?"
Shang Chuyun carefully examined the layout and the arrangement of the courtyard again, but still did not find anything inappropriate, so she shook her head.
After Shen Yuan sighed, he gave her a hint, "Take a look at the corridor and corner gates that connect the front yard and the backyard..."
Shang Chu Yun looked carefully again and then realized why there were three corridors in this map, but there were four corner gates. If there were four corner gates, there should be four corridors to connect them.
"Huh, what's going on here?" Shang Chu Yun looked again at this corner door that didn't connect to the passage but seemed to connect to a room in the backyard. However, it was painted blurry, making it difficult for her to see clearly.
Still not too stupid, at least after being pointed out by others, Shen Yuan finally realized that something was wrong. After looking at Shang Chuyun, Shen Yuan continued, "This map is old, the new map is not this one."
"So this has been tampered with, they deliberately wanted to conceal it," Shang Chuyun suddenly speculated.
"I also discovered it by chance, but it was too late, by then my mother had passed away, and my father had already married Lady Lin...."
As Shen Yuan grew to the age of ten, his mother, Princess Huiqing County, passed away due to complications during childbirth. He asked his nursemaid why his mother, who was perfectly fine, had died like this. The nursemaid immediately covered his mouth and told him never to ask this again. But even without her telling, he eventually discovered the cause of his mother's death.
That day, Princess Huiqing who was eight months pregnant stumbled upon the Duke of Shen's son, Shen Lianghan, with Lin Shi embracing each other in the mansion. In fact, someone of Shen Lianghan's status, if he were to take on concubines, Princess Huiqing would approve. However, Lin Shi is the wife of the Duke, which makes it problematic. At that time, Princess Huiqing was still there, and she was also carrying Shen Yuan and about to give birth.
It is not known what Li Xi said to Shen Lianghan, but he began to doubt the child in Princess Huaiqing's womb. In fact, Princess Huaiqing and the younger brother of the current emperor, Prince Yu, were childhood friends. This is a well-known fact. However, before marrying Shen Lianghan, Princess Huaiqing only had a formal relationship with Prince Yu. Growing up in the palace, Princess Huaiqing had a proud personality and would not tolerate any slander. But now, even her husband doesn't believe her, and in her anger, it affected the unborn child, leading to a tragic end for both.
Others think that he doesn't know, but he still found out by himself. So it's not just that he dislikes the Lin family, he even wants to tear her into pieces and still can't be appeased.
"Lishi Lin's reputation is good throughout the capital, but if she is good, why did she change this side entrance without authorization?" Shen Yuan asked.
"Are you saying... she changed it? But she hadn't married into the Duke of Shen's residence yet, how could she have changed it?" It was hard for Shang Chuyun to understand, as she was not a member of the Duke of Shen's residence.
"This brings us to the fourth room. The fourth room is the elder sister of the Lin family. It was because of her that my father got to know the Lin family. The fourth room and our family are direct descendants. At that time, our grandmother was still alive, so she only left the fourth room without dividing her property. This is where the fourth room lived." Shen Yuan pointed to the corner door in the picture.
"No wonder there is no corridor here. It turns out it was your aunt's consent to change it." Among the four corner doors, only this corner door connects to the backyard, and this backyard is where the four rooms are located.
"What acquiescence? She is an accomplice! This Lady Lìn from the Lìn family is capable of anything, indeed. She wants to make Miss Xiaolín marry into the Marquis of Shěn's residence and become the Marquise, as expected from the Lìn family, specializing in producing such venomous women," Shěn Yuān sneered.
So this is the place where the Marquis Shen Guo and Lady Lin met in secret! Shang Chuyun couldn't help but cover her mouth in astonishment.
Shen Yuan stared at Shang Chuyun and said, "You asked me to speak, so I will. But you must listen carefully. Although this is not within the palace walls, the hidden secrets of the backyard are not as simple as you imagine."
If Shang Chu Yun had not experienced the previous life, she might be afraid. Therefore, she is no longer the ignorant person, and also knows that the struggle in the back house is not just about giving in and hiding. She must also take the initiative to fight.
"But you don't have to worry too much, because I am here," Shen Yuan said as he rolled up the scroll and handed it to Shang Chuyun. He added, "Take it back and have a good look."
Shang Chu Yun suddenly felt something heavy in her hand, and she asked, "But you haven't mentioned the matters of the other rooms."
"Later on, the Fourth Room has also been separated and established their own residence. As for the other branches, you don't need to worry about them. Today, you were planning to go and greet the Lin family, right? Go and figure it out yourself."
Upon hearing Shen Yuan's words, Shang Chu Yun suddenly remembered and muttered to herself, "Yes, I need to pay my respects, but it's too late to go now..." She was getting anxious and went on to say to Shen Yuan, "Aren't you also going with me?"
"I don't need to go...", Shen Yuan said lightly.
Shang Chu no longer paid attention to Shen Yuan and immediately ran downstairs on his own. However, once he went out, he was unsure of how to get to the Lin residence and hesitated, unsure whether to turn left or right.
Upon seeing this, Shen Yuan upstairs leaned against the window and shouted in a deep voice, "Go east..."
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