A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 145

Chapter 145: Leave it to me

Chen Wensi saw his younger brother taking that girl to take care of his son……

He knew Ma Shi’s temperament and couldn’t help but worry.

Wen Yu smiled at him, “Cousin, it’s fine.” Her smile was very calm.

She was even more composed than he, her elder cousin.

Aunt Chen said apologetically, “Rui Ge’er has a bad temper when he’s sleeping. If he’s woken up, he’ll cry and give people a headache. So…”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be overjoyed to see me, his aunt. He won’t cry!”

But Uncle Chen and the others still looked worriedly outside. Who knew what Ma Shi might do…

But nothing happened. It was very quiet outside. After a while, Laba effortlessly carried the three-year-old Chen Rui inside.

Chen Wenliang silently followed behind.

Chen Rui’s face was full of tears, but his eyes were wide open, and he wasn’t crying.

Aunt Chen and Chen Wenliang quietly asked, “Where’s your elder sister-in-law?”

Laba smiled, “Aunt, Madam Ma is tired and said she’s going to sleep for a while!”

Uncle Chen sighed, “Take Rui’er to the next room to play. Uncle will talk to Ah Yu for a bit.”

So, Yan Zhu helped Aunt Chen, and the group went to the next room.

Chen Wenliang didn’t want to leave, but Uncle Chen glared at him, and he had no choice but to go.

He rolled his eyes and stood by the door after entering the room. If he stretched his ears, he could still hear, right?…

Laba glanced at him indifferently.

Chen Wenliang shrank his neck and obediently went into the next room.

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Uncle Chen sighed deeply and shook his head. “Ah Yu…”

He felt very uncomfortable letting his niece see his family like this.

“Uncle, don’t be sad. Tell Yu’er about your situation first!”

Uncle Chen said, “When I arrived in the capital, I went to find Lord Mo. Lord Mo is a good man! He was very good to me. At that time, he said he would help me get an official position. However, my health failed me. Just after settling down, I fell seriously ill. It took more than half a year for me to recover, on and off.

The doctor said I couldn’t handle stress or exhaustion in the future. Lord Mo suggested that I stay by his side and do what I could. Although there was no glory or wealth, food and clothing were not lacking. I only needed to focus on my son’s progress. I thought about it and decided it was for the best, so I stayed with Lord Mo. Fortunately, I’m quite adept at handling official matters.”

“So it seems that it’s really suitable for you, Uncle.”

“Yes. However, I was a little lost when I heard about your engagement. The Qi family is such a prominent family… I have no power or wealth. How can I support you?”

“Uncle, you’re thinking too much. I was personally chosen by Madam Qi. In the Qi family, as long as my mother-in-law doesn’t make things difficult for me, how can anyone else do so?! As for the dowry, you don’t have to worry. I’m not short of money. Now, I even plan to open a big shop in the capital!”

“But even if you use all of your mother’s dowry, you can’t open a very big shop in the capital.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. We’ll start preparing after the New Year. Now, I want to ask, what are your plans for Cousin and younger Cousin?”

“I’ve been teaching your elder cousin without interruption. But family matters have affected him greatly, and he can’t settle down. Later… Alas, the wife he married probably hindered him even more. He’s already at this age… Lord Mo and I have assessed that if he works hard, he should be able to pass the Xiucai exam. Going further up, it’s difficult!”

“Uncle, how did Cousin end up marrying such a wife?” She really didn’t know much before.

“It wasn’t the family’s choice! The Ma family and Ma Shi took a fancy to your cousin. Just look at the kind of people she could have married! So, she insisted that your cousin had ruined her innocence. The whole family was unreasonable and made a huge fuss.

At that time, the family had saved some money. We didn’t want to use it to marry a wife for your cousin. We wanted to secretly send him to an academy. However, the Ma family took a fancy to him and wanted to take all the money. Everything was ruined. Alas… Your aunt almost died of anger.”

“So that’s how it is!” Then she had no psychological burden at all. This matter, leave it to me!

“Your elder cousin is diligent and hardworking, but his talent is not exceptional. If it were before, with effort, he might not have been unable to pass the imperial examination. But now, his mentality has collapsed. After Ma Shi’s outburst today, he probably won’t be able to recover for a few days.”

“What about younger Cousin?”

“That kid is smart, but he’s lazy and doesn’t work hard in his studies. He just likes to play outside and hang out with whoever is powerful. Some time ago, he even went gambling. I had to beat him up before he stopped.”

Stopped my ass!

This, I also have to leave it to me…

“What about Elder Sister?”

Uncle Chen smiled bitterly when he heard this.

“The Chen family, how did it come to this?”

He sighed deeply and continued, “Your elder sister’s husband seemed good at first! But after she married him, she realized he was a good-for-nothing! He even hit her. When we were exiled, we didn’t know what the future held. Seeing her suffer, we couldn’t do anything.

Later, after meeting you and receiving so much gold, silver, and other valuables, your aunt sent her a message and some money, hoping to make her life a little easier. After arriving in the capital, we sent another message.

She only replied a few days ago. It was written by your brother-in-law. He didn’t say anything, didn’t ask anything, just wanted money…”

“Does Elder Sister have any children?”

“She has two sons. Otherwise, I would have brought her back no matter what.”

“Uncle, even so, try to find a way to bring Cousin back! If it’s handled well, you can even bring the children back!”

“But this… The Lin family’s children entering the Chen family doesn’t seem right.”

“In the face of life and death, what’s right or wrong? If you don’t do something for Cousin, what will you two do if something happens to her?!”

✿✿✿

“But it’s not easy to handle…”

“You just need to say whether you’ll take Cousin back if she returns.”

“She’s my eldest daughter. Of course, I’ll take her back! She suffered the most during our exile.”

“That’s settled then! Uncle, how about this… After the New Year, let Cousin take someone to bring Cousin back. With Cousin’s current state, studying hard is useless. He needs to do something that makes him feel responsible and confident. Otherwise, studying is in vain.”

“But what about Ma Shi…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. These things are easy to solve! You and Aunt not being angry and staying healthy is the greatest help to your children and Yu’er!”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you. Ah Yu, I want to ask you something. You have to tell me the truth.”

“Go ahead.”

“I asked you last time, but you didn’t answer. I’ll ask again. Your wariness of the Wen family, is it because your mother’s death was suspicious?”

Wen Yu remained silent.

“That was my younger sister. Your grandmother loved her the most. It’s only natural for your mother and your younger aunt to have a hard time at their in-laws’ after the family’s misfortune. So, just tell me!”

“As you said, Uncle, if the Wen family only harmed my mother out of fear of being implicated after the Chen family’s misfortune, it could be considered ‘human nature’. But what if my mother’s death was a planned conspiracy?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yuan Shi was the daughter of one of my father’s teachers. They had been colluding for a long time. My father only married my mother because of his parents’ orders. He would have harmed her for Yuan Shi sooner or later. The Chen family’s misfortune only emboldened them…”

“That bastard!” Uncle Chen’s eyes widened, and tears streamed down his face. “He looked refined and elegant, but I didn’t expect him to be so despicable.”

“Wen Huan is more than half a year older than me!”

“Disgusting! Is there any evidence?”

“It’s been years. There’s no evidence.”

“Even without evidence, it’s fine. Wen Qian married Yuan Shi without the Chen family’s consent. The Chen family was only exiled, not wiped out. Just based on this, I can make him lose face!”

“Uncle, let bygones be bygones. With their character, they’re bound to do more despicable things. We just need to wait for the opportunity…”

“Good. But no matter what evidence you find, let me handle it. You’re his daughter. Even with solid evidence, accusing him would be considered unfilial and damage your reputation. Seeking justice for your mother is important, but living a good life is her greatest wish!”

“Uncle…” Wen Yu’s eyes welled up with tears. She was deeply moved. “I understand.”

When Wen Yu left, she really took Chen Wenjie with her.

Ma Shi never came out.

After seeing Wen Yu off, Aunt Chen was puzzled and quickly called her youngest son over. “What’s she doing?!”

Chen Wenliang said, “Mother, that girl is amazing! As soon as Ma Cuihua went back, she started hitting Rui Ge’er. Rui Ge’er cried loudly, and she was about to hit him again… but then she suddenly fell onto the bed and didn’t move.

Rui Ge’er cried even louder. That girl immediately grabbed him and looked at him. Rui Ge’er choked back his sobs… and didn’t dare to cry anymore.”

“Really? Did that girl hit Ma Shi?”

“No. No… I didn’t even understand what happened!”

Uncle Chen listened, thought for a moment, and nodded calmly. “Don’t underestimate her!”

“There’s one more thing. Ah Yu said to let Wensi take someone to bring Wenhui back after the New Year!”

“Ah? How are we going to bring her back?”

“She said it’s fine whether it’s considered a separation or getting a divorce letter.”

“What about the children?”

“The children are also the Lin family’s. If they’re willing to let go, we’ll raise them for the Lin family. If not, let them be. It’s better than leaving your elder sister there!”

“Then, who will Wensi take with him?”

“Your cousin said she would arrange someone to go with Wensi. I think your cousin is right. If you keep studying like this, it probably won’t work. Take a trip, bring your elder sister back. After experiencing this, maybe your mind will open up.”

Wensi nodded. “Yes! Before I go, I’ll study the law again.”

When Ma Shi woke up, she had a headache and dizziness. She vomited even when drinking water and couldn’t get out of bed for days.

The house was finally peaceful…

We’ll continue the rest later.

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