Back at the manor, Shen Xuan remained dejected.
"Xuan'er, don't worry, your wife will definitely find a way to clarify this rumor."
"Then what about my father? Does my wife also not believe that I am my mother's biological son?" Shen Xuan looked up at Lu Yu with red eyes upon hearing her words.
"Wife, my father would absolutely not do such a thing!" Shen Xuan was very agitated, his face flushed, and tears finally rolled down the corners of his eyes.
"Of course I believe Father!" Lu Yu cupped Shen Xuan's slightly raised face with both hands, gently wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes with her thumb. The tears that had already slid into his hair left a wet trail, now cold.
"Then let's do a blood-drop compatibility test. As long as we do a blood-drop compatibility test, my father can be cleared!" Shen Xuan said excitedly, his voice filled with urgency.
Lu Yu frowned upon hearing this, as if deep in thought.
"Wife, please." Shen Xuan's eyes were full of pleading as he looked at Lu Yu, his voice mournful.
Shen Xuan could disregard the rumors about himself, but he could not tolerate people slandering his father.
His father had loved his mother so dearly until his death; he could not have done such a thing. He had to clear his father's name.
"Xuan'er, can we think of another way?" Lu Yu could not refuse Shen Xuan, but she could not put Shen Xuan at risk.
She believed Shen Xuan's father and believed Shen Xuan, but the randomness of a blood-drop compatibility test was too great.
Only if blood types were compatible would they blend. If Shen Xuan's blood type matched Shen Xuan's father's but not his mother's, they would not blend.
Moreover, such unscientific methods could be faked. If oil were added to the water, it would hinder the blood's fusion; adding alum would promote it.
If salt or vinegar were rubbed on the container, the blood drops would quickly solidify, leaving no chance for fusion.
Even if the two people's blood could fuse, there was no guarantee that Zhao Liu and Shen Jia would not tamper with the water.
She could not risk the reputation of Shen Xuan's most cherished father.
Upon receiving Lu Yu's refusal, Shen Xuan did not reply. His bright eyes seemed to have lost their luster, dimming instantly.
Shen Xuan's nose stung, his eyes misted over, and he hastily lowered his head, tightly clenching the hem of his clothes. A few tears fell to the ground with a "plop, plop."
"Wife, why don't you believe me?" Shen Xuan asked, his voice choked with sobs.
"I do believe you, I just… I just fear the blood won't blend. If—"
Lu Yu was interrupted by Shen Xuan's shout before she could finish, "You just don't believe me! If you believed me, why would you be afraid the blood wouldn't blend? My father didn't betray my mother, why don't you believe it…"
Shen Xuan's tears streamed from his eyes in an instant, his eyelashes wet with them, clumped together. By the end, Shen Xuan seemed to have exhausted all his strength, slowly crouching on the ground, only his shoulders shaking with sobs in Lu Yu's sight.
He had thought Lu Yu would always believe him, but now Lu Yu didn't believe him anymore. He was alone again.
Lu Yu had never seen Shen Xuan like this. Shen Xuan was always well-behaved and shy when facing her. This kind of hysterical questioning and complete breakdown was unprecedented.
Lu Yu could not bear to see Shen Xuan like this. She crouched down and slowly embraced the sobbing, trembling Shen Xuan.
"Xuan'er, believe me, I truly, truly have never doubted you. Listen to me."
Lu Yu exerted force with her hands, lifted Shen Xuan horizontally, and slowly placed him on the bed. She sat beside Shen Xuan, allowing his head to rest on her shoulder, finding a comfortable position for him.
"Xuan'er, I am a physician, and I know that even the blood of close relatives may not blend. Conversely, even unrelated people's blood might blend," Lu Yu said softly into his ear, holding Shen Xuan entirely in her arms.
Shen Xuan did not reply. His body still trembled from the crying. The quiet air was filled only with Shen Xuan's sobs.
"Xuan'er, believe me, okay?" Lu Yu spoke again, tightly holding Shen Xuan's cold hands, rubbing them to warm him.
"Why? Why can relatives' blood also be incompatible?" Shen Xuan bit his lip, suppressing his sobs, and asked softly.
"Because…"
Lu Yu hesitated, unsure how to explain it to Shen Xuan. At that moment, she felt Shen Xuan break free from her embrace. "I'm sleepy, I want to sleep."
Shen Xuan's voice still carried a trace of crying, but he was trying to make it sound calm.
Very well, then let him rest for now. He had expended too much energy today.
Shen Xuan lay on the bed, wide awake. His eyes stared blankly at the wall, tears streaming down his face one after another. The pillow became soaked with tears and felt cold.
The next morning, Shen Xuan's eyes were swollen and red. After waking up, he curled into a ball and sat silently in the corner of the bed.
Lu Yu looked at Shen Xuan like this, her heart aching.
"Xuan'er, don't worry, I will clarify all the rumors today."
Lu Yu had made up her mind. As for those who accused Shen Xuan of being promiscuous and not adhering to wifely duties, she would refute them one by one. As for Shen Xuan's father, she would go to the Shen manor today to prove it with A'fu's father, Shen Xuan's mother, and the physician who had treated Shen Xuan's father at the time.
Lu Yu covered Shen Xuan with the thin quilt, ensuring he wouldn't catch a cold. She kissed his forehead and turned to leave.
Shen Xuan watched Lu Yu's departing back, pursed his lips, and secretly made a resolution.
As soon as Lu Yu arrived at the medical hall, Gu Yitong greeted her. Seeing that Shen Xuan and A'fu had not followed Lu Yu, she asked curiously, "Why isn't brother-in-law with you?"
"Xuan'er is in a bad mood, so I didn't have him come. I left A'fu at home to take care of him."
"That's good. The rumors these past few days have been quite disturbing. It's good for brother-in-law to rest and adjust his mood at home."
"By the way, why didn't you agree to the blood-drop compatibility test yesterday? Are you really afraid of the result…" Gu Yitong fanned herself and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to ask.
"No, like Xuan'er, I believe Father. It's just for other reasons." Lu Yu did not explain to Gu Yitong as meticulously as she had to Shen Xuan last night, as she needed a lot of time for what she had to do today and couldn't waste it on this.
"I'm taking a day off today, and I need you to help me with something." Lu Yu revealed her entire plan for the day to Gu Yitong.
Gu Yi also nodded frequently as he listened. Miss Lu is truly kind to Xuan'er. Such a kind person like Xuan'er deserves happiness.
Since they had become familiar with each other, they had started calling each other by name, which showed a greater sense of closeness.
"Miss Lu, you can go to the Shen manor with peace of mind. I will go to Miss Zheng's to ask for her help," Gu Yi said, walking to Gu Yitong's side and volunteering to Lu Yu.
Since Zheng Yu had told Gu Yi that she didn't need to be so polite and that she was different from those old-fashioned officials, Gu Yi no longer called her Mayor Zheng but Miss Zheng.
She was the one who said it, no need to be so polite.