She remained silent before, allowing the rumors to spread freely, because no one could ascertain the truth of the matter, and it was all based on speculation.
Within their conjectures, they could gain a reputation for magnanimity without being definitively ridiculed for being cuckolded.
Truly a merchant, this move killed two birds with one stone.
But now Lu Yu intended to clarify, leaving no room for Madam Shen to profit.
The common people were now gathered at their doorstep, having placed Madam Shen on the hot seat, forcing her to make a statement.
If she helped Lu Yu prove Shen Xuan's father's innocence, yet the rumors had been circulating for so long and she hadn't clarified, it would make her appear even more cold-hearted for Lu Yu, her daughter-in-law, to be the one to do so. She absolutely would not allow such a judgment to be made about her.
However, if she claimed to know nothing, the world would mock her incompetence even more, unable to confirm such a matter.
But if she admitted that Li Ning had an affair with someone else, and Shen Xuan was not her son, then the label of being cuckolded would be firmly affixed.
Madam Shen glared fiercely at Lu Yu, her pupils almost bulging from her eye sockets. She now hated the person who spread the rumors, and even more so Lu Yu's meddling.
"Patriarch!" another shout came from the doorway. The servant who had just arrived ran from the main gate again.
Before speaking, he secretly glanced at Lu Yu. Seeing Lu Yu looking in his direction, he quickly lowered his head. "Patriarch, Young Master Shen has returned."
"Shen Xuan?" Madam Shen was stunned to hear "Young Master Shen." After a long while, she realized who the eldest young master was and said with disgust, "Why is he back?"
Lu Yu was also very confused. Wasn't Xuan resting at home? Why would he come here? Could it be that he came to...
"Young Master Shen Xuan said he wishes to conduct a blood-matching test to clarify, to clarify the reputation of your former primary husband."
Ever since Zhao Liu entered the Shen manor, Madam Shen had forbidden the household servants from calling Li Ning the primary husband. The servants, to avoid offense, no longer discussed it. Now, mentioning Li Ning so suddenly, the servant didn't know how to address him.
"Blood-matching test?" Madam Shen uttered in confusion. After thinking carefully, this was indeed a good method. With such a large crowd gathered outside, as long as the blood-matching test was conducted in front of them, no matter the result, she would have a prepared explanation.
Hearing her guess, Lu Yu's heart sank. Why wouldn't he listen and come here on his own accord?
"Very well, then let's conduct the blood-matching test. It's a good way to end this farce in front of everyone." Madam Shen waved her wide sleeves, feigning an air of authority, and walked towards the door with her head held high.
If it weren't for the solemnity of the current situation, and Lu Yu's heavy heart, fearing the occurrence of what she dreaded, she would surely have mocked him internally.
"What! He actually wants to conduct a blood-matching test."
Shen Jia, hearing the news relayed by the young servant in his room, was pacing anxiously. This matter was his brainchild. He had painstakingly schemed, even demeaning himself to the obese and unpleasant woman Chen Yao, all to bring down Shen Xuan. He absolutely would not allow Shen Xuan to make a comeback!
"Jia'er, don't worry. Father has a way." Zhao Liu pulled the pacing Shen Jia to sit on a stool, giving him a reassuring look.
He beckoned to his personal attendant, signaling him to lean in to listen.
"Go..."
"Father, can this really work?" Shen Jia sat there, his gaze anxious. What Zhao Liu said was now their only hope.
"Don't worry. The evidence used to falsely accuse Li Ning of colluding with Wei Han was prepared by her for me."
Wei Han was Afu's mother. Afu's father had also spread false information to Shen Xuan that day, framing him, because he heard that Shen Xuan was Li Ning and Wei Han's son.
"What if he doesn't help us this time?" Shen Jia was burning with anxiety, unable to sit still on the chair. His mind was in turmoil, and his tone carried a hint of impatience.
"She will definitely help." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Zhao Liu's eyes, and his tone was full of confidence.
It was just that the two of them did not see the person standing outside the door quietly leave.
The main gate opened, and indeed, many common people were gathered outside, most of them having come to witness the spectacle.
Zheng Yu had instructed his subordinates that morning to subtly spread the news that the Shen manor would be clarifying the rumors that day. Hearing this, the common people flocked to join the excitement.
Seeing the gate open, Shen Xuan hurried forward, intending to ask Madam Shen for permission to conduct the blood-matching test. However, the moment the gate opened, he saw Lu Yu, who was supposed to be attending patients at the medical hall.
The instant Shen Xuan saw Lu Yu, his legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground, unable to move forward.
Their eyes met, and Shen Xuan swayed. He quickly regained his composure, avoided her gaze, unable to look Lu Yu in the eye, his entire body tensed.
He hadn't expected to meet Lu Yu here. He had initially thought that what Lu Yu had said that morning was to comfort him, or perhaps to offer a few words of defense in places where rumors were circulating. He hadn't expected her to come here.
In that instant, Shen Xuan understood everything. It turned out that Lu Yu's promise to resolve the issue meant resolving it from the root.
These people outside the Shen manor must have been invited by Lu Yu. She must have come to the Shen manor for this matter, truly wanting to clear his and his father's names in front of the public.
But he had misunderstood her, and without her knowledge, he had secretly come to the Shen manor to find his mother, intending to conduct the blood-matching test she had just rejected yesterday.
Shen Xuan's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, and he felt immense self-reproach. He dared not look up at Lu Yu, nor could he move forward.
Lu Yu was truly very angry this time. When she heard Shen Xuan was coming to conduct the blood-matching test in the manor earlier, she was stunned, and her anger flared from her heart.
However, seeing Shen Xuan's pitiful, trembling appearance, afraid to look at her, she couldn't bring herself to stay angry. Instead, she felt a greater sense of disappointment and sadness.
She had clearly told him that it would be resolved today, so why did he still not trust her? In the end, it was a lack of trust.
On the journey from the hall to the door, Lu Yu had also come to understand that she too had made mistakes. She hadn't explained things clearly to him last night, and she hadn't told him her specific plans this morning, so it was inevitable that he wouldn't trust her.
While these were logical points, and Lu Yu understood them all, emotions were inherently illogical. Seeing Shen Xuan at the Shen manor's entrance this time truly made her feel sad and powerless.
Madam Shen, seeing Shen Xuan frozen at the door, paid him no mind and proceeded to address the onlookers from outside.
"I have also heard about the rumors these past two days. Today, I had intended to clarify this matter thoroughly, but my son insisted on conducting a blood-matching test in public, and I couldn't refuse."
Madam Shen's words were very clever. She made no mention that Lu Yu had originally planned to clarify this matter publicly for Shen Xuan. This led everyone to mistakenly believe that she had proactively spread the news for Shen Xuan and was now clarifying it in public.
Furthermore, she highlighted that it was Shen Xuan who insisted on the blood-matching test, thus absolving herself of responsibility.
Regardless of the outcome later, if the blood truly merged, she could claim that she was clarifying for her biological son, demonstrating her maternal love.
If the blood did not merge, she could also say that she did not want Shen Xuan's reputation to be tarnished and had initially not wanted to conduct the blood-matching test, but couldn't stop Shen Xuan from insisting on finding his origins, thereby clearing herself completely and shifting the blame onto Shen Xuan.
"Blood-matching test?" Hearing this sentence, a commotion arose again from the crowd.
"Patriarch Shen is wise!" a loud voice called out from within the crowd.