Chapter 79: Marry Her and Never Regret It?

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Marry Her and Never Regret It?

Shen Tingyu glanced over at some point. Seeing her anxious and uneasy expression, he let out a soft, silent sigh. "Please, don’t be like this, Yaoyao. It makes me feel terribly awkward."

The girl he had so carefully laid his heart bare for, the one he was willing to defy all his elders to marry, was now looking at him with utter embarrassment after rejecting him.

It was truly mortifying.

Shen Tingyu said, "It was only a verbal agreement. Since we’re calling it off, let’s just leave it at that. You don’t need to feel awkward. If we can’t be husband and wife, we are still cousins. And... friends."

The moment the words left his lips, the carriage wheels ground to a halt.

Just like their hastily arranged betrothal.

It was over.

Shen Tingyu was the first to step out of the carriage, extending a hand to her.

The skin of the pampered young nobleman was fair and smooth, his long, jade-like fingers with their distinct knuckles held right before her.

Cui Lingyao pressed her lips together and placed her hand in his.

Shen Tingyu’s fingers gently curled around hers as he helped her down.

The two entered the manor gates side by side. Just as they reached the rear courtyard, they saw Mrs. Shen’s dowry servant, Nanny Qian, standing by the archway, her face etched with worry as she waited.

Finally seeing them, Nanny Qian hurried over, forgoing any courtesies. She grasped Cui Lingyao’s hand and said anxiously, "Your mother has been waiting for you for a long time. She said you are to go to her the moment you return."

’Why is she in such a hurry...’

A look of alarm crossed Cui Lingyao’s face. "Is Mother unwell?"

Nanny Qian nodded grimly. She glanced at Shen Tingyu, who was right behind them, and said, "The Heir’s wife visited around noon. After she left, your mother vomited blood and ordered me to find you."

But Cui Lingyao hadn’t been at the manor today, forcing Mrs. Shen to wait all this time.

’What could Mrs. Liu have said to Mother to make her vomit blood and then desperately need to see me?’

The answer was obvious.

It had to be about their betrothal, and Pei Shuyao’s three years of pestering Shen Tingyu.

In Mrs. Liu’s eyes, their "relationship" was a story of a niece living under her roof relentlessly hounding her son for three years until she finally got her way.

From start to finish, her son was the one who had been bewitched and harassed.

And now that her son had clearly lost his senses, she had no choice but to take it up with the other elder in the situation, Mrs. Shen.

Nanny Qian’s words made the color drain from Shen Tingyu’s face. He grabbed Cui Lingyao’s wrist and explained, "I knew nothing about this."

He truly had no idea.

No matter how carefully he planned, he would never have schemed to involve his frail aunt.

In the past three years, no matter what outrageous things Pei Shuyao did, no one ever dared to cause a fuss in front of Mrs. Shen.

Shen Tingyu had never imagined his mother would go this far.

Cui Lingyao believed him on this point.

He might have been the one to bring up the betrothal first, but she was the one who had carefully considered it and agreed.

’At this point, even if Mrs. Liu did say something awful to Mrs. Shen about it, he can’t be the only one to blame.’

Cui Lingyao wasn’t an unreasonable person.

She lowered her gaze to her wrist. "I’m going to see my mother. You should go about your own business."

"No," Shen Tingyu said, his expression grave as he tightened his grip on her wrist. "I’m going with you."

This concerned them both. He couldn’t let her face the reproaches of her gravely ill mother alone.

As Cui Lingyao hesitated, Nanny Qian beside her said, "Let the young master come along. Her Ladyship didn’t say so, but I can tell she wishes to see him as well."

’This was her daughter’s beloved.’

’The man who was willing to defy the entire household to give her daughter the position of his primary wife.’

’How could a mother at the end of her life not wish to meet him?’

Cui Lingyao could only give her tacit consent.

The courtyard where the mother and daughter lived was so secluded that even without pausing for a moment, it took them some time to arrive.

A surprising number of people were already inside.

The Old Duke had four sons—three from his primary wife and one from a concubine—but only one daughter: Mrs. Shen.

Though born of a concubine, she had been doted on and raised in the lap of luxury since she was a child.

Her older brothers were all exceptionally fond of their only sister.

And now, they had all come, bringing their wives with them.

Even the Young Master Heir and the Heir’s wife were among them.

The modest hall was packed to the brim.

A closer look revealed Duke Shen and the Duchess seated in the places of honor—a rare sight in the courtyards of the younger generation.

’They came too.’

When Mrs. Shen had taken a turn for the worse the other day, there hadn’t been such a commotion.

’Today... something major is about to happen.’

As Cui Lingyao stepped into the hall, her body froze, meeting the varied gazes of everyone present.

Perhaps it was a lingering sentiment from the body’s original owner, but her legs nearly gave out.

"Yaoyao!"

Shen Tingyu, forgetting everything else, gripped her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace to keep her from falling.

’Behaving so improperly in front of everyone.’

Mrs. Liu’s lips tightened, but she forced herself to hold back from reprimanding them.

With her parents-in-law present, it wasn’t her place as a junior to throw her weight around.

Besides, she had already caused a huge disaster...

Shen Tingyu helped her into the room.

He gave a slight bow to the Lord Duke and Duchess in the seats of honor. "Grandfather, Grandmother."

Cui Lingyao also curtsied. "Greetings, Grandfather, Grandmother."

The Duchess’s gaze fell upon her, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Her well-preserved face was expressionless as she waved a hand. "Your mother is not doing well. Go and see her. Don’t let her pass on with regrets."

Cui Lingyao’s face went ashen. She staggered, then turned, hitched up her skirts, and ran into the inner room.

Shen Tingyu started to follow but was stopped by the Lord Duke’s voice.

"Your aunt is on her deathbed, speaking with her daughter. What business do you have going in there?"

Shen Tingyu stopped in his tracks, turned, and knelt in the middle of the hall. "Aunt already knows of the private affections between my cousin and me. If I do not go in, how can she possibly be at ease?"

A mother was dying, her daughter about to become an orphan with no one left to protect her. At this critical juncture, a verbal betrothal had been made with a cousin from the same manor, yet her future mother-in-law did not approve of the match.

How could she possibly rest in peace under such circumstances?

Duke Shen rose slowly and walked before his grandson. "What can you do if you go in?"

Shen Tingyu kowtowed. "I will promise my aunt that no matter what, I will protect my cousin and ensure she lives a life of wealth and peace!"

A lifetime of wealth and peace.

’What a heavy promise.’

Wealth was one thing, but without the status of a proper wife, a concubine could hardly be considered to be living in "peace."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Mrs. Liu gripped the armrests of her chair, staring intently at her kneeling son, hoping her father-in-law would erupt in fury and put a stop to this.

Just then, the faint sound of sobbing drifted from the inner chamber.

Some of it was Mrs. Shen.

Gravely ill and near death, even her cries were suffused with a deathly air.

Her birth mother, Mrs. Li, was also in there, her sobs more mournful and melancholic.

It was enough to make anyone who heard it well up with sorrow.

A parent burying their own child... She was the apple of his eye, his youngest child, and yet she would be the first to leave him.

Duke Shen took a deep breath. "Have you truly thought this through? You will marry her and never regret it?"

Mrs. Liu’s face filled with alarm. She started to rise in protest but was held back by the Young Master Heir, who gripped her arm.

’When Father makes a decision, it isn’t to be questioned—not by a mere woman, and not even by me, his eldest son and heir.’

Everyone held their breath, their attention fixed on the exchange between grandfather and grandson.

Shen Tingyu’s voice resounded through the hall.

He said, "I will never regret it."