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"Mother, you were far too reckless at that time!"

Shen Yu supported Madam Zheng as she sat down in the room, instructed the servants to bring tea, and then continued, "At that time, Shen Yuan was already without allegiance to sovereign or father, brazen to an extreme.

You went to scold him, but what if he became ruthless and acted out against you. .."

He paused here and then said, "I don’t even know where he learned those evil tricks, to the point that even Director Du fell victim to his schemes. If he had disrespected you, neither Father nor I, I’m afraid, would’ve been able to protect you then."

As Madam Zheng gazed at Shen Yu’s concerned face, realization dawned on her...

Was the cold indifference she saw in his eyes before just her imagination?

But she was very clear it wasn’t...

Had it not been for her being too afraid to act, she wouldn’t have plucked up the courage to rebuke Shen Yuan. His arrogant demeanor at that time had been very unsettling.

Thinking back on it now, it was actually quite frightening. When had that child... become so formidable?

"Yet, he... eventually listened, didn’t he..." Madam Zheng murmured.

"Indeed..." Shen Yu quickly replied, "It seems that scoundrel still remembers the kindness you showed him, and has a shred of humanity left!"

"Remembers... the kindness I showed him?" Madam Zheng was taken aback.

Had she... ever been kind to him?

"That’s why, Mother, this is an opportunity!"

"An opportunity?"

"That guy has grown some skills, is recklessly arrogant, he disregards Father and doesn’t even respect the elders of the Yin Yang Academy, but he still shows some reverence towards you, Mother. Why don’t you take the opportunity to probe a little?"

"To probe a little?"

"Yes..." Shen Yu quickly nodded, "Mother knows well what kind of talent that guy had since he was little.

After just two years outside, he suddenly has such abilities; there must be an earth-shattering secret behind it.

No matter what it is that gave a talentless wretch like him such power, imagine if your son had it?

Mother, such benefits are not meant for people like him to have! "

Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng froze, staring blankly at her child for a long time, hardly able to process what she’d been told.

So that was it...

Were the cold eyes from earlier now filled with concern because of this?

"Mother?"

"Oh..." Madam Zheng came back to her senses, "But he may not listen to me..."

"You can try," the young man stood up, urging with a hint of anxiety, "The dignitaries outside are here to test him, and time waits for no one."

Madam Zheng looked up at him, "You were afraid earlier he would be disrespectful to me, now you’re not?"

"This... from what just happened, it’s apparent he still has some reverence towards you, Mother."

"Reverence?" Madam Zheng inhaled sharply, "Then if I go now and he’s lost that reverence, can you protect me, Mother?"

"I..." The young man suddenly choked.

He felt a surge of irritation. This woman, only now proving to be of some value, was still hemming and hawing; were the years she spent as the Shen Family’s matriarch all for nothing?

Just as he was about to speak again, a gentle voice came from the door, "You move quickly."

The young man’s body jolted, and he quickly turned to bow, "Father."

The newcomer was Shen Yan. He glanced at the young man, silencing him for a moment. He had been listening outside the door for a while; unbeknownst to him, his own son was even more anxious than he was.

Seeing his son’s behavior struck a discordant note with him; now, when it was his turn to speak, he found it unexpectedly difficult to do so.

"Husband, are you also here to have me find Shen Yuan?"

Shen Yan looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately nodded, "Yes."

"I see..." Madam Zheng nodded, "And if I can’t do it? Will Master divorce me?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Shen Yan frowned.

"Nonsense?" For the first time, Madam Zheng regarded both father and son with a chilling indifference, "If it weren’t for Shen Yuan’s matter today, wouldn’t Master have already entertained the thought?"

Shen Yan was just about to retort with indignation, but upon meeting her gaze, he couldn’t continue his performance.

Indeed, he had contemplated this idea long ago; a mortal family’s daughter serving as the mistress of an establishment like theirs had always been quite a stretch.

Over the years, not only Shen Yu’s, but other children’s marital affairs were also hindered because of her, and pathways remained unopened.

She had been well-treated by the Shen Family all these years; they could not let her continue to impede the future of the younger generations of the Shen Family.

"It seems you have..." Madam Zheng began laughing with a forlorn edge to her voice as she realized, not only had Shen Yan offered no denial, her own son, whom she had nurtured from childhood... didn’t seem too surprised either.

Clearly, he also knew that her tenure as the mistress wouldn’t last; no wonder he showed such impatience this morning...

"Madam Zheng..." Shen Yan finally spoke up, "If you can persuade Shen Yuan to hand over his possessions to the Shen Family, you will forever remain its matriarch. I assure you, from henceforth, no one shall shake your position!"

"Your assurance?" Madam Zheng laughed so hard she struggled to breathe, "How many assurances did you give me when you were destitute? Have you fulfilled even one?"

Back then, the man before her, the Family Head of the Shen Family, lacked the prestige he had now; he was nearly tormented to death by his own matriarch.

If she had not taken a fancy to him and begged her father to propose marriage on her behalf, how could he have caught the attention of his own grandfather?

Father, after all, was a Fifth Rank official in the capital, and taking the initiative to seek favor for a son born out of wedlock always attracted some attention.

This was unreasonable, Father, known for his integrity throughout his life, had, for my willfulness, abandoned his pride to do such a thing, and ended up being despised by his colleagues as a sycophantic opportunist.

How many sweet words did I say to make Father do this? How many promises did I give?

And what was the result?

Once it was confirmed that Shen Yuan had no talent, he immediately took on four or five concubines...

"What do you want then?" Shen Yan looked at the other’s smug expression, feeling a surge of annoyance in his heart.

"Let me think..." Madam Zheng’s smile faded: "I may just be a common woman with limited experience, but after all the years I’ve been married into the family, there are some things about you noble Magicians that I’m aware of, such as... the Spellcraft Contract!!"

"Madam Zheng..." Shen Yan frowned: "Don’t go too far!!"

"Mother, this is too..."

"Children don’t speak when their elders are speaking. Get out!" Madam Zheng’s face turned ice-cold immediately!

Shen Yu was startled; it was the first time he had seen this woman scold someone, and he felt a mix of shame and annoyance.

This woman, now that she’s got some power, is becoming so arrogant, just like that bastard Shen Yuan, truly a mother and son!

"You, go out..." Shen Yan gave Shen Yu a glance.

"Father..." Shen Yu was shocked.

"Go out now!" Shen Yan frowned, this boy, although he had the aptitude for magic, was just as brainless as his mother, foolish, failing to see the bigger picture...

"Yes..." With reluctance written all over his face, Shen Yu cast a cold glance at Madam Zheng and withdrew to the doorway.

Madam Zheng saw her son’s cold eyes again, but this time she was not afraid. Instead, she felt that perhaps this was normal.

This boy, his character... really is just like his father’s...

"My conditions will not change!" With Shen Yu gone, Madam Zheng looked at Shen Yan: "Spellcraft Contract. I will remain the Shen Family’s head wife, and this cannot be shaken. If this contract is violated, you, Shen Yan, must cripple your own magic!"

"Madam Zheng!!"

"What?" Madam Zheng said with a cold laugh: "Is it so difficult for you to agree to a contract? Or do you, as before, just want to make a verbal promise, hoping to deceive me into working for you?"

Shen Yan: "...."

The two of them fell into a mutually silent standoff, with no sound for a long while.

Shen Yan’s feelings were actually quite complicated; back then... he truly liked Madam Zheng.

But such affection, it could not always last!

"You were never suited to be the Shen Family’s head wife. Over the years, you should have felt it yourself. Why must you force yourself? Now that I think about it, I was too hasty back then. If I hadn’t promised you the position of legal wife..."

"Not promise me the position of legal wife?

" Madam Zheng interrupted with a derisive laugh: "You, a destitute illegitimate son, really thought you were so sought after back then? I, at the very least, come from a Scholarly Family, a child of an official’s household.

Marry you, an illegitimate son who nearly lost his life, as a concubine?

Shen Yan, the face you show is too grand! "

"Enough!" Shen Yan’s face darkened, knowing that it was impossible to continue the conversation with this woman: "Then let’s form a Spellcraft Contract. Go on, tell me how to form it, but be clear, Madam Zheng, if you fail to persuade Shen Yuan..."

"I’d just be divorced, right?" Madam Zheng laughed: "If Shen Yuan doesn’t come, wouldn’t that be my fate anyway? What difference does it make?"

Shen Yan frowned: "You have indeed worked hard for my family all these years, do you really think I would be so heartless?"

"Then what should we do?" Madam Zheng asked, laughing mockingly: "Demote the wife to a concubine? Ha ha ha, I can afford to lose that face, but I’m afraid it would kill my father with anger. Shen Yan, can you really bring yourself to do it?"

"Ignorant woman..."

"Ignorant... so be it, that’s all I have left now."

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"You’ve done quite well, lad."

Through the Thousand Eyes Technique, Shen Yuan was communicating with Seventh Master in the room.

"The timing of your strikes and retreats was handled extremely well, pushing to your limit, had you held that energy for five more moments, it would have run rampant, and I would have had to intervene prematurely."

"Just got lucky." Shen Yuan grinned.

"It’s not just luck." Seventh Master praised: "You’re talented, not only in spell formations but also in using spells."

"Really?" Shen Yuan’s complexion turned slightly red upon hearing this—he had heard such praise many times in the past two years, and it still felt like a dream.

Because, before Jiangnan, his label had never had anything to do with talent...

"By the way, things are going smoothly for now, but those people from the academy don’t wish to leave, what’s your plan moving forward?"

"First..." Just as Shen Yuan was about to speak, Seventh Master suddenly said: "Someone is coming."

Shen Yuan was startled, and through Seventh Master’s Thousand Eyes Technique, he saw the approaching visitor.

Although he had anticipated it, his eyes still showed immense complexity...