Meng Zhilu clenched her hands tightly, her heart filled with contempt for her enemy. “No, Sister, you don't need to worry. I'm the one who should thank you for taking such good care of my husband and carrying his heir. I'm truly grateful”

Outwardly, Meng Zhilu radiated joy. Her lips were painted a vibrant red, curved into a sweet smile that reached her eyes. This convincing display of sincerity led the women in the hall to praise Meng Zhilu's boundless generosity while inwardly criticizing Li Lianshuang's deceitful nature. 'How dare such a lowly woman follow the master back to the capital? She must be skilled in the arts of seduction. Shame on her!'

'Ewe! 'She's a toad lusting after swan meat. And the master also, never knows before that he has truly inferior taste in choosing woman!'

'This woman must only be good at seduction. Her behavior must be truly appalling to have ensnared our master like this. He's so blinded by her that he's forgotten the virtuous Huyin.' The women and their relatives inwardly condemned Li Lianshuang with venomous thoughts.

Their behavior made Li Lianshuang boil with frustration. As a newcomer, she could only suppress her resentment. If Shen Zhongting could not persuade his mother and grandmother to elevate her to a suitable wife, when would she achieve her goal? She swore that in the future when she did, she would enjoy turning the tables on these women.

With this thought in mind, she rubbed her palm over her still-flat belly while gazing at Shen Zhongting with pleading eyes, silently urging him to broach the subject of their wedding ceremony with the elders.

When Shen Zhongting saw Li Lianshuang's eyes were sending a signal. He turned to his mother and spoke in a firm and determined tone.

“Mother, Grandma actually, I just remembered something important. While in Fuling City, Lianshuang and I already participated in a marriage ceremony before Heaven and Earth. The entire city recognizes her as my main wife. Now that we've returned, I'd like to ask Mother and Zhilu to help arrange a formal ceremony here as well. She's already more than three months pregnant, and we wouldn't want to delay any longer. I want the eldest heir of the Shen family to be born with the full rights and dignity of a legitimate child of Shen's Huyin. Mother, please allow me to take Lianshuang as my main wife, equal in status to Meng Zhilu”

Shen Zhongting's words struck the listeners like a thunderbolt, causing a wave of shock, surprise, and worries into the minds of everyone. It was unthinkable to hear such a scandalous proposal from the esteemed royal tutor of the Royal Student Bureau, a man under the patronage of the emperor of Da Cheng.

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His words made Huyin's face even colored. Others in the hall were silent, some secretly looking at each other.

Even Elder Tai Tai, who had remained silent until now, could no longer bear it. She reproached him loud, “How can that be possible? You are not the head of the Li family from Fuling City. You have no right to take two principal main wives. If you force this, wouldn't it be a violation of the law? You are the royal tutor. If this matter becomes public, won't it ruin your reputation and career!?”

Shen Zhongting argued, “But we can keep it a family matter, all right? We don't have to inform the Registration Department, Grandmother? As long as we keep this a secret within the estate, there won't be a problem. If we need to interact with outsiders, we can simply refer to her as a mistress”

In two months, Shen Zhongting would assume the position of royal tutor at the Da Cheng Royal College, granting him the status of a main fourth-rank nobleman. He believed this method to solve his problem the same than many nobles liked to do.

But Elder Tai Tai remained firmly opposed to her grandson's idea. Shen Zhongting's role as a royal tutor, responsible for educating the children of the aristocracy in knowledge and morals, made him a highly respected figure. Therefore, he had to be careful not to degrade his honor, but Shen Zhongting thought of doing random and risky things such as deceiving the royal court. She couldn't accept it.

“I won't agree with you, in this world, if paper can't wrap the fire, so this matter can't be covered up forever. Besides, if the Meng clan discovers this, how will the Shen clan explain itself?” She spoke seriously.

Shen Zhongting's reply is immediate, his tone is full of decisiveness. “I will silence every servant in this house. They will be executed, so there's no need to fear the matter reaching outsiders, let alone the Meng family.” His tone was chilling, his eyes glinting with ruthlessness as he spoke of preserving secret.

His words filled the atmosphere in the room as if shrouded in the fog of death. In the hearts of the servants like a sword that pierced their hearts, fear spread throughout the room like the shadow of the mystery. They let out a wail. Then left themselves and sat on their knees, crying and begging for their lives. Even the close servant girl attending Li Lianshuang joined in the desperate pleas.

Elder Tai Tai almost wanted to raise their sticks and strike Shen Zhongting to match her nephew's loss of his mind. Just because of one woman, her grandson even wanted to kill all the servants in the room. This Shen Zhongting must have gone crazy.

She called out her nephew's full name. “Shen Zhongting! are you crazy? As the former 19th Shen Huyin, I don't allow these servants to be executed. If you still don't listen to my protests, I'll go beat the drums in front of the Ta Li Shrine, then we will see can you still lead the Shen family?” She yelled at Shen Zhongting. The expression on her face showed great anger. Her actions made the Elder Huyin even look pale. She feels like she is sitting on fire.