"Master."
"Something terrible has happened!"
The Shen Family's steward rushed toward the inner hall with a panicked expression and unsteady steps, looking both anxious and helpless.
"What happened again?"
Seeing the steward barge into the inner hall in such a flustered state, Shen Wansan frowned, his aged face filled with displeasure.
Over this period, bad news had come to the Shen Family like surging tides, wave after wave. Almost every few days, they received bad news from various places, especially the north, leaving the no-longer-young Shen Wansan overwhelmed.
Every day, he labored without rest, personally handling all manner of affairs.
"An imperial decree has just arrived at the Zhu residence. Count Champion Zhu Ying achieved great merit in the Northern Expedition, and His Majesty has specially bestowed upon Zhu Ying's wife, Shen Yu'er, the rank of Third-Rank Honored Lady."
The steward's voice trembled slightly, carrying undisguised fear. "And... and there is news from the court. Though it has not yet been officially announced, Zhu Ying seems set to be elevated to the rank of marquis and granted the title Marquis of Victory."
Marquis of Victory!
Those three words exploded beside Shen Wansan's ears like thunder.
Seated in the chair of honor, Shen Wansan's face instantly turned deathly pale. The tea cup he had been holding steadily slipped from his hand without his realizing it.
Crash!
With a crisp sound, the teacup shattered on the floor, splashing tea everywhere.
"How could this be?"
Shen Wansan muttered to himself, his voice filled with disbelief. "Marquis of Victory! He's only seventeen!"
"How could he possibly be made a marquis? A seventeen-year-old marquis!"
Shen Wansan's eyes were filled with fear.
That wrinkled old face was now utterly consumed by terror, as if he had foreseen an unavoidable catastrophe in the future.
Or rather!
Even