You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

"You did this?"

Xie Wanru was shocked. Although Lin Qing's image in her mind was not exactly virtuous and gentle, she would not go to a gambling den.

Moreover, she was actually dressed as a man, which was undoubtedly a huge challenge for a young lady from a prominent family.

"That's me, how about it? I did a great job, didn't I? Haha."

Lin Qing smiled broadly, she was very happy.

Clearly, she found it interesting to disguise herself as a man and go to the gambling den.

However, Xie Wanru did not show the joy she expected, because her expression was somewhat cold, and Lin Qing's smile immediately disappeared.

"Wanwan, what's wrong? Did I get into trouble?"

Lin Qing asked worriedly, reaching out to tug at Xie Wanru's sleeve. Xie Wanru sighed casually and then took her hand.

“My dear Qingqing, please stay away from the Shen family in the future. Once you get involved with people like them, it’s hard to shake them off. Don’t lower yourself to associate with them, understand?”

Xie Wanru felt a pang of sympathy; her friend had gone to such lengths to avenge her.

“I know you want to avenge me, but if they find out it was you who did it, they will definitely go to Minister Lin and say bad things about you, or they will exaggerate and spread rumors that you, a woman, frequent gambling dens, which will not be good for your reputation.”

Xie Wanru was genuinely worried about this. As a divorced woman, she shouldn't have had too much contact with Lin Qing in the first place. Now that Lin Qing had done so much for her, if the Shen family found out, she would implicate Lin Qing.

However, since the deed was already done, Xie Wanru could only secretly plot in her heart. It seemed that when Shen Cong'an came again, she would have to talk to him about this matter and ask the Shen family to stop investigating.

"So that's what you're afraid of! Wanwan, don't worry, my father won't scold me for something like this. Besides, the Shen family is such a useless bunch, they can't possibly find out that I did it. I've been very careful."

Lin Qing patted her chest and assured him, but then she suddenly remembered Shen Cong'an and felt a moment of panic.

This man seems to be quite intelligent.

"Anyway, don't worry. Just wait for your housewarming banquet at the Princess's Mansion. I'll give you a big gift then. I'm leaving now."

Lin Qing skipped and hopped away. She ran lightly, but only she knew how guilty she felt.

Xie Wanru shook her head as she watched Lin Qing's retreating figure. Even after getting into the carriage, Lin Qing leaned out and waved to her. After responding, Xie Wanru watched the carriage drive away before looking at Dongzhu beside her.

"Tell Shen Cong'an that I have something to say to him."

It would have been better if she hadn't known about this. Now that she does, she naturally needs to deal with it as soon as possible. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Who knows, that idiot Shen Nian'an might find out about Lin Qing. If someone does find out, it will be troublesome.

"Yes."

Dongzhu nodded; she knew what her mistress was going to do, and immediately went to do it.

After seeing Lin Qing off, Xie Wanru returned to the Xie residence. The princess's mansion had not yet held a formal housewarming ceremony, so she would not be staying there.

On the way back to the Xie residence, Xie Wanru thought a lot. She was very grateful for Lin Qing's efforts for her, but she was also worried about the possible consequences this matter might bring to Lin Qing.

Lin Qing's frankness and courage undoubtedly moved her, but Xie Wanru also knew that in this society with strict moral codes, a woman's reputation was more important than her life.

Once the Shen family discovers that Lin Qing was behind Shen Yanzhi's public humiliation, given Old Lady Shen's temper, she will definitely make a huge scene, causing a huge uproar and ruining Lin Qing's reputation before she will stop.

And there's another person, Fu Rou, who might do something even more extreme in order to avenge Shen Yanzhi.

Back at her residence, she sat in her study, holding a cup of hot tea, but her gaze drifted through the window to the distance.

As night fell, the Xie residence remained brightly lit, but Xie Wanru was still deep in thought in her study.

Dongzhu hurried back and whispered, "Princess, the message has been delivered to Young Master Shen. He said he will come as soon as possible."

Xie Wanru nodded gently and told Dongzhu to tell the servants to turn off the unnecessary lights and go to sleep.

Soon after, Shen Cong'an arrived as promised.

He was dressed in fine clothes, and must have just come over after meeting someone. He was usually very casual when he met Xie Wanru, but today he had a handsome face, and his eyes revealed a hint of joy that was not easily detected.

Xie Wanru politely stood up to greet her, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, they got down to business.

"Lin Qing only tricked Shen Yanzhi to avenge me. Your Shen family should also be investigating this matter."

Xie Wanru got straight to the point, without any pretense.

Shen Cong'an smiled slightly and said, "I thought you had Dongzhu come to see me specifically because it was something important."

Xie Wanru's eyes sharpened, and she said, "Isn't that important? If Lin Qing goes to a gambling den disguised as a man and is found out by someone with ulterior motives, it could affect her marriage. This is not something to be taken lightly."

These things are especially important for a daughter, but Shen Cong'an clearly didn't think so.

Shen Cong'an slowly said, "Your Highness is too kind. Shen Nian'an did investigate for several days, but he found nothing. I think you don't need to worry about Shen Nian'an finding out about this matter. However, since Your Highness has spoken up, I will do my part to ensure that Miss Lin is not implicated."

Xie Wanru felt somewhat relieved after hearing this.

As expected, a fool like Shen Nian'an is incapable of accomplishing anything.

Shen Cong'an observed Xie Wanru's gaze and noticed that no matter when Shen Nian'an was mentioned, Xie Wanru's eyes did not show much emotion. Apart from the occasional intense hatred, she was mostly unresponsive.

But Shen Nian'an was clearly her husband, in name only.

"Anyway, you have to make sure that the Shen family can't find out about this. I don't want Lin Qing to be talked about because of me. Absolutely not."

Xie Wanru said with absolute certainty.

"nature."

Shen Cong'an nodded, "And even if you hadn't said anything, given my relationship with Lord Lin, I wouldn't have let this matter involve Miss Lin. Moreover, Shen Yanzhi and the others are the ones who brought this upon themselves by being despised and criticized by the world."

Subsequently, Shen Cong'an confessed that he had met with Minister Lin and that the two had a very pleasant conversation. He even confessed that Minister Lin intended to match him with Lin Qing.

Xie Wanru knew about Shen Cong'an's social skills. A person with the talent of a prime minister would naturally be able to deal with people of all ages. However, the fact that Minister Lin was trying to matchmake Shen Cong'an and Lin Qing made Xie Wanru a little uneasy.

In his previous life, Shen Cong'an wouldn't wake up for another ten years. When he did, he would be crippled and would never marry...