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

"It's nothing, Yu'er, come in quickly, Mom will take you to bed."

Fu Rou picked up the child and quickly closed the door.

Xie Wanru sneezed several times late at night, which startled Dongzhu so much that she immediately asked the kitchen to make her ginger tea.

"It's warm now, Princess, please don't catch a cold."

Dongzhu brought hot tea to soothe Xie Wanru's throat, and soon ginger tea arrived. She didn't want to drink it, but Dongzhu wouldn't let her, saying that she would force her to drink it even if she had to.

Xie Wanru had no choice but to accept the bowl.

"Princess, catching a cold can be a serious matter or a minor one, but it's always good to be careful."

Xie Wanru took a sip of ginger tea and smiled faintly. "It's alright. Maybe someone is talking about me behind my back. It's not necessarily because I caught a cold."

She believed her body was very healthy and resilient. After being reborn, she practiced frequently, and whenever she had free time, she would drag Dongzhu along to practice. This was quite different from her previous life.

"Dongzhu, do you think the law of cause and effect in this world is really that effective?" Xie Wanru put down her teacup and looked out the window at the deep night sky.

Dongzhu smiled and said, "The princess is kind-hearted and will be blessed by heaven. As for those with ill intentions, they will suffer the consequences sooner or later."

Xie Wanru smiled slightly; she also hoped that there was cause and effect in this world.

"Princess, it's late, you should rest early," Dongzhu gently reminded her.

Xie Wanru nodded, got up and walked to the bed. Before lying down, she looked out the window again, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Meanwhile, the Shen family's house remained brightly lit.

Aunt Liu's stomach was still aching, but the imperial physician could not be summoned, and the servants of the Shen family could not even enter the palace gates with their invitations.

Having no other choice, Shen Nian'an had to bite the bullet and go to Shen Cong'an.

"Should I go to the Princess's residence? To ask Xie Wanru to intervene and have Doctor Huo come to the Shen family to treat your concubine?"

Shen Cong'an heard the news as soon as he returned, and almost burst out laughing. He stood at the gate of the courtyard and talked to Shen Nian'an, seemingly not wanting Shen Nian'an to enter his courtyard.

"You probably don't know this, but I've already made it very clear to Marquis Yong'an and his wife that to outsiders we're family, but behind closed doors we have no connection whatsoever."

Shen Cong'an remained calm and composed. He had known for a long time that something had happened at Plum Garden, but what did the life and death of this family have to do with him?

Just like when Shen Cong'an poisoned him for his own selfish desires, causing him to fall into a coma, didn't this family act as if it were none of their business?

"How can you be so heartless? You know perfectly well that Xie Wanru won't help me because of my relationship with her, and neither will Doctor Huo. How can you bear to watch an innocent child die?"

Shen Nian'an looked at his half-brother with righteous indignation. In his eyes, Shen Cong'an was not a heartless person.

But he forgot that Shen Cong'an knew how wicked and hypocritical he was.

"I'm heartless? I'm your elder brother. What about when you poisoned me and even tried to kill me? You know very well why Doctor Huo didn't help you. It's because you're stupid. You deceived Xie Wanru for a mistress, you made her suffer, and that's why she divorced you. Doctor Huo is Xie Wanru's man, why would they help you? If I were Xie Wanru, I would wish you and all your concubines dead! Now you're reaping what you sowed."

After venting his anger, Shen Cong'an suddenly felt much better. He would not forgive the Shen family members, much less help Shen Nian'an.

"How dare you come to me? And are you also trying to get Xie Wanru to help you like this? Have you no shame? Shen Nian'an? Do you think everyone else is stupid? Aunt Liu's inability to give birth is your retribution, the retribution for your many evil deeds."

Shen Nian'an turned pale from the sting of these words, staggered back a few steps, and almost lost his balance.

"You...you're so heartless! Fine, don't help me then, what's the point of saying all this!"

His voice trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger.

Shen Cong'an looked at him coldly, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"This is all your own doing, Shen Nian'an. Remember, every step you take in life counts. You will have to reap the consequences of your own actions."

After saying that, he turned to leave, not looking at Shen Nian'an again.

Shen Nian'an cried out in despair, "Can't you save Aunt Liu and the child for the sake of our father, for the sake of us both being surnamed Shen? This child has done nothing wrong to you; he is your family too!"

Shen Cong'an stopped, but did not turn around. "Father? If he truly cared about this family, he wouldn't have allowed us brothers to fight each other, and the family to decline to this point. As for Aunt Liu and the child, that's your responsibility. You are not my family. I have no family. Your affairs are none of my business."

After saying that, he strode away, leaving Shen Nian'an alone in the empty hall.

As the night deepened and all was quiet, the lights in the Shen family gradually went out, and Aunt Liu's cries for help grew fainter and fainter. Shen Nian'an did not see Aunt Liu, but only a basin of bloody water, which was carried out of Aunt Liu's room.

This seemed to be telling him that his child was about to die.

In the end, Shen Nian'an still went to the Princess's residence to beg Xie Wanru.

Night had fallen, and Xie Wanru was already asleep. The gate of the Princess's mansion slowly opened under Shen Nian'an's urgent knocking. The gatekeeper looked at the second young master of the Shen family, who had come to visit so late at night, with a puzzled expression.

"I need to see Xie Wanru. Please inform her." Shen Nian'an's voice carried a hint of urgency and pleading.

"Young Master Shen, our princess said that she will not see anyone who has the surname Shen or is related to the Shen family. Please leave."

The doorman closed the door after he finished speaking.

Let alone knocking on the door in the middle of the night, even in broad daylight, no one from the Shen family is worthy of seeing their princess.

Shen Nian'an was dejected. He had already been to the Medicine King Hall on his way here, but they wouldn't open the door for him.

When Shen Nian'an returned to the Shen family, it was almost dawn. There was no sound from Aunt Liu's room. Old Madam Shen had asked a midwife to come and take a look. Whether the child could be saved depended on the child's fortune.

Xie Wanru called Xiao Xie, the housekeeper, over early in the morning. The first grandchild of the Xie family was about to be born, and they needed to prepare some things for the child to send to the northern border.

She was happily discussing what to choose with Butler Xie when Dongzhu announced that Shen Cong'an had arrived.

"Steward Xie, could you please check if there's anything missing in this mansion?"

Xie Wanru casually made up an excuse and arranged for the person to leave.

Steward Xie knew that she was intentionally trying to get rid of him, but he didn't ask any questions and obediently followed the servant leading the way down.

At this time, Xie Wanru was unaware that Shen Nian'an had visited the previous night. Because of her relationship with the Shen family, the gatekeeper automatically ignored all news about the Shen family. Every time Shen Nian'an came, he had to wear a mask and show Xie Wanru's invitation.