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

Xie Wanru was unaware of all this. She never imagined that Shen Cong'an would have such feelings for her. She simply felt that Shen Cong'an was the kind of person who knew how to repay kindness. She had saved him, so it was only natural for him to repay her.

His politeness towards her stemmed from his respect for her belief that she was a reborn person, as well as from her status as Princess Yongchang, which Shen Cong'an indeed deserved to show some respect for.

She was deceived too badly in her past life, and now she is only focused on protecting the Xie family and taking revenge on those who harmed her in her past life. She doesn't care about her own love life at all.

Moreover, she has already been married before, and if she divorces and does not remarry, no one will misunderstand her.

After Xie Wanru returned to the manor, the next day when Steward Xie came over, she arranged for him to prepare mung beans, which were commonly used during the hot summer.

“Princess, the money for the winter porridge tasting was deducted from the Xie family's account. Why are you paying for these mung beans yourself…”

Steward Xie hesitated. This was no small sum, as the princess had been distributing porridge for more than half a year, and now she was going to make mung bean soup for the poor and beggars. In the long run, the expenses would be enormous.

When Xie Wanru got married, she didn't want many of the shops that were part of her dowry because she didn't want to be too tired at the time, so she returned some of them.

Looking back now, the shops she owned were actually less than a third the size of the Xie family's.

"Now that I'm divorced and have moved to the Princess's residence, how can I take the Xie family's money to do what I want? But the name must still come from the Xie family so that the people know that it is the Xie family doing good deeds. Moreover, my sister-in-law will give birth to our Xie family's first grandchild soon. When she comes back, these accounts cannot be messed up in the slightest."

Xie Wanru said.

She knew her sister-in-law didn't care about these things, but she still needed to be aware of her own position and not take things for granted.

Moreover, even if it's not a small amount, it shouldn't be too much of a burden for her, since it's not like she's being provided with three meals a day.

Thus, the Xie family's virtue of caring for the people was once again praised by the world.

“I used to think that the Xie family was like other aristocratic families, setting up a soup kitchen for a few days in winter just to make a show. But the Xie family’s soup kitchen is still there now, and they’ve even added mung bean soup because of the heat. The Xie family are really good people, truly great people.”

"Yes, I heard that the princess of that county mansion, although she is divorced, is beautiful and kind-hearted, unlike those pampered young ladies from noble families. She personally oversees these matters every day."

"That's right. She is Princess Yongchang, a person of noble status, yet she has no airs at all. I heard that she suffered a great calamity, and now she is doing good deeds, probably hoping to accumulate blessings for her next life."

"..."

In the streets and alleys, people were talking about Xie Wanru, praising her endlessly.

Xie Wanru simply smiled faintly at all of this. Her motives for doing these things might not have been entirely pure, but she had indeed done good deeds.

She knew that gossip could be terrifying, and that rumors could have a huge impact. Therefore, in this life, she made preparations in advance. No matter who wanted to frame the Xie family and tried to start with rumors, they would be hindered by these people who had received her kindness.

It played a crucial role when Xie Yanting went missing not long ago and rumors were spread.

People's evaluation of the Xie family is getting higher and higher, and their reputation is getting better and better. The Xie family is a prominent family in Xuancheng with only daughters, and even daughters who have divorced. Yet, the Xie family's position in Xuancheng remains unshakable.

This is certainly not only because of the Xie family's porridge distribution, but also because of the Xie family's contributions over the years, as well as Xie Wanru's personal charm.

After all, the fact that she went to the Northern Border alone already put her to the test of more than 80% of men. The fact that she was able to reach the Northern Border safely shows that Xie Wanru's abilities should not be underestimated.

The better she did, the more annoyed Fu Rou, the concubine of the Shen family, became, and Xiao Yan also became annoyed.

Shen Nian'an didn't want Xie Wanru. When he divorced Xie Wanru, he was happy for several days. He thought Xie Wanru would be heartbroken and that if he used the Xie family as leverage, Xie Wanru would definitely come back to him.

As long as Xie Wanru submits to him, he will speak on behalf of the Xie family to his father, the Emperor, and with the Xie family's support, he can ascend to that position and then gradually take control of everything.

However, achieving all of this is incredibly difficult.

Because Xie Wanru still has no intention of reconciling with him, his plan with Lou Li to kidnap Xie Yanting and use the Northern Barbarian Army to create public opinion has also failed.

He can't think of any way to get Xie Wanru's attention. Every time he sees Xie Wanru, he can't help but want to argue with her.

This woman has no respect whatsoever. He is the emperor's son, the Third Prince, one of the most honorable men in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Your Highness."

Lou Yao had someone prepare the finest stew. The Lou family was subtly hinting to her that she should get pregnant soon. She was initially shy, but later she also had this idea.

She was the principal wife, but only by having children early could she secure her position as the third imperial consort.

Xiao Yan only glanced at her indifferently. He was still taking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Huo and could not indulge in women for a month. Moreover, he was not enthusiastic about such things. Lou Yao put down her things and left.

His mind was filled with Xie Wanru's aloof yet resilient figure. Compared to Lou Yao's deliberate flattery, every glance and every action of Xie Wanru seemed so real and powerful.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel annoyed, wondering how he could have been so blinded by greed, neglecting such an extraordinary woman and instead insisting on pursuing another woman at the time.

It's all the Emperor's fault. He was unwilling to marry Xie Wanru to him. He tried to persuade him a few times but gave up. The Emperor was worried that his power was too strong and would threaten his elder brother's position.

For his elder brother, his father was willing to give up anyone, but he had nothing.

"Your Highness, are you troubled by the matter of suppressing the bandits? It's late, why don't I help you to rest early?" Lou Yao asked cautiously, noticing that Xiao Yan's expression was off.

The Third Prince has taken on the task of suppressing the bandits, but he has not yet set off, and it is unknown at what point the problem has occurred.

Xiao Yan suddenly looked up, a cold glint in his eyes: "When did it become your place, a woman, to ask about my affairs?"

He was already annoyed, and Lou Yao was bothering him with this kind of thing.

Lou Yao trembled with fright and immediately knelt down: "I know I was wrong. I was only concerned about Your Highness."

"Concerned? Hmph, if you really cared, you should think about how to share my burdens instead of worrying about things here." Xiao Yan snorted coldly and turned to leave.