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

Aunt Liu smiled slightly, a smile tinged with bitterness and relief: "I believe that Second Master will definitely protect my child and me. But life is unpredictable. I only wish that the child in my womb can be born safely and grow up healthy."

After she finished speaking, both of them fell silent. The only sounds in the room were the occasional sound of the wind coming from outside the window and Aunt Liu's soft rumbling stomach. Even the air seemed to have become heavy.

Shen Nian'an felt guilty and didn't know what else to say. In the end, she couldn't stay any longer, so she made an excuse and left in a hurry, leaving Aunt Liu alone in the empty room, a resolute look flashing in her eyes.

She knew that in this Shen family mansion, only by relying on herself could she protect this hard-won child. Shen Nian'an came every day, but it was just for show; he never had any sincerity.

In the dead of night, Aunt Liu quietly summoned her personal maid and whispered a few instructions, her eyes gleaming with unprecedented determination and wisdom.

She knew that for her own and her child's future, she had to start planning and fight for a chance to survive. Every few days, she would have someone report to Shen Cong'an, so Shen Cong'an knew everything that was happening in Meiyuan without her having to think twice.

There were no young women in the Shen family who could manage the business and the shops. Shen Nian'an had also been disliked by the emperor and was unlikely to be able to take up an official post in recent years. So, the old lady of the Shen family put Shen Nian'an in charge of these trivial matters, trying to let Shen Nian'an take control of the Shen family's lifeline.

Even if Shen Cong'an inherits the title of Marquis of Yong'an in the future, he will have to think twice.

Parents who love their children plan far ahead.

Madam Shen didn't think she had done anything wrong. She had raised Shen Cong'an and hadn't made him give up his title to Shen Nian'an. She was already a very kind stepmother.

"Madam, the young master hasn't eaten."

The servant brought out the food tray untouched.

Shen Yanzhi was causing trouble in his courtyard all day long. She was about to lose all patience with this grandson. She was just going to attend a banquet to celebrate her birthday, and Shen Yanzhi took the opportunity to sneak out.

No one knows where he got the money, but he went to the gambling den again. He became addicted to gambling at such a young age and had no interest in his studies. This time, the old marquis was furious, and she couldn't save Shen Yanzhi.

Originally, I thought this grandson would achieve something. After all, Shen Cong'an is so smart and close to the Crown Prince. My nephew Shen Yanzhi will definitely benefit from him. With Xie Wanru's background, Shen Yanzhi will surely have a bright future.

Now Shen Cong'an has fallen out with them, Xie Wanru has divorced Nian'an, and the child is disobedient; nothing is going right for them.

“Call his vixen mother here. If he’s just a spoiled brat, let her take him back to Plum Garden. If he keeps causing trouble like this in my courtyard, it’ll turn the world upside down.”

Madam Shen snorted coldly.

"I don't know how Nian'an has raised this child all these years. He's becoming more and more unruly."

Madam Shen was still angry and gave everyone a hard time. She believed that Shen Cong'an's talent, which was appreciated by the Crown Prince and the Emperor, was inseparable from her upbringing. After all, even if Shen Cong'an was not close to her, she, as his stepmother, was still his mother.

In his previous life, Shen Yanzhi was able to achieve something because of Xie Wanru's painstaking guidance and the strong support of the Xie family. In this life, he has none of these things. Shen Yanzhi has revealed his true nature and is just a piece of rotten wood that cannot be carved.

However, Shen Nian'an has no energy left to discipline her child.

The Yong'an Marquis's mansion is now just a shell. When Xie Wanru was around, they could still use some of her dowry to make up for it, but now the entire Shen mansion is only spending and not earning.

"Mother."

Shen Nian'an spent the whole day looking at the ledgers, but he was at his wit's end. He had never had a smooth job since he took it on.

He then went to see Old Madam Shen. The only solution he could come up with was to reduce expenses and dismiss some of the servants in the mansion. If the Shen family's property were to be sold off, there wouldn't be much left.

When Madam Shen looked up, she saw Shen Nian'an below with a worried expression.

After all, he was her own son, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. "Nian'an, what trouble have you encountered this time?"

When did things start to become so unsettling in this family?

Is it Shen Yanzhi's family recognition ceremony? Or Shen Cong'an waking up from his coma? Or does it begin with Xie Wanru's marriage into the Shen family?

She couldn't remember when it started.

Shen Nian'an sighed and handed the account book to Old Madam Shen: "Mother, take a look for yourself. The expenses in this household are getting bigger and bigger, while the income is getting smaller and smaller. If this continues, I'm afraid the Shen family will not be able to support itself."

He used to think that with his elder brother gone, the Shen family mansion would be his. But now that he's taken it over, he realizes that while inheriting the mansion is easy, maintaining it is not.

Madam Shen took the account book and carefully examined it, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper. "How can the expenses be so high? Have all the unnecessary expenses I told you about been cut?"

She knew beforehand that something was wrong with the accounts in the manor, but she didn't expect it to be this serious.

“They’ve all been cut, Mother. But there are still some fixed expenses that can’t be reduced, such as the maintenance of the mansion, the monthly allowances for each household, and the wages of the servants in the shops,” Shen Nian’an said helplessly.

"Most importantly, almost all of the large shops are losing money. We can say that we have almost no income. Only a few inconspicuous shops bring in a small amount of money, but that is not enough to cover our expenses."

The big shops all knew they belonged to the Shen family and avoided them. Suppliers all shook their heads, begging them to give them a little bit of goods, which were not special and sold very poorly.

The small, inconspicuous shop was spared because nobody knew about it.

The wrinkles on Madam Shen's face were getting deeper and deeper. She had taken good care of herself before and did not look old, but in less than half a year, her face really showed signs of aging.

Hearing these words, her face grew increasingly pale. She frowned and said, "If all else fails, just rent out those unprofitable shops. At least we can get some rent, which is better than operating at a loss."

A hint of hesitation flashed in Shen Nian'an's eyes. The money from renting it out probably wouldn't be enough to support such a large mansion.

“But Mother, those shops are the foundation of our Shen family’s business. If we rent them out, it will be difficult to take them back in the future.”

“That’s still better than just sitting around and wasting our resources like this.” Old Madam Shen said firmly. “Sell off all the unnecessary servants in the mansion, and keep only the reliable and efficient ones.”

High-ranking families would never sell their servants unless they were forced into it or had fallen on hard times; doing so would make them a laughingstock.

Madam Shen was well aware of this, but given the current situation of the Shen family, this was indeed the only option.

Shen Nian'an gritted his teeth, feeling very unwilling, but there was nothing he could do. He finally nodded and said, "Mother is right. I will make the arrangements now."