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

Are they really related by blood?

Xie Wanru let out a heavy sigh. Blood relation? She looked closely at Shen Cong'an.

"Why...are you looking at me like that?"

Shen Cong'an's heart pounded wildly under her gaze; the thumping was almost bursting out of his ears.

"Why don't you and Shen Yanzhi look alike at all?"

Xie Wanru blurted out this sentence.

Shen Cong'an looked away embarrassedly, glancing elsewhere. "Maybe it's because we weren't born to the same mother, and I look like my mother."

From a young age, people around him said that he inherited his mother's appearance, which is why the Marquis always thought of his deceased wife and was not so close to him.

Moreover, Shen Nian'an looks very similar to Shen Zhan; the two brothers share some similarities in their features.

"But you and Shen Nian'an are quite similar."

After Xie Wanru finished speaking, another thought popped into her mind, "Is it possible... that the person in white is from this era, but that he is related to Shen Yanzhi by blood?"

"Impossible. Although my father was not a good person, he was not the type to start a relationship and then abandon it. He was not very interested in women in his life, otherwise the Yong'an Marquis's mansion would not have only two sons."

Shen Cong'an immediately denied it.

"I'm not talking about Marquis Yong'an, I'm talking about Fu Rou. Does Fu Rou have any connection with this man in white?"

Xie Wanru immediately explained that she had no interest in whether Shen Zhan was a deeply affectionate person or not.

"You mean, Shen Yanzhi... was born to Fu Rou and someone else?"

Shen Cong'an's mind was in complete chaos.

What a bizarre and unpredictable turn of events! It's even more unbelievable than the white-clad figure being from the future.

"No matter which possibility it is, it is related to Shen Yanzhi. Have someone keep an eye on him. Right now, Xiao Zhuang's situation is more important."

Xie Wanru pulled herself out of her thoughts. This matter needed to be confirmed. Perhaps there would be some progress on Bei Shisan's side. But right now, the more important thing was Xiao Zhuang's condition.

"Ah."

Shen Cong'an nodded, trying to calm himself down.

After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Doctor Huo finally came out with his things.

When he came out, he saw Xie Wanru covered in blood. He carefully examined her to make sure she was not injured before he started talking about Xiao Zhuang's condition.

"This child ingested the juice of the large silver leaf. The antidote pill can only save his life, but it cannot free him from this stuff. In other words, with just this one sip, his body has become dependent on it. It will probably be difficult to get rid of it. I have heard that almost no one from the Simons who takes this stuff can quit."

Doctor Huo recounted the story in detail.

Xie Wanru and Shen Cong'an were both emotionally affected, and they both deeply abhorred Princess Simon's act of feeding Xiao Zhuang that kind of thing.

Dongzhu and her third senior brother were also seriously injured and would need to rest for several days.

“Princess Simone did more than that. She originally wanted to cut off Xiao Zhuang’s arm to threaten you. This woman is cruel and is definitely not a kind person.”

Looking back on her day, Xie Wanru was incredibly grateful that she had gone to see her third senior brother.

"But in the future, could you... perhaps be a little more careful about your safety? You almost got injured today."

Shen Cong'an didn't know how to organize his thoughts, so he just blurted it out.

"Shen Cong'an, you don't know martial arts. Would you choose to ignore this situation? You wouldn't. Then why do you think I do? I don't either. Even if it happened again, I would immediately rescue Xiao Zhuang. I never realized you were such a hesitant person."

After saying that, Xie Wanru went to see Dongzhu and the others.

He gets angry whenever Shen Cong'an says these things.

Doctor Huo watched the show silently, counting three times in sympathy for Shen Cong'an. What kind of person was Xie Wanru? Once she got going, not even nine oxen could pull her back; she wouldn't listen to anyone.

Shen Cong'an sighed. He didn't want Xie Wanru to bother him, but... he was worried about her, yet he didn't know how to get her to listen to his advice.

This encounter was dangerous, but Xie Wanru and the others managed to gain the upper hand.

The Lou Mansion at this moment.

The man in white only dared to sneak into the Lou family home after it was completely dark, as he was covered in injuries that needed treatment.

"How did you get hurt like this?"

Grand Tutor Lou, despite his advanced age, was quite frightened and immediately sent someone to bandage him.

"Help! Help!"

“I’m fine, I won’t die. But… that woman saw my face, and the people from the city guard seem to know her very well.”

The man in white was breathing heavily, his breathing unsteady.

"You mean the City Guard? The current City Guard is controlled by the Xie family."

Grand Tutor Lou offered a cup of hot water.

The man took the drink and downed it in one gulp. "Hmm, so I suspect that the person who attacked me today was Xie Wanru. Besides her, which other woman is most familiar with the Xie family? Heh."

"Cough cough..."

He coughed a few times, spat out a mouthful of blood, and nearly fainted.

Grand Tutor Lou trembled and ordered immediate medical attention.

He had several knife wounds and internal injuries. Seeing him like this, Grand Tutor Lou didn't dare tell him that the batch of goods he was supposed to compensate for had been lost.

They can only try other ways to appease the Northern Barbarians now, otherwise it will be difficult to get them to cooperate in the future.

Lacking funds, the fastest way for them to make money was to cooperate with Simon and take a cut.

The doctor arrived and applied medicine and bandaged the woman in white with trembling hands. He sat up straight and said, "Immediately inform Princess Simon that the person today is Xie Wanru. Now that the hostage has been rescued, Shen Cong'an will definitely deal with them. They can only go to the palace to find a scapegoat to explain the Crown Prince's poisoning. Otherwise, if Shen Cong'an investigates thoroughly, the side effects of the silver leaves will definitely be exposed."

After saying that, he took a deep breath, enduring the pain from his wound, and tried not to make a sound.

"Yes, I will do it right away."

Grand Tutor Lou withdrew, while Lou Li waited outside the door, not daring to enter.

"Father... have you told me about the Northern Barbarians?"

Lou Li asked cautiously.

He was the one who handled this matter, and now that the items are lost, he is undoubtedly responsible.

"No, have someone inform Princess Simone..."

Grand Tutor Lou relayed the words spoken by the man in white to Lou Li verbatim, “Li’er, if the master blames you, I will do my best to protect you. The only way you can save yourself now is to find out who did it, otherwise… don’t blame me for being heartless.”

Lou Li's face instantly turned ashen. He knew in his heart what it meant if those things couldn't be found.

The Northern Barbarians are not only the Lou family's backer, but also an existence they cannot defy now.

"Yes, Father, I will do my utmost to find the thief and recover the losses."

Lou Li took a deep breath and secretly vowed to make the culprit pay the price.

Grand Tutor Lou looked at him and sighed.

Lou Li was his most valued son, but recently he had made a series of mistakes, which disappointed him.