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

Shen Cong'an implied that if Shen Yanzhi was not handed over, he would pursue Shen Nian'an for the crime of poisoning. Therefore, Shen Nian'an chose to abandon Shen Yanzhi to save himself.

Moreover, Shen Yanzhi will only be punished. If Shen Cong'an were to pursue his crimes, he might even be expelled from the Shen family. He knows how much the elders of the Shen family value Shen Cong'an.

Shen Nian'an originally thought that the servant had been dealt with, but unexpectedly, Shen Cong'an found him. Shen Nian'an was puzzled.

With Shen Yanzhi punished, Shen Nian'an had no way to save him, which strengthened his resolve to win over Xie Wanru.

He went to see Old Madam Shen and came out shortly afterward.

Xie Wanru went back to her room to bathe and change. She had finally managed to go out this time and had just finished watching a play, so she was in a good mood.

"Miss, this was brought by the old lady's maid. She said it's to help you sleep and relieve fatigue, since you've been working hard accompanying the Empress in the palace lately."

Dongzhu brought over a bowl of medicinal food. The ingredients were very ordinary and nothing special.

But Xie Wanru wasn't hungry at the moment.

"Put it here."

Xie Wanru didn't think much of it, but felt that she had to put on a show to save face.

She was counting down the days until Shen Nian'an brought Fu Rou into the manor. In this life, she was determined to get rid of Shen Nian'an completely, and then turn around and see what would become of these people.

Once the soup had cooled down, Xie Wanru had Dongzhu take it out and give it to the guard dog in the yard.

Xie Wanru yawned as she went to bed.

Shen Nian'an waited outside the courtyard until almost midnight. The mansion was so quiet that there wasn't a sound before she finally climbed into Xie Wanru's plum garden.

Normally, the guard dog would have spotted him, but today, for some reason, there was not a sound. Of course, Shen Nian'an thought it was because he hid well.

Her mother had said that the medicine would make people drowsy and unable to resist, so that Xie Wanru would be unable to resist whatever he did and would have no choice but to obey him.

Once Xie Wanru loses her innocence and is taken by him, becoming his wife in the true sense, he won't be afraid that Xie Wanru won't help him plan for the future.

Although the Xie family is not in Xuancheng, doesn't the Emperor's attitude at this palace banquet demonstrate the Xie family's status?

Thinking of Xie Wanru's smooth skin, Shen Nian'an felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He was also shocked when Xie Wanru returned today; she was even more beautiful than when she first married him.

Thinking about what might happen next, Shen Nian'an swallowed hard.

He quietly pushed open the door and, by the faint moonlight, slowly approached the bedside.

The room was filled with a faint scent of incense, which stirred his emotions.

Shen Nian'an thought she had everything under control, but little did she know that it was all Xie Wanru's doing.

Xie Wanru hadn't actually fallen asleep; she had woken up as soon as Shen Nian'an entered the room near her.

Upon reflection, Xie Wanru realized that there was something wrong with today's medicinal diet; otherwise, Shen Nian'an wouldn't have come at this exact moment.

Fortunately, she didn't drink it and had Dongzhu throw it away.

At this moment, she closed her eyes tightly, her breathing was steady, and she pretended to be asleep, but in reality she was secretly observing Shen Nian'an's every move.

Shen Nian'an moved closer and closer, reaching out to touch her cheek. Just then, Xie Wanru suddenly opened her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

"Shen Nian'an, how dare you!"

Xie Wanru's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Shen Nian'an was shocked, and his face turned pale instantly. He did not expect Xie Wanru to wake up, and he did not expect his plan to be exposed.

He took two steps back, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "Xie Wanru, how come you... how come you didn't..."

"Nothing? Did I just obediently let you scheme against me and wait for you to defile me?"

Xie Wanru sat up, her tone icy, her eyes filled with mockery and anger.

Although Shen Nian'an was utterly wicked in his past life, he never did such a thing to her. Perhaps it was because she had always made things go as he and Fu Rou wished in their past life that Shen Nian'an didn't put his filthy thoughts on her.

In this life, she changed many things, and so even Shen Nian'an changed.

Seeing this, Shen Nian'an knew she had no way out, so she steeled herself and said fiercely, "So what? You are already my wife, and you will have to submit to me sooner or later! What do you think you can do about it?"

Xie Wanru looked at him coldly, a sneer curling at the corner of her lips: "Shen Nian'an, I, Xie Wanru, have never been one to be manipulated. So what if I'm nominally your wife? Can you force me to do something I don't want to do? Can you beat me?"

"Xie Wanru, how can you be so arrogant? Why did you marry me? You've taken my place as your legal wife, yet you don't fulfill your duties as a wife—to be a good wife and raise children. Is this how your Xie family teaches its daughters?"

Shen Nian'an was no longer flustered. What had he done wrong? His lawfully wedded wife wouldn't let him touch her; he was the one who suffered a loss!

"Or is it that you still have feelings for the Third Prince, which is why you refuse to share a room with me? Xie Wanru, what right do you have to be so high and mighty in front of me? You are a married woman, yet you are thinking of another man. You are a harlot! You are unfaithful to your wife. I can report to the Emperor and have you divorced!"

A hint of disdain flashed across Xie Wanru's face. She shook her head with a light laugh, as if looking at a clown.

“Shen Nian’an, you are utterly ridiculous. My marriage to you was merely a temporary measure, and we both know that. If it weren’t for that, why would I have married you? As for the Third Prince, he is just like you, unworthy of being in my heart. Don’t try to use such a person to slander me.”

Shen Nian'an's face turned ashen upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Xie Wanru to admit it so bluntly. He clenched his fists, barely suppressing his anger.

"Xie Wanru, don't push your luck!"

Xie Wanru's face still wore a mocking smile.

"Shen Nian'an, do you really think your petty tricks can ruin me? Your mother is helping you, but that doesn't mean the entire Shen family is helping you. You sent someone to drug Shen Cong'an, trying to seize control of the entire Shen family. What do you think people outside will think of you if they find out?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian'an felt a surge of panic. He hadn't expected that Xie Wanru also knew about this.

"How did you know?"

He was genuinely afraid that Xie Wanru would actually go all out, and that he would not only lose Xie Wanru, but also everything he had.

How I know it is not important.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said, "Fine, fine, you win."

After saying that, Shen Nian'an turned to leave, but Xie Wanru stopped her: "Shen Nian'an, from now on we'll keep to ourselves. I won't care if you take concubines and have children, and it's none of your business what I do."

Xie Wanru felt it was time to give Shen Nian'an a push, otherwise Fu Rou's continued refusal to enter the manor would delay the implementation of her next plan.

Shen Nian'an was surprised by Xie Wanru's words and felt a little disappointed.