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

Xie Wanru led Shen Mo along the way, stopping occasionally to look at the flowers and talk about the grass, taking her time in a leisurely manner.

The old woman following behind kept urging him on.

"Second Madam, the Old Madam and Second Master are waiting for you!"

The old woman was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She had seen the second master's hand when she arrived, and it was terribly swollen.

"Mo'er, look at that leaf at the top of the tree, doesn't it look like a butterfly in flight?"

Xie Wanru ignored her completely and pointed to a withered yellow leaf that hadn't fallen yet, showing it to Shen Mo.

"Yes, it looks just like it, and it's so beautiful."

Shen Mo nodded.

So when the two arrived, Shen Nian'an was throwing a tantrum.

"I want to divorce Xie Wanru, that shrew! Mother, if you and Father hadn't forced me to marry this shrew, I wouldn't be in this state now!"

Shen Nian'an was in so much pain that his face was covered in sweat. He was yelling at his wife to divorce her when Xie Wanru led Shen Mo, who had already changed into a robe, in.

“That’s perfect. I’ll write to my father right away and ask him to send an elder of the Xie family to witness this. Oh, and also, our marriage is an imperial decree. Since that’s the case, you should go and inform His Majesty.”

Xie Wanru walked with a swagger, swaggering past Shen Nian'an without even glancing at him.

She walked up to Madam Shen and gave a forced bow, knowing that it was wrong to disrespect elders and she couldn't be impolite in front of Mo'er.

Mo'er followed suit and bowed, somewhat afraid of Shen Nian'an's anger, and huddled closer to Xie Wanru.

Madam Shen originally wanted to settle scores with Xie Wanru, but seeing that Xie Wanru wasn't afraid even when Shen Nian'an wanted to divorce her, she immediately lost her confidence and her reprimand turned into a discussion.

In fact, they all knew that if Shen Nian'an dared to divorce Xie Wanru, it would be a slap in the face to the Emperor, and he would have no desire to live.

"Wanru, Nian'an is delirious from his illness, don't take it to heart." Old Madam Shen's face even showed a motherly smile. "Nian'an accidentally injured his hand. You have some connections with Doctor Huo, so you'll need to trouble someone to invite him to treat Nian'an."

The renowned physician Huo of Xuancheng is a doctor whom even the imperial physicians in the palace respect. If one were not on good terms with him, it would be impossible to invite him to come.

"Mother! I wasn't injured from a fall, I was injured by this vicious woman!"

Enraged, Shen Nian'an got up from the rattan chair and tried to grab Xie Wanru again. Old Madam Shen gave the butler a look, signaling him to pull her away.

Xie Wanru calmly sat down and let Shen Mo stand beside her.

“Wanru, Nian’an is really delirious from his illness. We should quickly ask Doctor Huo to come and treat him, lest he continue to talk nonsense.”

Madam Shen smiled broadly, showing no sign of reproach.

Shen Nianqing wanted to speak up for her second brother, but Old Madam Shen grabbed her arm and stopped her from speaking with a single look.

She was also beaten yesterday, and she hasn't gotten away with it yet.

Although the concubine Liu Qinglan also wanted to say something, she was not stupid and knew that the old lady did not want to offend Xie Wanru at the moment, so she remained silent in the corner.

“I think Second Master should go there in person to avoid wasting time by inviting people back and forth. Doctor Huo knows that I am currently with the Shen family, so he will not make things difficult for me and will treat me personally.”

Xie Wanru did not refuse, after all, she could not really let Shen Nian'an become crippled, it would not sound good if word got out.

The smile on Madam Shen's face could no longer be maintained. She had already given Xie Wanru a way out, saying that Shen Nian'an had fallen on her own, but Xie Wanru refused to take the opportunity and was unwilling to even go and ask for help.

"Xie Wanru, don't be so outrageous! You beat your husband and have no children. You have already violated the seven grounds for divorce. Do you think my second brother really wouldn't dare to divorce you?"

Shen Nianqing broke free from Madam Shen's hand.

Shen Mo subconsciously took a small step forward, using his small body to block Xie Wanru and Shen Nianqing.

Xie Wanru didn't want to pay any attention to Shen Nianqing at all, and just picked up her teacup to drink tea.

"Where did this little brat come from!"

Shen Nianqing raised her hand and slapped Shen Mo. Xie Wanru did not expect Shen Nianqing to hit a child. The teacup was not brought to her lips and stopped in mid-air.

Those present probably didn't expect Shen Nianqing to vent her anger on a child, and they all looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.

Shen Mo was knocked to the ground, but he got up and stood back in his original spot, continuing to protect Xie Wanru in his own way.

Xie Wanru's lips curled up into a chilling smile as she gently set down her teacup.

"It's better to cripple Shen Nian'an, so he won't go crazy like you."

Xie Wanru stood up and slapped Shen Nianqing hard. Shen Nianqing tried to dodge, but Xie Wanru grabbed her collar and slapped her back, sending her crashing into Shen Nian'an's arms. Both siblings fell to the ground, and Shen Nian'an fainted from the pain.

The North Courtyard was now completely bustling with activity, but Xie Wanru picked up Shen Mo and left immediately.

Anyone who tried to stop her was kicked, and she kicked over several servants along the way.

She lived a cowardly life, which was her fault for being stupid. She gave up such a good life and endured humiliation her whole life. Now she's not going to put up with these people anymore.

Madam Shen's vision went black and she fainted.

This is outrageous!

On her way back to Plum Garden, Xie Wanru ran into Shen Yanzhi, who was being taken out for a stroll by servants. He looked at Xie Wanru haughtily and was still complaining that she hadn't chosen him yesterday.

Xie Wanru ignored him and continued walking while carrying Shen Mo gently.

"What is she doing hugging that idiot? I am Father's son, that idiot is a moron! Does she think she's struck gold? Ha, they're both idiots!"

Shen Yanzhi's childish voice rang out, but the words he uttered were extremely annoying.

"Young Master, you can't say that."

The servant quickly looked around, afraid that Shen Yanzhi's words might be overheard.

"Humph."

Shen Yanzhi was no longer in the mood for a stroll and angrily went to find his mother.

The servant could only coax him to keep his voice down.

Xie Wanru returned to the plum garden and asked someone to prepare boiled eggs. Shen Mo's small face was covered by a huge red handprint.

"You silly goose, don't you know how to dodge? Are you really that stupid? Just stand there and let her hit you."

Xie Wanru applied a cold compress to Shen Mo with a damp cloth.

"She hit Mo'er to vent her anger, so she won't hit Madam anymore."

Shen Mo's eyes were innocent.

"Sigh, what an idiot. No one in this manor can beat me. Next time, I should avoid this situation if possible."

Xie Wanru was so moved by Shen Mo's appearance that she almost cried.

“That’s different. Mo’er will still protect Madam.”

Shen Mo shook his head slightly, then nodded heavily.

"Puch."

Dongzhu was amused by him. She had originally wanted to persuade the madam, but now she didn't want to. The madam had always been very good to the Shen family, and the Shen family had never shown any gratitude. It was good that things were as they were now.

At least I feel at ease.

The plum garden was peaceful, but the north courtyard was in chaos. Shen Nianqing's face was swollen, looking like a pig's head.