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

Madam Shen knelt beside her, tears streaming down her face. She spoke in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Nian'an was confused for a moment. Please forgive him this time. I am willing to spend the rest of my life praying for the Shen family to make amends for Nian'an's mistake."

"Minister Shen, Madam Shen, if this matter is not punished, where is my authority? Where is the reputation of the Xie family? From this day forward, you shall be confined to your residence for three years to reflect on your mistakes, and shall not step out of the Shen family compound for ten years. You shall not serve as an official in the court. As for you, Marquis of Yong'an, you have failed to properly educate your son. Therefore, I hereby order you to be suspended from your post and stay at home to properly educate your son. Once he has been properly educated, I will rescind this order and reinstate you to your post."

This instruction sent a chill down Shen Zhan's spine.

He was not an important official to begin with, and this suspension without a return date is basically telling him not to go to court again.

The emperor thought for a moment.

"As for Wanru, I will have someone bring her to the Princess's residence. From now on, your Shen family will not be able to bully her. If you cause her any more trouble, I will let you know what it feels like to have your title revoked."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhan and his wife, though unwilling, knew it was the best outcome for them and quickly kowtowed to express their gratitude to the Emperor.

If the title of nobility is revoked, the Shen family will be finished.

"Your humble servant (or concubine) thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness. I will certainly discipline Nian'an strictly and live up to the high expectations of Your Majesty and Empress."

The Emperor waved his hand, signaling them to leave. Shen Zhan and Madam Shen rose and staggered out of the hall.

The Empress watched their retreating figures, feeling sorry for Wanwan. Since they couldn't get a divorce now, she would have to face this family forever.

She turned to look at the Emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty, Wanwan is such a pitiful child. I hope you can consider her situation more and not let her life be ruined by this wrong marriage."

The Emperor gently patted the Empress's hand, his tone firm: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best to ensure everything is handled properly. Wanru is not only my adopted daughter, but also a child I have watched grow up. I will not allow her to suffer any injustice."

Upon hearing this, the Empress felt somewhat relieved, but she also understood that the royal family's intervention was already a good outcome; a divorce would not be so simple.

border.

Wen Ling was an impatient person. When she heard that Xie's only daughter, who was also her sister-in-law, wanted a divorce, she slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"How dare that brat from the Shen family! He must be bullying Wanwan because she's all alone in Xuancheng and has no one to back her up. They've only been married for two years, and he's already given her an adopted son! What kind of person is he!"

She stood with her hands on her hips and started yelling, but Xie Yanzheng just smiled. That was just his wife's personality.

At this time, they were unaware of what had just happened in Xuancheng. They only knew that Xie Wanru wanted a divorce, and the reason was probably something like marital discord. They didn't really think about the possibility of a mistress.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll rush back tomorrow to support Wanwan."

Only Xie Yanting felt that his sister-in-law was truly a heroine, not at all coy, and that their Xie family would have a woman in charge of the household from now on.

Their mother passed away early, and they grew up with their father, so the experience was different.

"If you're in such a hurry to get back to Xuancheng, why did you go through all this trouble to come here?"

Xie Yanzheng asked.

His third brother came to visit him when he got married a few days ago.

"It's all because of Wanwan. You know about Second Brother, right? She told him to bring a military doctor with him, and as a result, he got injured and almost became crippled. This time, she mentioned you in her letter again, and Father was worried, so he asked me to see you."

Xie Yanting had fair skin and was the most handsome of the three brothers. They lived in the northern border, and many people had pockmarked faces, but his skin was even better than a woman's.

"Wanwan?" Xie Yanzheng murmured, pondering for a moment.

Aside from the occasional Northern Barbarian scout who could pose a danger, there was nothing else particularly dangerous in his ancient city of Huang. "Could they be refugees from the snow disaster? I saw quite a few people seeking refuge in the city yesterday. Some who couldn't find their relatives were sleeping on the streets. Could a large number of Northern Barbarians have mixed in among them?"

Wen Ling's expression immediately turned serious: "If that's the case, we can't be careless. The Northern Barbarians are cunning and ruthless. If they take the opportunity to cause trouble, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Before marrying Xie Yanzheng, she was just a woman who traveled the world and never imagined that she would one day marry such an outstanding man as Xie Yanzheng.

But the Xie family didn't seem to care about social status. She, a wandering swordswoman, became the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xie family so easily.

However, she was not entirely useless. Her years of wandering the world had honed her skills in being unconventional and quick-witted.

Xie Yanzheng nodded, his expression serious: "I must immediately strengthen patrols and checks in the city, and we must not let the Northern Barbarians have any opportunity. Yanting, you must also be careful on your way back this time."

"Don't worry, brother, I will," Xie Yanting replied. "I won't stay here for too long either. Father is worried about Wanwan. He doesn't know if she's being bullied while she's alone in Xuancheng."

Wen Ling stamped her feet anxiously, "What are you all standing there for? Get moving! Wanwan is still waiting for you in Xuancheng!"

"Don't worry, Madam," Xie Yanzheng reassured her. "I'll make the arrangements right now. Yanting, you should also get ready. Your sister-in-law and I are here in Guhuang City, so don't worry."

"Okay!" Xie Yanting replied, then turned to pack his things. He had only stayed for a day, and only felt relieved after looking around and finding nothing unusual.

However, he didn't understand Guhuang City as well as his elder brother and sister-in-law. What he couldn't see, his elder brother had already noticed long ago.