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

Dongzhu, accompanied by the Xie family's servants, carried Xie Wanru's dowry out of the storeroom. One carriage after another drove from the Shen residence to the Xie residence, attracting the attention of the people on the roadside.

In the minds of ordinary people, there is no concept of divorce. On the one hand, everyone believes that once a daughter is married, she is like water spilled from a cup. On the other hand, men have a high status, while women have very little status. If a marriage cannot be made, the only option is to divorce the wife, and the man will not agree to a divorce.

Only if the woman's family is extremely well-off is it possible for the man to agree to a divorce.

It's obvious that the Xie family is the woman's family with excellent conditions.

But at this moment, Madam Shen was extremely worried.

When Xie Wanru first married into the family, Shen Nianqing gave her a set of glass lamps. Xie Wanru knew about it at the time, but she had plenty of such things and they weren't special to her, so she never asked about them.

Shen Nianqing had them pawned at the time, and now their whereabouts are unknown. It would be fine if only one or two items were missing, but most of the items Shen Nianqing took were either pawned or damaged, making it impossible to return them to Xie Wanru.

"Mother, I only spent all my money on cosmetics so that I could become more beautiful and marry into a better family. It's only a few hundred taels at most. I can just pay her back."

Shen Nianqing argued. Clearly, she didn't see anything wrong with it.

"A few hundred taels?"

A male voice came from outside.

Shen Cong'an led Shen Mo into the main house. Shen Mo now had the air of a wealthy young master and was well taken care of by Shen Cong'an.

"Third Sister probably doesn't know much about imperial gifts. Even if Xie Wanru wants to give them away to someone else, it needs to be recorded so that it can be checked later."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhan's expression turned serious again. The divorce had already caused a great uproar and made them the laughingstock of the city, and now this had happened.

Shen Nianqing was so frightened that she dared not utter a sound. She respected her older brother Shen Cong'an very much and believed his words. She also knew that she had caused a great disaster this time.

“Father, why don’t I personally deliver the items that can be found? As for the ones that can’t be found or that are damaged, we can have someone appraise them and give them a high price as an apology. It’s not good for us to be at odds with the Xie family. Only by resolving this matter properly can this matter be put to rest.”

Shen Cong'an was very polite.

From an outsider's perspective, he and Xie Wanru had no conflict. After all, Xie Wanru fell into a coma when she married into the family, and when she woke up, she was in her current state.

Let him go; that's the best choice.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you."

Shen Zhan was hoping someone would step in to cover for him. Although he disliked Shen Cong'an for being too outstanding, which made him seem useless, he also disliked Shen Nian'an now that he had lost his official position because of his youngest son.

Thinking this way, the Shen family could only have a chance to rise in status if their eldest son grew up.

Although Madam Shen was relieved that someone had come to handle the matter, she also sensed the difference between her biological son and her stepson. Shen Nian'an was nowhere to be found at the moment and showed no concern whatsoever about how the matter would be resolved.

Did Shen Cong'an really want to help?

Actually, that's not the case. His step in handling this matter was actually a way of showing that from now on, many things concerning the Shen family would have to go through his hands, and Xie Wanru's dowry was just the beginning.

Shen Cong'an knew that this was an excellent opportunity for him to establish his authority and gain control of the Shen family. If he handled it properly, both the outside world and the elders of the Shen family would see hope in him, and Shen Nian'an's status would be even lower.

He instructed his men to quickly take stock of the dowry that could be recovered, and personally went to the pawnshop to redeem the items that Shen Nianqing had privately pawned.

Some of them had already changed hands again, so he made a note of them and had someone appraise them.

Meanwhile, inside the Xie residence, Dongzhu was meticulously organizing Xie Wanru's returning dowry, polishing each item until it shone like new, as if telling the story of Xie Wanru's former nobility and pride.

When Shen Cong'an arrived at the Xie residence with carefully prepared apology gifts, Xie Wanru was having a contest with Xie Yanting.

She used to be the one who sent her three brothers scattering and fleeing, but now she can't do that anymore. Her martial arts skills have slackened, while Xie Yanting is constantly improving.

"Wanwan, you're not doing so well these days, haha."

Xie Yanting smiled as he sheathed his sword, his eyes filled with doting affection, without a trace of genuine mockery.

Xie Wanru smiled brightly, slightly out of breath, and said, "Third Brother, please don't tease me. I've just not practiced for a long time and I'm a bit rusty! If you give me some more time, I'll definitely be able to compete with you again."

When Shen Cong'an stepped into the courtyard, he saw this harmonious scene of brother and sister. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of den of dragons and tigers the Shen family was, that it could trap such a bright and beautiful woman in such a wronged state.

He stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Second Young Master and Miss Xie. Shen Cong'an has come to apologize and return Miss Xie's dowry."

Xie Wanru turned around, her gaze cool and distant. She nodded slightly, signaling Shen Cong'an to continue.

She wasn't ready to tell anyone about her rebirth, nor did she want her third brother to know that she and Shen Cong'an were actually allies in private.

Shen Cong'an then explained in detail how to inventory and redeem the dowry, as well as the estimated value and compensation for items that could not be found, speaking earnestly and humbly.

"This incident is truly due to the Shen family's lax discipline, causing trouble for the Xie family. I wish to express the Shen family's sincerity with this action, and I also hope that the two families can take this opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding and continue their good relations." After Shen Cong'an finished speaking, he waited for the Xie family's response.

Xie Yanting stood to the side, his expression complex, showing both approval of Shen Cong'an's handling of the matter and indignation at his sister's ordeal.

He had to admit that Shen Cong'an's actions were commendable, but the rest of the Shen family were simply baffling.

Xie Wanru slowly stepped forward, examining the small items. In fact, these things were insignificant to her, but just because she didn't need them didn't mean she could let anyone take them.

"It is truly remarkable that Young Master Shen has handled this matter so swiftly and appropriately. The Xie family is not unreasonable either. Since things have come to this, let bygones be bygones. I only hope that the Shen family will be more disciplined in the future. It is inconvenient for me to have any further dealings with your family. Let us each go our own way from now on."

Xie Wanru's voice was calm yet firm, her words containing both tolerance and a warning to the Shen family.

Shen Cong'an bowed again and solemnly promised: "I understand. I will live up to your expectations and let the entire Shen family take this as a lesson."

Shen Cong'an bowed again.

Xie Yanting remained silent throughout, simply standing quietly beside Xie Wanru.

It was already dark when Shen Cong'an left, but many people knew about his actions, which to some extent salvaged the Shen family's reputation.