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

Whether for public or private reasons, the Xie family and the Third Prince Xiao Yan have reached a point of irreconcilable conflict, and even if they swallow their anger, it seems that the other party has no intention of letting them go.

Xie Yun hesitated for a moment before nodding.

If the Third Prince truly colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, he should be punished.

Xie Wanru's heart was actually very complicated. In her previous life, until she was judged to have treasonous against the enemy, her father, brothers and the Third Prince never confronted her directly.

In this life, she revealed the enemy's identity to everyone ahead of time. She didn't know if this step was right or wrong, nor did she know if they could actually win.

After the exchange, Xie Yun was about to return to Qingzhou. He had come here secretly so that no one would know he wasn't in Qingzhou.

"Wanwan has lost weight."

Before leaving, he said this, then mounted his tall horse and rode away.

Xie Wanru experienced the feeling of love expressed by a father who was not good with words. She suddenly felt that no matter how difficult the future might be, being with her family didn't seem so bad.

At this moment, the Shen family of the Yong'an Marquis's residence.

After being expelled from school, Shen Yanzhi spent his days playing and having fun. Sometimes he would sneak out of the mansion and not be seen for a whole day. When he returned, he would smell of alcohol.

He's not even ten years old yet.

"In other words, your father is feared and has difficulty entering officialdom, but you are still a child, and all of this has nothing to do with you. Your eldest uncle is now the Vice Minister of War, and he has no intention of getting married. You are the only child of the Shen family, and you cannot fall into depravity."

Fu Rou tried to persuade him patiently, but Shen Yanzhi didn't want to listen at all.

She thought that although Shen Cong'an had woken up, as long as Shen Cong'an did not have a biological son, then her Yan Zhi would still be the only heir.

Even if the Shen family doesn't approve of her, as long as her son is outstanding enough, one day she will become the mistress of the Shen family.

"Heh, the only child? Don't you know how much your uncle likes Shen Mo? And you, it's all your fault! It's all your fault for wanting a title! That's why Xie Wanru left! If she were still my mother, how could I have been expelled from school?"

Shen Yanzhi pushed Fu Rou away.

"I should have just failed the selection and been adopted by my uncle!"

When he was expelled from school, neither his father, Shen Cong'an, nor his daughter, Fu Rou, ever asked him why. They only cared about whether he could inherit the Marquis's mansion in the future.

But how could he possibly compete with his uncle, who was already a close advisor to the Crown Prince and held the official position of Vice Minister of War, all by himself?

Do the adults think he's young and stupid?

"Yanzhi, how could you say that? I am of lowly status and unworthy to be your mother, but your father has never wronged you!"

Fu Rou didn't feel sorry for herself; instead, she looked pitiful and felt sorry for Shen Nian'an.

“If it weren’t for your father’s pity for us, we would still be starving and freezing outside. Although you are not as good as the eldest son, your father has still managed to secure the best life for you. In short, you shouldn’t be like this…”

Just as Shen Yanzhi was about to continue his rebuttal, he noticed that Shen Nian'an was looking at him angrily.

When and where did my father go?

"Shen Yanzhi! You actually don't want to be my son, Shen Nian'an? Well then, I'll grant your wish today! Get out of the Shen residence!"

He was furious.

Over the years, he secretly entered the Shen family mansion and, in order to have a better future and to comply with his family's arrangements, married Xie Wanru.

He even divorced Xie Wanru for the sake of her and her son, becoming the biggest joke in Xuancheng. He ended up losing both his money and his wife, and now this kid actually says he doesn't want to be his son.

Shen Yanzhi had said something similar before, but it was just that he wanted to acknowledge Xie Wanru as his mother. It wasn't that serious. Not acknowledging one's father is something a father would not allow.

He was truly enraged this time.

Seeing the look on his face as if he wanted to devour him, Shen Yanzhi chickened out.

“Nianlang, Yanzhi didn’t mean it that way. He was so well-behaved and obedient when he was with us. But before I entered the manor, he was raised by Xie Wanru. He must have been influenced by her.”

Fu Rou leaned closer to Shen Nian'an, revealing a submissive posture. Her tone was gentle, but what she was really trying to say was that Shen Yanzhi was just a child who didn't understand anything, and that everything he said was taught to him by Xie Wanru.

"Now, these two children are my only hope, Nianlang. I only have these two children left."

Fu Rou felt like she was about to cry.

"Father, I... I didn't mean to just now."

Shen Yanzhi also showed a timid expression, which calmed Shen Nian'an down a bit.

"I'm going to school."

Shen Yanzhi quickly fled and headed towards the study.

The study in Meiyuan is different from before. When Xie Wanru left, she took all the books with her. Now, everything in the study has been replaced by Shen Nian'an.

Compared to Xie Wanru's works, these books are utterly ordinary.

Shen Nian'an was furious and sat down on a bench in the courtyard. He didn't think that Shen Yanzhi had become like this because of Xie Wanru, because Xie Wanru probably wouldn't even stoop to that level.

“Nianlang, I don’t know what Xie Wanru said to Yanzhi that day, but after we came back, Yanzhi has become distant from me and even ignores Yu’er.”

Fu Rou poured out her grievances. Usually, in situations like this, Shen Nian'an would comfort her and join her in speaking ill of Xie Wanru.

Would Xie Wanru really care about his son? Shen Nian'an didn't believe it. She clearly didn't care about him at all, not even the entire Shen family. After leaving the Marquis's mansion, she was the Princess Yongchang, whom everyone had to respect. She was favored by the Empress and even had some face in front of the Emperor.

How could someone like that possibly sow discord between them? She wouldn't deign to do so.

Shen Nian'an didn't know when it started, but she felt that Xie Wanru was arrogant and aloof, and was not an ordinary woman at all.

"Nianlang?"

Seeing that he was lost in thought, Fu Rou called out to him.

"Second Master, the Old Madam wants to see you. She has something to discuss with you."

Aunt Liu walked gracefully from the courtyard gate. Her pregnancy was becoming increasingly obvious, and Shen Nian'an finally showed a little kindness when she saw her.

"I see."

Shen Nian'an got up and walked towards Aunt Liu, "Your pregnancy is progressing, take care of yourself."

After offering a brief greeting, Shen Nian'an left the courtyard. He now manages the Shen family's shops and land with Old Madam Shen, so Old Madam Shen often calls him over to ask questions and discuss matters.

After Shen Nian'an left, Aunt Liu prepared to go back to her room. Although she didn't like Xie Wanru, the self-important legal wife, she also disliked Fu Rou, the mistress who was like a leech.

In her view, a wife should be a good wife and mother, but Xie Wanru did not. She disliked Fu Rou because she would rather be a concubine than a shameless mistress.