Chapter 173 Move Out of the Duke of Zhenguo's Estate Sooner

“Aunt...”
“Don’t call me aunt,” Madam Shen’s gaze swept over her coldly, devoid of any warmth. “If you truly regarded me as your aunt, you wouldn’t have done such a thing, nor would you have made the Zhen Guo Duke’s residence the laughingstock of the entire capital. Had I known of your true nature in private, there’s no way I would have allowed you into the Zhen Guo Duke’s household.”

Wu Miaofu’s face burned fiercely, but she had no time to care. Stunned, she stared at Madam Shen, her last shred of defense utterly collapsing.

In their gazes, both Shen Sinen and Shen Jinyu wore chillingly cold expressions; even Madam Shen remained so. A sharp bitterness welled up from her heart. She slightly parted her lips: “Aunt... I...”

Her eyes shifted subtly, landing on Wu Shaozhong, who frowned and silently moved his lips.

“Cry.”

Wu Miaofu paused, lowering her eyes as tears immediately began to fall.

She sobbed softly, “Aunt, I only wanted to find a place to belong. I came from a small town and the first time I saw the Second Prince, such a dignified and imposing man, I was momentarily bewitched... I had no other intentions. I only wished to find a place where I could stay in the future.”

“Then why did you refuse all those people I introduced to you before? They all came from wealthy families and could surely secure your future, yet you were unwilling.”

Madam Shen sneered coldly, “You had already set your sights on the Second Prince; that’s why you refused. My niece’s ambitions are truly considerable.”

Shen Jinyu scoffed coldly, “Mother has been running around on your behalf, only to achieve nothing. All that effort was wasted. Our cousin deceived everyone.”

“I... I didn’t,” Wu Miaofu’s voice grew weaker, her eyes brimming with tears, appearing pitiful.

Had this been any other time, Madam Shen might have softened, but this time her expression remained icy, chilling Wu Miaofu to the core.

“If you can’t think of an excuse, don’t bother,” Shen Jinyu sneered, “The more you speak, the more ridiculous you sound. Move out of the Zhen Guo Duke’s residence soon. I don’t want to see you at all.”

“...”

Wu Shaozhong couldn’t help but speak, “Miaofu was just momentarily bewitched; she meant no harm. She never intended for this to happen. If Yuan Yuan hadn’t discovered them at the tavern, no one in the capital would have known.”

Shen Sinen’s expression darkened, “Uncle, are you saying... that it’s all Yuan Yuan’s fault for uncovering this at the tavern?”

“I didn’t mean that, Sinen, don’t overthink it.”

---

“I’m not overthinking. Isn’t that exactly what you implied?” Shen Sinen sneered. “If Yuan Yuan hadn’t caught them, how long would Uncle’s precious daughter have hidden this from us? Instead of disciplining your own daughter first, you choose to blame Yuan Yuan. Your words are truly something.”

Wu Shaozhong’s face flushed red and then pale. He wanted to scold Shen Sinen for disrespect but caught a glance from Shen Yi and swallowed his words.

Madam Shen’s brows slowly revealed a trace of exhaustion.

She had always believed her niece to be introverted and gentle, but to find she was this kind of person left her incredulous and weary.

Reflecting on the past year where she had treated Wu Miaofu so well, her heart felt suffocated.

She showed such kindness, yet Wu Miaofu had turned the Zhen Guo Duke’s household into the capital’s disgrace.

Madam Shen said, “Since you’ve done such a thing, I cannot pretend nothing happened. I will do one last thing for you—send you to the palace to stay by the Second Prince’s side. Whatever title he grants you thereafter is none of my concern.”

For Wu Miaofu, this was already a blessing.

Tears in her eyes, she said, “Thank you, Aunt. I shall never forget your kindness.”

“No need,” Madam Shen and Shen Yi stood up together, their eyes cold. “From now on, we have no relation.”

“Move out of the Zhen Guo Duke’s residence soon.”

“Brother, you should return to Yunzhou quickly as well.”

With that, they left one after another. The main hall finally fell silent. Wu Miaofu collapsed to the ground, exhausted and drenched in tears, looking utterly miserable.

Wu Shaozhong said, “Had I known it would end like this, I shouldn’t have agreed when you told me about this before! Now look, we’ve offended the entire Zhen Guo Duke’s household.”

“Father,” Wu Miaofu said weakly. Liu’er helped her up and seated her in a chair. “I will try my best to win favor with the Second Prince. Even without the Zhen Guo Duke’s household, as long as the Second Prince is with us, we have nothing to fear.”

She continued, “Father, please find a small courtyard in the capital quickly. We don’t want to continue living under others’ roof at the Zhen Guo Duke’s residence. You heard what Aunt said just now—we don’t want to be driven out and embarrassed. Luckily, I still have some silver notes.”

They were the ones Madam Shen had given her earlier.

Fortunately, Madam Shen did say she would send her into the palace, which was a relief.

---

Wu Shaozhong frowned, “What your aunt said must have been in anger. After all, I am her elder brother, and you are her niece. How could she be so heartless as to drive you away completely?”

Shen Nanyuan shook her head, a faint bitter smile playing on her lips.

She could see clearly that Madam Shen meant every word she said.

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Wu Shaozhong nodded again after finishing his words, “Alright, I understand.”

He continued tenderly, “You should rest now. That slap from your father wasn’t meant to hurt you. It was to stop others from being harsher. Before, if your aunt saw, she wouldn’t have been angry but would have come to persuade me. Unexpectedly, this time her attitude was so firm.”

“It’s alright,” Wu Miaofu said, “I understand, Father.”

—

Shen Nanyuan received good news.

Amidst the capital’s uproar over Wu Miaofu and the Second Prince, Shen Yi decisively entered the palace to ask the Emperor to annul the engagement—and the Emperor agreed!

She was free once more.

The shackles binding her were all removed, and suddenly she felt that everything that would happen in the future would be beautiful.

She happily ran to find Shen Sinen, who was finally resting for a day. Her eyes and brows curved with joy, her smile sweet enough to lift anyone’s spirits.

“You,” Shen Sinen said with indulgence, “How could you not tell me about something like this and try to handle it on your own? When you asked me for guards before, I never imagined it was for such a big matter.”

“You’ve been busy lately, so I thought I’d handle it myself,” Shen Nanyuan replied. “And isn’t the result quite good now?”