If she didn’t scatter Xie Jingyu’s ashes in return, then her surname wasn’t Shen!
Shen Wan swore it silently in her heart.
Her movements had been a little too hurried just now, and Ye Caiwei curiously lifted the carriage curtain to see what she had been looking at. Teasingly, she said, “Cousin, are you still so afraid of the Heir of Prince Jingbei?”
“Who’s afraid of him?!”
A frosty expression instantly settled over Shen Wan’s face.
Whenever she remembered the humiliations Xie Jingyu had inflicted on her in her previous life, she felt that if he dared stand before her now, and if she happened to have a knife in hand, she would lose all reason and stab him without hesitation until his body was riddled with holes.
Shen Wu said, “Actually, Eldest Uncle is quite fond of the Heir of Prince Jingbei. Unfortunately, both Eldest Uncle and Prince Jingbei command military power. Together, they control nearly half the empire’s troops. Add the Yun family’s immense wealth to that, and there’s no way the Emperor would allow the two families to marry.”
That was only Shen Wu’s assumption.
In reality, during her previous life, the Emperor had intended to betroth Shen Wu to Xie Jingyu.
But Xie Jingyu, deeply wounded by love, had directly refused with a single sentence: “In this lifetime, I will never marry a woman surnamed Shen.”
Before that, everyone had only known that the Heir of Prince Jingbei had once been cruelly abandoned by the woman he loved. After those words spread, everyone learned that the heartless woman bore the surname Shen.
Because Xie Jingyu had scattered her ashes, and because she herself was surnamed Shen, even three years after her death, people still spread scandalous rumors, suspecting that she was the woman who had abandoned him.
What an injustice!
Shen Wan did not bother arguing with Shen Wu. Right now, she only wanted to return to the Duke Dingguo Manor.
She wanted to see her parents.
She wanted to see her elder brother.
She missed them so much.
A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of the gates of Duke Dingguo Manor.
The moment Shen Wan stepped down from the carriage, she saw a beautifully dressed noblewoman walking out with a warm smile.
It was her mother.
Madam Yun.
The instant Shen Wan saw her, her nose stung with emotion and tears flooded her eyes.
“Mother…”
She practically threw herself into Madam Yun’s arms.
Holding her tightly, Shen Wan choked out between sobs, “Mother… I missed you so much…”
The sudden embrace left Madam Yun both amused and helpless. Thinking her daughter had simply been frightened by what happened at Huguo Temple, she gently patted Shen Wan’s back and comforted her softly.
“You’ve only been gone for less than two hours, yet you’re acting as though we’ve been separated for years. You haven’t even changed out of those clothes. What if the Duchess of Zheng sees you and laughs?”
Only then did Shen Wan realize she was still wearing a maid’s dress.
But she had been too overwhelmed with longing for her mother to notice anyone else.
In her previous life, after her eldest sister met tragedy, her elder brother died on the battlefield, and her father’s head was severed by enemy forces, Madam Yun had already been on the verge of collapse. In the end, she was driven to death by Shen Wan’s sister-in-law and the Second Branch of the family.
When she died, she was emaciated beyond recognition, her eyes left open in resentment, unable to rest in peace.
Looking at the gentle and beautiful face before her now, Shen Wan felt both joy and a painful ache… along with fear.
Before Shen Wan burned herself to death in her previous life, Shen Wu had told her that she was not the biological daughter of her parents. She had supposedly been an abandoned orphan picked up by them while they were visiting the Yun family in Yunzhou before moving to the capital with their eldest son and daughter.
Even now, Shen Wan still could not believe it.
Her parents had loved her beyond measure, afraid she would break if held in their hands, afraid she would melt if held in their mouths.
Her father had originally never intended to involve himself in the struggle for the throne. Yet because she married Xiao Yun and bore his children, both her father and the Yun family devoted themselves entirely to supporting Xiao Yun, eventually sacrificing their lives for him.
And in the end, she was told she was not even their biological daughter.
How could she possibly accept that?
Whether she was truly their blood or not, her parents, elder brother, and the Yun family were all people she would protect with her life.
She would never allow anyone to harm them again.
Seeing that her mother was still alive, Shen Wan paid little attention to anyone else present.
In her previous life, the Duchess of Zheng had indeed visited the manor on this same day, but she had already left before Shen Wan and the others returned. Since they had arrived home at roughly the same time as before, it meant the Duchess of Zheng had stayed longer this time.
A faint blush appeared on Shen Wan’s face in embarrassment.
Duchess of Zheng laughed and said, “Daughters really are wonderful. They love clinging to their mothers. Unlike sons, you can go an entire day without seeing them. Duchess Shen is truly fortunate to have two daughters.”
Madam Yun smiled warmly as well. “Having one son and two daughters is enough to satisfy me in this life. Unfortunately, daughters cannot stay by your side forever. Sooner or later, they must marry.”
Duchess of Zheng smiled knowingly. “Our two manors are close to each other anyway. If we become family in the future, visiting each other will be convenient.”
Family?
Something about that sounded wrong.
After Madam Yun escorted Duchess of Zheng out, Shen Wan immediately asked, “Why did Duchess of Zheng come to our manor?”
In her previous life, the Duchess of Zheng had only stayed briefly for casual conversation before leaving. There had been nothing important. But this time, things clearly felt different.
Madam Yun replied, “She came to propose marriage on behalf of the heir.”
Shen Wan froze.
Her voice rose sharply. “Propose marriage… to me?!”
Panic instantly seized her.
No wonder Shen Wu and the others had suddenly changed their plans and gone to Huguo Temple today. They had probably already known Duchess of Zheng would come proposing marriage.
In her previous life, news that Xiao Yun had injured himself saving Shen Wan had spread back to the manor. Duchess of Zheng likely didn’t dare compete with Xiao Yun for her hand, so she simply sat for a while and left without mentioning the proposal.
But in this life, the one Xiao Yun saved was merely her maid.
So the marriage proposal had never been interrupted.
Shen Wan’s voice trembled slightly. “Mother… did you and Father agree to it?”
Madam Yun nodded. “Once the birth charts are matched and there are no issues, we’ll formally settle the engagement. Your father and I are reluctant to part with you, of course, but if you marry earlier, we’ll feel more at ease…”
She did not continue.
That pain remained buried deep in her heart.
Their eldest daughter had suffered greatly because of marriage, so when it came to Shen Wan’s future, neither Madam Yun nor Shen Ji dared be careless.
Madam Yun continued praising the Zheng heir enthusiastically, but Shen Wan did not hear a single word.
The engagement had not been finalized yet.
There was still room to change things.
The Zheng heir might indeed be an excellent match, but Shen Wan had returned from rebirth for revenge, not to get married.
Unable to listen any longer, Shen Wan interrupted and asked, “Where is Father?”
Madam Yun replied, “Prince Cheng fell down the hillside while saving your maid. We don’t know whether he’s seriously injured, so your father entered the palace to apologize to the Emperor.”
“And Elder Brother?” Shen Wan quickly asked again.
“He left the manor and hasn’t returned yet.”
Shen Wan immediately said, “Mother, Prince Cheng saved Bao Cui’s life. I offered Bao Cui to him, but he refused to accept her. Since this maid now carries such fortune, it wouldn’t be proper for me to keep using her as a servant. Send her to one of our estates and let her live comfortably there.”
Shen Wan had already found Bao Cui intolerable. Now that Bao Cui also owed Prince Cheng a life debt, Shen Wan was even less willing to keep her nearby.
If Bao Cui behaved herself at the estate, Shen Wan wouldn’t mind sparing her life. But if she dared flaunt the fact that Prince Cheng had saved her and act arrogantly because of it, then she would simply be courting death.
Madam Yun also felt uneasy about keeping Bao Cui around. After all, it had been Bao Cui who encouraged Shen Wan to meet Prince Cheng in the first place.
“Then send her to the estate,” Madam Yun agreed. “Let her live there properly.”
Bao Cui had just finished helping Shen Wan change clothes when she heard Madam Yun’s decision. Her face instantly turned pale, and she dropped to her knees with a thud.
“Madam! Please don’t send this servant away to the estate! Please allow me to continue serving Miss!”
But since Shen Wan herself had proposed it and Madam Yun had already approved, there was no way a servant’s desperate pleas would change the decision.
With a wave of Madam Yun’s hand, two maids immediately stepped forward, dragged Bao Cui away, and escorted her out.
The more Madam Yun looked at Shen Wan’s maidservant outfit, the more displeased she became.
“You are a young lady of a Duke’s household. Dressing like a maid is improper. Hurry back and change.”
Shen Wan nodded obediently.
Then she turned to Steward Li and instructed, “When my elder brother returns, tell him to come see me immediately. Tell him I have something urgent to discuss with him.”