When Fu Yi saw Ye Wanqing limping over, he quickly stepped forward to support her and whispered to her, "Don't be afraid, sister. I will protect you. I won't let mother take you away, and I won't let her punish you again."

Lord Chen stood aside, feeling completely unhappy. He began to persuade her, "Chang'er, your husband has always respected your opinions and understood your difficulties.

Over the years, you have been struggling to support the Fu family and shoulder the burden of the Southern Territory Chamber of Commerce. Your husband really feels sorry for you.

Our daughter is very sensible. She endured everything silently and kept it a secret for you for so long. I don't blame you.

She shouldn't be forced to go to the southern border and suffer so much."

Madam Fu looked embarrassed and said to Lord Chen with deep guilt, "I know I have been sorry for you and Xu'er in this matter. But if the Marquis' Mansion loses the Crown Prince, Yi'er's situation will be in danger.

Our southern border has developed to the point where it poses a threat to the imperial power.

As the only heir of the Marquisate, Yi'er currently commands 400,000 troops in the Southern Territory and controls the economic lifeline of the eight states in the Southern Territory. He will inevitably become the target of public criticism."

Ye Wanqing stood aside and understood what Mrs. Fu meant. It turned out that she was worried that the Marquis' Mansion would become too powerful and would bring disaster upon the Lord.

Madam Fu continued, "If the Marquis' Mansion and the Fu Family only have one heir left, then the Murong Family will not be able to maintain their rule.

That prince keeps running to the Marquis's Mansion, isn't he just trying to take the opportunity to monitor our every move?

Every year, the various noble families in the capital send countless spies to the southern border. Just clearing out the spies takes a lot of manpower."

Ye Wanqing was slightly stunned, and suddenly felt uneasy. Even Shen Xu's mother said that Murong Yan's purpose was not simple.

But Murong Yan really helped her a lot. Should she believe what she heard or believe her own feelings?

"Xu'er is my sister anyway. I can protect myself and my sister."

Fu Yi stiffened his neck and said in a very cold tone, "I don't understand your ambitions. I just want my sister to be happy every day.

And as for Murong Yan, although I don't like him, he can make my sister happy and please her. If mother wants to forbid them from dating, then I will never get married.

Whoever wants to be the head of the Fu family can do it."

Lord Shen was afraid that his harsh tone would hurt his wife, so he scolded, "You stinky boy, are you trying to rebel? Shut up right now and get the whip!"

"No, don't hit Big Brother. Can't we just talk it over? Do we have to use a whip to solve the problem?" Ye Wanqing was afraid that Shen Hou was really going to beat Fu Yi, so she quickly stood between them.

Upon hearing this, Lord Shen felt a surge of regret and guilt in his heart, and he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Xu'er, you're right, I shouldn't have used force to solve the problem.

I was wrong before, don't be afraid, I won't hit you again."

"Dad, let's not talk about the past anymore, let's talk about the future." Ye Wanqing stood there, but didn't know how to start.

She didn't want to wear a corset anymore, didn't want to have needles inserted into her neck anymore, and didn't want to be so nervous even about taking a shower.

She likes Murong Yan and wants to be with him legitimately without being criticized by others.

They were clearly in love with each other, and clearly a perfect match...

"Mother, I..." Ye Wanqing hesitated and said, "I don't want to pretend to be a man anymore. I'm sorry..."

Lord Shen quickly stepped forward to comfort him, “Kid, this isn’t your fault.”

He turned back to look at Madam Fu helplessly, "Chang'er, you can't make things so difficult for the children. Your father pushed Xiaohan to hide outside because he was too pushy.

The children are still young, so let's not worry about the inheritance rights for now. What if their uncle comes back one day?

"Aliang." Madam Fu frowned and sighed, "But after so many years, there's been no news of him at all. No one has seen him alive, and no one has found his body..."

"Don't worry, he might come back someday when he figures it out."

Lord Shen stepped forward and gently took her hand, pleading softly, "For so many years, your husband has always been respectful to you, letting you make the decision on everything, because I really want to respect you and cherish you..."

Madam Fu's tone softened and she said, "I know, Aliang, I have deceived you for so long, even if you blame me and hate me, it is what I deserve.

But I also want to protect the children..."

"As for Xu'er's matter, consider it as a request from your husband. The Marquis's Mansion does not need a prince to inherit the title. Just let her return to being a daughter and live a normal life." Marquis Shen stared at Madam Fu's eyes affectionately, his tone full of pleading.

Ye Wanqing looked at the affectionate Shen Hou and admired him very much in her heart.

A passionate man will always appear weaker in front of the woman he likes.

Rumor has it that Lord Shen is a notorious wife slave in the capital.

He is brave and good at fighting outside, but he is very cowardly and henpecked in front of his wife.

Mrs. Fu always has the final say and we just let things go our way.

Even after the two of them divorced, he never dared to make any arrangements on his own for the people that Madam Fu arranged for him in the Marquis' Mansion, and he would not even order them around at will.

Ye Wanqing knew that Lord Shen truly loved his wife.

Mrs. Fu was also well aware of this. She immediately softened her heart and said in embarrassment: "Aliang...but..."

Lord Shen gently held her hand and said, “Once the war between the Southern Barbarians and the Cloud Kingdom is over, I will hand over my military power to Your Majesty and no longer interfere in official affairs.

It is up to the children to plan their own future.

There are still too many regrets between us that have not been made up, Chang'er, I just want to stay by your side after the war is settled, to make up for what I owe you in the past."

Madam Fu suddenly clenched his hand and said with deep guilt, "No, you don't owe me anything. Instead, I owe you too much. I... was so selfish and lied to you for so long..."

Shen Hou raised his hand and gently covered her lips with his fingers, asking her not to continue. "Then, let's really decide."

Madam Fu hesitated and said, "Aliang, this matter will make you a laughing stock in the capital. Otherwise, you should wait a little longer... I still need to discuss this matter with Lord Liu, the Minister of Justice."

Seeing that his mother refused to give in, Fu Yi became anxious and said, "Mother, is there any point in waiting any longer? One day her secret will be known to everyone, and then she will become a laughing stock.

If it's fake, it's fake. Why should I let my sister suffer any longer? "

Lord Shen then advised, “Besides, the Crown Prince already knows that Xu’er is a girl, and it won’t be long before His Majesty and Uncle Ling will know about it.

A few days ago, they even asked me to marry them."

"What!" Mrs. Fu was surprised. "Then how did you answer?"

Shen Hou covered his face and said truthfully: "I didn't know she was a daughter at the time. I thought they were sick, so I scolded them. But when I came back, I got slapped in the face..."

Ye Wanqing suddenly admired Shen Xu's father.

He and his son were really brave. One dared to kick the prince into the river, and the other dared to scold the emperor's uncle.

A real man.