Shen Jing had other things to attend to, so he prepared to leave.

Shen Wan looked at the old lady and said, "I never thought that my second sister would have an accident at the Changshan Prince's Mansion, but as the eldest sister, I was not there when she had the accident, nor did I accompany her back to the mansion. I really shouldn't have done that. I will go to the Buddhist hall to copy ten chapters of the family rules to reflect on my actions."

The old lady sat on the daybed, her brows furrowed into a deep frown, while the maids and servants all looked at Shen Wan with blank expressions.

When the old lady wanted to punish the eldest daughter, the eldest daughter argued her case, and the old lady stopped punishing her. So why did the eldest daughter ask to be punished herself?

With Shen Jing present and Shen Wan having done nothing wrong, the old lady said, "Since she did nothing wrong, there's no need for her to reflect on her actions."

Shen Wan shook her head, insisting on going.

Shen Jing then said, "Copying the family rules is fine too; consider it as practicing calligraphy and cultivating one's character."

After saying that, Shen Jing strode away.

Shen Wan followed behind, and after leaving Qinghui Courtyard, she glared at her elder brother and said, "Brother, you didn't even speak up for me."

Shen Du raised his hand and poked Shen Wan's forehead. "Once Father has made up his mind, there's no point in trying to persuade him. Besides, you've already reminded Big Brother that if Big Brother and Father aren't in the manor and you're left alone, Big Brother won't be at ease going to the border."

"The Ling Prince's mansion has few people, so the Ling Prince will definitely be able to protect you."

Her father and elder brother did everything for her own good. Although Shen Wan didn't want to get married so early, she had no choice but to accept her fate. Xie Jingyan's scheme had put her in a difficult position. Shen Wan said dejectedly, "In other people's eyes, even the Prince of Ling can't protect himself, but my elder brother firmly believes that he can protect me."

Chen Du laughed and said, "If it weren't for Prince Ling saving you, you wouldn't be alive now. How could you not believe him, brother?"

Shen Wan said, "But I fell off the tree because he scared me."

When Shen Wan was eight years old, a kite got stuck in a tree. She climbed the tree to get it and saw Xie Jingyan coming. She was startled and lost her footing, falling from the tree. Xie Jingyan was only twelve years old at the time. He couldn't catch her and instead cushioned her fall. That time, she dislocated his arm.

She's already being kind by not getting angry at him or scaring him, yet she's expected to be grateful to him for saving her?

Chen Du chuckled, "Still holding a grudge like that? You still remember this? Big brother isn't right..."

Before he could finish speaking, a servant came over and delivered a note to Shen Du. Shen Du replied, "Brother has something to attend to."

She's really busy; she has so much free time that she has nowhere to spend it.

Shen Wan glanced in the direction of the Buddhist hall, a slight smile playing on her lips, and then walked over.

Shen Wei caught up from behind, "Big sister, I'll go with you to the Buddhist hall to reflect on your actions."

Shen Wan then asked, "What are you going to do with me?"

"I also need to cultivate my character and temperament."

These were her father's words, and Shen Wan had no way to refute them. She could only let Shen Wei come along, but it was good to have someone accompany her.

Inside the Buddhist hall, Shen Rong sat on a prayer mat, growing angrier the more she thought about it. The Third Madam didn't kneel; she stood and scolded her daughter, "Why did you provoke your eldest sister for no reason? Even if your grandmother punished her by making her copy a hundred or so family rules, it wouldn't make you gain any weight."

Shen Rong said aggrievedly, "Mother doesn't know how my eldest sister scolded me at the Changshan Prince's Mansion. I can't swallow this insult!"

Just as the third wife was about to ask, the old woman's voice came from outside, "Why are the eldest and fourth young ladies here?"

Shen Wan said, "I came to the Buddhist hall to copy the family rules and reflect on my actions."

As he spoke, he stepped into the house and saw Shen Rong and the Third Madam kneeling upright.

Shen Wan smiled and sat down at the table. Yin Shuang knelt on the ground to help grind the ink. Shen Wan took a piece of paper, smoothed it with a paperweight, and waited for the ink to become thick before she picked up her brush and began to write. Her leisurely demeanor made her seem like she was there to cultivate her mind and body.

But Shen Rong and the Third Madam were in a terrible situation. The Old Madam punished them by making them kneel in the Buddhist hall to reflect on their actions. With Shen Wan and Shen Wei present, they couldn't slack off at all, otherwise they would be disobeying the Old Madam.

Seeing Shen Rong looking over with such hatred in her teeth, Shen Wei suddenly understood why Shen Wan had come to the Buddhist hall to reflect on her actions. Her eldest sister had come under the pretense of copying the family rules to watch her third sister and third aunt be punished. Without them watching, the punishment was the same as not being punished at all. Since no one in the Buddhist hall reported to her grandmother, her grandmother would just turn a blind eye. It seemed that her third sister's careless words and disparaging remarks about the Yun family had really angered her eldest sister.

Shen Wan copied the family rules diligently, and she even ate lunch in the Buddhist hall.

As for how long it will take to copy?

Shen Wan didn't know either.

Anyway, I copy and then rest, it's not tiring.

In the evening, Shen Rong, who had been kneeling for nearly three hours, finally couldn't hold on any longer and fainted. The Third Madam's condition was not much better. As soon as her daughter fainted, she hurriedly sent someone to inform the Old Madam.

The old lady wasn't exactly fair on the surface. If it weren't for Shen Jing's pressure, she wouldn't have punished Shen Rong at all, let alone the Third Madam. They were already kneeling and fainting, so why not just take the opportunity to let them go back?

After Shen Rong and the Third Madam left, Shen Wan put down the wolf-hair brush in her hand and left the Buddhist hall with Shen Wei. Shen Wan returned to Qinglan Garden, and Shen Wei returned to the North Courtyard.

As soon as she returned to the room, Yinshuang grinned and said, "Miss is amazing. Third Miss has never suffered like this before."

Shen Wan sat down to drink tea, the steam obscuring her expression.

Compared to the pain they inflicted on her in her past life, kneeling in the Buddhist hall for three hours was nothing.

Although copying Buddhist scriptures wasn't tiring, Shen Wan had still gone to the Changshan Prince's Mansion and walked quite a distance. After dinner, she didn't take her usual walk around the courtyard to prevent indigestion. While taking a bath, she almost fell asleep in the tub.

But once she lay down on the bed, she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind kept replaying the memory of Xie Jingyan silencing her with a kiss at the bamboo house and rockery in the Changshan Prince's Mansion during the day...

People do whatever is convenient for them, but she wasn't as open-minded as him. She couldn't act as if nothing was wrong. It was like a calm lake that had been disturbed by a small pebble thrown in, causing ripples to spread.

Shen Wan comforted herself, since she would never marry anyone else in this life anyway, and it was just a kiss, nothing serious.

However, Shen Wan still couldn't sleep until the early hours of the morning. Thinking that she had to go to the Yun family the next day, Shen Wan forced herself to fall asleep.

Shen Wan was unaware that she wasn't the only one suffering from insomnia that night.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, while Xie Jingyan sat alone in his palace's observation tower, gazing at the starry sky until the wee hours of the morning.