When Shen Mingjiang led his men over, Shen Muyu was being held down on the bed by two old women, who were grabbing her hands and feet.

She struggled desperately, crying and shouting, "Let me go, let me die!" A deep ligature mark on her neck had turned bluish-purple, clearly indicating that she was serious.

Upon receiving the news, Shen Huaizhou rushed over and tried in vain to comfort and persuade her: "Stop making a fuss, be careful not to hurt yourself and affect the pregnancy."

Shen Muyu roared at him like a madwoman: "Isn't it good that the pregnancy is threatened? If we die together, mother and child, aren't you afraid of ruining the Shen family's reputation!"

Shen Mingjiang suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring intently at her.

Upon seeing this, Madam Fang, who had come along, rushed forward and embraced her with tears streaming down her face: "What nonsense are you talking about? If something happens to you, how can your mother live on..."

When Shen Huaizhou saw his mother also crying and making a fuss, he was at a loss. He comforted one person and then another. In the end, the three of them hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Shen Youying looked at it and found it both absurd and laughable.

She glanced at her father worriedly, walked to Shen Mingjiang's side, gently grasped his sleeve, and asked with concern, "Father?"

Shen Mingjiang glanced at her sideways, all his previous anger and defiance turning into dejection.

He slowly shifted his gaze to Shen Muyu's face, his voice heavy, each word striking Shen Muyu's heart: "Are you determined to become Prince Chen's concubine?"

Shen Muyu paused in her sobs, then gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, I will marry no one but Prince Chen."

"No regrets?"

No regrets!

Hearing her resolute words, Shen Mingjiang felt a wave of powerlessness. He closed his eyes and said slowly, "Our children are all grown up, and I can't control them anymore. If you insist on getting married, then go ahead and get married."

Upon hearing this, Shen Muyu was overjoyed. She pushed the old woman away, got up from the bed, and looked at Shen Mingjiang. Before she could say anything nice, Shen Mingjiang said, "But let me make this clear: once you marry into the Chen Prince's Mansion, whether things go well or badly, whether you live or die, it will have nothing to do with the Shen family anymore."

He looked at his eldest daughter with eyes full of disappointment and uttered the heart-wrenching words, one by one: "I will no longer care about you."

Shen Muyu's body trembled, and her eyes widened slightly.

Fang and Shen Huaizhou looked at him in disbelief.

Shen Mingjiang, however, was unwilling to say anything more and turned to leave with his body hunched over.

Shen Youying glanced at her father's back, which looked much older in an instant, then at the mother and her two children with blank expressions. She walked up to Shen Muyu and said, "Once this step is taken, there's no turning back. Has eldest sister thought it through?"

Shen Muyu looked bewildered, but she remembered that she had put on such a grand show just to marry Prince Chen. She had sacrificed so much, and if she gave up halfway, she would truly lose completely.

However, if she successfully joins the Prince Chen's mansion, she may still have a chance to turn defeat into victory.

As long as she wins over Prince Chen and gains his favor, she can then use the opportunity to help her second brother... Father is old, and her eldest brother is no longer here; the Shen family will ultimately have to rely on her second brother.

When that time comes, Father will eventually soften.

How could they really bear to kick her out of the family, a daughter who could elevate the Shen family?

Shen Muyu made up her mind, looked up at her younger sister who always seemed to be one step ahead of her, and smiled: "I will finish the path I chose, even if I have to cry and crawl. I will never regret it."

As if to convince herself, she widened her eyes and repeated, "I will never regret it."

Shen Youying nodded, then turned and left without saying a word.

*

The people from Prince Chen's mansion who proposed marriage ultimately did not leave.

Madam Fang made arrangements to welcome the guests into the mansion with great courtesy and to finalize the marriage arrangements.

Since it was only a concubine's marriage, there was naturally no wedding ceremony. The wedding day was chosen to be the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, which was the only auspicious day for marriage before the Ghost Festival.

However, Zhou Gonggong said that King Chen also knew that Miss Shen had been wronged, so to show his respect, he made an exception and sent her a set of phoenix coronet and wedding robes.

—This is the wedding dress that can only be worn when marrying a principal wife.

When Madam Fang saw the magnificent wedding dress, she felt somewhat relieved and completely believed Shen Muyu's words. However, the thought of her daughter's hasty marriage in just a few days still made her feel uneasy.

The wedding date was set far too hastily. When the house was raided earlier, Shen Muyu's dowry was also confiscated. There was simply no time to prepare again.

However, Shen Muyu advised, "I am not the principal wife after all. If I marry into the family with too much pomp and circumstance, it will inevitably put His Highness in a difficult position in the eyes of others. Mother, please save your money and give me the money for the dowry to keep me safe."

"Your mother prepared the dowry money for you a long time ago." Madam Fang had Liu Mama bring out a small box and hand it to her: "It's all in here."

Shen Muyu opened it and glanced inside; it contained silver notes and land deeds. Enough for her to manage her finances at the Chen Prince's residence.

She handed the small box to Dongqing for safekeeping, then looked towards the door: "I'm getting married in three days, and Father still won't come to see me?"

“Your father is still angry.” Madam Fang gently stroked her hair and, seeing the disappointment in her eyes, comforted her, “You’ve caused such a big mess this time, and your father is so upright, he probably won’t calm down anytime soon. After you get married, I’ll try to persuade him more, and perhaps he’ll soften over time. Your father only has two daughters, he really won’t abandon you.”

Shen Muyu turned her head away and muttered, "He says he's not biased, but if my second sister did something wrong, Father probably wouldn't be able to bring himself to say such harsh words."

Fang sighed.