"No need," Shen Wangshu said calmly, momentarily surprised by the King of Wei's shamelessness.
"Do you have someone you like?" King Wei asked earnestly, staring into her eyes.
"No."
“I didn’t have that either,” King Wei paused, then continued, “before I met you.”
Shen Wangshu remained silent.
"Is there a marriage agreement?" King Wei asked again.
"No." Shen Wangshu's eyes flickered as she thought of a beast from the Marquis's mansion whom she hadn't yet had a chance to propose to.
"I didn't have any either." King Wei finally let out a breath of relief. Seeing that the girl in front of him was silent, he said in a low voice, "Before I met you."
"I am not suitable for the prince." The handsome and noble young royal proposed to her. Shen Wangshu was, after all, a woman, and naturally had some vanity. But where in the world is there so much love at first sight that is unforgettable?
There was only fleeting infatuation; once the passion faded, the man withdrew, leaving the woman confined to the inner quarters for life. She would not repeat the mistake of marrying a beast from a noble family, nor would she challenge the difficult marriage of the Prince of Wei. As royalty, the Prince of Wei had plenty of choices.
If he no longer loves her, he can simply leave her in the palace and go on to love another woman who brings him pleasure.
But what should she do?
If it were the Song Lan of the past, she would probably have died of depression again.
If it were Shen Wangshu today...
The prince of Yan in his previous life suffered the same fate as the King of Wei.
"You doubt my sincerity," King Wei said with certainty.
He didn't know what Song Lan had been through, but he had already seen through her defenses.
She huddled inside her small shell, unwilling to peek out, for fear of getting hurt.
"I can't live a life surrounded by concubines in the Prince's mansion. Your Highness doesn't need to make any vows." Shen Wangshu looked up and stopped the Prince of Wei from speaking. Suddenly, she smiled and said gently, "Your Highness and I have only known each other for a few days. How could we have such deep feelings? I acted rashly today. In the future, Your Highness will know what it means to be nothing special."
She smiled, and seeing the King of Wei lower his head, she looked up and met the young man's pitying eyes. She had lived countless lifetimes, and never before had she seen a man look at her with such eyes.
It seems they are all always afraid of her.
"I am not that kind of person." How much suffering did she endure before she stopped believing in sincerity?
King Wei didn't know what to say, but he couldn't help but reach out and grab Shen Wangshu's wrist. Seeing her cold look, he silently lowered his eyes.
"I will show you, and you will know that I did not act on impulse." He released her hand, feeling the lingering warmth of her in his grasp, and said softly, "I have no concubines in my manor, only one devoted man, and there will be no more in the future."
He knew Shen Wangshu wouldn't believe his empty words, so he gave her one last deep look before leaving the manor and heading straight for the inner palace. Shen Wangshu looked at him with a complicated expression, when she heard a girl's frightened cries and struggles behind her. Immediately, she disregarded the Prince of Wei, her face darkening as she turned to look.
A frail and thin young woman, dressed only in a thin, casual dress, with her hair casually tied up, was dragged over by two guards, crying.
She was so frightened that her face turned pale. She was thrown to the ground and rolled in dust, and then burst into tears.
Aunt Rou cried out and threw herself into her arms. The mother and daughter embraced and wept bitterly, as if Shen Wangshu in front of them was the most vicious and tyrannical person.
Shen Wangshu suddenly laughed.
"Even if Wan'er has many faults, she doesn't have a bad heart. Please, Miss, spare her!" Aunt Rou released Song Wan'er and crawled to Shen Wangshu's feet, crying and kowtowing, "No matter what, you are still sisters! Why must you be so ruthless and persecute Wan'er?!"
She turned back to look at Song Wan'er, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and cried out hoarsely, "Wan'er is pitiful enough! Why is the eldest young lady so relentless?! Is the eldest young lady so heartless that she must take Wan'er's life? She is your sister, and also the master's daughter!"
She cried out her last words, then gracefully collapsed to the ground like a powerless swan.
"What is going on?!" Amidst the commotion in the courtyard, Shen Wangshu heard a majestic roar.
She turned her head and glanced casually, only to see Prime Minister Song striding in with a look of shock and anger at the doorway.
He was slightly taken aback when he saw Shen Wangshu, and his expression softened somewhat. However, when his gaze fell on the dying Aunt Rou on the ground and the pitifully trembling Song Wan'er, his face darkened again.
"What's going on? You're even going to mistreat your aunt and sister?" he asked angrily.
Shen Wangshu's cold eyes swept over Prime Minister Song's official robes, then she suddenly smiled and said softly, "I thought that even if you weren't interested in my injuries, Father received His Majesty's commendation because of me, so you should at least know how to be more amiable?"
"You've caused such a huge uproar as soon as you returned to the manor, how can I be pleasant to talk to you?" Prime Minister Song said with a stiff face.
He was so biased. So when Song Lan was humiliated after marrying into the Marquis's mansion, she went back to her parents' home and begged Prime Minister Song to protect her. But for Song Wan'er's sake, he cruelly sent Song Lan back to the Marquis's mansion.
He never uttered a word until her death.
"If I had returned to the manor earlier, I would have dealt with this girl long ago." Shen Wangshu is no longer a pitiful girl like Song Lan, who has no one to rely on. She still has some dignity in front of the Empress Dowager, and she has a small title and fiefdom. If she wanted, she could even break away from her family, set up her own household, and live her own life while guarding her title. Why would she be afraid of Prime Minister Song's anger?
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