Chapter 45: Injured by the Crown Prince

"Fine! You are just withholding the Marquisate's estate so you won't let me use it, aren't you!" Emboldened by Liu Xin'er, Shen Yishu's confidence soared, and he now acted with unprecedented arrogance. "Then I will go and tell the capital that Shen Yuheng is your illegitimate son! You know very well what his true origins are!"

Dou Hongyan's face instantly chilled.

If there was anything she feared right now, it was this volatile loose cannon, Shen Yishu.

If he suddenly lost his mind one day and decided to tear off the facade, relentlessly splashing dirty water on Shen Yuheng, she couldn't be entirely certain she could keep the situation under control.

Three men make a tiger; public opinion is a formidable force. Yuheng's bright youth could not be ruined by the mouth of a good-for-nothing.

She ground her back molars, suddenly lowering her gaze with a desolate expression. "To think you still stubbornly insist that Yuheng isn't your child. You've truly forgotten our wedding night..."

Dou Hongyan's tears fell as soon as the thought crossed her mind.

Overflowing with disappointment and the sorrow of being doubted, her tear-filled, alluring eyes were misty with emotion, rare in their display of vulnerability.

She shook her head at Shen Yishu and said, "On our wedding night, you drank in gloomy solitude... After we consummated the marriage, you vanished without a trace. Who could have imagined you would never return."

"What do you mean by this—" Shen Yishu's pupils contracted sharply.

It was true that he had been drunk on the day of his wedding.

As for whether those things she mentioned had actually happened... Shen Yishu stared blankly into Dou Hongyan's bewitching eyes, his expression gradually growing hazy. Subconsciously taking a step forward, he felt somewhat intoxicated once more.

His tone was no longer rigid. "What you said... is it true? Is Shen Yuheng truly our child?"

"Would I lie to you!" Dou Hongyan cast a coquettish, sidelong glance at him.

The moment completely disoriented Shen Yishu. When he finally regained his senses, he already half-believed these words in his heart.

After all...

If the child was his own, it was still better than Dou Hongyan cuckolding him. He considered himself a romantic scholar; there was no reason Dou Hongyan would take a fancy to anyone else.

The more Shen Yishu thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Finally, he nodded and said awkwardly, "Well... these past few years, you've had it hard."

"It hasn't been hard."

Dou Hongyan turned around and rolled her eyes.

She pointed out a few prepared return gifts, handed them over to Shen Yishu, and dismissed him. "Hurry along, Husband. The Third Prince seems to hold you in high regard; do not cause the Marquis's Mansion to lose face."

Shen Yishu nodded dazedly and departed. "Good, good..."

On his way back, Shen Yishu's mind kept replaying the image of Dou Hongyan's tearful accusations. He felt light-headed and filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Suppressing a smug smile at the corners of his lips, he shook his head and thought, *Dou acting as the mistress of the house has indeed been dedicated and hardworking these past few years. Even without credit, she has endured hardships.*

It wouldn't be very proper to divorce his wife out of the blue.

More importantly, Dou Hongyan had means and looked attractive; keeping such a person in the Marquis's Mansion as the mistress was quite suitable...

As for Xin'er.

He thought with tender affection: *Xin'er is considerate and has eyes only for me. Now that it's confirmed Dou is indeed chaste, if I let her continue managing the mansion while Xin'er and I remain a devoted couple for a lifetime, wouldn't that be wonderful?*

"Not bad, not bad at all."

Shen Yishu felt an unprecedented lightness, the grievances he had suffered since returning to the Marquis's Mansion instantly vanishing like smoke.

The path ahead suddenly opened up before him.

Watching his smugly departing back with cold eyes, a flash of utter contempt crossed Dou Hongyan's face. She turned back to instruct Xiyue and Liuyun: "He is about to step out. Prepare a carriage and wait along his deserted routine route. The moment he appears... tell the driver to make it fast, but do not take his life."

It wouldn't be difficult for a speeding carriage to easily crash Shen Yishu—this fragile creature of paper—into a cripple.

A cripple would bring much greater peace of mind; it would neither leave Xiao Ze anxious and insecure, nor would a cripple hold any value for Xiao Yanqing.

Her gaze grew icy, and her red lips curved upward. Her patience for Shen Yishu repeatedly using Shen Yuheng to threaten her had reached its absolute limit.

Dou Hongyan waited patiently.

Two hours later, Xiyue returned beneath the scorching midday sun. Her expression heavy and her face pale, she shook her head at Dou Hongyan. "Mistress, it failed. The Eldest Master was... was rescued by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."