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Marriage of the Di Daughter
Chapter 164 Part 2
Shen Yurong recalled Xue Fang Fei. He didn’t have the patience to reason with Mother Shen and Shen Ruyun. In the past, when Mother Shen and Shen Ruyun argued with Xue Fang Fei, Xue Fang Fei always gave in. He didn’t take it seriously and just comforted Xue Fang Fei with a few words in private. When he truly faced this, he realized that there was no point in reasoning with his family.
It must have been really hard for her.
Thinking of Xue Fang Fei again, Shen Yurong shook his head. He couldn’t help but think of her. He recalled her standing under the tree picking flower dew, brewing tea for him in winter, and when the beautiful woman attended to him….. He once had a wife, and she was so good that even after her death, she would still appear before his eyes from time to time.
Shen Yurong walked very slowly. When he reached a corner, someone suddenly called his name, “Lord Shen!”
He looked back and saw a person who looked like a servant girl walking out of the darkness. He recognized her as Mei Xiang, Princess Yongning’s personal servant girl.
Mei Xiang said, “Lord Shen, the princess has something to say and is waiting for you at a nearby teahouse. Please follow this servant.”
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This was something that the proud Shen Yurong were previously accustomed to, so he did not refuse and followed Mei Xiang to the teahouse.
Princess Yongning was indeed waiting for him inside.
Princess Yongning looked much more haggard, and even her breath became extremely weak. It’s unknown whether it was Shen Yurong’s illusion, but she seemed to be a little thinner compared to a few days ago.
“Shen dear.” Seeing him coming, Princess Yongning stood up.
Shen Yurong stood at the door, not going inside, but said calmly, “Congratulations, Your Highness.”
These words were like a knife stabbing Princess Yongning’s heart. She immediately felt as if her heart was being twisted by a knife, and she almost burst into tears in an instant.
Princess Yongning said, “I don’t want to marry Li Xian. You know, you are the only one in my heart!”
For a noble princess such as Princess Yongning, such humble words carrying a plea, if heard by others, afraid they would not believe it came from the mouth of Princess Yongning. Shen Yurong seemed to be touched by Princess Yongning’s crying. He turned his head and looked at Princess Yongning.
“Shen dear!” Princess Yongning grabbed his hand. “You have to believe me! I told mother that I wanted to marry you. Mother and the Empress Dowager also said so. But the Emperor issued an edict, granting me a marriage with Li Xian. I also don’t know what’s going on. I’m still pregnant with your child, how could I take the initiative to marry Li Xian?”
It was this sentence that made Shen Yurong’s expression change immediately. He asked, “What child?”
Princess Yongning was stunned for a moment before realizing she had let the cat out of the bag. However, looking into Shen Yurong’s eyes, she became more determined. She hadn’t been able to find an opportunity before, and didn’t know how to bring this up with Shen Yurong. But sooner or later, it would eventually come out one day, so she might as well take this opportunity and tell everything.
“Yes,” Princess Yongning said, “I am pregnant with your child. The imperial physician has examined it and it’s still early pregnancy.”
“How is this possible?” Shen Yurong’s usually calm expression showed a crack, and his voice was not as calm as usual. “How is this possible?”
Every time he and Princess Yongning were intimate, she would take contraceptive pills. Unexpectedly, she was now pregnant, this was no small matter!
“I don’t know,” Princess Yongning shook her head. “Maybe the contraceptive pills weren’t completely effective….. By the time I found out, it was already too late.”
The more she talked, the more Shen Yurong suspected that Princess Yongning was doing this on purpose, wanting to use her pregnancy to force him to marry her. But she didn’t expect that Emperor Hong Xiao would ultimately grant her a marriage with Li Xian instead, which made her panic.
“What do you plan to do now?” Shen Yurong asked.
“What do you mean?” Princess Yongning looked at him blankly. When she saw Shen Yurong’s slightly cold eyes, she shuddered and suddenly understood. She said, “Don’t tell me that you want me to give up this child!”
Shen Yurong was silent, “His existence is indeed not the best right now…..”
“No!” Princess Yongning screamed before Shen Yurong could say more. “This is my child. I will never allow anyone to hurt him, and I will not discard him!”
Shen Yurong patiently comforted her, “Yongning, you are going to marry Li Xian. If the Li family finds out you are pregnant, it will be very disadvantageous for you. The Li family will absolutely not allow such a disgrace. Even if you can keep the child for a while, you may not be able to give birth to it. The Li family will find a way to get rid of the child, and they will also have animosity with you and His Royal Highness Cheng Wang.”
He thought Princess Yongning would at least be reassured by these words. After all, she always listened to him in the past. But today, Princess Yongning just looked at him coldly and said, “You keep saying it’s for my sake, but you’re actually afraid that if this gets exposed, it will implicate you as the child’s father, making it difficult for you to rest easy! Shen Yurong, this is your child. You’ve thought of everything, but have you ever thought about this child at all? Yes, I forgot. You’ve already lost one child, so losing another wouldn’t bother you.”
Shen Yurong’s expression changed drastically.
He had lost a child before, an unborn child that belonged to him and his wife, Xue Fang Fei. When the child he had been longing for for so long had arrived, Shen Yurong was not happy upon hearing the good news. Because at that time, Princess Yongning had already expressed several times that she loved him very much.
Does giving birth to a child mean everything is fine? Thinking back on it now, even though he wasn’t the one who caused Xue Fang Fei’s miscarriage, he felt relieved when he found out, feeling like one problem was finally resolved. At the time, he consoled himself by thinking that even if the child was born, outsiders might say it was the child of Xue Fang Fei’s extramarital affair, and it wouldn’t benefit the child’s future at all. So why bring it into this world to suffer?
Blooming Translation 
“Shen Yurong recalled Xue Fang Fei. He didn’t have the patience to reason with Mother Shen and Shen Ruyun. In the past, when Mother Shen and Shen Ruyun argued with Xue Fang Fei, Xue Fang Fei always gave in. He didn’t take it seriously and just comforted Xue Fang Fei with a few words in private. When he truly faced this, he realized that there was no point in reasoning with his family.
It must have been really hard for her…”
The selfishness and sheer lack of self-awareness 🤦🏼♀️
Is it just the women’s sphere of things that he is so blind to? I am beginning to question whether Shen Yurong could ever truly be successful in officialdom on his own. Earlier he had Xue Fang Fei, his smart and accomplished wife, who likely aided and advised him more than he ever appreciated. Once the Princess latched onto him that impacted how both the Emperor and his scheming g brother viewed him 🤔
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Well, for men who view women as property or tools…what always astounds me is how much women are willing to allow men to treat them as such and believe men when they say women have no choice…
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well… once a POS, always a POS so pei, pei and as my mama says even if you found it you’d need to cry 3X loool
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I am with you on that. And this is due to social condition and domestication of the women across times and in all societies. Either on ancient or modern society western or eastern.
For Shen Yurong, a social climber, his lack conscioness or remorse regarding the Xei Fang Feiis astonishing. He is a truly psychopath. At the series The Double, it gives the impression he was forced to do it by the princess. Although, it will never justify. only on the scene where he looks at the spider climbing to the roof, does gives the subtle message he did on purpose of elevating his social status.
Now we see he had intent and was an active participant on his wife’s assasination. He doesn’t love nobody but himself. And at this moment, I believe he never really loved Xei Fang Fei. He can die of a terrible death for all I care.
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