Chapter 110: Road Blockage

The atmosphere was quiet, but suddenly a noise came into the carriage. Someone was walking on the snow, making a crunching sound, mixed with bursts of pleading cries.

The carriage stopped in a hurry, and the inertia caused the two men to stagger.

In a hurry, Shen Anan stretched out his hand and grabbed in mid-air, stabilizing his body as he wished.

Xiao Yuan held her wrist firmly. The warmth and tenderness in his palm made him reluctant to let go for a long time.

Shen Anan immediately withdrew her hand, and without looking at Xiao Yuan's gaze, she looked away and looked outside the car.

Xiao Yuan slightly curled his lips because of her deliberate avoidance, and followed her gaze, but his voice was as cold as usual, "What's going on?"

Qingfeng lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a strange face, and first glanced at Shen Anan before saying, “A pair of sisters stopped the carriage, knelt in the snow and cried, wanting to see Miss Shen.”

Xiao Yuan frowned, leaned forward slightly and looked out, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "Do you know them?"

Shen Anan knew that these words were directed at her, she nodded, looking at the two sisters kneeling on the ground and shivering, her voice slightly cold.

"We met once."

After saying that, he frowned again, "Didn't you also see them at Xiangjue Temple that day?"

Ling Chenyi even lent them the carriage.

“I have never had any impression of insignificant people, unlike Miss Shen, who is widely known for her kindness.”

He withdrew his gaze indifferently, and his resolute features became even more gloomy.

"..." Shen Anan knew that he was squeezing her, but she didn't know how she had offended him.

But after all, he was the benefactor who saved the Shen family, so she pursed her lips silently and did not argue.

"Don't you want to go down and take a look? Don't freeze to death, or you'll have a hard time explaining yourself when you return." Xiao Yuan glanced at her coldly and said in a sarcastic tone.

"..." Shen Anan looked up at him, pouted, then lowered her head and said, "I have no relationship with the young master of the Zhang family anymore."

"Qingfeng, drive them away."

Almost as soon as Shen Anan finished speaking, Xiao Yuan's brisk voice of command rang out.

Shen Anan was unmoved. Zhang's elder sister was not a good person, and she was in a hurry to go home, so she had no time to argue with her.

But as soon as Qingfeng jumped off the carriage and before he could get close to the two of them, the crying of Yuejie and Yaomei was already deafening.

“Miss Shen, we really have something to ask you, can you meet us and listen to our explanation.”

"Miss Shen. I know you are of noble status and look down on poor people like us. Please have mercy and give us a chance to explain."

The sound of her knocking on the snow was very loud, and her cries sounded like a bereaved mother. Soon, the few pedestrians on the street stopped to look.

"Where are you going?" Xiao Yuan frowned and stopped Shen Anan from getting up.

She just said it doesn’t matter. Does this woman have any principles at all? Does she feel so sorry for the family of that dead scholar?

Shen Anan pushed his arm away, her voice was gentle.

"There's a sign on the carriage that says Fourth Prince's Mansion, and so many people are watching. If you let them make a scene, who knows what they'll say about you. At this critical moment, you can't give Second Prince a handle to deal with you."

"Tsk." Xiao Yuan sneered, his tone was light, "You are not allowed to go."

"What can Xiao Ze do to me?"

It was far less troublesome for him than her involvement with that scholar.

Shen Anan lowered her eyes and glanced at her wrist which was held by him again.

The Zhang sisters continued to cry, and more and more people gathered here. However, everyone knew whose carriage it was, and no one dared to step forward to speak.

"Then you have to take that person into consideration. Don't let the censor take advantage of this opportunity to report you."

She tried her best to remain calm and spoke to him in a soft voice. Xiao Yuan was dazed by her faint smile, and his hands were empty. The man had already got off the carriage.

He sat in the carriage, leaning forward slightly, squinting his eyes and scanning the crowd. There was no sign of the dead scholar, so he looked coldly at the Zhang sisters on the ground.

Shen Anan stood in front of the two of them, "Does this girl know whose carriage you stopped?"

Sister Yue raised her eyes, tears glistening in her eyes, "Miss Shen, I didn't mean to block your way, I just had to, I have something to say to you."

As she said this, she kowtowed three more times.

Shen Anan immediately stepped aside, "We are not related, I can't accept such a gift from the lady."

"Miss Shen," Sister Yue stretched out her hand to pull her dress, but when she saw the brocade material on Shen Anan's body, she rubbed her snow-covered hands and did not dare to pull it.

"Girl, there is a misunderstanding between us. Please let me explain it to you."

As he said that, before Shen Anan could speak, he immediately continued, "That day at Xiangjue Temple, I didn't know what your relationship with Brother Yang was. It was only later when Brother Yang got drunk and said your name that I found out."

"Miss Shen, I know you look down on me and Yaomei, and you don't want to continue to be with Brother Yang because you think we are not presentable. It doesn't matter. I can take Yaomei away, as long as you are fine."

She started to kowtow again, crying her heart out, like a truly good sister.

"We lost both our parents when we were young, so we are a little poor, but brother Yang passed the exam and achieved success through his own efforts. I promised my deceased parents to raise brother Yang and sister Yao and let them get married."

"Miss Shen, just think of Brother Yang as someone who doesn't have a sister like me. I will also take Sister Yao away and will never disturb you. We will go back to the countryside to live our lives."

After saying that, she looked at Shen Anan eagerly, tears streaming down her face, looking very sad.

She spoke with deep emotion, not only describing how difficult it was for her to raise her younger brothers and sisters over the years, but also pointing out that Shen Anan was too arrogant and looked down on them, a farmer from the countryside.

Shen Anan glanced around at the people who were whispering at her and rubbed her brows.

Today, she was in a hurry to go back. She really didn't want to have this idea with the Zhang sisters, but this girl was indeed vicious.

The Shen family is different now than it was in the past. Now that they are down and out, everyone wants to step on them. She can't let the Zhang sisters set this precedent and make the Shen family a laughing stock in the capital.

She bent down slightly, as if looking at Sister Yue carefully. Her clear almond eyes made Sister Yue's gaze wander and a little uneasy.

“Ms. Shen…Miss Shen, please forgive Yang Di and accept Yang Di.”

"Heh." Shen Anan chuckled, slowly straightened up, looked down at Sister Yue, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"Miss, you did this today because you suddenly discovered that being Zhang Yeyang's wife is different from what you imagined, right?"

Sister Yue was stunned, her body trembling noticeably, "I don't understand what you mean, young lady. I came here for my brother at home. I don't want him to become depressed and haggard because of a missed good marriage, so I had no choice but to come here to ask you for help."

She reached out and held Yaomei in her arms. Yaomei immediately cooperated and cried loudly. She looked really pitiful.

Shen Anan pinched her brows and didn't want to continue arguing with her. After all, it was a very cold day and there was a busy man waiting inside with a lot of things to do.

Her voice was a little colder. "Miss Yue, there is no need to be so high-sounding and use the public opinion to gild yourself. I am always straightforward in an argument. Since you asked me this, I will not be polite."

"The young master of the Zhang family is talented, and his family did intend to arrange a marriage for us. Later, it was indeed my Shen family that cancelled the engagement."

When the people heard this, they felt as if they had heard some shocking secret. Even the Fourth Prince's carriage could not calm the fire of gossip in their hearts.

The dignified Shen family would actually marry their daughter to a Jinshi. Although the girl kneeling in the snow sounded pitiful and they, as people at the bottom of society, were equally indignant, the disparity in their social status was a fact and an unbridgeable gap.

Sister Yue's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, but she was suddenly stared at by Shen Anan's cold gaze leaning over, and her voice was equally chilling.

"But... I have a question. I want to ask Miss Yue, what does it mean to wait for a girl? Are you and Master Zhang brother and sister?"

Xiao Yuan retracted the foot that was about to get off the carriage, and his posture obviously relaxed a little. He looked at the woman's slim figure lazily and curled his lips lightly.

"What, what do you mean by waiting for a girl? I don't understand, Miss Shen, you..."

"Shut up." Shen Anan gave her a cold look, cold and sharp. Sister Yue froze, her throat choked and she really didn't dare to squeeze out any sound.

"Miss Yue, please answer my question. Are you and Zhang Yeyang siblings?"

"I...I..." Sister Yue looked back and forth at the people who were watching the excitement from afar, hoping that someone would stand up and say something fair on her behalf.

We are all ordinary people. When we are bullied by the powerful, won’t we be indignant and stand up?

Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, no one spoke, so she could only bite the bullet and say, "Brother Yang and I are siblings. I don't know where Miss Shen got the news. This is clearly slander and insult."

"Yeah." Shen Anan nodded in agreement, but suddenly half squatted down and looked at her, "Miss, you have to think it over clearly. If you are siblings, you can only be siblings in this life. I will ask someone to go to the government to register. You can't be an official's wife in this life."

Filing? What case to prepare? Sister Yue looked up in confusion, wondering how come she had never heard of it before.

Shen Anan smiled and explained very patiently.

"Miss Yue didn't grow up in the capital, so she probably doesn't know that once this is registered with the government, you will be relatives. You will have to get married in the future, and you won't be able to enjoy much of Master Zhang's glory. If you two... are together, that would be incest!!!"