Chapter 22 Chapter 22 "It's cold, Madam, please be patient."...

"You actually hit me?"

Liu covered her face, unable to believe that Madam Sheng, who came from the Qinghe Cui family, a noble family of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, and was famous for her gentleness, kindness and beauty in her youth, would do such an extraordinary thing.

"I'm your elder, I've already hit you, what can you do about it?"

"My daughter Mingshu has been cherished like a jewel by her father and mother since she was little. They usually don't even dare to say a harsh word to her. How could a fool like you scheme to bully her?"

Madam Sheng raised her chin slightly, and her tone of voice was not particularly harsh, but it gave people a sense of arrogance that should not be underestimated.

"Come to think of it, I haven't slapped anyone in decades, so my technique is a little rusty."

"Ms. Liu, please bear with me."

When Sheng Puzhu and the others heard this out of the blue, they were all stunned and looked at each other.

Sheng Puyao was young and couldn't help laughing. Even though she tried hard to cover her lips, she still burst out laughing.

This laughter was extremely irritating to Liu. Her face was grim as she pointed at Sheng Puyao and said, "You little lady...don't go too far!"

"I'm going to tear your mouth apart." She said as she rolled up her sleeves and grabbed Sheng Puyao's face.

"Stop her!" Sheng Puzhu was quick-witted and quick-handed, and immediately pulled Sheng Puyao to protect him behind him.

Shouchunju was full of servants, so there was no way Liu would succeed.

"Let me go, you bitches."

"I am the wife of the Marquis of Changxing, bestowed upon me by the Empress herself."

Liu covered her red and swollen face with her hands, the hairpins and rings on her head were in disarray, and she shouted at everyone like a madman.

Madam Sheng lowered her eyes, a sneer playing on the corners of her old mouth: "Either the two families cancel the engagement, or you apologize to Mingshu."

"Even if I have to risk everything, I will go to the palace and let the Empress Dowager judge the matter."

Liu was not afraid at all. She was sure that the girl's reputation was more important than anything else. If the matter got out of hand, even if the Marquis Mingde's Mansion could successfully cancel the engagement, Sheng Mingshu's reputation would be completely ruined.

Everyone in the world is careful about their reputation, and it is impossible for them to marry a girl with a bad reputation for no reason.

"How do you judge the situation?"

"Mingshu herself admitted that she fell into the water and got her clothes wet during Princess Changning's flower viewing banquet. Since she wasn't having a secret meeting with anyone, why don't you find the man who saved her and testify for her."

"We can't find the person, and words are not enough to prove it. Sheng Mingshu is having an affair with a strange man!"

When the "secret meeting" was mentioned, Liu immediately became confident. She slowly tidied up her messy hair, her eyes full of malice.

"Sheng Mingshu, I advise you to think it over carefully."

"My son doesn't mind your ruined reputation and is willing to marry you. You'd better be sensible and set the wedding date early. At least I can give you the status of a legitimate wife."

"If you don't agree, then think more about whether your sisters at home will want to get married in the future. Don't let your innocence bring trouble to all the young ladies waiting to get married in the Marquis of Mingde Mansion."

Sheng Mingshu was already weak, and her lips turned pale after hearing Liu's words.

She took the nanny's hand and slowly walked to Liu.

"Qingyu?" There was complete disdain in her beautiful eyes.

He snorted coldly, "If I really cared about my reputation and what others thought, I wouldn't have insisted on asking my grandmother and grandfather to make the decision for me and arrange a marriage with Xue Hanwen when even my sisters at home were against it."

"He is not a handsome man, nor a skilled archer or horseman, but he is only marginally good at reading."

"I think since we've known each other since childhood, and he has a pure heart for me, a man like him, even if his appearance is a little ordinary, can at least be considered handsome. What's more important is that we have similar interests. After marriage, we can recite poems and couplets together and be considered a couple."

Sheng Mingshu approached Liu, her eyes full of sarcasm: "Obviously I was wrong, so wrong."

"I would rather cut off my hair and go to a Taoist temple to practice asceticism than marry into your Changxing Marquis Mansion!"

"Just give up on this idea."

Liu was stunned, and couldn't believe that she was so stubborn. She even suspected that Sheng Mingshu said this just as a temporary measure.

"Mother, I heard someone say my cousin is missing."

"The nanny in the mansion said that you came to the Marquis Mingde's Mansion, but it was because..." In the cold winter day, Xue Hanwen was running with sweat all over his forehead, which showed that he was really anxious.

He was halfway through his words when his voice seemed to be strangled: "Mother, what's wrong with your face? Why are you so embarrassed?"

When Mrs. Liu saw her son, she burst into tears and said, "He was beaten by someone."

"If you hadn't insisted on marrying the second lady of the Marquis of Mingde Mansion, I wouldn't have to endure such injustice."

Xue Hanwen frowned and stared at Sheng Mingshu with dissatisfaction: "Mingshu, even if my mother did something inappropriate, you are the younger generation and you can't let anyone hit her."

"As for our marriage, I have promised that I will marry you once things settle down."

"As the heir of a marquisate, I no longer care about your reputation. What else are you dissatisfied with?"

"Hurry up and apologize to my mother."

Sheng Puzhu chuckled and snorted deliberately, "Madam, you are such a fool. Why do you let all kinds of dogs into the house?"

"What if it scares us delicate girls?"

A nanny suppressed a smile and bowed to apologize: "It was my old eyes that were dim. I mistook a shadow for a person and accidentally let it into the hall. I will chase it out for you."

"Songnian!" Xue Hanwen called out Sheng Mingshu's nickname in a hurry.

He saw the maids in the flower hall, and they pulled out feather dusters and sticks from nowhere: "Why don't you stop them? I am your future husband."

Sheng Mingshu was so angry that she gritted her teeth, and even her heart hurt: "Shut your mouth, Songnian is no longer someone you can call."

"If you and I accidentally meet in Chang'an City in the future, we will just treat each other as strangers. Xue Hanwen, please return the engagement letter and token of trust that our two families exchanged."

"The marriage between you and me is over from now on."

Xue Hanwen was silent for a long time, still pretending to be puzzled: "Why would you cancel the engagement for no reason?"

"Are you going to admit that you had a secret meeting with someone by the lake that day?"

When Sheng Mingshu heard the word "secret meeting", her forehead started throbbing.

She just couldn't understand why this wicked family kept threatening her with this trivial matter.

I’ve had enough!

While he was mad with rage, he didn't know where he got the strength from, but he snatched the feather duster from the nanny next to him.

With a "bang", it hit Xue Hanwen's face hard.

The prince of Changxing, who was not particularly good-looking to begin with, was beaten so hard that his nose and face were swollen.

"Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think I'm easy to bully?"

"I'm just a little weaker than others, not mentally ill. Can you find another way to threaten me besides 'secret meeting'? If you want to destroy me, even if you spread rumors that I'm weak and have difficulty having children, it's better than having a secret meeting with someone."

Not only was Xue Hanwen stunned by the beating, everyone present was stunned. Liu was the first to come to her senses when she saw her only son bleeding from the nose, and she screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

"My son."

"You bastards."

Xue Hanwen stared at Sheng Mingshu, his face darkening: "Mingshu, you have changed."

"I thought you were kind and gentle, a girl raised in a family of poetry and etiquette. I didn't expect you to blame me like this for such a trivial matter."

Sheng Mingshu glanced at Xue Hanwen, feeling that every word he said was extremely disgusting: "Stop pretending."

She took a breath and smiled sarcastically, "You're keeping Liu Jiao'e in Tongjifang, and now you come here to pretend to be affectionate. I was really blind not to see that you were such a wicked person."

"Jiao'e is my cousin. Even if you are angry and resentful, you can't say anything nonsense and ruin a girl's reputation." Xue Hanwen was surrounded by several maids, his eyes very gloomy.

Seeing Sheng Mingshu silent, he sighed again, staring at her intently: "I admit that my cousin is my mother's niece, and I love her because her mother died young. The mansion has taken better care of her, but such a small matter cannot affect the friendship between you and me."

"If you don't like her, I can just have her sent back to her hometown in Yizhou."

Sheng Puzhu was almost vomiting when she stood aside. She never thought that there would be such a shameless man in this world.

She had advised Sheng Mingshu early on to read less poetry and songs and more storybooks.

If Sheng Mingshu had listened to her and read more stories like "The princess and the scholar eloped", "The noble lady fell in love with the servant", "The philandering man and the unfaithful man" every day, she would not have been deceived by Xue Hanwen's common tricks.

"Mingshu..." Xue Hanwen wanted to say something.

Suddenly, there was a clear and powerful sound of footsteps outside the flower hall.

"lady."

"The Dali Temple is investigating a case. Madam, please give us a quarter of an hour." A clear and melodious voice came from outside the flower hall, like pearls falling on a plate.

Sheng Puzhu looked over subconsciously. Xie Zhiyan was still wearing the same black armor as before. He had straight and broad shoulders, half of his face was against the light, and his eyebrows and eyes were deep as if outlined in thick ink.

He stood in front of the steps, and without even saying a word, he was already dazzled, a beautiful woman like jade, elegant and reserved.

"My dear, come quickly."

Sheng Puzhu stood on tiptoe and waved at him, a bright smile never before seen on her fair face: "The spy who collaborates with the enemy is here. He is the son of the Marquis of Changxing. Capture him quickly."

"Madam Sheng, don't be so arrogant!" Liu was so angry that her vision went dark and her breath was stuck in her chest, and she couldn't breathe.

Xie Zhiyan nodded and said to the person beside him, "My wife is referring to the son of the Marquis of Changxing. You can take him away."

"Thank you very much."

Lu Zhoudu walked out from behind Xie Zhiyan like a silent shadow and entered the flower hall.

His pitch-black boots stepped on the green bricks, and the belt around his waist fastened his crimson official robe. However, his face was as pale as if he had not seen the sun for many years, and his pale eyes revealed an indifferent and cold expression.

The coldness of the man in front of her was completely different from Xie Zhiyan's cool aloofness. He was more like the dead silence without temperature on a snowy night in winter.

"The Dali Temple is handling the case."

"Xue Hanwen is involved in the Chang'an spy case, I must take him away." Lu Zhoudu took out his badge.

"Impossible." Liu clutched Xue Hanwen's hand tightly, her face filled with horror. "Did you, the Dali Temple, make a mistake? My son has never done anything out of the ordinary except for banquets and poetry gatherings. How could he be a spy?"

Lu Zhoudu glanced at Liu with an expressionless face. Suddenly, he raised his hand and pressed the sheath of his sword against Xue Hanwen's neck. He spoke icy words, "Since Madam is defending him, she must have a close relationship with that young lady Liu who lives in Tongjifang. We can take her away for questioning."

"Someone come."

"Bundle them together."

Suddenly, a group of subordinates in black rushed in from outside. Without saying a word, they covered the mouths of the mother and son, tied them up and carried them away.

Lu Zhoudu then turned around and clasped his fists towards Madam Sheng, who was sitting in the main seat. "I am Lu Zhoudu, the junior, and I apologize for disturbing you."

"This is Liu Jiao'e's confession, please take a look." He took out a piece of paper with bright red fingerprints on it from his sleeve and handed it forward.

Madam Sheng stood up and took it with both hands: "Please trouble you, Lord Lu."

Lu Zhoudu nodded silently and turned to leave.

However, when he passed by Sheng Mingshu, his footsteps paused slightly, and after just half a breath, they returned to normal.

"Mr. Lu is so handsome."

Sheng Puyao witnessed the whole process, hiding behind Sheng Puju and sighing softly as she watched the man leaving.

Sheng Puzhu nodded in agreement: "Puyao has a good eye for men. At least she has inherited some of my true teachings."

"What true teachings?" Xie Zhiyan, who had been standing silently beside Sheng Puju without looking away, asked in a slightly deep voice.

"I just admire Lang..."

"Hmm." Sheng Puzhu reacted quickly. He bit the tip of his tongue, tears streaming down his face in pain. He tried hard to swallow back those arrogant words.

"Zhiyan, I'm sorry to trouble you today." Old Madam Sheng had already read the confession at a glance.

Xie Zhiyan said calmly, "They are all trivial matters. It just so happens that Lu Siqing and I have some friendship."

"According to Liu Jiao'e's confession."

He lowered his eyes to glance at Sheng Puzhu and said, "The fireworks that Xue Hanwen set off at Princess Changning's flower viewing banquet were indeed purchased from the merchant next door."

"Sending them to the Dali Temple for interrogation now wouldn't be considered an injustice."

Upon hearing this, Madam Sheng sighed and shook the paper in her hand: "Puzhu, you all take a look at this confession and you will have an idea of ​​what is going on."

"When your grandfather comes back, I'll have him take the things to the Changxing Marquis' Mansion to cancel the engagement. Now I'm not afraid that they will dare to confuse right and wrong."

It is worthy of being a confession obtained through investigation in the Dali Temple, it is clear, concise and to the point.

It was nothing more than that Xue Hanwen had an affair with his cousin, but he was reluctant to give up the marriage with the Marquis of Mingde. However, he was also afraid that Sheng Mingshu would blame Liu Jiao'e after marrying in, so the mother and son came up with this idea to kill two birds with one stone.

First, Sheng Mingshu's reputation was ruined, and then Liu came forward and said she wanted to cancel the engagement, threatening her with the cancellation of the engagement and the girl's innocence. In this way, whether she asked for an early wedding date or Sheng Mingshu married into the family, she would certainly be inferior.

In this way, whether Liu lets her son take a concubine or waits for Liu Jiao'e to give birth to the child in her belly, Sheng Mingshu will choose to endure it because of her innocence and guilt.

It has to be said that the mother and son had a good plan. They were able to keep their beloved niece at home and perfectly grasp Sheng Mingshu's weakness.

If it weren't for the flaws left by the "fireworks", who would have thought that the one crying "stop thief" would be Xue Hanwen himself.

After reading the confession, Sheng Puzhu breathed a sigh of relief and said earnestly, "Second sister, you must change your habit of judging people by appearance instead of appearance."

"It shows that people's hearts are hidden. You were almost deceived by that mother and son."

Sheng Mingshu did not refute. Her eyes were red. Her emotions suddenly surged up. She felt wronged and tired, and did not want to lose her composure in front of her sisters.

So he said pitifully, "Grandma, I'm a little tired. I want to go back and rest first."

"Go, go, all of you go away."

Madam Sheng took Sheng Mingshu's hand and said, "It's a good thing that you can recognize your husband's face before marriage. When your father comes back, grandma will ask him to choose a better husband for you."

"At worst, you can learn from your elder sister. I think Xie Jia Sanlang is a good picker."

*

The night deepens and the dew becomes heavier, and the moonlight slants down.

Sheng Puzhu closed her eyes, and her rosy lips were slightly opened due to her rapid breathing.

The bed sank slightly, and half of her face was sunken in the soft pillow with gold thread. Her plain white middle dress was half soaked through by the candlelight. She was trapped in the humid and hot air, squinting her eyes and unable to speak.

She seemed very sleepy, blinked her long eyelashes, and said with some annoyance.

"My dear, I have learned it."

"I really understand the knotting method for tying people up."

"Please help me untie it."

Xie Zhiyan didn't know how long he had been standing there, his clothes draped loosely over his shoulders, his bony hands holding a piece of rope, his Adam's apple rolling, forming a sharp arc under the light.

"Madam is intelligent."

"I've only taught you three times."

"It's just that Madam was so reckless today, it would be better to tie her up and calm her down first."

He chuckled softly and slid his calloused thumb over her snow-white neck.

"Oh, I almost forgot, there's one thing I don't understand."

"I wonder if Madam could explain this to me."

Sheng Puzhu twisted his waist, feeling that something was wrong, and almost forgot that he liked to settle scores later.

"What's the matter?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Xie Zhiyan leaned down, and the moonlight reflected on his suddenly dark eyes.

"I said today that Madam has recovered very quickly."

"I must personally..."

"Check carefully."

Sheng Puzhu's breathing suddenly stopped and she wanted to struggle, but her hands were tightly bound by soft ropes. She bumped into his cold eyes that were like a dormant beast.

The moment their eyes met, even their souls trembled.

"Well... there's no need to do this." She stammered.

Xie Zhiyan curled his thin lips slightly, and his dangerous eyes swept over her inch by inch.

Just when Sheng Puzhu thought he was about to do something, the man's clear voice slowly asked, "Madam, what do you think of Lu Siqing?"

Why are you asking Lu Siqing for no reason?

Sheng Puzhu's desire to survive tonight made her extra vigilant. She snorted, pretending she didn't understand: "It was too far away, I didn't look closely."

"Really?" Xie Zhiyan asked back.

Sheng Puzhu nodded vigorously: "Of course, at that time, my heart and eyes were all on you, my lord."

Before she finished her words, her body suddenly shook, and its curve became as tight as a crescent moon.

"It's cold." Her voice was so soft that it seemed to be breaking.

"Your hands are too cold."

"Take it out."

Xie Zhiyan didn't even raise his head, and said in a very low voice: "It's cold, Madam, please be patient."

"I always have to check more carefully."

"It can solve the puzzle."