Chapter 36 Madness

In the capital, the rumors about the Regent's wife and the Crown Princess being married off to the wrong person were almost common knowledge.

Even the fact that the Crown Princess and the Regent's Princess returned to their parents' home on the same day became a topic of conversation among the people.

In the early morning, a gentle breeze blew through the willows in front of the courtyard, causing each branch to sway. Inside the courtyard of the Shen Mansion, with its red walls and green tiles, a gentleman dressed in official robes stood under the willows and in front of the fragrant grass.

He looked up and around, but it was unclear what he was looking at.

Upon hearing the rumble of wheels outside the mansion and seeing a cloud of dust sweep past, the man immediately ordered his servants to quickly open the gate.

As soon as Shen Pingjin and Yan Jue got off the carriage, they stared at each other in disbelief at the old master of the Shen family.

After a long while, Shen Pingjin tentatively called out, "Father?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a glistening tear appeared in the eyes of the weathered, hunched-over Old Master Shen. "You, you are my precious daughter, Jin'er?"

Before Shen Pingjin could answer, Master Shen looked her over, his eyes full of reproach, "Tell me, are you heartbroken because you married the Regent and have cried so much that you've lost weight?"

"It's all my fault for not checking the bridal sedan chair back then. You got into the wrong sedan chair and couldn't marry His Highness the Crown Prince. My Jin'er, I'm so sorry..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Pingjin couldn't help but tear up.

Whether in her past life or this life, her father is the same as always. Whenever something happens, he always worries about her and blames himself.

In an instant, Shen Pingjin recalled her father's tragic fate in her previous life. She shook her head violently, "Father, this is not your fault. It was all my own choice."

Master Shen thought that Shen Pingjin just wanted to put his mind at ease. He said with great distress, "My precious Jin'er, how come you are still as sensible as ever? Have you been well these past few days at the Regent's Palace? Has that philandering Regent brought any other girls to hang around in front of you?"

Yan Jue, who was walking towards Shen Pingjin, paused after hearing everything.

"..."

Shen Pingjin turned around, gave Yan Jue a helpless look, and then slipped to Master Shen's side.

Seeing Yan Jue right behind Shen Pingjin, Old Master Shen was speechless.

He said respectfully, "This old man pays his respects to the Regent and the Regent's Consort."

Seeing Master Shen's rapidly changing expression, Yan Jue quickly recovered and said, "Lord Shen, please rise. Although I am the Regent Prince, I am also your son-in-law!"

Master Shen felt deeply ashamed and unworthy of such praise. "I dare not accept such praise, Your Highness, please do not say such things. After all, I am not necessarily Your Highness's only...father-in-law."

Yan Jue: "..."

When Shen Pingjin heard this, she couldn't help but chuckle. She silently walked to her father's side and then looked around at herself.

Yan Jue knew it was impossible to get Shen Pingjin to speak, so he nodded resignedly and said respectfully, "Reporting to my father-in-law, although I am a womanizer, I only have Pingjin as my lawfully wedded wife. Therefore, my father-in-law is only you, Lord Shen."

Master Shen's scrutinizing gaze suddenly changed. He pondered for a moment, and just when Shen Pingjin thought her father was about to utter something earth-shattering, Master Shen simply nodded, lost in thought.

"Truly worthy of being my son-in-law, what you say is absolutely right!"

Yan Jue also looked surprised. He raised his hand in a gesture of respect and said, "You flatter me, you flatter me."

Shen Pingjin rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky.

Mr. Shen waved his hand, "Son-in-law, you're too kind."

His gaze suddenly sharpened again. "Although you are now my eldest son-in-law, if you ever bully or betray my Xiao Jin, I will definitely support Xiao Jin in getting a divorce."

Before Yan Jue could answer, Master Shen looked at Shen Pingjin beside him with a serious expression, "Xiao Jin, your father knows that you love and are in love with the current Crown Prince, but look, the Crown Prince is now your second sister's husband. You must not do anything rash, you must let go, understand?"

Seemingly afraid that Shen Pingjin might misunderstand, Master Shen added, "Little Jin, I'm not biased towards your second sister, it's just that this matter is too coincidental. If you're sad, you can lean on your father's shoulder!"

Before her stood the hunched-over Lord Shen, each word spoken with earnest sincerity and unwavering conviction. A gentle breeze rustled through the courtyard, causing the willow branches to sway. Suddenly, Shen Pingjin felt her eyes well up with tears.

In her past life, her father had spoken to her in the same tone as he does now. When he told her not to care too much about Su Xuanmao, she stubbornly believed that he wanted to ruin her happiness.

She even resented her father because of these things.

But when she turned into white light, she saw with her own eyes her father on the execution ground, his body bent, kneeling down on his knees, which were stained with dignity, begging Su Xuanmao and Shen Ruixue to spare him before his execution.

But all that awaited him was a swung sword.

Shen Pingjin gradually came to her senses. She nodded slightly, and all the words she wanted to say were condensed into one sentence: "Father, your daughter understands."

Master Shen didn't see the glistening tears in Shen Pingjin's eyes. Seeing that Shen Pingjin agreed, he immediately looked at Yan Jue with satisfaction.

It seems that although this eldest son-in-law is a womanizer, he treats his precious daughter very well.

Just as Master Shen looked at Yan Jue with admiration, the sound of a horse tearing apart came from afar, breaking the harmonious atmosphere among them.

A bright yellow four-clawed python robe appeared before them. Su Xuanmao's expression was gentle and calm. With his long, strong hands, he slowly lifted the curtain and carefully helped Shen Ruixue, who was sitting inside the carriage, down from the carriage.

Bright moon and gentle breeze waited on the side, their expressions looking somewhat unnatural.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Chen Pingjin frowned slightly, but her face still radiated a bright smile. "Your Highness the Crown Prince has finally arrived."

The figure in bright yellow paused slightly.

Su Xuanmao turned his head and saw Shen Pingjin under the willow tree, wearing royal clothes personally tailored by Aunt Yuyan, her little face beaming with a bright smile, staring straight at him.

Su Xuanmao blushed instantly, completely forgetting that he was helping Shen Ruixue down from the carriage.

Shen Ruixue and Su Xuanmao had discussed it inside the carriage.

She felt a little smug when she saw Su Xuanmao supporting her, but the next moment, the hands that were supporting her seemed to suddenly lose their strength and fell down.

She wasn't paying attention and fell heavily off the carriage. Her brand-new, wrinkle-free clothes came into close contact with the ground.

Seeing this, Mingyue Qingfeng immediately went over and helped Shen Ruixue up from the ground.

Mingyue and Qingfeng couldn't bear to watch any longer. The two of them stood in front of Su Xuanmao, about to say something, but Su Xuanmao's eyes were empty.

Su Xuanmao felt like he was going crazy.

The girl's smile lasted only a moment, yet it seemed as if it were etched into his mind, endlessly replaying in his mind.

He had never felt this way before.

This was the first time that Shen Pingjin had made his heart pound wildly in his chest.