Chapter 15 Everything is up to my husband

Shen Guannian was furious. He roared, "You're still spouting nonsense about past lives? There's no such thing as a past life! I think you've lost your mind! What are you all standing there for? Get out and greet the young master!"

"And Liao Youhe, where is he? He eats my Shen family's food and lives off my Shen family, but he's utterly useless. Go and greet him too!"

"Everyone in the Shen family who can breathe, go and greet them! Anyone who doesn't, get out! The Shen family doesn't support useless trash!"

After he finished speaking, he walked out first.

Knowing her husband was truly angry, Lady Qi panicked and hurried outside. After taking a few steps, she realized her daughter hadn't followed and immediately pulled her back, saying, "Go out quickly to greet the Prince! Your father is still hoping that Prince Ning will give him a boost so he can be reinstated! Hurry!"

"Granny Yin, quickly go and call the young master, tell him to go and welcome the young master too!"

"And tell the eldest and second masters to stop reading and hurry to welcome the young master!"

The Shen family courtyard was thrown into chaos as everyone rushed out in a noisy commotion.

When Shen Guannian led his men to the door and saw what was happening, he almost fainted!

A huge crowd had gathered outside, with neighbors and even their entire families coming to watch the spectacle. The Prince of Ning stood at the door, his handsome face filled with a cold and gloomy expression.

Upon seeing them emerge, Xiao Qingyuan said sarcastically, "So the Shen family still has living members. I thought I'd wandered into an empty mansion, and I waited for ages without seeing a soul."

Shen Guannian was quite embarrassed, and his fair face flushed red: "My servants were busy preparing the feast and did not know that the young master had already arrived. Please come in, young master! Tang'er, why are you so old-fashioned? Why don't you invite the young master in? In this hot weather, how can you make the young master stand outside and get so hot!"

He invited Xiao Qingyuan in while simultaneously scolding his daughter, Shen Wantang.

Shen Wantang simply lowered her head slightly and stood quietly behind Xiao Qingyuan, saying nothing, just as she had been taciturn in the Shen family for the past sixteen years.

Xiao Qingyuan objected: "Lord Shen, what a display of official power you have! Reprimanding your daughter in front of me? What, you want to reprimand me but don't dare, so you take it out on her? Are you reprimanding her or me?"

He never wanted to return to his parents' home, and he disliked Shen Guannian's sycophantic nature even more. Now, Shen Guannian had really walked right into his trap.

"Your Highness has misunderstood. I had no such intention! It's just that Your Highness is so noble and precious, and it was really inappropriate for Tang'er not to invite you in. That's why I couldn't help but say a few words to her. I wasn't talking about Your Highness."

Shen Guannian was drenched in sweat, but this living ancestor refused to come in, so he had no choice but to talk to him from the gate.

Everyone around them wished they had extra ears to listen carefully to every word they said.

He knew without even thinking what kind of shameful rumors would circulate in the capital tomorrow.

He urged again, "Your Highness, please come in quickly!"

Lady Qi also put on a fawning smile: "Yes, Your Highness, please come in quickly. We've been looking forward to Your Highness's arrival for a long time. Now that you've finally come, we're truly delighted!"

But Xiao Qingyuan stood rooted to the spot, his feet firmly planted on the ground, while his mouth moved swiftly: "Hoping I'd come? I doubt it. There was only a maidservant at the door, and the door wasn't even opened. Is that what you call hoping I'd come? When that maidservant saw me, she clearly ran back to report, but I waited outside for the better part of a day before you finally came out. Were you deliberately leaving me hanging?"

Madam Qi's expression changed, and she finally understood why the little maid had rushed into the main room in such a panic.

But she believed her daughter's words and thought that Xiao Qingyuan would not come, so she never thought about what the little maid meant by "something terrible has happened".

She was furious. That damned maid hadn't been beaten enough! She hadn't even said anything when the young master arrived. Now look what's happened! She's made the whole Shen family lose face!

But now is not the time to scold that maid; the most important thing right now is to quickly find a way to invite the young master in.

"What maid?"

Madam Qi pretended not to know anything: "Could it be the one at the gate? But I didn't see her! Please forgive me, Your Highness, we've been too lenient with the servants at home, and they've become a bit unruly. That maid didn't inform me that Your Highness was coming; she's probably gone off to play somewhere else. I'll definitely teach her a lesson later."

After she finished speaking, she walked to Shen Wantang's side and affectionately took her hand: "Tang'er, the young master has been standing outside for so long, why don't you hurry up and help him inside? Aren't you usually the most sensible and clever one? Why are you acting like a fool now?"

Shen Wantang looked up and saw the warning in Qi Shi's eyes. She sneered inwardly. She was already married, and Qi Shi still wanted to threaten her?

She quickly lowered her head and said obediently, "Mother, didn't you teach me to obey my father at home and my husband after marriage? Now that Tang'er is married, I will naturally listen to my husband in everything."

As she spoke, she subtly withdrew her hand from Qi's and moved closer to Xiao Qingyuan.

When Xiao Qingyuan heard her call him "husband," his brows furrowed into a deep frown. He was very displeased. Who allowed her to call him that?

"Shen Wantang!"

Shen Wantang curtsied to him, displaying the humility and obedience of a concubine's daughter to the fullest extent: "This concubine is here, Your Highness, please give your orders."

Xiao Qingyuan originally wanted to say that only his Yan Luo could use the word "husband." He had never lifted her veil nor consummated the marriage with her, so he was not her husband at all, and she could not use that word.

But when he looked up, he saw a huge crowd of people surrounding him. He opened his mouth, but could only swallow the words he was about to say.

This Shen Wantang is quite pitiful. She's already so humble. If he continues to speak ill of her in public, she'll be drowned in spittle tomorrow. She probably won't have the face to live anymore, and it's not impossible for her to commit suicide.

After all, Yanluo had attempted suicide several times because of those rumors and gossip. If he hadn't stopped her at the crucial moment, she would have died long ago.

Although he didn't acknowledge Shen Wantang as his wife, he didn't want her to lose her life because of him.

Anyway, that's about enough for today. He didn't actually go back to his parents' home, which was fair to Yan Luo, and he also fulfilled his mother's request. He can go back and report back.

With a cold expression, he flicked his sleeve and said, "Back to the manor!"

Shen Wantang remained obedient: "Yes, Your Highness."

Xiao Qingyuan had just boarded the carriage when Shen Wantang followed without hesitation, obedient and subservient, seemingly without any right to make her own decisions.

The Shen family was dumbfounded. Not only did they fail to invite the person in, they also angered and drove them away.

If the new son-in-law just leaves like this, how will the Shen family face anyone in the future?

"Your Highness, please wait!"