Chapter 1 She was reborn
Chapter 1: She Was Reborn
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"Crown Prince"
"The one from Tingyuxuan is dead."
Meng Huaiyan paused, his hand holding the pen still, and thought for two seconds before remembering.
The woman living in Tingyuxuan is his wife.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible look of disgust crossed his eyes, but his expression quickly returned to calm.
His pen never stopped moving until he finished his official duties.
He then said, "Let's find a suitable place to bury him."
His tone was cold and indifferent, as if the person who died was a complete stranger.
The subordinate accepted the order and respectfully withdrew.
It was March, and the apricot blossoms outside the window were in full bloom.
A gentle breeze blew by, and some petals drifted into the room with the wind, landing on Meng Huaiyan's shoulder.
He raised his hand and brushed it away, as if brushing away a speck of dust.
*
"That's enough, that should be about right."
Shen Tang looked at the peach blossom branch in her arms and beckoned A Yun to come down from the tree.
The peach blossoms were in full bloom, each one plump and glistening with dewdrops.
Shen Tang couldn't help but lower her head and smell it; wisps of fragrance wafted into her nose.
I was overjoyed; I knew it would taste wonderful when used to make peach blossom cakes.
Shen Tang deliberately chose a secluded spot with few people, but she never expected to run into Meng Huaiyan when she turned the corner.
He was dressed in a vermilion official robe, his face solemn.
A faint smell of blood wafted through the air.
I guess they interrogated prisoners all night again last night.
Shen Tang hesitated slightly, wanting to dodge.
But there's only one road here, and there's no way to avoid it.
Turning back would seem too deliberate.
In just a short while, Meng Huaiyan was only a few steps away from her.
Having no other choice, Shen Tang curtsied to him, saying, "Prince Meng."
Meng Huaiyan frowned slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.
I was already quite tired and irritable after interrogating prisoners all night.
But Shen Tang was oblivious and insisted on blocking his way here.
Meng Huaiyan looked at the person in front of him. Ever since she came to the Duke's mansion two years ago, she had been relentlessly pestering him. To be honest, he was somewhat annoyed.
Many people admire him, and he has witnessed many of their tactics.
Various methods, including blunt, tactful, and even vulgar ones, were used, and at first he would get angry and furious.
As he got older, he became more and more adept at controlling his emotions, and became less expressive of his feelings.
His cold and aloof demeanor actually reduced the number of people bothering him, and he had a lot more peace and quiet.
Only Shen Tang has persisted relentlessly for the past two years, seemingly oblivious to his expression.
He kept getting too close to people; he hated people who lacked boundaries.
Although he was annoyed, she was, after all, his second aunt's niece, so he had to give her some face, even if it was for his second uncle's sake.
He suppressed his agitation: "I heard Miss Shen was ill a few days ago, is she feeling better?"
If Shen Tang from her past life had heard these caring words, she would have been overjoyed.
But now, looking at it, she feels very calm.
The man spoke words of concern, but his eyes showed indifference and complete disregard.
It was merely a polite question, a way of maintaining the decorum expected of scions of a prominent family.
Shen Tang lowered her brows: "It's all better now, thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Meng Huaiyan hummed in agreement.
Not wanting to get entangled with him, Shen Tang bowed slightly to him and took her leave.
When Ting Song saw Shen Tang's departing figure, he opened his mouth in surprise.
Every time Miss Shen sees their young master, she acts all coquettish and affected, and every now and then she pretends to be unsteady and throws herself at him, which is extremely annoying.
He was prepared for her to pounce on the prince, but how did he manage to stop her?
And this time they just left like that?
Something was definitely amiss. Tingsong couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, don't you think Miss Shen is acting a bit strange today?"
It was indeed unusual, but Meng Huaiyan didn't care.
Seeing that the prince ignored him, Tingsong nudged Qingyang with his elbow: "Qingyang, don't you find it strange?"
Qingyang didn't respond to him, but rolled her eyes at him: "Noisy."
Ting Song: "..."
Shen Tang and her companion returned to the courtyard, picked the peach blossoms one by one, and prepared to wash and dry them.
Between picking flower petals, A-Yun couldn't help but glance at Chen-Tang, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Ask whatever you want."
Ayun's hand paused slightly, her expression conflicted.
Since Miss woke up from her illness a few days ago, she has been acting strangely.
In the past, she would talk about Prince Meng all the time, and she would often ask her to find out his whereabouts and create opportunities to meet him by chance.
Knowing that he liked women with outstanding talent and learning, she diligently practiced calligraphy and painting every day.
The second wife even hired a special etiquette instructor to teach him the manners of aristocratic families.
But in the last few days, Miss has stopped practicing calligraphy and painting, and she hasn't mentioned Prince Meng anymore.
She had finally managed to run into the young lady today, but she seemed quite aloof, which piqued her curiosity.
"Miss, are you and the young master... are you alright?"
Of course it's nothing, I've just been reborn.
Shen Tang recalled how she had entangled herself with Meng Huaiyan in her past life, resorting to all sorts of tricks to get his attention, such as faking an encounter, falling down, and showing concern for him.
Meng Huaiyan consistently ignored her actions, maintaining only superficial politeness and courtesy.
During their conversation, Shen Tang could sense that he was somewhat annoyed by her persistent pursuit.
However, at that time she was as if she were bewitched, with only him in her eyes and heart, and she did not care at all about his cold attitude or other people's opinions of her.
Upon hearing the news that Meng Huaiyan was getting engaged, she even went so far as to drug him so that they could have physical intimacy.
Rumors spread like wildfire, and the Duke's mansion could not hide them no matter what it tried.
Forced by rumors and gossip, Meng Huaiyan ultimately had no choice but to marry her.
Meng Huaiyan already disliked her, and this drugging incident only made him hate her more. On their wedding night, he didn't even step into the bridal chamber and went straight to the study.
This made Shen Tang a laughing stock in Shengjing.
After drinking the tea offered by her on the second day of the wedding, the mother-in-law, Li, said that she would be exempt from the morning and evening greetings and that she did not need to come to pay her respects unless necessary.
On the surface, she was being considerate of her daughter-in-law, but Shen Tang knew that it was just an excuse to avoid seeing her.
Less than a year after their marriage, Meng Huaiyan placed her under house arrest in Tingyuxuan under the pretext of illness and the need for rest.
The servants in the manor were very astute in judging the situation. Seeing that she had been completely rejected, they also became lax and dismissive towards her.
She spent two long, agonizing years in Tingyuxuan, before finally succumbing to illness.
But when she opened her eyes, she found herself back three years in the past, before she got married and before she drugged and framed Meng Huaiyan.
The thought of her tragic death in her previous life sent chills down her spine.
Suppressing the tremor in her heart, Shen Tang said, "Don't mention him again."
Ayun opened her mouth wide in surprise: "Ah, why?"
"I just don't like it anymore."
Shen Tang spoke these words casually, yet they were like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
This greatly shocked Ayun.
She had seen in every detail the young lady's feelings for the young master over the past two years; she seemed determined to marry no one but him.
He's starting to get a little paranoid.
But now, why do I suddenly not like it anymore?
Seeing A-Yun's dazed expression, Shen Tang couldn't help but chuckle.
He reached out and patted her head: "Okay, hurry up and get it done, or we'll run out of time."
"Ah...oh," A-Yun finally came to her senses, unconsciously picking flower petals with her hand.
His eyes involuntarily drifted to the young lady, and seeing that she looked perfectly normal, he felt relieved.
Regardless of whether the young lady likes or dislikes anyone, she will follow the young lady for the rest of her life.
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